Global primary aluminium production experienced a sequential recovery in the third quarter of 2026, supported by the gradual restoration of disrupted smelting capacity in the GCC countries, stronger operational performance in Europe and Oceania, and incremental production gains across Asia and China. But beneath this quarterly improvement lies a contrasting reality - global output remained below the corresponding levels of both 2025 and 2024. According to data from the International Aluminium Institute (IAI), global primary aluminium production reached 18.377 million tonnes in Q3 2026, an increase of 2.1 per cent from 18.003 million tonnes in the preceding quarter. However, compared with Q3 2025, when production totalled 18.683 million tonnes, output declined by 1.64 per cent. Production...
Europe's aluminium industry is facing mounting pressure from rising carbon costs, shifting trade policies and limited willingness among buyers to pay premiums for low-carbon metal. Yet, despite a series of crises since the Covid pandemic, producers remain committed to maintaining their presence in Europe and investing in decarbonisation, said Paul Voss, Director General of European Aluminium. In an exclusive interview with Fastmarkets at Aluminium Düsseldorf, Voss described the European aluminium industry's condition as bruised but resilient. He highlighted concerns over the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), the potential inclusion of indirect (Scope 2) emissions under the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and the treatment of aluminium scrap in carbon accounting. Reflecting on...
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Maximum plant efficiency through digitalization SMS group has elevated digital transformation to an entrepreneurial strategy as changing market conditions determine whether a company can be still successful in the future or not. Since then, the management structure, corporate divisions, the product range, and corporate culture have been under review for adapting to the new circumstances. This is where SMS digital was born: A company with a special background as SMS digital combines best of both worlds – 150 years of experience in metallurgical plant engineering and up-to-date technology and expertise in digitalization. As the digital subsidiary of SMS group, SMS digital develops innovative solutions with which it “digitalizes” the metal industry to go straight towards its vision of the...
We believe in a primary aluminium industry in which people do not have to be exposed to the dangers of high current, molten metal and corrosive dust for their everyday operations. And since aluminium plants are essentially a combination of logistical processes – related to anode transport, molten metal transport, bath transport and more – we believe that to achieve this vision, smelters have to come up with new approaches for their logistical processes. We call this smart logistics, and it is an implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies for existing smelters. The business case for smarter logistics is clear: not only can it help to make the processes safer and more reliable, but the financial impact is also significant. We estimated over 4.5 million USD yearly OPEX savings for a 600,000...
Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister in charge of Western Economic Diversification Canada, announced over US$4.9 million for 10 steel and aluminium companies across British Columbia, which are creating jobs and contributing to Canada’s economy. This funding is also provided under Regional Economic Growth through Innovation (REGI) Steel and Aluminum Initiative, announced in March 2019, which was designed to provide support to small and medium-sized businesses in the steel, aluminium, and manufacturing sectors in Canada. The non-repayable contributions can be used for enhancing productivity, adopting new innovative technologies in order to enhance productivity and create more skilled jobs. "Our government is supporting Canada's hard-working...
The US dollar continued to rise to a more than two-year high of 99.13 on expectations of an upcoming interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve. After holding it for two days, the dollar dropped 0.55% against a basket of major currencies, to 98.38, marking its biggest one-day loss in three months. The dollar held its earlier losses and helped base metals recover from the earlier losses. LME base metals recovered from the depressed trend over this week and SHFE aluminium continued to trade strong due to positive fundamentals. LME aluminium started the week with US$ 1716.5 per tonne and continued trading higher to close the week at US$ 1761.5 per tonne on Friday September 6. Three-month LME aluminium started the week at US$ US$ 1745.50 per tonne and ended it 2.4% higher at US$ 1787.50 per...
A00 aluminium ingot price continued to remain on an upward trend throughout the week. The week started higher at RMB14310 per tonne on Monday, 02 September 2019, up RMB20 per tonne from August 30. The price did not show any change on Thursday but ended the week higher at RMB14420 per tonne on Friday, 06 September 2019. Inventories of primary aluminium stocks in China fell this week for a second straight week, as most regions saw greater deliveries. As of Monday September 2, Shanghai Metals Market data showed that social inventories of primary aluminium across eight consumption areas in China, including SHFE warrants, stood at 1.016 million tonnes, down 17,000 tonnes from Thursday August 29. Primary aluminium inventories continued to decline to 1.006 million tonnes as of Thursday September...
