Global EV sales to hit 35.4 million by 2030, with aluminium usage forecast to rise 38% in North America & 79% in China
From just 2 million vehicles in 2018 to a projected 35.4 million in 2030, the rise of electric vehicles (EVs) is reshaping the global automotive industry - and changing how much aluminium goes into every car. As automakers expand EV production, aluminium is finding new applications in battery enclosures, electric-drive housings, vehicle bodies and structural components, making the metal an increasingly important part of the industry's transition. Global sales of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are projected to reach 23.3 million units in 2026, up 11 per cent from 21 million in 2025. Sales are forecast to rise to 26.1 million in 2027, 29.2 million in 2028 and 32.2 million in 2029, before reaching 35.4 million in 2030. The market has grown...
AL Circle analysis: How do Germany’s 32.8% automotive aluminium share, 40% Diet Coke can price rise & 3.54Mt North American extrusion demand matter?
Aluminium’s downstream and end-user world is having one of those fortnights where a beer can, a luxury sports car, a German construction site and an Indian furnace all end up in the same conversation. The metal may begin its life far upstream, but its real fuss is playing out in cans, cars, extrusions, buildings and factories, where tariffs, trade policy, energy costs and demand cycles decide who wins. This fortnight highlights that aluminium demand is moving towards electric vehicles, lightweight transport and long-life infrastructure, even as packaging and construction feel the pinch of cost and weak activity. Meanwhile, producers from Vietnam to New Zealand are arguing over the oldest question in the business of how much protection, taxation or openness does a downstream industry need...
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Alumina prices in China to rise further for H2 2014, SMM expects
A rising trend is expected to be continuing for the rest of the year due to growing demand and supply tightness, Shanghai Metals Market foresees. The commissioning of new capacity in Q3 or Q4, delayed by falling prices early this year, and idled capacity resumption will grow demand for alumina, SMM estimates. Besides, aluminum smelters in northwest China, Xinjiang in particular, will step up raw materials purchases in September to avoid tight railway transporting capacity during winter and holidays. This will also boost market consumption. In contrast with growing demand, alumina supply will likely tighten during Q3. According to SMM data, this year is expected to see 4,800,000-tpy new alumina capacity. A mere 900,000-tpy new alumina capacity was put online in H1, with the rest slated for...
Philip Morant School and College in Colchester to use aluminium transom door closers
The Philip Morant School and College in Colchester, Essex, is using transom door closers from Alpro Architectural Hardware. The Alpro closers have been fitted on doors manufactured by Essex-based IDF Aluminium Ltd which help to hydraulically control the opening and closing of an aluminium door. Features include dual closing speed to allow flexibility, three levels of spring strength and 90-degree hold open facility. Builders and glaziers benefit from the ability to adjust the latching and closing force according to the weight and height of individual doors as well as type of usage. Fine-tuning to accommodate the exact needs of a pupil and staff user base is all-important in a school application. Transom closers are hidden within the transom header bar of a door making them the preferred...
Nanshan Aluminum to build 40,000-tpy high-precision aluminum foil project
Longkou Nanshan Aluminum Rolling New Materials Co. is planning to build a 40,000-tpy high-precision multi-functional aluminum foil project in Longkou, Shandong. The project will take three years to construct, Shandong Nanshan Aluminum Co. – its parent company – said in its report filed to the Shanghai Stock Exchange today. The 772.77 million yuan ($ 125.34 million) facility will yield 825.64 million yuan in revenues and 42.46 million yuan in profits annually, it added.
Novelis opens two new recycling centres
Novelis, the leading aluminium rolling and recycling company will receive more cans now thanks to two new aggregation centres. These centres, catering to the London and South East region, will be equipped with more options that ease the delivery of used cans to the centres. This expansion is a part of Novelis’ strategy to achieve 80% capacity of recycled content by 2020 by using its existing network of used aluminium can supplier. This has been further strengthened by a partnership with European Metal Recycling (EMR). EMR has a site in Eirth that would cater to the regions around East London, Kent, Surrey and Sussex while the Brentford site would be more suitable for West and North London and the Home Counties.
Aluminium strengthens on industrial demand, global cues
Aluminium prices edged higher by INR 2 per kg at the local non-ferrous metals market today on increased industrial demand amid a firming global trend. Traders said buying activity in aluminium picked up after it surged to 18-month highs in global markets, amidst falling stockpiles on the London Metal Exchange and in Shanghai. Meanwhile, Aluminum for delivery in three months reached USD 2,113 per metric tonne on the London Metal Exchange. In the national capital, Aluminium ingots, sheet cutting, wire scrap and utensils scrap strengthened by Rs 2 each at INR 166, Rs 167, INR 169 and INR 166 per kg respectively. Following are today's aluminium rates (in Rs per kg): Aluminium ingots 166, Aluminium sheet cutting 167, Aluminium wire scrap 169 and Aluminium utensils scrap 166.
