AL Circle Analysis: Europe’s aluminium scrap curbs, India’s risk and US’s supply opportunity
Aluminium recycling is supposed to be the industry’s easiest win — economic and eco-friendly. Interestingly, this is where the plot thickens. Aluminium recycling is moving from a sustainability objective to a strategic supply-chain issue, with scrap availability, domestic recovery, cross-border waste rules and decarbonisation policy influencing where recycled metal can be produced and consumed. Recent developments across Europe, such as the UK and Greece, in the US and India reveal that investment in recycling is accelerating, but access to suitable scrap and the rules governing its movement are becoming equally important. Join the fourth edition of the webinar "Hedging for recyclers - Become an expert in 6 hours" by Jorge Dyszel. Europe wants more recycled aluminium, but what is the...
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...
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Newell Recycling and Blaze Recycling merge
Newell Recycling of Georgia LLC, headquartered in East Point, Georgia, has entered into a definitive merger agreement with the scrap metal recycling firm Blaze Recycling & Metals LLC, Norcross, Georgia. The combined company will be called Newell Recycling Southeast. The deal is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in August 2014. “We are very excited about the future of these two great companies together,” says Sharon Newell Shirley, CEO of Newell Recycling of Georgia. “This combination will strengthen and improve our ability to be the best service provider to our upstream and downstream customers and will improve the efficiency of our operations.” Shirley continues, “Once combined, the geographic breadth of our 22 facilities, significant logistics savings,...
Century reports a net loss of $29.4 million during second Quarter 2014
Century Aluminum Company reported net income of $20.3 million or $0.21 per common share for the second quarter of 2014 on higher aluminum prices and lower power prices in the Midwestern U.S. Results were negatively impacted by a charge of $0.5 million or $0.01 per common share for the finalization of a legal settlement. Sales for the second quarter of 2014 were $458.3 million compared with $331.9 million for the second quarter of 2013. Shipments of primary aluminum for the second quarter of 2014 were 216,044 tonnes, which includes 53,966 tonnes from the Sebree operation acquired June 1, 2013, compared with 176,270 tonnes shipped in the second quarter of 2013. For the second quarter of 2013, Century reported a net loss of $29.4 million or $0.33 per common share. Financial results for the...
Aughinish Alumina Refinery ready to fully switch to gas
UC RUSAL, a leading global aluminium producer, announces the completion of the work to allow the Aughinish alumina refinery, Europe’s largest alumina producer, switch from heavy fuel oil to gas as its main energy source. This will reduce the sites overall environmental footprint, coupled with cash cost savings to reach USD11-13 per tonne in the second half of 2014. The three oil-fired boilers are now on standby while the two modern steam generators designed to produce a total of 300 tonnes per hour of reliable, high-pressure superheated steam have been commissioned. The shift from oil-fired boilers to gas-powered steam generators will result in the complete removal of all emissions associated with Heavy Fuel Oil. RUSAL has invested approximately EUR 15 million in the project. Steam...
Orbite updates on construction of HPA facility
During the 2nd quarter of 2014, Orbite continued the development of its HPA project with its engineering partners Seneca for detailed engineering, Groupe Alphard for project management and procurement, with Outotec for the supply of its calcination system, and with CMI for the supply of the acid recovery system for the production of high purity alumina. At its Technology Development Center (“TDC”) in Laval, Québec, the Corporation performed additional pilot trials on HPA synthesis and purification steps to optimize product quality, production yields, as well as operating costs. Equipment testing was also pursued to define operating parameters to customize product for specific applications. At the Cap-Chat HPA facility, the Corporation ran a production campaign of aluminum hexahydrate...
Orbite updates on construction of HPA facility
During the 2nd quarter of 2014, Orbite continued the development of its HPA project with its engineering partners Seneca for detailed engineering, Groupe Alphard for project management and procurement, with Outotec for the supply of its calcination system, and with CMI for the supply of the acid recovery system for the production of high purity alumina. At its Technology Development Center (“TDC”) in Laval, Québec, the Corporation performed additional pilot trials on HPA synthesis and purification steps to optimize product quality, production yields, as well as operating costs. Equipment testing was also pursued to define operating parameters to customize product for specific applications. At the Cap-Chat HPA facility, the Corporation ran a production campaign of aluminum hexahydrate...
