Caustic soda plant setup in India: How aluminium growth is reshaping demand, costs and opportunities
Caustic soda may not be the most visible ingredient in aluminium production, but without it, the journey from bauxite to alumina would look very different. The chemical, also known as sodium hydroxide, is a crucial reagent in the Bayer process, where it helps dissolve alumina-bearing material in bauxite and separate it from impurities. The dissolved material is then processed to recover alumina, which ultimately feeds aluminium production. That makes caustic soda more than just another industrial chemical. Its availability, price and efficient use can influence the economics of alumina refining and, by extension, the wider aluminium value chain. As India expands its alumina and aluminium capacity, the requirement for this chemical is also becoming increasingly important. For companies...
Aluminum investment across North America and Asia: Who leads reshaping the next phase of growth?
Aluminum investment has been spreading across the entire value chain, from primary smelting and alumina refining to recycling, rolling, extrusion and battery foil, building more integrated and higher-value supply chains. During the past 5 years, the US and Canada in North America and China in Asia have been grabbing headlines pertaining to the aluminum industry. These updates have involved growth stories or have shed light on volatile market situations. How have these headlines contributed to a greater picture for the benefit of the aluminum industries of the two continents? Between 2021 and 2026, major projects across North America and Asia have targeted new primary capacity, lower-carbon production, recycled aluminum and higher-value downstream products. But the investment pattern is...
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UC RUSAL launches powder business development programme
UC RUSAL, a leading global aluminium producer, announces the start of its powder business modernisation programme. The programme, with a total investment set to reach USD52 million, will renovate the powder metallurgy plants in Volgograd and Shelehov. The programme aims to increase production of aluminum powder from 20k to 25.5k tonnes per year and expand the Company’s market share in the Russia and CIS market from 54% to 76%. The program will be implemented from 2014 through to 2022. RUSAL is investing in the development of modern dry and wet grinding technology that will allow the Company to penetrate the aluminum paste segment. Alongside this, the Company will also invest in the development of new technology to reduce powder production costs, to produce new types of gas developing...
Aluminium weakens by 0.1% on low spot demand
Aluminium prices traded marginally down by 0.08% to INR 121.25 per kg in futures trading today as speculators reduced exposure amid sluggish demand from consuming industries in the spot market. At the Multi Commodity Exchange, aluminium for delivery in December shed 10 paise, or 0.08% to INR 121.25 per kg in business turnover of 548 lots. Similarly, the metal for delivery in January next year traded lower by 5 paise, or 0.04% to INR 122.15 per kg in 14 lots. Analysts said off-loading of positions by speculators due to subdued demand in the spot markets from consuming industries and weakness in copper and other base metals at the London Metal Exchange, mainly put pressure on aluminium prices at futures trade.
Queensland Bauxite is closer to mineral resource upgrade
Queensland Bauxite has provided an update, and said as previously advised, the company is preparing a resource upgrade report to an Indicated Mineral Resource status under JORC 2012 which will give the basis to start project development at the South Johnstone Bauxite project. The resource report has been reviewed by a bauxite specialist Independent Consultancy group, and a number of modifications were recommended as a result of the review. These are being made and the company expects to complete these changes over the weekend. Concurrent with that review and as a result of the increased confidence level due to the new information and data to hand, the Company is also preparing an Exploration Target upgrade for the South Johnstone Bauxite Project which will also be released with the...
Granco Clark supplies oldcastle building envelope two hot log saws and transport equipment.
Oldcastle Building Envelope of Terrell, Texas has selected Granco Clark to upgrade the log cutting systems on both of their existing press lines. They purchased (2) Model HBCS 69 Hot Log Saws to replace the existing shears. Transport equipment to deliver the billet to the press is also included. This upgrade will offer accurate and consistent length billets to the extrusion press.The use of the saw eliminates the deformation of the existing ‘90s era log shear design.The system also provides a “no-scrap” cycle which will utilize the entire log by making twopiece billets at the log junctions.
Future Jeep Wrangler Won’t Be Going The Distance
Jeep has made it clear that the next-generation Wrangler will be built with aluminium, like how it is for the upcoming Ford F-150. This will surely make the future Wrangler lighter than before, thus optimizing fuel economy and power output at the same time. Despite that fact, the changes revolving around the production of the future Wrangler is going to be really subtle. This is after Jeep rubbishes the rumours where the vehicle will be built at a new facility instead of the Toledo plant. The American carmaker reiterated that the Wrangler will continue to be developed at Toledo, even if it is coming with aluminium. On the downside of things, Jeep admitted that the cost is going to be massive if they wish to upgrade the facility to be aluminium compatible.
