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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Hydro’s Alunorf wins energy ‘Oscar’
Alunorf, the world's largest aluminium rolling plant and a 50-percent Hydro joint venture, has won an Energy Award 2014 from the German Energy Academy. The Energy Awards 2014 were recently presented at a ceremony in Berlin, with more than 300 guests from politics, economy and science present. The Energy Awards each year honor the best innovations and ideas in the energy sector, so they are the “Oscars” of the energy turnaround in Germany. The award for “Industrial Facility of the Year” was given to Alunorf project manager Olaf Trepels and Energy & Environment specialist Johann Giemsa, together with Thomas Mock, Director Public Affairs of Hydro’s Rolled Products business. The trophy for the plant in Neuss, Germany, acknowledges a step-change innovation in the annealing of aluminium coils,...
Jaguar releases its all-aluminium F-TYPE Coupé
Jaguar Land Rover Malaysia introduces its all new Jaguar F-TYPE Coupé with the body made entirely out of aluminium. It is a performance-focused sports car and is said to be the most dynamically capable out of all Jaguar products. The top of the line model F-Type R Coupé is powered by jaguar’s 5-litre supercharge V8 engine pumping out a tremendous 550PS of power with a torque of 680Nm of torque. The car can shoot from 0 to 100km/h in just 4.2 seconds with an electronically limited top speed of 300km/h. Jaguar’s 3-litre V6 supercharged engine powers the F-TYPE S Coupé model where the power output reaches 380PS with a torque of 460Nm taking slightly longer to reach an acceleration of 0 to 100km/hr in 4.9 seconds. The top speed of this machine is 275km/hr. Inspired by the C-X16 concept sports...
Metallica Minerals signs supply contract with consulmet for Cape York Bauxite and Heavy Mineral Sands JV
Metallica Minerals Limited (“Metallica”) is pleased to announce that the Cape York Bauxite and Heavy Mineral Sands (HMS) Joint Venture has executed a legally binding Supply Contract with Consulmet Pty. Ltd (“Consulmet”) for the Urquhart Point HMS Projecton the western coast of Queensland’s Cape York Peninsula. The Contract is a fixed price turnkey contract to supply and commission the HMS concentrator plant on site at Urquhart Point,3km west of Weipa, Cape York. Consulmet will now commence construction of the modularised plant in South Africa, and this will then be delivered to Weipa and assembled. The plant is expected to be commissioned late in May 2015 with HMS production commencing in June 2015. The Joint Venture is between Metallica’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Oresome Australia Pty...
EAA offers rides on historic B-17 "Aluminum Overcast" to public
If someone offered you the chance to fly on a 69-year-old airplane, would you do it? What if that 69-year-old airplane was one of the most iconic airplanes in American military history? The Experimental Aircraft Association has brought their pride and joy to Montgomery, a B-17G nicknamed “Aluminum Overcast”, to offer tours and flights to the public. The plane, sponsored by EAA Chapter 822, will be at Dannelly Field from Friday until Sunday, offering rides on the historic plane for EAA members and non-members. For people who reserve their spot in advance, the price for a flight is $409 for EAA members and $449 for non-members. The organizations do allow walk-ups for the flights, but the price for walk-ups is $435 for EAA members and $475 for non-members. The “Aluminum Overcast” is one of...
Ibiza Ice fruit wine cocktail in new aluminium bottle
Sparkling fruit wine cocktail Ibiza Ice is set to expand its reach around the world following a successful summer of festival sales. Ibiza Ice is designed to be consumed straight from the sleek aluminium bottle. It's available in Sunset (pomegranate and sparkling wine) and White Isle (lychee, melon, lime and sparkling wine). The RTD cocktail provides a lower calorie and lower alcohol content option to wine, while providing an all-natural alternative to flavoured ciders. The new bottle design was revealed at Sial Paris 2014 and now features an even sleeker, more streamlined aluminium bottle with an improved ring pull cap. The aluminium bottle prevents spillage, breakage and drink spiking. Each premium 330ml bottle contains 5.5% ABV, with an UK RRP of £2.49. Ibiza Ice White Isle has only 58...
Alcoa Foundation Awards $45,000 grant to Collision repair education foundation
The Collision Repair Education Foundation has announced that Alcoa Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Alcoa, a global leader in lightweight metals technology, engineering and manufacturing, awarded the Collision Repair Education Foundation a $45,000 grant that will sponsor 15 collision school programs with the industry-recognized I-CAR Aluminum Welding Certification. The 15 schools will be selected from the Collision Repair Education Foundation’s 2014 Ultimate Collision Education Makeover school grant applications. Upon completion of the certification, the instructors will prove their ability to: • Identify and correct weld defects • Properly prepare metal surfaces • Perform proper welding techniques • Explain safety issues involved with aluminum welding • Properly set up, tune and...