STAS INC. and FOUNDRY ECOCER have signed a mutual agreement to market and sell complementary products in order to offer a competitive edge to aluminium foundries and casthouses world-wide. They expect this collaboration to further develop their market and improve their product and technologies. The two businesses are industry-leaders in aluminium casthouse and foundry technology and products. STAS INC. is based in Saguenay, Quebec, Canada and has been designing and supplying casthouse technologies and equipment since 1989 in order to improve productivity and quality of aluminium. FOUNDRY ECOCER stands as one of the major Italian companies for the production of consumables and equipment for non-ferrous alloys foundries and casthouses. Both offer services that are correlated to each other....
According to a Reuters report, one Japanese aluminium buyer has agreed to pay a global aluminium producer a premium of US$97 per tonne over the LME benchmark price for Q4 shipments (October to December), down 10% from Q3. This was confirmed by a source directly involved in price negotiations. It was reported that the aluminium producer had offered Japanese buyers a premium of US$110 per tonne for primary metal shipments for Q4. Buyers were negotiating for a lower premium considering abundant aluminium supply and falling demand in China. “We will ask for lower premiums, like between US$90 and US$100 per tonne, as there are abundant supplies and demand is softening in China and the rest of Asia, including Japan amid a slower economy,” a source at a trading house said after the offer. For...
After the successful launch of its first e-Magazine (“Aluminium LeaderSpeak 2019”: https://www.alcircle.com/emagazine/leaderspeak-2019-2 ), AlCircle team is now gearing to bring up to you another very futuristic theme e-Magazine on the topic “Aluminium Industry 4.0: Drivers & Change Makers” . The term "Industry 4.0" or the "Fourth Industrial Revolution" is a name given to the current systems and technologies for automation, artificial intelligence and data exchange in the manufacturing and industrial sector. It loosely refers to the concept of factories in which machines are augmented with wireless connectivity, sensors, and artificial intelligence and connected to a system that is able to make decisions on its own. A combination of digital and automation systems, the Internet of Things...
The US dollar held its earlier losses against a basket of currencies as payroll processor ADP said US private hiring came in stronger than expected in August, while it revised lower its job reading for July. Three-month LME aluminium closed higher for the third consecutive trading day as departing shorts send it 1.22% higher on the day at US$1,793 per tonne. LME aluminium is likely to trade between US$1,740-1,800 per tonne. As on September 5, Thursday, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1753.50 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1754.50 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1777 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 1778 per tonne; Dec 20 bid price stands at US$ 1852 per tonne, and Dec 20 offer price stands at US$ 1857 per tonne. The LME aluminium...
Fire erupted at the Rio Tinto Alcan’s ISL aluminium smelter in Straumsvík, Southwest Iceland at night on September 3. According to Bjarni Már Gylfason, PR person for Rio Tinto in Iceland, workers managed to extinguish the fire without much injuries and minor damages. The fire erupted mainly at the outdoor and the company said did not have a bearing on its closed potline. On Friday, August 30, two out of the 160 pots in its building number three were restarted, but they had been turned off for security reasons. The pots were closed since July 21, when an arc flash formed in one of them. The smelter's annual aluminium capacity is about 212,000 tonnes per annum and about a third of the smelter’s production takes place in building three. The restarting phase is likely to take several months....
United Steelworkers officials said that they would recommend their members to ratify a tentative agreement with Alcoa, announced on Friday, a press release from steelworkers said. “The proposed contract builds on decades of collective bargaining progress with hard-fought economic and non-economic improvements. Our members have earned and deserve fair wages, benefits and working conditions,” United Steelworkers District 7 Director Michael Millsap said in a statement. He was the chief negotiator from United Steelworkers in processing the agreement with Alcoa. The details of the tentative agreement will be released to the public only after the elected union representatives review it. Negotiating committee delegates would conduct membership meetings with their local unions to and arrange...
