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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“Now is the time for China to join the community of responsible global aluminum producers to fully and fairly participate in the aluminum market.” Charles Johnson, VP Policy at the Aluminum Association
<p>On September 29, 2016, <strong>Garney Scott, President & CEO of Scepter, Inc. </strong>and <strong>Chairman of the Aluminum Association</strong>, as well as <strong>Heidi Brock, President and CEO of the Aluminum Association</strong> testified at the <strong>U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC)</strong> public hearing on the <strong>Investigation on the Competitive Conditions Affecting the U.S. Aluminum Industry</strong>. They both drew attention to the challenges faced by the domestic aluminum industry due to flooding of Chinese aluminum in the U.S. market and urged the USITC to investigate the issue of unfair trading by China.</p> <p><strong>Charles Johnson</strong>, the <strong>Vice President of Policy at the Aluminum Association</strong> answered to AlCircle’s...
“We provide solutions for heat treating extrusion dies for aluminium extrusion companies,” Charbel Saliba, owner, Thermika Heating Systems
<p><strong>Thermika Systems Inc.</strong> is a leading manufacturer of heat treating solutions for industrial products. <strong>Charbel Saliba</strong>, became a young entrepreneur and over a decade was involved in various business ventures. About 10 years ago, he and a business partner were presented with the opportunity to venture into the heat treating industry. Working together Thermika was born. Currently, he is expanding his businesses, investing on it and supplying globally. As one of our valued associates AlCircle feels glad to highlight the kind of services Thermika has been offering to the Aluminium Extrusion industry. We had a brief discussion with Mr Saliba regarding Thermika’s products and its markets. <br /><br />Excerpts from the interview:<br /><br...
“Today JNARDDC stands at a point, where Indian Aluminium industry, can bank on us, for support guidance and innovation,” Mr. Anupam Agnihotri, Director, JNARDDC
<p><strong>Jawaharlal Nehru Aluminium Research Development and Design Centre (JNARDDC), Nagpur</strong>, India is a "Centre of Excellence" set up in 1989 to make contributions to the technological growth of the Indian Aluminium Industry. The centre has well-established R&D facilities for Bauxite, Alumina and Aluminium. <br /><br />We recently had an opportunity to meet <strong>Mr. Anupam Agnihotri</strong>, Director of this prestigious institution during the <strong>National Conference on Non-Ferrous Minerals and Metals’16</strong> at Jamshedpur. He was also facilitated during the conference for his contribution towards R&D in aluminium. He is a Metallurgical Engineer from IIT Kanpur with PG Degree in Metallurgical Engineering from the Visvesvaraya National Institute...
“There is a huge opportunity in India and the domestic metal demand is pegged to grow manifold,” Mr. Abhijit Pati, CEO (Aluminium), Vedanta Ltd.
<p><strong>Mr. Abhijit Pati</strong> started his career as a budding engineer with <strong>Indian Aluminium Company</strong> (subsidiary of <strong>ALCAN</strong> in <strong>Indian Aluminium Company</strong>) in the year 1989. After working with Hindalco for years with numerous laurels, he joined Vedanta in 2008, as the COO of one of the largest Greenfield Aluminium cum Power complexes of the world at Jharsuguda, Odisha. Subsequently, Mr. Pati was elevated to the position of the President and <strong>CEO, Aluminum Business</strong> in March’15. He is currently one of the senior management officials and an Executive Committee team member of Vedanta and also the lead ex officio member of Governing Council of the <strong>Aluminium Association of India (AAI)</strong>.<br /><br...
Changing dynamics in the European aluminium markets after the Brexit revolution- A talk with Maurizio Sala, President, Amafond (Italian Foundry Suppliers’Association)
We agree that “the UK’s decision to leave the EU has sent shockwaves through the continent, and the secondary aluminium industry has no idea how this decision will affect business – even among those in the UK who voted for Brexit”. Industry participants across Europe echoed these sentiments espressed by Maurizio Sala, President of Amafond ( the Italian Foundry Suppliers’ Association ). A first view on the general situation lead us to see that both scrap dealers and secondary aluminium ingot producers sell into Europe, while manufacturers on the continent sell large volumes of products into the UK. Sales of both metal in Europe and cars in the UK could be affected by the leave decision, with consequences from the start to the end of the value chain. In the UK, a straw poll conducted by...
“Aluminium has become the material of choice for automotive OEMs, which are transitioning from steel to aluminium” Peter Basten, VP, Strategy and Business Development at Constellium
Constellium is a global leader in manufacturing innovative value-added aluminium products for a broad scope of applications dedicated primarily to the aerospace, automotive and packaging markets. In an email interview with AlCircle, Peter Basten, Vice President Strategy and Business Planning at Constellium talked about their latest developments in the automotive sector and shared his outlook for aluminium in the automotive, aerospace and packaging sector. Mr. Basten has been Vice President Strategy and Business Development since July 2015. He was previously the Managing Director of Soft Alloys Europe at Constellium’s Automotive Structures and Industry Business Unit. Prior to this position, he was Constellium’s Vice President Strategic Planning & Business Development. Excerpts from the...