Non-Ferrous World Mirror for October 2014 released
The Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) has released the Non-Ferrous World Mirror for October 2014, which states that geopolitical tensions and conflicts have continued to drag the non-ferrous metals markets worldwide. The protests in Hong Kong have aggravated the weak trade condition in China. Customs data points to sharp fall in imports of non-ferrous scrap by China. Shanghai reported nearly 28% decline in imports of aluminum scrap during the initial nine months of the year. Meantime, Tianjin's aluminum scrap import volumes tumbled 48% during this period. The country has announced that Category 6 import permits henceforth shall be issued by respective provincial authorities. The overall volume of secondary non-ferrous metals has declined sharply in India. The demand for aluminum...
Aluminum capacity in Yuncheng, China Shanxi to hit 2 Mln-tpy by 2020, Chalco eyes expansions there
The government of Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province, is planning to bring the city’s annual aluminum capacity to 2 million tonnes by 2020, local media reported yesterday. Meanwhile, the local government has set a target of bringing the city’s annual alumina capacity to 5 million tonnes, installed capacity of captive power to 3,400 MW, and annual aluminum processing capacity to 3 million tonnes by 2020, it added. Chalco, which has three subsidiaries in the city – Chalco Shanxi Aluminum Plant, Chalco Shanxi Huaze Aluminum & Power Co., Shanxi Huasheng Aluminum Co. – is eyeing expansions there.
Century Aluminum CEO says no timetable for Ravenswood restart
Century Aluminum's idled Ravenswood, West Virginia plant isn't likely to come out of mothballs in 2014. During the company's third quarter conference call Oct. 29, CEO Mike Bless told analysts the company is still working on the power agreements that would enable them to restart the plant, shuttered in 2009. The closing eliminated 650 jobs and, eventually, health insurance coverage for the company's retirees. “There are meetings all the time,” he said. “At some point in time we hope to make a filing with the (PSC) ... we're hoping no later than the end of the year that we're in a position to make a filing.” During Century Aluminum's second quarter conference call in July, Bless had said the company was working hard to get the plant back in operation and had made continual investments to...
Press metal has bright prospects as earnings continues to improve
According to RHB Research Institute Sdn Bhd, Press Metal Bhd has impressive prospects as earnings are expected to rise with improved aluminium prices, higher turnover and lower effective tax rate. The Press Metal earning projection for FY15 is calculated by RHB Research to be higher by 11.3%. The positive prediction is reinforced by the company’s recent proposal of a bonus issue aimed at improving the liquidity of the company’s shares price. AmResearch Sdn Bhd (AmResearch) has given another picture of the company, saying that the company’s early conversion of 95.7 million of redeemable convertible secured loan stocks will earn them interest savings of RM 12.6 million while the enlarged share base will reduce the company’s net gearing. They have also calculated that the Press Metal may...
Rusal predicts flat aluminum market for next 3 years
A recent report by Reuters quoted comments from UC Rusal Deputy Chief Executive Oleg Mukhamedshin at London Metal Exchange Week saying the world’s largest producer did not intend to bring any idled production back onstream for the next 3 years and expected its production to remain flat for the period. Weak prices, even with the hefty physical delivery premium added on top of the LME price, are not enough to encourage Rusal to restart their older, less-efficient potlines. Indeed, they are now so high-cost that they may never be restarted with the company preferring to bring new, more-efficient plants into operation. Mukhamedshin said the company could add 150,000 tons of capacity by the end of next year with a new project. Although the firm has been the most vocal among western producers...
Novelis gears up for future investments in the ‘evercan’
The launch of the world’s largest aluminium recycling plant by Novelis brought with it a lot of promise, especially with their creation of the ‘evercan’, the aluminium beverage can made up of more than 90% recycled aluminium. The concept of circular economy where used product can once again be converted into fresh product was all set to revolutionize the beverage can industry both in terms of the costs and the carbon emissions. Aluminium recycling costs around 95% less energy which means lower costs and lower emissions. The beverage companies were supposed to leap at the opportunity however, the market response has been lukewarm at best where Red Hare Barring Co. which is a small craft brewer based out of Marietta, Georgia, seems to be the only customer. Although the stalwarts of the...
