A rolling-mill drive can trip even when its encoder passes a bench test. A refinery instrument can report erratic readings with no obvious process upset. Engineers may suspect the devices first, but the installed cables, mating interfaces and routing deserve the same scrutiny. Intermittent faults sometimes disappear the moment an assembly is touched. That uncertainty has an economic cost: investigation consumes maintenance time, and a missed control signal may delay equipment availability. This article concerns sensor, instrumentation, encoder, fieldbus and appropriately rated low-power auxiliary interfaces, typically carrying signals or modest loads—not power feeders. Main motor circuits, plant distribution, rectifier outputs and potline busbars are outside its scope. No connector type...
The most-traded SHFE aluminium contract opened at RMB 23,255per tonne in the night session on Oct 8, hit a high of RMB 23,365 per tonne and a low of RMB 23,195 per tonne, and closed at RMB 23,220 per tonne, down RMB 165 per tonne or 0.71 from the previous close. Futures quickly dipped and weakened, with prices falling below all cyclical moving averages of 5/10/20/40/60. All moving averages turned downward to form resistance, highlighting a bearish pattern. Trading volume during the session was 74,115 lots, with open interest at 269,000 lots, down 819 lots, mainly driven by bulls cutting positions and exiting. On the technical front, the 4-hour MACD death cross continued, with DIFF well below DEA. Green bars expanded significantly, and bearish momentum continued to be released. The LME...
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Russia has communicated its desire to construct an aluminum processing plant in Kalimantan and further its investments in Indonesia. A delegation of Russian officials and businesses are expected to visit the archipelago on June 11-12 to look into the plant as well as other investment opportunities, according to Rizal Affandi Lukman, the deputy minister for economic and international financing cooperation. Indonesia, which is set to ban raw mineral exports in January of next year to encourage the construction of refineries and smelters, is welcoming the move, he added. “If they want to build a processing plant, that would be recommended. They would be given an incentive, as specified in the Mineral and Coal Law”, said Rizal. He added that if Russia agreed to build a processing plant, the...
As June 30 looms, so does the first of a string of asset sales by Rio Tinto’s new chief executive, Sam Walsh, as he sets out to rid the company of more than $US13 billion ($13.7bn) in underperforming and non-strategic assets. But the scale of the clean-out could be doubled to $US26 billion if increased industry and analyst chatter that Mr. Walsh plans to expand the program to include all of the group’s aluminium assets proves correct. Rio has previously flagged the sale of its Pacific Aluminium unit, which houses the worst-performed and most-challenged of its global aluminium interests. PacAl is valued at no more than $US1.5 billion and after a couple of years of trying there has been no sign Rio can find a buyer or dress it up sufficiently to float it off. The best of the aluminium...
Bosnia’s sole aluminium smelter, Aluminij Mostar, will close on June 17 to the loss of some 900 jobs at the plant, a major employer in the south of the former Yugoslav state and its biggest exporter. About two million tons of aluminium production has been shut down in Europe since the 2008 financial crisis, while global production has grown by about 10 million tons, mostly in Asia and the Middle East, according to Reuters data. The Bosnian company’s supervisory board said lower metal prices and high power costs for its energy intensive production meant the plant was condemned to generate losses after it showed a 65.8 million marka deficit last year. "The decision was passed unanimously after the financial results in the first four months showed the smelter has been posting a monthly loss...
Aluminium prices at India’s Multi Commodities Exchange (MCX) was trading up by 1.88%. The June Contract is now trading around INR 109.30-111.05 per kg levels. Aluminium gained as sentiment on the metal remained upbeat amid easing concerns over China’s economic outlook. Positive forecast on UK services Purchasing Manufacturing Index (PMI) has impacted base metal complex. In LME markets, aluminium is trading around at $1902 per ton. On Wednesday trade, aluminium June contract declined to a low of INR109.30/kg at 02.46 pm IST and is expected to trade positive in later session. For intra-day, support is now seen at 108.3, 107.5 levels and resistance at 112.15 & 112.95, analyst said. On charts, aluminium prices are showing a positive phenomenon. It is trading above 20 day SMA at 104.19 levels....
The European Central Bank decided last night to keep interest rate unchanged at 0.5% now that recently released economic indicators in Europe have suggested the European economy is recovering from recession. Market focus remains on US non-farm payrolls due tonight. Initial jobless claims announced by the US Labor Department this Thursday were slightly higher than forecasts, though dropped some, adding to uncertainty in the country’s labor market. This means the US Federal Reserve may keep QE3 in place, sending the US dollar index down 1.8%. Dim economic prospects also weighted down base metals, though. LME aluminum was resilient to declines due to improvement in market fundamentals in China and softer US dollar. LME aluminum struggled at USD 1,958/mt during European session and finally...
Aluminium rallied to the highest level in more than two months amid signs that smelters were finally beginning to respond to low prices by shuttering production capacity in scale. On Wednesday, Chalco, the Chinese state aluminium giant that is one of the world’s top producers of the metal, announced that it planned to close down temporarily 380,000 tonnes of production capacity – or a tenth of its total output. In a filing, the company said it had decided “to exercise flexible production on part of its aluminium production line” as a result of “current market conditions”. Aluminium prices have been hovering at three-year lows for most of the past 12 months as the market struggles with plentiful supplies and high inventories. At the average price so far this year of just under $2,000 a...
