Beyond aluminium smelting capacity, we propose to incentivise emissions cuts to support wider decarbonisation: Ed Boyd, Mission Possible Partnership
As the European Council seeks political alignment on the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), the debate over how to accelerate aluminium decarbonisation in bringing emissions accounting and demand for low-carbon metal into focus. Against the backdrop of Mission Possible Partnership’s (MPP) open letter, AL Circle speaks with Ed Boyd, MPP’s Global Policy Lead, about the policies needed to support the European aluminium industry’s transition. Boyd argues that effective decarbonisation must account for emissions from alumina refining and track Scope 2 emissions associated with purchased electricity. On mandatory green procurement and lead-market thresholds of at least 50 per cent for aluminium, he says producers are ready to supply low-carbon metal at scale and considers the proposed threshold...
EU-India FTA, CBAM and carbon costs: Can Indian aluminium crack the European market?
A former Deputy Secretary General of the European Parliament and Director of the EPP Group, Paolo Licandro, has extensive experience in European policymaking, international relations, industry, energy and EU affairs. He is currently the Founder and CEO of eEuropa Belgium and Editor of eEuropa.Blog. He has worked with European prime ministers, ministers and EU commissioners and has held senior roles covering EU enlargement, Mediterranean and Middle East relations, and industry, research and energy. A nuclear engineer, he holds a master’s degree from Politecnico di Milano and has worked with ENI, ARS-Pragma and the EU Joint Research Centre. In this interview, Paolo Licandro shares his perspective on EU–India aluminium trade, CBAM and the opportunities for Indian producers in Europe. AL...
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“2021 will probably be a year of slow healing for the complete industry. What I see is that the effect of LME on aluminium pricing was probably as important as the COVID-crisis”, Peter Vanvuchelen, Director Sales & Business Development, Hencon
AlCircle: How do you visualize 2021 for the global aluminium industry after the COVID-19 economic impact? Mr Peter Vanvuchelen: It is very difficult to predict what will happen, and how industries will react, as a pandemic situation as COVID is a completely new situation for every one of us. 2021 will probably be a year of slow healing for the complete industry. What I see is that the effect of LME on aluminium pricing was probably as important as the COVID-crisis. We observed that since Q4 2020 (when aluminium prices equalled their old level) aluminium-industry started picking up projects again. My feeling is that we start to learn and live with the ‘new situation’ and that even our way of thinking and look at how to be productive will be changed profoundly and definitively, even after...
“There is no question the international mining industry was crippled during the 2020 Covid-19 period. However, in early 2021 Canyon sees the door opening, international travel is returning at a cost, and developing countries like Cameroon are welcoming investment and development of domestic mining projects”, Rick Smith, Director
General, CAMALCO SA (Canyon Resources’ wholly-owned Cameroon subsidiary). Mr Rick Smith was appointed as Director-General of the Canyon’s wholly-owned Cameroon subsidiary Camalco Cameroon SA (Camalco) on 17 th January 2021and will be based in Cameroon. Mr Smith will focus on the delivery of the Project through key agreements with suppliers and the Government. Mr Rick Smith was previously a senior executive, within Guinea Alumina Corporation (GAC), who successfully commissioned the $1.4 billion CAPEX, GAC Project. The bauxite mine is located in Tinguilinta, Guinea and is West Africa’s newest bauxite mine that will export 12 million tonnes per annum through its Kamsar bauxite port facilities which were commissioned in Q3 2019. Mr Smith has more than 35 years of experience in a variety of...
“We have no doubt that the long-term future of aluminium is bright”, Cédric Schmuck, Deputy CEO of REEL International SAS
Cédric Schmuck is Deputy CEO at REEL International SAS, where he has over 25 years’ experience in different Engineering, Project Management, Business development, and Executive management positions. Active since 1999 in the aluminium industry, Cédric has been in charge of REEL’s Aluminium Division till end 2020. Cédric graduated from engineering school Arts et Métiers in Lyon and holds an MBA from Würzburg University, Germany. Here is a brief excerpt of his interview with AlCircle: AlCircle: Could you please share the insights of the latest acquisition of FLS Möller and Outotec Aluminium business by REEL? Mr Cédric Schmuck : At REEL, we strongly believe in the future of sustainable aluminium, which will be key in the global efforts in the fight against climate change. As demand for the...
