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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Nalco jumps after strong Q2 results
National Aluminium Company rose 7.25% to INR 62.90 at 9:23 IST on BSE after net profit jumped 90.61% to INR 341.52 crore on 16.28% rise in total income to INR 2164.13 crore in Q2 September 2014 over Q2 September 2013. The result was announced after market houINR on Wednesday, 12 November 2014. Meanwhile, the BSE Sensex was up 74.86 points, or 0.27%, to 28,083.76. On BSE, so far 3.81 lakh shares were traded in the counter, compared with an average volume of 4.89 lakh shares in the past one quarter. The stock hit a high of INR 64.30 and a low of INR 62.50 so far during the day. The stock hit a 52-week high of INR 68.80 on 19 September 2014. The stock hit a 52-week low of INR 31.80 on 20 February 2014. The stock had underperformed the market over the past one month till 12 November 2014,...
Inalum to speed up power plant project
State-owned aluminum producer PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium (Inalum) plans to accelerate the development of its power plant project, an Inalum executive says. Inalum president commissioner Agus Tjahajana said the company was inching closer to completing the feasibility study for the planned 1,000 megawatt (MW), steam-driven power plant. Initial plans to break ground in the middle of next year have been moved up to early next year. “After the study is finished, we will carry out a bidding process and seek funds to finance construction,” Agus said Tuesday. The construction of the power plant, which will require US$750 million in investment, is the first in a series of projects totaling $1.5 billion that Inalum plans to carry out through 2019. Other projects include a seaport and a new...
Novelis to convert all of its beverage can sheet to high-recycled content evercan™ aluminum by 2017
Novelis, the global leader in aluminum rolling and recycling, today announced a new commitment to convert all of its beverage can body sheet production to its evercan™ sheet, the world's first certified high-recycled content aluminum for beverage cans, by the end of 2017. Novelis President and CEO Phil Martens announced this new commitment today at JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s Chief Sustainability Officers Summit in New York. "The transition to a low-carbon, circular economy requires innovation and disruption to create measurable impact," said Martens. "Our plan to produce only evercan body sheet by 2017 is a bold move that extends our leadership in sustainability and is an important part of our long-term strategy to increase the recycled content in our products to 80 percent by the end of the...
RAMPF unveils lightweight carriage made from aluminium foam
RAMPF Machine Systems has unveiled a bonded lightweight carriage in a highly dynamic, multi-axis moving system at this year's Motek trade fair in Stuttgart, Germany. The company states the carriage features improved rigidity, significantly better damping, and low weight. For the first time, RAMPF Machine Systems claims it has manufactured a carriage for a highly dynamic multi-axis system using aluminium foam sandwich panels that have been cut to size and bonded together. According to RAMPF the carriage weighs 32% less than a comparable version made entirely of steel, while also delivering improved rigidity and significantly better damping. The acceleration of the three axes in this moving system that can be adapted for different applications is 8g on the X-axis, 3g on the Y-axis, and 13g...
New bauxite reserves projected at 400 Mln tonnes in China Guizhou in 2014
New bauxite reserves in Guizhou Province – one of China’s bauxite-rich regions – are likely to hit 400 million tonnes in 2014, cnmn.com reported on November 9. Besides, new coal resources in the province are estimated at 150 million tonnes this year. To capitalize on abundant resources, the local government is encouraging the development of coal-electricity- aluminum integration facilities.
Novelis shifts focus to the more lucrative automotive industry
Novelis Inc. which is the U.S. arm of Hindalco, one of India’s largest aluminium makers said that they are slowly shifting their focus towards catering to automakers and as a result they have cut 3,000 and hired 4,000 workers over the past four years. The transition has caused the displacement of nearly 35 percent of the company’s workforce as revealed by the Chief Executive Officer, Phil Martens on Tuesday. He also said that the new workers are currently working out of the greenfield sites. There are also plans of expansion to support the growth seen in the automotive industry and the consequent demand in the aluminium recycling business, he said during an interview. Since many automakers are switching to aluminium to reduce weight and increase fuel efficiency, Novelis expects a rising...