Auto parts maker Wheels India to focus on exports to sustain growth
Wheels India Ltd, an automotive wheel manufacturer, is depending on the export market to sustain its growth. The company’s investments of ?80-85 crore in the current year will focus on exports including capacity additions in aluminium-forged wheel production, other export-oriented products and expansion into allied products that are in demand in the domestic markets, according to Srivats Ram, Managing Director, of the TVS group company. Capacity addition About 40 per cent of the proposed investments will be in capacity addition of forged-aluminium wheels, which are exported to the US and Europe. The production is about 60,000 units now and will increased to about 1 lakh, he said. Wheels India hopes to sustain exports at about 20 per cent of its business. On the domestic front there is...
China Zhongwang Holdings releases its results for the first three quarters
China Zhongwang Holdings Limited released its results for the first three quarters of 2014. The world’s second largest aluminium extrusion product developer and manufacturer showed a gross profit expansion of 1.0 percent to 28.6% as revenue increased by 12.6% to approximately RMB12.31 billion. During this nine-month period, the profit attributed to shareholders has also increased to 24.0% compared to last year to approximately RMB 1.95 billiion. The sale volume of aluminium extrusion produced by the company rose by 15.9% to approximately 574,000 tonnes. Deep-processed products that constitute about 9% of the total sales volume amounted to roughly 51,000 tonnes, contributing almost 11.25% to the total revenue. The Group owns 92 aluminium extrusion production lines with the capacity of...
Hydro’s Alunorf wins energy ‘Oscar’
Alunorf, the world's largest aluminium rolling plant and a 50-percent Hydro joint venture, has won an Energy Award 2014 from the German Energy Academy. The Energy Awards 2014 were recently presented at a ceremony in Berlin, with more than 300 guests from politics, economy and science present. The Energy Awards each year honor the best innovations and ideas in the energy sector, so they are the “Oscars” of the energy turnaround in Germany. The award for “Industrial Facility of the Year” was given to Alunorf project manager Olaf Trepels and Energy & Environment specialist Johann Giemsa, together with Thomas Mock, Director Public Affairs of Hydro’s Rolled Products business. The trophy for the plant in Neuss, Germany, acknowledges a step-change innovation in the annealing of aluminium coils,...
Hydro’s Alunorf wins energy ‘Oscar’
Alunorf, the world's largest aluminium rolling plant and a 50-percent Hydro joint venture, has won an Energy Award 2014 from the German Energy Academy. The Energy Awards 2014 were recently presented at a ceremony in Berlin, with more than 300 guests from politics, economy and science present. The Energy Awards each year honor the best innovations and ideas in the energy sector, so they are the “Oscars” of the energy turnaround in Germany. The award for “Industrial Facility of the Year” was given to Alunorf project manager Olaf Trepels and Energy & Environment specialist Johann Giemsa, together with Thomas Mock, Director Public Affairs of Hydro’s Rolled Products business. The trophy for the plant in Neuss, Germany, acknowledges a step-change innovation in the annealing of aluminium coils,...
New technology enables cost effective beryllium-aluminium casting
Beryllium may be headed for a makeover as the Canadian-based IBC Advanced alloys looks to introduce a new technology to make beryllium-aluminium casting possible thereby changing the face of the industry that is worth close to half-a-billion dollars. After years of research and experimentation and the continued efforts of Ray White, the President of IBC Engineered Metals, this breakthrough has been possible, say Anthony Dutton IBC’s chief executive. There are very distinct benefits of the alloy which is known to all in the industry like its 22 percent lighter weight than aluminium while being three times stiffer than steel. However, these are not the point of focus. The primary goal of the research was to create a technology that will allow the alloy to be cast into molds. The process of...
Aluminum Association updates on North American aluminium scrap market
The U.S. aluminum industry purchased an estimated 812 million pounds of aluminum scrap during August 2014, according to aluminum recycling statistics published by the U.S. Geological Survey, Department of Interior, up 7.1 percent over the August 2013 total of 758 million. USGS estimates that recovery of aluminum and aluminum alloys totaled 694 million pounds, an increase of 7.6 percent year-over-year. During the first eight months of 2014, preliminary data indicate that recovery of aluminum from scrap totaled an estimated 5,301 million pounds, up 3.1 percent over the 2013 YTD total of 5,141 million. U.S. exports of scrap, not included in the government’s consumption statistics, totaled 2,513 million pounds year-to-date, down 4.9 percent from the same period in 2013 The Aluminum...
