Four days to go, and the aluminium world is getting ready to move to Düsseldorf. From October 6-8, the city will host ALUMINIUM 2026 , with more than 800 exhibitors and partners and over 21,000 trade visitors expected at Messe Düsseldorf. The event will bring together producers, recyclers, downstream manufacturers, technology providers, equipment suppliers, policymakers and end users from across the global aluminium value chain. The 2026 edition comes at an important point for the aluminium industry. European producers are facing pressure from energy costs, international competition and tighter climate requirements, while concerns around raw material security and resilient supply chains continue to grow. At the same time, demand for aluminium is expanding across electric mobility,...
The Aluminum Association launched “America Needs Aluminum,” a new public awareness and advocacy campaign highlighting aluminum’s essential role in the US economy and calling for policies that help America make, recycle and build more with this critical material. The campaign centers on a straightforward message: America needs aluminum - let’s make more of it here. It builds on the association’s broader “all-of-the-above” strategy for aluminum supply, which calls for expanding both recycled and primary aluminum production, strengthening domestic manufacturing, improving energy availability and aggressively confronting unfair trade. “Aluminum is essential to nearly every part of modern American life - from our cars, homes and packaging to the power grid, fighter jets and advanced...
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A new permanent interactive exhibition dedicated to aluminium – a light and infinitely recyclable metal valued in packaging, mechanics, design – is opening on March 7 and 8, Saturday and Sunday, with two special guests: artist Michelangelo Pistoletto and chef Niko Romito. Artist Michelangelo Pistoletto and Michelin-three-star chef Niko Romito will introduce the new area of the National Museum of Science and Technology, Milan dedicated to aluminium. A permanent exhibition designed and produced by the National Museum of Science and Technology, with CiAl - Aluminium Packaging Consortium as the main partner. The exhibition turns the spotlight on a light and energetic material: aluminium. On Thursday, March 5 at 6:30pm there will be a meeting open to the public where Pistoletto and Romito tell...
The data released by the International Aluminum Institute (IAI) for the month of January this year indicates that the daily output of global primary aluminum output remained flat. The output averaged at 67,800 mt per day during the month, remaining unchanged from the previous month. However, Jan ’15 daily output declined marginally when compared with the average daily output of 66,200 mt per day during January last year. The global primary aluminum output totaled 2.103 million mt during the entire month of January this year, remaining flat when compared with the output a month ago. It must be noted that the Association had earlier revised the primary aluminum output for the month of December 2014 to 2.103 million mt. The output climbed higher when compared with a year before. The global...
Rio Tinto is streamlining its product groups and corporate functions as part of the continued focus on efficiency and costs. Under the new arrangements, Rio Tinto’s world-class portfolio of assets will be condensed into four product groups: Aluminium, Copper and Coal, Diamonds and Minerals, and Iron Ore. The new Copper and Coal product group will bring Rio Tinto’s coal operations alongside the existing Copper portfolio. Copper chief executive Jean-Sébastien Jacques will lead the combined product group. Uranium will be added to the Diamonds and Minerals product group, under the leadership of product group chief executive Alan Davies. As a consequence of the restructuring, Energy chief executive Harry Kenyon-Slaney will leave the business. The Aluminium and Iron Ore product groups remain...
South Korea's state commodity buyer has paid a lower premium for aluminium in its latest tender, signalling a turning point for costs to obtain the metal in Asia as regional supply climbs. The drop in premiums is likely to boost headwinds for aluminium producers, who receive the delivery surcharge on top of London Metal Exchange (LME) cash prices. It comes just as quarterly talks between producers and consumers kick off in Japan, which typically set the benchmark for the region. Premiums have nearly doubled in the past two years outside China after Western producers cut supply due to years of low prices. But they have been expected to come under pressure as China steps up exports of its surplus metal, a view this week echoed by top aluminium producer UC Rusal. South Korea's public...
Some big aluminium producers have offered Japanese buyers a premium of $415-$425 per tonne for April-June primary metal shipments, flat to down around 2 percent from the prior quarter, three sources involved in pricing talks said on Thursday. Japan is Asia's biggest importer of the metal and the premiums for primary metal shipments it agrees to pay each quarter over the London Metal Exchange (LME) cash price set the benchmark for the region. For the January-March quarter, Japanese buyers mostly agreed to pay a record premium of $425 per tonne , up 1.2 percent from the prior quarter. The latest quarterly pricing negotiations began this week between Japanese buyers and miners including Rio Tinto and Alcoa Inc , and are expected to continue to next month.