Mozal is largest company in Mozambique in 2013
The Mozal aluminium foundry is once again the largest company in Mozambique, a position it has held for more than a decade, according to the list of Mozambique’s 100 Largest Companies in Mozambique by auditing firm KPMG Mozambique. Based on the results for 2013, the KPMG study shows that Mozal posted turnover of 32.3 billion meticais (US$997 million), a decrease of 6.8 percent. Oil company Petróleos de Moçambique (Petromoc) is in second place with turnover of 18.8 billion meticais. Also according to the report, state power company Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM) rose from seventh place in the previous edition of the study to fourth place in 2013, the beer maker Cervejas de Moçambique fell from fourth to fifth place and the Cahora Bassa Hydroelectric facility (HCB) remained in sixth...
Beverage cartons recycling hits milestone
Some 60% of local authorities are now collecting beverage cartons for recycling from kerbside, according to the Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE) UK. The figure shows a leap from levels in 2006, when only 4% of local authorities took part in kerbside schemes. If bring bank schemes are included, a total of 91% of local authorities collect cartons for recycling. The 60% mark was reached after the Norfolk Waste Partnership joined the programme. It launched a new recycling scheme for residents on 1 October 2014. Norfolk Waste Partnership technical adviser Adrian Akester said the scheme would help the partnership meet a target of increase recycling by 5-10%. ACE UK chief executive Richard Hands said the organisation’s “re:cartons” campaign was launched to provide...
Aluminium premiums expected to hit record high in 2015
Global aluminium premiums are expected to reach fresh record highs by mid-2015 on a supply deficit in the United States and Europe, a Reuters survey showed. Premiums have surged this year, more than doubling in the United States, as a revival in auto demand spurred aluminium consumption, while smelter shutdowns and use of the metal in financing deals squeezed supply. But premiums next year will rise at a slower pace as new rules reduce queues at warehouses and as higher all-in prices encourage smelters to ramp up production. According to the survey of 11 sources from aluminium consumers, producers and trade houses - who declined to be named as they were involved in 2015 term deal talks - global premiums are most likely to hit records in the second quarter. "The world, excluding China,...
Orbite announces change to its Board of Directors
Orbite Aluminae Inc. announced today that following his appointment as Chief Financial Officer of Barrick Gold, Mr. Shaun Usmar resigned, effective today, from his position as Director of the Company. “We would like to thank Shaun for his support of the Company during his time on our Board and wish him success in his new position,” stated Claude Lamoureux, Orbite’s Chairman of the Board of Directors. “We are looking to appoint a new Director, continuing our practice of attracting high-caliber professionals to ensure strong corporate governance.”
Double awards success for EGA
Emirates Global Aluminium ("EGA") has won two gold awards at the 6th Continual Improvement & Innovation ("CII") Symposium, one of the most prestigious annual events organised by Dubai Quality Group ("DQG") which this year took place on 26 November. Three EGA case studies were short-listed for the Live Competition during the symposium and all projected a strong brand image. Two of the EGA entries went on to take top honours in their respective categories, namely: KAIZEN category - "GT23 Tripping Logic Circuit Breaker Operation" from Power Plant, EGA Jebel Ali; and Lean Six Sigma Category - in "Reducing Anode Problem in Potlines" from Carbon and Port Operations, EGA Al Taweelah. This year's wins bring to fourteen the number of CII awards won by EGA in the four years it has been involved...
North-end industry producing activated alumina products is expanding
Two property sales up for approval at city council’s regular meeting tonight point to growth in the north-end industrial park. Axens, formerly Rio Tinto Alcan, is buying a stretch of land for future expansion, while another Development Drive firm, Ottawa Rental Supply, is looking to expand in 2016 and add jobs, according to city officials. Council will vote on a motion to sell up to 3.745 acres of serviced land in the John G. Broome Business Park, on the northern section of Development Drive, to Axens-IFP Group Technologies, for a purchase price of $25,000 per acre or $93,625 in total. In a report to council, economic development director Dave Paul notes the French multinational is buying the land “for future expansion planning anticipated in the short term.” The former Alcan plant has...
Sohar Aluminium Completes Major Upgrade of Potline
A major revamp of Sohar Aluminium’s 1.2km long potline, which forms the centerpiece of the $2.4 billion smelter project, concluded be end of November 2014 weekend marking the culmination of a multimillion dollar initiative that is already contributing to productivity optimization, energy efficiency, and enhanced safety. The overhaul represents the first significant upgrade of the country’s largest industrial project since it came on stream in June 2008. As a result, all 360 cells – the individual production generation units that make up the giant potline – have now been replaced in a move that effectively revitalizes smelting operations at Sohar Aluminium and delivers all round benefits. According to Serge Gosselin, Chief Operations Officer at Sohar Aluminium, pots typically have a...