“Foil based flexible packaging…can have a far greater positive impact on the environment, even with zero recycling...” Stefan Glimm, Chief Executive Director (EAFA)
The European Aluminium Foil Association (EAFA) is an international body that represents 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. In a mail conversation with AlCircle, Stefan Glimm, Chief Executive Director of the European Aluminium Foil Association, EAFA talks about the best approach to waste prevention and how foil based flexible packaging is leading the way. Excerpt from the interview AlCircle: You talk about ‘Debunking the recycling myth’. Can you explain what you mean? SG: Well, what it does not mean is reducing efforts and initiatives to recycle. EAFA continues to fully support all these activities. But with such a big focus on recycling people are...
“Our aim is to strengthen the relationship between GCC & EU,” Mahmood Daylami, Founder & General Secretary, GAC (Gulf Aluminium Council)
The GAC (Gulf Aluminium Council) is an organization that represents, promotes and protects the interests of the aluminium industry within the Gulf region. One of the main objectives of the Council is to provide a forum for the aluminium industry, such as the recent Meeting in Brussels, which was held in February 2016 and attended by outstanding members of the EU parliament and the most relevant exponents of the European and Arab Aluminium industry. In his interview, Mahmood Daylami, Founder and General Secretary of GAC describes from his perspective, the possible strength of an interchange between the GCC and Europe . Excerpts from the interview: AlCircle: How would you describe, in general, the trade relationship between the GCC and the European Union? MD: The trade relationship between...
“Sustainability questions are increasingly important for every industry…aluminium industry is no exception,” Dr Fiona Solomon, Executive Director, Aluminium Stewardship Initiative
The Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) was launched in 2012 to foster greater sustainability and transparency throughout the aluminium industry. Supported by key industry players, ASI is working with a broad base of stakeholders to assess industry-specific sustainability challenges, opportunities and needs. Dr Fiona Solomon is the Executive Director of the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI). Throughout her career, she has been involved in developing new and innovative initiatives along the mineral supply chains. Dr Solomon shares with AlCircle her inputs on the sustainability challenges faced by the aluminium industry and how ASI activities aim to address the issue globally. Excerpts from the interview: AlCircle: In your view, how relevant is the concept of sustainability for the...
Exclusive Speaker Interview: Francois Nadeau, Technical Leader, Aluminium Assembling Technologies, the National Research Council Canada
With the CAFE standards continuously driving the automotive industry towards manufacturing technologies that allow maximum weight reduction while maintaining parts performance has long since became the priority for automakers. GALM series is bringing the 3rd Annual Lightweight Vehicle Manufacturing 2016: Joining, Forming & Quality Assurance to Detroit from February 24 to 25, 2016. Over last 11 editions, the conference covered three continents, 1500 global delegates and some 130 hours of OEM-led presentations. During the summit, leading experts from OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers and technology providers would discuss the most critical areas within manufacturing and quality assurance processes to enable delivery of next-generation lightweight manufacturing technologies to the forecourt. Francois...
“We must eliminate aluminium smelter byproducts sustainably to move up the hierarchy of waste management,” Phil Black, Vice President, Aluminium Industry Development, Regain Materials
Regain Materials is a new-age green technology and mineral trading enterprise. It provides aluminum smelters with a proprietary safe, sustainable and secure solution for Spent Pot Lining by eliminating the cyanide and dangerous gas hazards related to aluminium smelting - with no residual material. At a time when industrial ecology is gaining significance worldwide, especially after COP 21 acknowledged the importance of sustainable development in aluminium industry, Regain's endeavour to remain committed to environmental sustainability definitely deserves to be applauded. Phil Black has 22 years of working experience in the aluminium industry in the field of cast house, refractories, potrooms, carbon bake, dry scrubbing, anode delivery, pot delining, smelter construction, smelter technical...
"Accurate material models are critical for any CAE analysis," Steven Sheng, Formability Engineer, General Motors
The 1st GALM summit on Modeling, Simulation and Crash Testing Of Automotive Lightweight Materials will come to Detroit, Michigan on 26-27 January 2016 and bring with it 20+ case studies from OEMs, software developers and material experts. Covering the most important areas from cost efficiency and accuracy in modelling aluminum and composite properties to predicting lightweight material life-cycles and accurate crash simulation, experts at the top of their field will assess the best practices for accurately and efficiently modeling and simulating lightweight materials. Key OEM speakers of the congress include General Motors, Toyota and Honda. Steven Sheng has worked on a wide variety of sheet metal forming projects at various tier suppliers and is now working as a formability engineer at...