Carubba Collision opens new shop, Aluminum Repair Center
Joseph Carubba, president and CEO of Carubba Collision Corp., announced that Carubba Collision has opened up two new locations in Western New York. Zeigler Honda of Amherst has formed an alliance with Carubba Collision, making it their body repair shop. Carubba Collision will be on site at Zeigler Honda to assist customers who need auto body repairs. The Zeigler Automotive Group made the Amherst location one of their newest dealerships and recently completed major renovations to make it a state-of-the-art dealership. “As a Honda-certified body shop, we are very excited about our partnership with Zeigler Honda and being able to provide our services right in their facility,” said Carubba. Carubba Collision added a sixth location as well with their Aluminum Repair Center in Tonawanda. This...
Ford’s much awaited all-aluminium F-150 goes into production
On Tuesday, officially the production began for the much awaited and much hyped Ford F-150 in the same place where Ford’s Model A cars were built 90 years ago, the Ford’s Rouge Factory. Back then, the switchover from the top running model T to a newer model A had also cost the company dearly as this transition to the all-aluminium F-150 is proving to be. It has cut into the company’s global profits significantly as the switch from steel to aluminium meant new techniques, new equipment and new skill sets. Sceptics are still doubtful whether the conservative-minded pick-up truck buyers will accept the radical change in the core material. The new model however claims to cut the weight by 700lbs and reduce fuel consumption by 5-20 percent. These numbers would be in keeping with the US...
Pre-bent busbars now available
Sapa delivers high-conductive aluminium busbars to the energy-supply segment. Now, customers can further reduce costs and improve the environmental footprint of their systems by ordering pre-bent busbars. Busbars are extruded round tubes mainly in the 6101B T6/T7 aluminium alloy, to ensure high conductivity. The extruded tubes are installed in electrical substations to conduct electricity from the high-voltage to the low-voltage net, typically for customers in the energy-supply sector and for their subcontractors. Pre-bent aluminium busbars now availableNon-supported busbars, which are only fixed to both extremities, are always pre-bent if they exceed +/- 6.000mm. This enables the profiles to go back to their original flatness due to their own weight. Pre-bent busbars offer customers many...
Competitive challenges hallmark aluminium market
'The global aluminium recycling business continues to grow as more and more of the metal is consumed in packaging, transport, construction and other applications,' notes Metal Bulletin. The market implications of latest developments will be discussed at Metal Bulletin's International Recycled Aluminium Conference, to be held on November 17-19 in Germany's capital city Berlin. The host country is hailed as 'the hub of European aluminium recycling, secondary smelting and cast alloy consumption'. And Metal Bulletin adds: 'While the centre of gravity of the recycling business is veering east towards the more rapidly developing markets, recyclers in Europe are repositioning and investing to meet the competitive challenge.' A highlight of the event will be the optional pre-conference visit to...
Aluminium trades at lower level on global cues, low spot demand
Aluminium prices fell 0.40 per cent to INR125.65 per kg in futures trading today as speculators reduced exposure amid weak global trend. At the Multi Commodity Exchange, aluminium for delivery in December declined by 50 paise, or 0.40 per cent, to INR 125.65 per kg in business turnover of 27 lots. Similarly, the metal for delivery in the November contract traded lower by 45 paise, or 0.36 per cent, to INR 125.60 per kg in 444 lots. Analysts said speculators offloaded their positions in tandem with a weakness in metal at the London Metal Exchange and subdued domestic demand, mainly influenced aluminium prices at futures trade.
Inalum refuses to increase power supply to North Sumatra
State-owned aluminum producer PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminum (Inalum) has revealed that it will reject the government’s request to supply additional power to North Sumatra to overcome the province’s power crisis. In a meeting with the North Sumatra Council on Monday, Inalum Workers Union (SP Inalum) leader Muhammad Ridwan said the government should have made more effort to solve the power crisis in North Sumatra without sacrificing Inalum. Ridwan added that the current power capacity of Inalum was only sufficient for production. If Inalum were forced to supply power to North Sumatra, he said, production would be interrupted. “So far, Inalum has supplied 90 megawatts of power to the province. If we’re compelled to supply another 210 MW, production will be cut and Inalum will die,” Ridwan...
