German downstream aluminium exports fall 13% in H1 2026 but US enters top 5 with 228.1% import surge
Germany’s downstream aluminium export map underwent a noticeable shift in H1 2026. Shipments to the world fell, with most of Germany’s traditional European customers taking less aluminium downstream product. Yet, amid that broad retreat, one market moved in the opposite direction: the United States. German downstream aluminium exports to the world fell to 897,773.19 tonnes in H1 2026 from 1 million tonnes in H1 2025, a decline of 13 per cent year on year. The contrast was particularly sharp in the US market. American imports of German downstream aluminium reached 68,061.61 tonnes in H1 2026, up 228.1 per cent from just 20,743.62 tonnes in H1 2025. The increase of more than 47,000 tonnes was enough to push the US into Germany’s top 5 destinations for the first time. The export map is...
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...
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Alcoa to sell stake in Jamalco to Noble
Alcoa and Noble Group Ltd today announced the signing of a definitive agreement that will result in Alcoa World Alumina and Chemicals (AWAC) selling 100 percent of its ownership stake in the Jamalco bauxite mining and alumina refining joint venture to Noble for $140 million. AWAC will continue as the managing operator for three years under a compensated service agreement and employees will remain employed by Jamalco. The Jamalco joint venture is 55 percent owned by Alcoa Minerals of Jamaica (AMJ) and 45 percent owned by Clarendon Alumina Production Ltd. (CAP). AMJ is part of the AWAC joint venture, owned 60 percent by Alcoa and 40 percent by Alumina Limited. CAP is a company wholly owned by the Government of Jamaica. “The decision to sell AWAC’s stake in Jamalco is in line with Alcoa’s...
Montenegrin lawmaker brings suit over bankrupt aluminium plant
Branko Radulovic, Vice President of the Parliament of Montenegro, has filed a lawsuit against 32 individuals, including Russian businessman Oleg Deripaska and Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, over bankruptcy of the Aluminum Plant Podgorica (KAP), RIA Novosti reported on Tuesday. KAP once was the country’s largest company and leading exporter. Deripaska’s En+ bought a controlling stake in the plant in 2005. In 2013, the Montenegrin government initiated bankruptcy proceedings after KAP accumulated a debt of over 350 million euros and sent a bankruptcy receiver to the plant. Podgorica started proceedings to sell off KAP after it was declared bankrupt to Uniprom, which is owned by businessman Veselin Pejovic. Deripaska-controlled Central European Aluminum Company (CEAC) continues...
2 Billion Beverage cans per year facility to enter trials in May 2015; market prospects bright
Zhejiang Jihong Packaging Co. is scheduled to begin trials on $1 billion, 2 billion units/yr beverage can facility in Zhejiang in late May 2015, local media reported on October 11. The beverage can manufacturer has placed orders for advanced production lines from abroad that are capable of producing 3,000 cans per minute. A source from the company said aluminum can demand in China grew at 20% annual pace to hit nearly 20 billion units last year, and sees great market potential for the product, it added.
Sapa introduces zinc-coated round tube for HVACR
Sapa’s ZnCoatRT is a new zinc-coating corrosion protection technology for round aluminium tube. It can be used for all heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration applications. The protection from the zinc coating in ZnCoatRT provides the tube with a 300 percent improvement in lifetime over equivalent bare tube. This substantial improvement has been accomplished without affecting the heat transfer properties of the system, making ZnCoatRT aluminium tubing the true “drop in” replacement for copper tubing. Aluminium tubing for HVACR applicationsDeveloped in-house by Sapa, the new process gives a smooth tube surface which allows for easy lacing of the heat exchanger. Higher COP Heat exchangers made with ZnCoatRT tubing will deliver a higher coefficient of performance (COP) over...
New bauxite reserve discovered in Felda could turn settlers into millionaires
The quiet settlement of Felda of Bukit Goh is about to get a windfall making them sudden millionaires, in lieu of the large bauxite deposits found in the area. Rumors of the possibility of bauxite deposits were first heard during the recent Ramadan period but settlers did not reveal anything. Now with mining companies reviewing the area and organizing meetings with the settlers to explain the proposal, profit-sharing as well as the risks and benefits, the prospect of mining has become very real. With so many companies vying for this land proposals are flowing whereby the 600 odd settlers that have been living in this establishment for 46 years can earn up to RM 1.8 million each. Mat Zahari Derahman, the chairman of Felda Bukit Goh Village Development and Security Committee revealed that...