According to Shanghai Metals Market, the social inventories of primary aluminium have extended decline over the week ended on Thursday, September 5. SMM data shows the stocks across eight major consumption areas in China, including SHFE warrants, decreased by 27,000 tonnes for the second straight week to stand at 1.006 million tonnes. On last Thursday, August 29, the inventories had declined by 30,000 tonnes week-on-week to come in at 1.033 million tonnes. This indicates a lower decline today compared to the last Thursday. The chart below shows the current status of primary aluminium inventories in more details: So, as we can see that the inventories this week have dropped in almost all the major cities in China because of greater deliveries. Gongyi, Henan has seen the highest decline in...
The safe-haven US dollar fell against sterling yesterday. The dollar ended down 0.55% against a basket of major currencies, at 98.38, marking its biggest one-day loss in three months. Both LME and SHFE base metals rose across the board on a weaker US dollar. A lower US dollar boosted LME aluminium yesterday after a low phase. Three-month LME aluminium climbed to a high of US$1,779 per tonne and pulled back a bit to close at US$1,769.5 per tonne overnight, up 0.83% on the day. The news of fire eruption in the Rio Tinto Alcan aluminum smelter in Straumsvík, Southwest Iceland also boosted the aluminium prices. LME aluminium is likely to be trading between US$1,740-1,810 per tonne today. As on September 4, Wednesday, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1734 per tonne, LME official...
NALCO has bagged Dun & Bradstreet PSU Awards 2019 under the category Best Export Performance. NALCO received the award from the Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Shri Arvind Sawant at the PSU Award ceremony in New Delhi Dun & Bradstreet, one of the leading knowledge providers, recognised the stellar role played by NALCO among the public sector undertakings (PSUs) in the Indian economy as well as in the wider socio-economic development. NALCO’s export earnings stood at INR 4792.71 crore in 2018-19, the highest ever since inception. That registered a growth of 18% over the corresponding previous period of 2017-18. Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) has rated NALCO as the 3rd Highest ‘Net Foreign Exchange Earning CPSE’ in the Country. Indian analysts, market...
The US dollar barely changed against a basket of currencies, underpinned by safe-haven demand amid worries about US-China trade tensions and a chaotic British exit from the European Union. LME aluminium is seeing one of the lowest periods in last three years. Three-month LME aluminium continued its weak trends as it slipped to a record low around US$1,736.5 per tonne, before it regained some losses and finished lower on the day at US$1,752 per tonne. With pressure from the five-day moving average, it is expected to hover between US$1,730-1,780 per tonne today. As on September 3, Tuesday, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1714 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1714.50 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1743 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$...
Africa’s primary aluminium production dropped marginally by 0.41% during the first seven-month period of 2019. Production stood at 961,000 tonnes as compared to 965,000 tonnes in the first seven-month period of 2018, data showed by the International Aluminium Institute (IAI). Primary aluminium production came in at 138,000 tonnes in July 2019, a decrease of 4.17per cent from July 2018 production of 144,000 tonnes. But production increased by 2.22 per cent from June’s production of 135,000 tonnes. Africa’s primary aluminium production for 2018 stood at 1.668 million tonnes, IAI data showed. Global production in the first seven months of 2019 stood at 37.073 million tonnes, almost flat from 37.235 million tonnes in the first seven months of 2018. In July, primary aluminium production...
TRIMET Aluminium SE has become a new Production & Transformation member of the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI). This brings the total number of members working toward a responsible aluminium value chain to 98. “TRIMET is pleased to join the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI). As an independent family-owned company with a long-term outlook, we intend to contribute to the future development of ASI standards, because we are convinced that ASI sets the internationally recognized industrial benchmark for responsibly-sourced aluminium,” said Philipp Schlüter, CEO, TRIMET Aluminium SE. TRIMET develops, manufactures, casts, and markets lightweight aluminium metal products. The company operates in seven locations in Germany and France. TRIMET supplies the aluminium sector’s entire...
The US dollar continued to rise to a more than two-year high of 99.13 on expectations of an upcoming interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve. LME base metals mostly dipped while SHFE metals closed higher for the most part. LME aluminium lost 0.46% and SHFE aluminium grew 0.11%. Three-month LME aluminium hovered within a wide range and fell below all moving averages to a low of US$1,742.5 per tonne as the US dollar strengthened. It pared some losses and finished at US$1,749 per tonne, down 0.46% on the day. LME aluminium is likely to trade at US$1,740-1,780 per tonne today. As on September 2, Monday, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1716 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1716.50 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1745 per tonne, 3-months offer...