More companies seek mining licences at Solomon Island
More foreign companies are seeking prospecting and full mining licences from the government, records from the Mining Department revealed. The records showed 25 companies have been issued with exploration licences and are currently on active prospecting. This number could increase after the Mines and Minerals board met last Friday to consider some of the applications. The records also showed to date, only three companies have been granted mining licences. They are Gold Ridge Mining, Phoenix, and Solomon Alluvial – all operating on Guadalcanal. However, of this three, Gold Ridge has been the only active mining operation while the other two are inactive and are subject to review by the Mines and Minerals board. Sources have also confirmed to the Sunday Star that more mining companies are...
Tag Pacific to build a $4 million worth solar farm for Rio Tinto’s bauxite project
Tag Pacific has joined hands with First Solar Inc., a noted solar energy systems provider, to take up the assignment for building a solar power plant for Rio Tinto Alcan’s Weipa bauxite mine in North Queensland. This should improve Tag Pacific’s status in the market. The Weipa project is worth $4million and proposes to build a solar farm with 1.7 megawatt capacity. There are also talks of a second phase planned by First Solar worth another $17 million but that is not included in the current contract. This would be the first solar project of this magnitude for a remote mining site and is scheduled to finish construction by the first half of 2015. Tag MPower aims to deliver power solutions for critical applications. This project will prove the company’s mettle for integrating renewable...
LME aluminium due for a good correction
LME aluminium is due for a good correction as a five-wave cycle from the May 21 low of $1,754.75 may peak around a resistance at $2,129. The resistance is at the 161.8 percent Fibonacci projection level of an upward wave C that developed from $1,754.75. Aluminium has approached this level but failed to touch it The failure indicates the cycle may have completed or is ending. A break below the support at $2,074, the 138.2 percent level, could confirm a reversal of the uptrend, and a bearish target at $2,041, the 123.6 percent level, will be established then.
Hindalco and Sesa Sterlite seeking new market for their growing aluminium output
By the end of this fiscal year, India’s aluminium production capacity is going to rise to about 4.36 mt, a huge leap from 1.71 mt in 2012. The local demand however is less than half that number so the big guns in the industry, like Sesa Sterlite Ltd and Hindalco Industries Ltd, who have grown exponentially, are doing extensive research and development along with marketing to explore and establish new markets. Both Hindalco and Sesa Sterlite have teamed up with government agencies and companies to boost the weak domestic demand by finding new uses for aluminium in industries like transport, aerospace, defense and rural development. According to company and mining ministry data, Sesa Sterlite’s current aluminium production has jumped from 745,000 tonnes as recorded two years ago to 2.6 mt....
Chalco suspends aluminum expansions in Xinjiang on costly transportation costs
Aluminum Corporation of China (Chalco) has suspended aluminum expansions in Xinjiang on costly transportation costs, wenhua.com quoted Helen Lau, an analyst at securities company UOB Kay Hian, as saying today. Building smelters in coal-rich Xinjiang can help cut fuel costs, but this advantage has been offset by high alumina transportation costs arising from its remoteness, Helen Lau noted. Chalco reopened high-cost smelters in Guizhou, Shaanxi, Guangxi and Liaoning after securing power tariff subsidies from local governments, which have allowed these smelters to get rid of losses, Helen Lau added.
Will Chinese aluminum smelters continue to cut losses in H2 2014: SMM
Aluminum prices have been on a bullish track in last one month. In the Shanghai market, the average spot price of A00 aluminum ingot gained 7.73% from Jun. 30 to 14,360 yuan per tonne on Aug. 29, according to the data of Shanghai Metals Market. During 1H, domestic aluminum producers were able to cut down their loses due to the rising prices. Chalco also reported a loss decline of 190 million yuan to 1.967 billion yuan during 2Q as a result of aluminum price gains. It is apparent that reasonable gains in aluminum price will be the working factor in bringing down the loss for Chinese aluminum smelters. Rising demand and continuous reduction in aluminium inventory are two major reasons behind recent aluminum price rise. However, the cut in China’s major markets and LME reportable aluminum...
Aluminum price has record win streak as supply bites
Aluminum is one of the best performing commodities this year, with the price jumping 16% during 2014 as stockpiles fall and demand increases. In August the metal gained for a seventh straight month, which is its longest ever streak of advances. Aluminum added 0.7% to US$2,096.50 a ton on the London Metals Exchange (LME) on Friday, its best price since early 2013. Aluminum is an industrial metal, and with the U.S. economy growing more than forecast for the June quarter, it is expected that the world's biggest economy require more and more aluminum. Demand is expected to firm from car and plane manufactures, who use the metal to replace heavier steel. Highlighting the shortfall, stockpiles tracked by the LME have fallen to a two year low. There are forecasts that demand for the metal will...