“LivNSense has invested significantly into delivering IIoT & AI Based Innovations for Metals Industry, especially with focus into Bauxite Refineries and Aluminium Smelter Plants”, Avnish Kumar, Founder and CEO, LivNSense Technologies Pvt. Ltd
Avnish Kumar, Founder and CEO of LivNSense Technologies Pvt. Ltd., has a proven and astounding experience of 25+ years in the Engineering and Information Technology (IT) industry. Being an alumnus of NIT-Durgapur and MBA from the University of Melbourne itself speaks volumes about his expertise and knowledge in the world of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT). Mr Avnish is a business and technology leader with extensive experience in IIOT, AI, AI-Vision, Cloud Engineering and Product R&D with a successful track record of innovating “out of box” products. Mr Kumar kick-started his career by being a part of the R&D team in the Telecommunication Industry and had been with Motorola, before moving on to Infosys. After working for Infosys for some time, he switched...
“Lucchini RS in the Aluminium business: How forged steel products enhance the aluminium productivity” - Maurizio Grisanti, Commercial Director of the Forging & Casting Division at Lucchini RS
Federico Piazza from AlCircle Team had a special meeting with Maurizio Grisanti, Commercial Director of the Forging & Casting Division at Lucchini RS. The tradition and skills of Mr. Grisanti allow enhancing a peculiar drive into the metallurgical research between the aluminium and steel production. AlCircle : Lucchini RS Group's Forging and Casting Division aims to consolidate its contribution to the aluminium sector. Which product is it offering in this market? Maurizio Grisanti : Since several years, the Lucchini RS Group has been looking at the aluminium industry with growing interest because this non-ferrous metal has so many applications—ranging from the automotive sector, to the industrial sector, to packaging and consumer electronics. Its characteristics mean that it can serve as...
Survey on metallurgy and transport in Russia, with an interview to Antonello Colussi, CEO of Danieli Russia by Federico Piazza
The aluminum industry in Russia is not catalyzed only by the presence of the giant Rusal, the world's second largest group in the primary product market. In fact Russia also boasts advanced laboratories and research centers, such as those that gather every year at the Congress "Non-ferrous metals and minerals" at Krasnoyarsk, in the mining region of Siberia. In the field of research for innovation in industrial applications, for example, the work of MISIS, the Russian National University of Science and Technology, deserves to be highlighted for experimenting new aluminum alloys (Al-Ni-La crystallization) that enable a significant reduction in weight for transport, aeronautics and automotive. Plenty of innovation particularly regards aluminium for transports. For example, it concerns new...
“Our guess is that the world’s top priority will be to better protect our environment, and at Fives, we are determined to become an active player in environmental commitments in the post-COVID-19 world.” - Aurélie Fillon, VP Services, Fives - Aluminium division.
Graduated from Edhec Business School in Lille in 2000, Aurélie has been first working as an Auditor at Ernst&Young before joining Fives Group in 2004 as Financial Controller at the Head Office. In 2007, she became Financial Control of Fives Solios before being promoted to CFO. In 2018, she moved to the position of VP Services of the Aluminium division of Fives, supervising four Services Companies (Canada, Australia, South Africa and the Middle East) plus the Europe Front office. She is leading the Services strategy and its implantation. AlCircle: How COVID-19 changes the outlook for 2020 for the aluminium industry? Aurélie Fillon: As everybody knows, the situation is for now very complex for the producers of aluminium. Despite the drop in the demand of aluminium, the production of...
“Industry 4.0 has been a revolution in terms of modernizing the aluminium industry from the smallest up to the biggest players”- Adriana Torres, International Business Development Manager of GHI Smart Furnaces
GHI Smart Furnaces, S.L., is a family owned company with 80 years of history that designs and supplies industrial furnaces, auxiliary equipment and associated services for technical assistance and digitalization. The company is involved in the design and manufacture of industrial furnaces, turnkey plants, SAT and 4.0 digitization. The company has supplied more than 8,000 facilities, 1,400 exported to the international market. The sectors GHI Smart Furnaces addresses are, among others, the iron and steel industry, the aluminium and copper industry, foundries, metal workshops, shipyards, aeronautical industry, heat treatment and hot stamping companies. Adriana Torres and Pablo Fuentetaja Business Development Managers of GHI Smart Furnaces, give an insight into the GHI’s latest strategies...