China Zenix Auto supplied aluminum wheels to CIMC-Chery auto JV
China Zenix Auto International Limited ZX, +0.00% ("Zenix Auto" or "the Company"), the largest commercial vehicle wheel manufacturer in China in both the aftermarket and OEM market by sales volume, announced today that the Company has supplied its premium aluminum wheels for new heavy-duty trucks produced by CIMC-Chery Auto's joint venture, C&C Trucks, for an export order. C&C Trucks is a joint venture between China International Marine Containers Group Ltd. ("CIMC") and Chery Automobile Co., Ltd. ("Chery Auto") to produce a variety of premium trucks including heavy-duty road tractors, tippers and mixers, among other truck models. CIMC is a world leading equipment and solution provider in the logistics and energy industries with RMB32.0 billion in revenue for the first half of 2014. CIMC...
Century Aluminum sets date for third quarter 2014 earnings announcement
Century Aluminum Company will report third quarter 2014 earnings on Wednesday, October 29th after the close of market trading. The news release will be issued through Marketwired. The company will hold a follow-up conference call on Wednesday, October 29th at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time. The earnings call will be webcast live on the Century Aluminum Company website, located at www.centuryaluminum.com. Plan to begin the registration process at least 10 minutes before the live call is scheduled to begin. A replay of the webcast will be archived and available for replay approximately two hours following the live call.
Rio Tinto delivers another strong quarterly production performance
Rio Tinto chief executive Sam Walsh said “We have delivered another strong quarter with record iron ore production and a solid performance in copper and aluminium. We have seen our first full quarter from the 290 Mt/a iron ore expansion in the Pilbara, with the additional tonnes going into our premium Pilbara Blend products. Our strategy of focussing on long-life, low-cost assets means we will continue to generate strong cash flows despite a lower price environment, resulting in materially increased and consistent cash returns to shareholders.” Highlights • Record quarterly and year to date iron ore shipments, production and rail volumes. Sales from the Pilbara continued to exceed production in the quarter, as the stocks that were built in anticipation of delivery of the infrastructure...
Rio Tinto to sell stake in Cameroon aluminium smelter
Rio Tinto plans to sell its shares in an aluminium smelter in Cameroon, ending several decades in partnership with the government because the project no longer fits the global mining group's strategy. Rio, which makes more than 90 percent of its profit from iron ore, has been edging away from aluminium since its $38 billion 2007 acquisition of Canadian giant Alcan soured during the financial crisis, leaving it with heavy writedowns. It has ruled out new investments in the metal. Rio Tinto Alcan, the mining giant's aluminium business, said on Tuesday it would work with Cameroon's government to find a new investor in Alucam Group, as the 100,000 tonne-a-year facility is known. "Rio Tinto Alcan is proud of its long participation in the Alucam Group over several decades. However, the Alucam...
Novelis boost likely for Hindalco
After negative news on coal blocks, bauxite mining, etc, Hindalco’s investors have something to cheer about. The performance, as well as estimates, for US-based Alcoa for the September quarter means Hindalco’s international subsidiary (Novelis) could also post better than expected earnings for the quarter. Also, the demand outlook and aluminium realisations are likely to remain firm. This boosts prospects of Hindalco on the profitability front. The company has seen concerns on profitability erode about 25 per cent of its stock value since it stood at a 52-week high of Rs 198.70 on July 25. Though off from recent highs, aluminium prices have continued to improve consistently, owing to closure of some smelters, as base metal prices became unviable. Demand, too, is holding and the...
Rexam refreshes Birell SABMmiller’s Non Alcoholic beer range with innovative can designs
Rexam, a leading global beverage can maker, has collaborated with brewing giant SABMiller, to produce a range of new designs for the non-alcoholic beer brand, Birell. The cans benefit from Rexam's value added thermochromic inks and matt over varnish. The thermochromic inks change colour when the beverage reaches the ideal temperature for consumption. Whilst the matt over varnish adds a soft finish, reinforcing Birell’s premium brand positioning. Commenting on the partnership with Rexam, Petr Kouble, Brand Manager of Birell says, "Product differentiation is key for Birell and we knew we could rely on our established relationship with Rexam to deliver. We worked together to develop a creative range of new designs that will stand out in a competitive market place and that our customers will...