Cheap imports affect Aluworks’ market share
Aluworks Limited, the aluminium products manufacturer, says its market share has shrunk as cheap imported substitutes continue to undercut its business. Kwadwo Kwarteng, board chairman, told the B&FT in Accra on the sidelines of this year's annual general meeting that the company’s market share has dropped from 25 percent in 2012 to 15 percent currently. He blamed this on the inability of government to introduce countervailing measures that local manufacturers have proposed against cheap and poor-quality imports. "The influx of cheap aluminium imports from the Far East into the Ghanaian market is seriously affecting our business; the situation is seriously eroding our market share and we want it to be stopped. "We have asked government to increase the duty on cheap imports as a...
Hulamin H1 results spring growth
Hulamin Limited’s plans to bank on its growing profitability as a recovery in its manufacturing figures continue. “Our manufacturing performance showed some improvement with recoveries increasing off a low base. Sales of rolled products are up by 9 per cent from the second half of last year which, together with a slight improvement in conversion margins, underpinned our earnings growth, supported by the weaker rand,” David Austin, acting CEO of Hulamin, said in a statement. “This improved profitability, together with sound working capital management, produced strong cash flows that we used to pay down borrowings. Our efforts to improve operational performance are ongoing and should contribute to increased volumes and profitability in the second half.” Hulamin -2.08% is an international...
Ford boosting price of Aluminum F-150
Ford is raising the price of its new aluminum-sided pickup truck but is trying to stay competitive with rivals. Ford released pricing on the F-150 yesterday. It goes on sale later this year. The new truck comes in five variants, down from 10 available with the current model. All five have aluminum sides, which is more expensive than steel but weighs less and saves fuel. Ford’s base XL and XLT models — which make up 70 percent of sales — will cost $395 more. A fancier King Ranch will cost $3,615 more; its new standard features include a heated steering wheel.
Beer can cost rests on U.K. Aluminum warehouse verdict
It’s been a year since the U.S. Senate held a hearing on logjams at metal storage facilities and rising fees. Since then, costs have gone up and waiting times for delivery at some sites are even longer. The London Metal Exchange, which oversees more than 700 warehouses, has been blocked from easing delays by Moscow-based United Co. Rusal, which as the world’s biggest aluminum producer stands to lose from shorter backlogs. The LME issued a new rule that storage facilities with the longest wait times had to release more metal than they took in. Rusal blocked the measure in a U.K. court, and the exchange is appealing in a case that started in London today. Wait times to obtain aluminum stretch to almost two years or longer in Detroit and Vlissingen, Netherlands, the two biggest sites for the...
Jaguar XE's aluminium construction could make it deliver 31km/l
The new XE has been designed around Jaguar’s modular vehicle architecture. The XE is the only car in the class to use an aluminium-intensive monocoque, with lightweight aluminium accounting for 75 per cent of the structure. The competition does use aluminium but the usage isn’t of this percentage. Jaguar Land Rover has one of the largest aluminium producer, especially in the automotive industry as all its new products have maximum usage of this metal. This milestone in body engineering ensures that the Jaguar XE combines outstanding design with benchmark levels of ride and handling – it will be the true driver’s car in the segment. As the bodyweight of aluminium is lesser than the currently used metals.vLightweight construction is a core element of Jaguar’s DNA and Jaguar uses it in the...
Pratt, Alcoa pioneer use of aluminum fan blades
Pratt & Whitney and Alcoa recently have revealed that the fan blades of the PW1000G family of geared turbofans will consist mainly of aluminum alloy–an industry first. Although the PW1500G for the Bombardier CSeries–the first member of the engine family–won certification last year, Pratt & Whitney had so far only loosely referred to a “hybrid-metallic” fan blade. Metal engineering company Alcoa now calls using aluminum in a fan blade “revolutionary” due to the material’s ability to combine light weight with affordability. The two companies have just announced a 10-year, $1.1 billion agreement for “key engine parts,” including aluminum fan blades. Pratt & Whitney designed the geared turbofan to run the fan and the low-pressure turbine each at its aerodynamically optimal speed. The fan...
Sombre days for Alcoa workers as aluminium plant near Geelong winds up
After more than 50 years as one of Geelong's major employers Alcoa will close its aluminium smelter this week. One by one the pot lines are being switched off, with the Point Henry plant's final line being shutdown on Thursday. The shutdown was announced in February after the company decided the ageing smelter was no longer financially viable. The closure will leave about 500 workers jobless. Retirement was not an option for many of the plant's young workers. Only about 50 of them have already found a job and many others are retraining. Inside the smelter, the mood is one of resignation. The pot lines have been switched off one-by-one over the past few weeks.There are photos on the corridor walls marking the sombre occasion. Alcoa's two rolling mills will also close by the end of the year...