“The unfortunate pandemic that we are facing is a catalyst for the Industry 4.0,” Éloïse Harvey, B.Eng. & Mgmt, President of Mecfor
Éloïse Harvey is president of Mecfor, a Quebec-based company that supplies and manufactures specialized equipment for heavy industry, primary aluminium smelters and secondary plants, mining, rail and nuclear. Éloïse Harvey has been working for the heavy industry (with a strong focus on the aluminium sector) since 1999 holding various positions related to sales, marketing and business development for MECFOR and today she is president for Mecfor. We are glad to get an opportunity to interview Ms Harvey to know her individual insights into the Industry 4.0, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. She thinks implementation of new technologies in the aluminium industry does change the dynamic that exists between equipment manufacturers and aluminium producers. She says COVID-19 has...
“Industry 4.0 now directly impacts all the process and manufacturing sectors.” - Miles Prosser, Secretary-General of the International Aluminium Institute
Miles Prosser is the Secretary-General of the International Aluminium Institute (IAI), the only body that represents the aluminium industry at the global level. With more than twenty years’ experience working on various industrial policy issues, Miles brings in-depth knowledge on resource allocation, sustainability and climate change. Miles joined the IAI from the Australian Aluminium Council where he served as Executive Director for more than 10 years. He leads the IAI to promote the unique and valuable properties of aluminium in sustainable development. He holds an honours degree from the Australian National University. Miles Prosser, Secretary-General of the International Aluminium Institute speaks to AlCircle: AlCircle: Currently, IAI membership represents over 60% of global bauxite,...
“The impact of Covid-19 has mainly accelerated the innovative solutions, based mainly on the diffusion of new connecting technology that was already defined by Continuus-Properzi for the future.” - Alberto Ghisetti, Sales Director, Continuus-Properzi
Alberto Ghisetti is graduated in Mechanical Engineering with a specialization in industrial automation & robotics and has completed an executive master in Project Management. In the last fifteen years, he has matured experience in the international sale of complete plants in the non-ferrous, mine and steel industry. He is working at Continuus-Properzi for ten years, actually, as Sales Director, focused in both aluminium and copper plants for rod and ingots production. Alberto Ghisetti, Sales Director of Continuus-Properzi shares his insights in an interview with AlCircle concerning COVID-19 impact to the industry: AlCircle: Can you briefly introduce your Company? Mr Alberto: Continuus-Properzi, the leading expert in the aluminium and copper wire rod continuous casting industry, invented...
“Before the pandemic, we saw the need for connectivity and moved into Industry 4.0,” Peter Unwin, AMETEK Land and AMETEK Surface Vision’s Global Industry Manager – Metals
Peter is a chartered mechanical engineer and long serving member of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). He has worked in the metals industry for over 30 years during which time he has gained a broad knowledge of the production of steel and aluminium from smelting through to finished products. He has spent the majority of his time leading technical sales teams and developing close customer relationships globally in the flat metals sector specialising in equipment for casting and rolling steel and aluminium strip products. Here, we have Mr Unwin with us sharing some of his views on the importance on Industry 4.0 during the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. In his view, Industry 4.0 facilitates you to access accurate data at any point in time and from anywhere, which is exactly a need...
“The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the relevance of Industry 4.0 as an essential strategic component of manufacturing” - Dr Alexeis Garcia-Perez, Associate Professor in Cyber Security Management, Coventry University
Dr Alexeis Garcia-Perez is an Associate Professor in Cyber Security Management at Coventry University (UK) and a Visiting Research Scholar at Georgetown University (USA). His original background in Computer Science was complemented by a PhD in Information Systems from Cranfield University, enabling an interdisciplinary perspective of Business Information Systems practice and research. Alexeis leads the ‘ Data, Organisations and Society’ research team at Coventry University’s Research Centre for Business in Society. He works with a range of organisations from the public and private sectors, helping them shape the policy and practices that support the digital transformation of businesses and society. Here, we have him with us sharing his insights into how the Industry 4.0 is gradually...