While the Montana Governor joins the fight to get the long shuttered Columbia Falls Aluminium Co. plant on the Superfund National Priorities List, the owner of the plant continues to oppose the listing of the 120-acre land saying it would slow the cleanup process and hinder developments in the area. The abandoned area has now been deemed a hazardous waste site as it is polluting the groundwater with contaminants like cyanide, arsenic, lead and fluoride according to an EPA study. The Superfund is a federal environment program that funds cleanup of hazardous sites, however the former external affairs manager of CFAC, Haley Beaudry, says that the federal involvement in the matter will only make the process unnecessarily lengthy. Glencore plans to tackle the situation by developing a plan to...
Products manufactured by Emirates Aluminium Company Limited PJSC (" EMAL ") - an operating subsidiary of Emirates Global Aluminium PJSC ("EGA") and the world's largest single-site primary aluminium smelter - have been declared suitable for sustainable building practices, as per the applicable criteria defined by two internationally acclaimed bodies, namely: • The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ("LEED") green building programme launched by the US Green Building Council ("USGBC"); and • Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen e.V. ("DGNB", which translates as the German Sustainable Building Council), which strongly promotes sustainable and economically efficient building. The declaration follows rigorous assessment of EMAL 's products by an independent agency, GCAS....
Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba), a leading aluminium smelter in the world, successfully completed the integration of an additional Line 5 Rectiformer (R50). The Rectiformer is a critical piece of power equipment used in the smelting process. The addition of R50 will further enhance Alba’s ability to meet future creep capacity objectives as well as provide added backup protection. The entire project – managed by Alba Power Department -- was achieved with a remarkable 223,000 man-hours of work without a single LTI, thus strengthening Alba's reputation one of the leaders of workplace safety. The project was successful executed in 22 months without impacting metal production. Speaking on this achievement, Alba’s Director for Power, Amin Sultan said: “Alba is committed to remain a globally...
The aluminium market may be headed for a profitable 2015, with an estimated rise of 6.5% in global demand, based on the observations and forecasts expressed in Rusal’s Quarterly Report for the year ending in December 2014. The company reported a rise in demand in the global market to 55.2 million tons from the previously forecasted 55 million tons, marking a rise of 7% compared to the same period of 2013. Automakers have already reported a record amount of aluminium consumption with more people choosing the metal as a viable alternate for steel as a result of the falling prices and new technological breakthroughs. Rusal predicts that demand from the automotive industry will rise by another 7% in 2015 as automakers tilt further towards the lighter aluminium along with the current rise of...
Century Aluminium announced its quarterly earnings on Tuesday and also said that they are working towards reopening the shuttered Ravenswood plant through an ongoing negotiation with Appalachian Power for a sustainable power contract. CEO Michael Bless announced that they have already submitted a formal power proposal to the company in January and there has been a response from them but did not share any details. It is only clear at this point that the two parties have not reached a common agreement ground. The Jackson County plant has been idled since 2009 in the height of Great Recession and the company is constantly looking for a viable power plan to restart the project. There have been various steps taken by the state government including bills that provide tax breaks and alternate...
Shares of Sesa Sterlite ended almost 1 per cent higher today after the company's subsidiary Bharat Aluminium Company (Balco) bagged one more coal block in the first tranche of auction. The scrip ended the day with a gain of 0.94 per cent at INR 219.45 on the BSE. During the day, it rose by 3.24 per cent to INR 224.45. At the NSE, shares of Sesa Sterlite settled 0.64 per cent higher at INR 218.70. "Sesa Sterlite was up as its subsidiary BALCO won Gare Palma IV/1 coal block at INR 1,585 per tonne and the company also proposed its name change to Vedanta," said Aamir Mir, Senior Analyst, HBJ Capital. On the volume front, 7.47 lakh shares of the company changed hands at the BSE and over 63 lakh shares were traded at the NSE during the day. "Gare Palma IV-1 mine closed at INR 1,585 (per tonne)...
The government's proccedings for the second phase of the auction of Schedule III coal blocks has been postponed till March 2. The decision is pursuant to a petition filed by Sarda Energy in Delhi High Court, and which will be heard on February 27. The auction proceedings were supposed to begin on February 25. Coal Ministry officials, however, said the process of auction is ongoing, and that only public announcements have been paused till first week of March. The Coal Ministry will announce the name of qualified bidders on March 2 and e-auction will begin on March 4 which will run till March 8, said a senior official. About 131 bidders submitted technical bids for 19 coal blocks on February 15. The technically qualified bidders were to be selected and announced by the nominated authority...