Ghana suffers as Canadian company ceases funding
Behind the rusting security gate at a secluded mine entrance, two flagpoles stand side by side. One flies the black star of Ghana while the other, which once carried the Canadian Maple Leaf, now displays China’s red ensign. Yet half a million Canadian foreign aid dollars, earmarked for communities affected by Canadian mines, were sent here for three years. It was part of an experiment in overseas aid, where the Canadian government partnered with a mining company to develop the local economy. The money went to teacher training, vocational classes and small agricultural projects. But three years on, training has ceased, half-finished buildings sit shuttered and the development plan has stalled due to a lack of new funding. The Canadian mine was sold in early 2010 before the project even...
The Govt. may not approve of Chinese smelter owners' plea to remove export duty
At the China International Aluminium Industry Exhibition, some of the Chinese aluminium smelters have approached the government to revoke the 15% export duty that is imposed on primary aluminium, as reported on Tuesday. However, traders in the aluminium business believe that the abolition will not be revoked as that would again raise the Chinese aluminium production leading to yet another situation of oversupply which hurts the industry as a whole. The removal of the export duty will lead to a renewed spur to produce the metal with small, cost-effective smelters springing up everywhere and this will foil the government’s resolve to tackle the overcapacity in the aluminium industry which has prevailed for years. The renewed production will also put a pressure on the environment with...
UC RUSAL to invest USD10 million in silicon production used for making aluminium alloys
Rusal, a leading global aluminium producer, announces plans to invest over USD10 million in the modernization of silicon production in 2015. The investment program will enable RUSAL to increase production of high quality grades of silicon needed for production of aluminum alloys to 23,820 tonnes per year. Modernization of production sites will also reduce the Company’s dependence on silicon imports. The Company will deliver a major overhaul and equipment upgrade at SUAL-Kremniy-Ural LLC and Kremniy CJSC, which will reduce the plants’ emissions. The comprehensive investment programme includes an optimization of production processes; a phased introduction of a refining process at SUAL-Kremniy-Ural and a change in technology of silicon’s casting in moulds. In addition, pilot works to start...
Jaguar might unveil the new XF at the New York Motor Show
The new Jaguar XF might be unveiled at the 2015 New York Motor Show before going on sale later next year. The new car is expected to carry styling cues inspired by the younger sibling XE and a lightweight aluminium chassis that is bound to make it more efficient and dynamically better than the outgoing model. According to a source, the XF will now get sharper styling cues and lively body creases and its dimensions will be made to mimic the XE’s coupe like silhouette. The new XF like will be underpinned by the company’s new aluminium-intense iQ[Al] platform on which the smaller XE sits. This new chassis will help keep the weight down despite the size of the car going up to generate additional space at the rear and the boot. It seems like Jaguar is preparing the XF to be the sportiest sedan...
Hulamin expects ‘significantly higher’ earnings
HULAMIN said in a revised trading statement that it will see significantly higher earnings per share (EPS) and headline earnings per share (HEPS) for the year to end-December. The aluminium manufacturer said on Tuesday it had earlier expected a more than 20% improvement from the year-earlier period, but now expected EPS, HEPS and normalised EPS of between 110c and 121c, 112c and 123c and 109c and 120c, respectively. The range of increase across the board was between 73% and 129%. The latest forecast had not been reviewed and reported on by the company’s external auditors. Hulamin reported a loss per share of 422c last year after taking account of a net impairment charge of R1.5bn, or 479c per share. The group said on Tuesday it could not comment further on the "significant jump" reported...
Japan once again agrees to pay record premiums for aluminium
The premiums have gone up considerably as there are reports suggesting two top aluminium producers are demanding record premiums of $435-$440 per tonne for deliveries due in January-March, which is 4.8 percent higher than the previous quarter, said two sources involved in the quarterly pricing talks. Since Japan is the biggest importer of aluminium in Asia, the kind of premium they pay over the LME cash price for the metal sets the benchmark in the region. The last time the Japanese paid a record premium was in the October-December quarter paying $420 per tonne PREM-ALUM-JP, 3-5 percent higher than the previous quarter. The discussions for the latest quarterly pricing started earlier this month between the Japanese buyers and the top aluminium producers like Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton and...