Odisha government to soon grant laterite deposits to Vedanta's alumina project
In what should serve as a relief for Anil Agarwal's alumina project, the Odisha government will soon grant three laterite deposits that can partially feed the company's controversial refinery in Kalahandi. Raw material uncertainty has plagued Vedanta Aluminium, now merged with Sesa Sterlite, ever since August of last year when local tribals, in a first of its kind referendum ordered by the Supreme Court, rejected the mining project. Laterite, with some beneficiation and combined with the bauxite the company has been forced to import or source from Gujarat, can be used input to make alumina. According to senior official in the state and the company, the government has zeroed in on three such deposits, covering an area of 140 hectares near Jaipur, in Koraput district. "They had 5-6...
ISRI adds Thorn-Aluminum Breakage spec to the Scrap Specifications Circular
The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) announced today a new nonferrous specification has been published in the Scrap Specifications Circular 2014. Approved by the ISRI nonferrous division and board of directors, the new specification states that, “Thorn—Aluminum Breakage shall consist of alu¬minum with miscel¬laneous contaminants like iron, dirt, plastic, and other types of con¬taminants. Material can either be sold based on aluminum recovery or content as agreed upon by buyer and seller. It must also contain a minimum of 33 percent alumi¬num unless otherwise agreed upon by buyer and seller.” “The Scrap Specifications Circular is an important tool for the global recycling industry,” said Joe Pickard, chief economist and director of commodities for ISRI. “As the range of...
Alumina powder Silo Retrofit improves product quality
Alumina is a fine powder that is used in the manufacture of aluminum, abrasives, refractory material, and various household products. Large users of alumina often arrange to have it shipped to their plants in 100-ton capacity railcars. The quality and consistency of the alumina, which can vary within each railcar, can affect the manufacturing process. Some processes can detect and compensate for gradual changes without any significant loss of product quality. However, rapid changes may result in a significant loss of finished product because of unacceptable variations. At a plant operated by one of Jenike & Johanson’s clients, a pneumatic line conveys alumina from railcars to a 12-ft-diam storage bin. This bin was originally designed for mass flow, but the resulting first-in/first-out...
Aluminium systems add life, function to UK care facility
Technal-brand aluminium curtain walling and casement window systems have helped the Beacon Centre for Health in Swansea achieve a BREEAM “excellent” rating and a high level of energy efficiency. The building is designed around a central four-story atrium which has large spans of Technal’s GEODE-MX Visible Grid curtain walling to deliver high levels of natural light. This, together with a palette of natural finishes and subtle use of color, provides a welcoming and bright environment for patients and staff. Fabricated and installed by Vision 2000, Technal’s GEODE-MX Visible Grid curtain walling was used throughout the ground floor, spanning up to three floors and for two recessed areas set into the black brickwork for the upper terraced balconies. Technal-brand aluminium systems add energy...
China aluminum fabricator ALCHA Aluminum turns profitable in H1
Jiangsu ALCHA Aluminum Co., turns to a profit by registering a net profit of 8.64 million yuan ($1.40 million) in the first six months, compared with a 29.23-million-yuan loss recorded in H1 2013, according to a preliminary interim report filed to Shenzhen Stock Exchange. The company attributes the turnaround to significant growth in sales, and its increasing efforts in cost control. In addition, aluminum prices which presented rebounds after falling early this year also contributed to Alcha’s earnings.
Showa Denko ups high-purity aluminum foils capacity in China
Showa Denko (SDK) has decided to expand its capacity to produce high-purity aluminum foils for aluminum electrolytic capacitors in China. It will increase productive capacity of Showa Denko Aluminum (Nangtong) (SDAN) from 400 tons a month at present to 600 tons a month. SDK plans to start operation of the expanded plant in January, 2015. As SDK Group's local production base, SDAN has been conducting final processing of rolled foils as intermediate products supplied from SDK's Sakai Plant to provide our customers in China with high-purity aluminum foils in a timely manner. SDAN started its commercial production in September, 2013. SDK decided to increase the productive capacity of SDAN in order to respond to the expanding Chinese market of high-purity aluminum foils for high voltage use(1)...