‘‘We see no change in the importance of the sustainability issue or the necessity to move towards a Circular Economy because of the pandemic”- Guido Aufdemkamp, Executive Director, The European Aluminium Foil Association (EAFA)
The European Aluminium Foil Association is the international body representing companies engaged in the rolling and rewinding of alufoil and in the manufacture of aluminium closures, alufoil semi-rigid containers and of all kind of flexible packaging. With its more than 40 members, the organisation represents the total aluminium foil rolling market in Europe. Guido Aufdemkamp, Executive Director of the European Aluminium Foil Association (EAFA), gives an insight into EAFA’s outlook for 2020 and business strategies post COVID- 19 in the below interview: AlCircle: What are your initial thoughts about the impact of Covid-19 on the global aluminium value chain? Guido Aufdemkamp: The overall economic shock particularly impacts the automotive and aerospace sectors and will have huge negative...
“As a group focused on design, production, and maintenance of equipment, we see innovation as a way to make our solutions more efficient and competitive” - Cédric Schmuck, Director of the Aluminium Division within REEL
REEL is an industrial group specializing in complex lifting and handling systems as well as integrated systems solutions. It is using the present sanitary crisis to reinforce an Industry 4.0 approach in its different markets: Nuclear, Aluminium, Aeronautics, Offshore, etc. Many technological opportunities appear in the field of equipment, maintenance, or even design methods. Cédric Schmuck, Director of the Aluminium Division within REEL , in an interview with AlCircle said, as a group focused on design, production, and maintenance of equipment, we see innovation as a way to make our solutions more efficient and competitive. He also said that although the corona crisis has weighed on the aluminium production, but that should not impact the companies so much, owing to the lower input costs...
“The COVID will impact by continuing to reduce demand for aluminium which might still put more pressure on AL price,” Eloise Harvey, President of Mecfor
Mecfor supplies and manufactures specialized equipment for heavy industry for primary aluminium smelters and secondary plants, mining, rail and nuclear. Its customer-centric approach as well as its production capacity allow for a great flexibility of adaptation. They operate from Quebec Canada and supplies to many plants in North America and other parts of the world. Eloise Harvey, President of Mecfor, has shared how COVID-19 pandemic has impacted its business and the global aluminium value chain. Here is an excerpt from the interview: AlCircle: What are your initial thoughts about the impact of Covid-19 on the global aluminium value chain? Eloise Harvey : Due to the pandemic, some smelters have curtailed their production, some others have shutdown facilities (e.g.: Alcoa Intalco Works)....
An AlCircle exclusive interview with Dr Mario Conserva, President of the International Aluminium Exhibition METEF
AlCircle is honoured to have had an opportunity to interract with Dr Mario Conserva, who is associated with the aluminium sector since 1963. He is currently the President of the International Aluminium Exhibition METEF, General Director of the International Magazine A&L Aluminium & Alloys, and General Secretary of FACE, Federation of Aluminium Consumers Europe. Dr Conserva has shared with us about how the metal markets are being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and what prospects we can expect for the aluminium sector this year. He has also shared his insightful thoughts on how to overcome this delicate moment. So, here is an excerpt from the interview: AlCircle: How have the metal markets been affected by Covid -19? Dr Conserva : Covid - 19 is an epochal tragedy that has fallen...
“It is now important to continuously improve productivity to keep costs of production as low as possible for combatting COVID19 impact” - Antti Koulumies, Vice President, Aluminium Business Line, Outotec
Outotec provides industry benchmark technologies and life-cycle services for their customers in metals and mining, industrial water treatment, alternative energy, and chemical sector. Here, we have with us the company’s aluminium business Vice President Antti Koulumies to share how Outotec is coping up the COVID19 pandemic. Mr Koulumies says ensuring the wellbeing of the employees and stakeholders and innovating and improving operations to serve customers better are their key strategies now to sustain the business. Here is an excerpt from the brief interview: AlCircle : What are your initial thoughts about the impact of Covid-19 on the global aluminium value chain? Antti Koulumies: From what we’ve seen, only one aluminium smelter and one alumina refinery have curtailed production during...