Impressive interest in aluminium solutions
Aluminium 2014 in Düsseldorf attracted a record number of visitors, and so did Sapa. “International interest in our aluminium solutions is growing,” says Svein Tore Holsether. Sapa brought a local feel to its international presence at the aluminium trade fair Aluminium 2014, with sales and technical staff representing more than a dozen nationalities meeting visitors at the company’s stand. Corporate management was also on hand to participate in customer meetings, including Holsether, Sapa’s President & CEO. The theme of the stand was Global profile, local vision. Impressive interest in aluminium solutions Aluminium 2014 drew some 24,300 visitors over the course of the three-day event. This was 13 percent more than the 2012 exhibition. And Sapa enjoyed its share of the growth. “We had both...
Alumina Limited’s “Buy” rating reiterated at Deutsche Bank (AWC)
Alumina Limited‘s stock had its “buy” rating reiterated by equities research analysts at Deutsche Bank in a research note issued to investors on Monday. They currently have a $2.25 target price on the stock. A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on AWC. Analysts at Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Alumina Limited to $1.60 in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock. Shares of Alumina Limited opened at 1.630 on Monday. Alumina Limited has a 52 week low of A$0.935 and a 52 week high of A$1.775. The stock has a 50-day moving average of A$1.64 and a 200-day moving average of A$1.46. The company’s market cap is A$4.573 billion. Alumina Limited, is an Australia-based company.
Alro Slatina has pulled out all Romanian workers from Sierra Leone due to Ebola scare
Alro Slatina, a Romanian group and among the largest aluminium producers in Eastern and Central Europe recently announced that none of their Romanian workers are working in the company owned mine in Sierra Leone which falls in the region of high infestation of the Ebola virus. Alro’s representatives said on a press meet that the evacuation of Romanian workers from the mine started in July with the spread of the Ebola virus in the nearby regions. None of the expats working in the region has been registered to be infected with the virus, the representative said. Although there were no direct Romanian delegates working in the mines, there were five Romanians working for the company responsible for operating the mine, the Sierra Mineral Holdings 1 Ltd or SMHL. These five asked Alro to...
Aluminium foam for blast proof buildings fetches award for Neeri scientist
National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) scientist, Manmohan Goel has won the young scientist award from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for his work on use of an indigenous light weight material (aluminium foam) to develop blast resistant buildings. Goel told TOI that the material was developed by a group of scientists at the CSIR-Advanced Materials and Processes Research Institute (AMPRI), Bhopal including him. "I have not developed the material but I have proved its use in developing blast resistant buildings. My main work for which I got the award is on 'blast response of structures and its mitigation using advanced light weight materials'. The material has very low density of 0.3g/cm3. I successfully tested the material in both a real...
High-tech 'jackets' to help aluminium producers regulate energy use
New research at the University of Auckland developing retrofit technology for the production of aluminium would be the first in the world to allow the industry to more easily regulate electricity use. Professor Mark Taylor and Dr Golbon Zakeri from the University’s Faculty of Engineering will present the research in a public lecture tomorrow night as part of the 2014 Vice-Chancellor’s Lecture Series on Renewable Energy. Called Shell Heat Exchangers, the innovative technology is currently being tested in Germany and is designed to fit around the outside of the electrolysis cells which produce aluminium. The cells need to maintain molten electrolyte at a temperature of 950degC. But cells lose energy as heat during the production process which, in the aluminium industry, is a continuous...
A356 aluminum alloy processing fees in China to fall further in Oct.
Processing fees for A356 aluminum alloy in China are expected to fall further on weak demand in October, Shanghai Metals Market foresees. Demand for A356 aluminum alloy – the main ingredient in wheel rim manufacturing – will be dampened by marked slowdown in automobile production and sales in China. Chances are slim that A356 aluminum alloy supply will decrease. The resultant oversupply will send processing fees down from September’s 700 yuan ($ 114) per tonne. A356 aluminum alloy output at the Chinese producers surveyed by SMM dropped from August to 111,800 tonnes in September. The average operating rate also dipped 1.36% month-on-month to 65.76%, SMM survey showed.
Inner Mongolia’s Holingola to install large scale aluminium producing and processing units by 2017
Inner Mongolia’s Holingola City is expected to install 5 million-tpy of aluminum capacity and 4 million-tpy of aluminum processing capacity by 2017 to capitalize on rich coal resources there, local media reported on October 11. Besides, 100 million-tpy of coal capacity and 10 million-kilowatt thermal power capacity are also scheduled to be installed in the coal-rich city by 2017 to support aluminum and downstream industries there. The city has installed 780,000 tonnes of aluminum capacity, as well as 630,000 tonnes of aluminum processing capacity annually, it added.