Century Aluminum Company reported net income of $61.8 million ($0.64 per common share) for the fourth quarter of 2014. Results were positively impacted by $6.9 million ($0.07 per common share) for purchase accounting related to the acquisition of the remaining 50.3% interest of Mt. Holly and negatively impacted by $5.0 million ($0.05 per common share) in non-cash, non-recurring pension charges and by $2.6 million ($0.03 per common share) related to the separation of former senior executives. Sales for the fourth quarter of 2014 were $551.2 million compared with $401.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2013. Shipments of primary aluminum for the fourth quarter of 2014 were 226,082 tonnes compared with 216,755 tonnes shipped in the fourth quarter of 2013. For the fourth quarter of 2013,...
Key highlights • Positive trends in the aluminium market observed during the year ended 31 December 2014 with recovering London Metals Exchange (“LME”) aluminium prices and growing premiums, coupled with weakening local currency had significant positive effect on the profitability and financial results of RUSAL. Net Profit for 2014 comprised USD293 million as compared to Net Loss of USD3,322 million for 2013. • In August 2014 the Company successfully completed refinancing of its debt portfolio including PXF and bilateral facilities. Terms of the refinancing allow the Company to postpone the scheduled repayments of principal until January 2016. However, in December 2014, the Company made an early repayment of USD300 million of the outstanding debt in addition to USD53 million repaid in...
The aluminum industry in the United States and Canada saw year-over-year demand growth of 5.0 percent through the end of 2014. This according to preliminary data released today in the Aluminum Association’s monthly “Situation Report.” The estimated 25.5 billion pounds of aluminum shipped by North American producers and fabricators last year is the largest shipment total for the industry since 2006. “We’re seeing steady demand growth across many of our key markets,” said Ryan Olsen, Vice President of Business Information & Statistics for the Aluminum Association. “Orders of aluminum mill products are also on the rise, a leading indicator of continued growth for the industry into 2015.” The “Aluminum Situation” is a monthly report of key statistical indicators on all segments and aspects of...
Bridgnorth Aluminium, producer of high quality rolled aluminium products based in Shropshire UK, is taking a step forward to protect the Shropshire Meres and Mosses and educate the local businesses on how to reduce environmental impact on this natural wetlands. The company, despite being a core industrial establishment, has been one of the few regionally-based organizations who had come forward to launch the Meres and Mosses Business Environment Network last year. “Bridgnorth Aluminium has always strived for sustainable excellence, so it was important for us to support the initiative, educate local businesses, and share best practice tips to minimise environmental impact,” explained Neil Birt, Environmental Health & Safety Manager at Bridgnorth Aluminium. The wetlands located in north...
When global miner BHP Billiton reports its half-year results on Tuesday, the only parts of the company that are likely to report profit growth are some of the unloved assets it aims to spin off by June. Commentators had dubbed the company BHP plans to hand to shareholders "DudCo" before it was christened South32, as the aluminium, manganese, nickel, some coal and silver businesses barely contributed to BHP's earnings. But now those businesses are looking rosier as prices for aluminium and manganese are improving in a world where prices for BHP's four biggest products, iron ore, petroleum, copper and coal, have all collapsed to near six-year lows. Despite the improvement, BHP wants to shed the smaller assets so it can focus on its four core commodities, and still believes that shareholders...
Fourth Quarter 2014 Financial Highlights • Sales were $2.58 billion, up 11.7% from $2.31 billion in the fourth quarter of 2013 and down 4.7% from $2.71 billion in the third quarter of 2014. • Tons sold were up 4.4% from the fourth quarter of 2013 and down 4.9% from the third quarter of 2014, with the average selling price per ton sold up 6.4% from the fourth quarter of 2013 and down 0.1% from the third quarter of 2014. • Net income attributable to Reliance was $92.3 million, up 49.4% from $61.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2013 and down 3.4% from $95.5 million in the third quarter of 2014. • Earnings per diluted share were $1.18, up 49.4% from $0.79 in the fourth quarter of 2013 and down 2.5% from $1.21 in the third quarter of 2014. • Non-GAAP earnings per diluted share were $1.01, up...