Saudi Ma'aden, Alcoa start commercial operation at joint aluminium plant
Saudi Arabian Mining Co (Ma'aden) said on Monday its joint aluminium smelter with U.S.-based Alcoa has started commercial operations. The $10.8 billion aluminium plant at Ras al-Khair, on the Gulf coast of the kingdom, had experienced issues during the initial start-up phase last year when it had to shut one of its two smelting lines in October due to problems encountered during ramp-up. The smelter has a production capacity of 740,000 tonnes a year of aluminium, with commercial operations to begin impacting Ma'aden's financials from the third quarter onwards, it said in a bourse filing. The Saudi project is important to Alcoa, both because of its size and the fact it should be the facility with the lowest production costs in the world - important at a time when the industry pushes to cut...
Alba organises tour of datacentre for Technology and Business Society members
Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba), as part of its commitment to share its knowledge and expertise with the society, organised a tour of its recently inaugurated datacentre for members of the Technology and Business Society (TBS) on Thursday, August 27, 2014. The visitors from TBS - comprising key IT personnel from well-known enterprises and businesses in Bahrain - were able to view and learn more about the datacentre, which is one of the latest generations of Containerised Datacentre (CDC). Built by HP, Alba’s new datacentre was designed in-house by Alba’s IT team to suit the company’s requirements and was delivered, commissioned and live in early December 2013. Alba’s Chief Operations Officer, Isa Al Ansari, Chief Financial Officer, Ali Al Baqali, Senior Manager Information Technology,...
Aluminium futures gain 1.19% on overseas cues
Aluminium prices rose 1.19 per cent to INR 127.70 per kg in the evening session of futures trade today as speculators enlarged positions amid positive cues from overseas markets. Besides, increased demand from consuming industries in the spot market supported the uptrend. There was no trading in morning session on account of "Ganesh Chaturthi". At the Multi Commodity Exchange, aluminium for delivery in September moved up by INR 1.50, or 1.19 per cent, to INR 127.70 per kg in a business turnover of 1,497 lots. Similarly, the metal for delivery in October was up by INR 1.50, or 1.18 per cent, to INR 128.45 per kg in 109 lots. Marketmen said apart from a firm trend, shrinking supplies led to the rise in aluminium prices at futures trade. Globally, aluminium for delivery in three months...
AMG Advanced Metallurgical Group N.V. engineering unit honored with supplier excellence award from General Motors
AMG Advanced Metallurgical Group N.V. announces that AMG Engineering's ALD Thermal Treatment ("ALD") North America unit has been awarded the 2014 GM Supplier Quality Excellence Award. The Supplier Quality Excellence Award, given to a small percentage of GM's suppliers, recognizes those suppliers for their innovative technology, superior reliability, excellent collaboration for new developments, and consistent outstanding quality for the range of products it provides to General Motors during the past year. The award, which is given to specific supplier locations, is focused on improving collaboration with suppliers who have achieved excellence in quality during the previous year. Dr. Markus Holz, CEO of ALD Vacuum Technologies stated: "We are obviously very pleased to have earned this...
Judge tosses aluminium antitrust suit; consumers failed to prove conspiracy
A New York judge on Friday dismissed a class action lawsuit that accused major banks and a trading house of fixing the price of aluminium by ruling that market inefficiencies were the result of rational profit maximization and not illegal collusion. Aluminium consumers alleged that Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Glencore and their warehousing subsidiaries engaged in a horizontal conspiracy to restrain the output of aluminium by working in concert to stockpile aluminium in Detroit warehouses. This in turn delayed load-out rates, increased storage costs and artificially inflated US Midwest premium. The London Metal Exchange was also named as a defendant in the original suit; however, earlier this week the exchange was declared immune under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA). US...
China’s aluminium product export increases as the world moves into deficit
The Western World moves into an aluminium deficit, as producers from all over the world are cutting back production. This has pushed up aluminium prices and brought many companies out of losses, like RUSAL. The production of aluminium across the world, except China, this year was recorded at 24.38 million tonnes in July which was 1.5 million tonnes lesser than the record high production noted at 25.92 million tonnes in October 2011. In the same period of nearly three years, the production of aluminium has grown by 5.7 million tonnes annualized to 23.28 million tonnes in July. This extra production was not a result of better margins but pressures from the government who controlled the losses by tweaking the power rates. Even when the Chinese smelters were forced out of business, they would...