UC RUSAL announces positive results for the three and nine months ended 30 September 2014
UC RUSAL, a leading global aluminium producer, announces its results for the three and nine months ended 30 September 2014. Commenting on the third quarter results, Oleg Deripaska, CEO of RUSAL said: “In the third quarter of 2014 the situation in the aluminium market continued to improve resulting in price growth reaching USD2,114 per tonne in August, its highest level for a year and a half. Premiums have also continued to grow strongly reaching historical highs on the back of a sustained market deficit and strong demand. According to our estimates, healthy consumption growth coupled with production curtailments, have led to a deficit in the global market, ex-China, of 0.9 million tonnes of aluminium in the first nine months of the year. This, together with falling LME inventories, which...
Nalco Q2 profit may jump 62% to Rs 290 cr on strong EBITDA
National Aluminium Company (Nalco) is expected to report a whopping 62 percent growth in profit at Rs 290 crore for July-September quarter led by company's strategy to minimise expensive coal imports. Profit in the year-ago period was Rs 179.2 crore. Revenue is seen going up by 7 percent to Rs 1,868 crore in the second quarter of current financial year 2014-15 from Rs 1,738 crore in corresponding quarter of last fiscal aided by higher aluminum/alumina realisation and slightly higher aluminum volumes, according to the average of estimates of analysts polled by CNBC-TV18. Operating profit may spike 42 percent on yearly basis to Rs 380 crore and margin may expand 490 basis points to 20.3 percent during the quarter on higher realisation. Factors Nalco had made a strategic decision to reduce...
U.S. aluminum premiums soar as fabricators scramble for metal
U.S. aluminum surcharges have jumped to record levels this month as fabricators scramble for metal amid cutbacks at domestic smelters and storage backlogs that traders say have tightened supplies. Premiums that fabricators and merchants pay on top of benchmark London Metal Exchange prices for delivery in the Midwest AL-PREM have risen to 21-22.5 cents per lb from 20-21 cents previously, having more than doubled this year. Increasing premiums will likely spur debate over the availability of domestic metal despite relatively subdued demand and historically high visible inventories, analysts said on Tuesday. "Traders are starting to worry" about availability as competition for ingots intensifies with surcharges rising in Japan and Europe, said a trading source. The U.S. premium equates to...
Alba Q3 Results surge ahead of expectations
Q3 2014 Industry Highlights: • World consumption up by 8% year-on-year (YoY) while world production up by 6% YoY. Asian demand up by 11% YoY propelled mainly by a robust growth in China (+14% YoY) on the back of government stimulus and infrastructure investment. Consumption in North America remains strong (over 4.5% YoY) as Ford gears to switch production of F-150 truck with aluminium. MENA demand is relatively healthy supported by large infrastructure spending while Europe consumption remains stable. • LME inventories at 4.6 million metric tonnes in September • World market is short-supplied (-129 Kt with China & -204 Kt without) • Physical premiums continue to rise across the world • The LME cash average was at US$ 1,989 metric tonnes (mt) with LME ranging between $1,838 mt on July 1...
UW class aluminum recycling project benefits Laramie and helps Kenya
University of Wyoming students are collecting aluminum cans to raise funds for an orphanage in Kenya. Students in a cross-cultural communication class taught by Tracey Patton are working with Wise Recycling, a national company that promotes fundraising through community recycling. Aluminum cans can be donated through Dec. 1 to raise money to assist the Shalom Garden Orphanage in creating a school for the community. “Last year, we found a temporary shelter for them, a church, which has now been condemned and is completely unusable,” Patton says. “Classes currently are held at the orphanage, where there are no educational materials in the school.” She says money raised will help purchase items such as books, pencils, paper, chalk, chalkboards and one meal a day. This “school” will be the...
Statistics Q3 2014: Aluminium foil demand remains stable
Results issued by EAFA, the European Aluminium Foil Association, for the first nine months of 2014 reflect continued sluggish demand in European markets of aluminium foil. But these have been more than offset by the continued strong recovery in export deliveries, resulting in overall sales of 643,000 tonnes, ahead by 1.5% compared with the same period in 2013 (633,000t). The figures also show an underlying trend of recovery for thicker gauges, used typically for semi-rigid containers and technical applications, which have shown a welcome increase in volumes of 6% in the year to date. While demand for thinner gauges, used mainly for flexible packaging and household foils, was flat, recording a small decline of 0.4%. Total deliveries have stayed in positive territory due entirely to a...
