16 AUGUST 2016Aluminium International Today
Membership on the rise as Aluminum Association welcomes four new members
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<p>The Aluminum Association has announced the addition of three new member companies – UC RUSAL, Tri-Star Glove and MAGNECO/METREL.<br /><br />In addition, the Association introduced a new member category and announced its first ever individual membership for Professor Diran Apelian of Worcester Polytechnic Institute. <br /><br />These additions bring total membership in the Association to 116 companies which reflect the scope and breadth of today’s global aluminium industry. UC RUSAL joins the Association as a producer member – firms that make or fabricate aluminium – while both Tri-Star Glove and MAGNECO/METREL join as associate members – firms that supply the industry with goods and services. Individual members are nominated by the President and Officers of the Association and have a substantial connection or expertise in the aluminium industry.<br /> <br />“Continued membership growth in the Aluminum Association is a testament to the importance and impact of the industry,” said Garney Scott, President & CEO of Scepter and Aluminum Association Chairman. “The unique experiences and insights these companies and Professor Apelian provide will benefit the industry as we face many opportunities and challenges.”<br /> <br />New members include UC RUSAL, Tri-Star Glove and MAGNECO/METREL. <br /><br />Professor Diran Apelian has also joined the Association. Professor Diran Apelian is Alcoa-Howmet Professor of Engineering and Director of the Metal Processing Institute at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). A Mechanical Engineer and Doctorate in Materials Science and Engineering from MIT, Apelian is credited for pioneering work in molten metal processing and filtration of metals; aluminium foundry engineering; plasma deposition and spray casting/forming; and resource recovery and recycling.<br /><br />The new member additions come at a time of continued domestic demand growth for aluminium. According to the latest industry data, the North American aluminium industry shipped nearly 26 billion pounds of aluminium in 2015, the most since 2007. Since 2013, member companies have announced domestic plant expansions and planned investment totalling more than $2.6 billion to meet anticipated demand growth for aluminium in the automotive sector as automakers strive to make better-performing and more fuel-efficient vehicles.<br /> <br />However, challenges remain, particularly with an oversupply of high-carbon aluminium coming from China. Since the beginning of 2015, eight U.S.-based aluminium smelters have curtailed or closed, representing 60 percent of U.S. primary aluminium capacity. A recently released economic impact report found that while overall employment in the U.S. aluminium business is up, employment in the upstream segment has dropped dramatically – from more than 12,000 primary production and alumina refining jobs in 2013 to around 5,000 today – a near 60 percent drop in 3 short years.<br /> <br />The Aluminum Association is committed to highlighting unfair and unsustainable trade practices to ensure the continued health of domestic and global markets. Recent actions include the initiation of an International Trade Commission investigation into the global marketplace, the launch of a new coalition – the Manufacturers for Trade Enforcement and testimony on industry overcapacity in front of the US Trade Representative and the Department of Commerce.</p>
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