"Despite several handicaps…aluminium industry will remain viable and grow in Asia." The Convener and the Vice President, IBAAS Symposium
International Bauxite, Alumina & Aluminium Society (IBAAS) in cooperation with China Aluminium International Engineering Corporation Limited (CHALIECO) & Suzhou Research Institute for Non-ferrous Metals Co. Ltd (SINR) have organized the 4th International IBAAS Symposium (near Shanghai, China) during November 25-27, 2015. The theme of this conference would be “The Development and Future of Aluminium Industry in China - Reality and Dream”. At this crucial juncture when issues like raw material scarcity, market oversupply, higher input cost and low metal prices are crippling the global aluminium industry, the conference is expected to open up an apt forum for discussions on innovative ideas, technical solutions and probable changes in market dynamics. AlCircle spoke to Dr. Ashok Nandi, the...
"We are making all efforts to keep our operations running… resorted to closure only after exhausting all other viable options," Dr Mukesh Kumar, President & Group Head - Technology & Innovation, Vedanta Limited
Vedanta Limited, a Vedanta Group company is one of the world's largest global diversified natural resources company, with operations across zinc-lead-silver, oil & gas, iron ore, copper, aluminium and commercial power. To remain competitive in the recent global melt down condition due to low metal prices and non-availability of raw materials, Vedanta Limited is plunging into cost cutting, capacity cut and technology innovation drives. Dr. Mukesh Kumar is the President & Group Head – Technology & Innovation, Vedanta Limited. He is looking after Technology/ Projects of Vedanta Resources, developing innovative culture in the group with a focus on zero discharge, zero waste and zero harm through implementation of state of the art technologies. He spoke to AlCircle about Vedanta's waste...
"We’re focused … to ensure a level playing field where all global aluminum producers can compete in a fair and open market." Heidi Brock, President & CEO, The Aluminum Association, USA
The Aluminum Association is the leading voice for aluminum industry in Washington, DC that promotes the production and use of aluminum as the sustainable material of choice. The Association provides global standards, industry statistics and expert knowledge to its members and policy makers. Recently, The Aluminum Association published its response on the Joint Presidential Statement by the United States and China which lays out concrete and achievable goals for addressing climate change, and in a time frame that emphasizes the immediacy of these challenges. Heidi Biggs Brock, President & CEO The Aluminum Association shared with AlCircle the Association's perspective on the current aluminium market challenge, US-China trade policy and the US demand situation. Excerpts from the interview:...
"Lotus has been producing cars with aluminum riv-bonded chassis for several decades", GREGORY E. PETERSON, Senior Technical Specialist, LOTUS ENGINEERING
GREGORY E. PETERSON is a Senior Technical Specialist in LOTUS ENGINEERING. Gregg's responsibilities include lightweight structures, transferring emerging technologies into commercial opportunities and program management. He has led numerous lightweighting programs for both automotive and non-automotive applications, including aerospace, commercial vehicles and agriculture. He is one of the expert OEM led speaker faculties in the Global Automotive Lightweight Materials Detroit 2015 to be held on August 18 - 20. An excerpt from his Pre-Conference Interview: What do you see as being the primary barriers to the wider application of lightweight materials in the automotive industry at the moment? The primary barriers that I see are cost, infrastructure and experience with the specific...
"Considering the steady GDP growth in India, I expect the aluminium industry growth rate to go up to 7 to 8% in near future," Mr. Satish Pai, Deputy Managing Director and CEO, Hindalco Industries, India
Mr. Satish Pai is the Deputy Managing Director and CEO of the Aluminum Business, India, Hindalco Industries. Mr. Pai is responsible for setting strategic vision for the Aluminum business of Hindalco in India. He also provides operational leadership in order to build sustainable competitive strengths and enhance shareholder value. AlCircle had the opportunity to speak to him during The 19th International Conference on Non-Ferrous Minerals and Metals in Bhubaneswar. He shared with us his outlook for the aluminium industry in India and Hindalco's strategy to overcome the current low phase in aluminium. An Excerpt from the interview: AlCircle: You are here to promote aluminium, the future metal for India. How would you justify this position for the industry considering the present low phase...
"Currently the use of Aluminium seems to be the most viable option for high volume vehicle production," Mr. John Catterall, GSSLT Leader, Underbody Structure, General Motors
Mr. John Catterall has held a direct position at General Motors for over 15 years. His current responsibilities include leading the Global Subsystem Leadership Teams (GSSLTs) and direct management of the General Motors North America Advanced underbody engineering team. Mr. Catterall holds degrees in Mechanical and Production Automotive Engineering from Bolton Technical College and Leyland Technical College in England, UK. He is one of the expert OEM led speaker faculties in the Global Automotive Lightweight Materials Detroit 2015 to be held on August 18 - 20. An excerpt from his Pre-Conference Interview: What do you see as being the primary barriers to the wider application of lightweight materials in the automotive industry at the moment? So far to date most of the lighter/low density...