Chalco, China's top producer of aluminum, joined other companies on Wednesday in cutting capacity to help trim a market surplus after it suffered losses due to weak prices. The Aluminum Corp of China Ltd said in a statement it would temporarily close 380,000 tons of annual capacity due to market conditions. The shutdown represents 9 percent of its annual output of primary aluminum products of 4.22 million tons last year, according to the firm’s annual report on its website. In March, Chalco posted worse than expected net annual loss of 8.2 billion yuan, hit by low aluminium prices and rising costs. Global production of the lightweight metal used in packaging and transport has consistently swamped demand, leading to a build up of inventories and hitting prices. Chalco’s move came after...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ordered Century Aluminum of West Virginia to develop an updated cleanup plan for a former industrial facility in Ravenswood, W.Va., that was used for the storage and disposal of hazardous materials that were byproducts of aluminum production. EPA is currently overseeing cleanup activities at the site, located on Route 2 South, Century road, Ravenswood, W.Va., where soil and groundwater is contaminated with cyanide, fluoride, lead, arsenic and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). Cleanup work includes restoration of contaminated groundwater to drinking water standards and to control human and environmental exposure to hazardous wastes in the soil that remain in place at the plant. Under the order announced, the company must develop a...
Press Metal Bhd (Press Metal), a public-listed aluminium company with an extensive global presence, has been regarded as being significantly undervalued but is now set to be on a strong upward trajectory as its greenfield aluminium smelting plant in Samalaju is set to swing into full production capacity in the future. The company, which also operates aluminium extrusion plants in Selangor as well as Guangdong and Hubei in China, has come the long way before taking its place among the giant aluminium smelters, according to RHB Research Institute Sdn Bhd (RHB Research) analyst Ng Sem Guan. That being said, the real earnings accruement would come from Sarawak as a combination of inexpensive electrical power and a deep sea port – among other catalytic activities surrounding the Sarawak...
According to the ADP National Employment Report, 135,000 jobs were added in US private sectors in May, well below the 165,000 forecast. This kept investors cautious about non-farm employment due to the released tomorrow. US factory orders increased 1.0% MoM in April, also missing expectations. On the other hand, disappointing data will allow the US Federal Reserve to keep monetary stimulus in place, sending the US dollar index down. However, gains of commodity prices were limited by cloudy economic prospects. Aluminum Corporation of China (Chalco) announced yesterday that it will implement flexible production at some of its aluminum smelters to maximize profits, cutting capacity by 380,000 mt/yr. This will help ease overcapacity and lend support to aluminum prices . As a result, LME...
Alba held a seminar on ‘Integrating Women Needs in Development’ for women employees at the Alba Club on June 2, 2013. The seminar was conducted by Dr. Donya Ahmed from the Supreme Council for Women. The seminar, organised by the Training & Recruitment Department in collaboration with the Supreme Council for Women, was aimed at providing women with the necessary knowledge to succeed in an organisation. Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. ( Alba )’s reputation as a company that offers equal opportunities at the work place was emphasised during the seminar. The seminar outlined the value of women’s contribution to the work environment, and their role as an equal partner in boosting the company’s growth and development. More than 100 women employees attended the seminar and were also joined by members...
Minister of Industry MS Hidayat determined to resolve all problems in a mining company, PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium (Inalum). He said the company would be converted into a state-owned enterprise in October 2013. “Government is currently negotiating to takeover Inalum from Japanese consortium, Nippon Asahan Alumunium Co Ltd. We provides budget of 10 billion IDR to facilitate the negotiation,” Hidayat said on Monday. Later, 100 percent of Inalum shares will be owned by Indonesia. Shareholding funds will be provided by government from state budget. Besides conducting professional audit, government through the Financial Supervisory Agency History and Development (BPKP) also audited the company’s asset. Once Indonesia holds 100 percent of the shares Inalum will automatically become...
Aluminum prices are likely to remain capped as production will outstrip supply, even if demand grows as expected, said an aluminum research firm on Tuesday. Primary production out of China, India and the Middle East lead both the demand and supply growth, said Jorge Vazquez, Managing Director of Harbor Aluminum Intelligence. He spoke at Harbor’s conference in Chicago. Global output in 2013 is estimated at 50.6 million metric tons, a 5.5% increase from 2012, he said. That figure is estimated to increase by 10.9% to 56.2 million tons in 2014. Demand is forecast to grown 6.1% in 2013, to 50.5 million tons and by 10.2% to 55.7 million tons. Despite the anticipated rise in use, Harbor’s forecasts show even if demand grows as expected, there is “no significant (supply) deficit (in) the cards,”...
Ever mindful of its corporate responsibilities towards society, DUBAL, that owns and operates the world's largest primary aluminium smelter using pre-bake anode technology, has again lent its support to Dubai Autism Center (DAC). An internal campaign, run throughout April (marked as 'autism month' worldwide), together with a direct cash donation from DUBAL raised Dhs200,000 for DAC's project to construct a newer, bigger and better treatment center that can accommodate more children with autism in the UAE. Importantly, the campaign typified the culture of giving at DUBAL, where volunteering provides valuable opportunities for employees to touch and change people’s lives. “Involving our employees in DUBAL’s corporate social responsibility initiatives has had considerable impact,” explained...
Rusal is considering shutting down 81,000 MT capacity at its Nadvoitsy aluminum smelter. Rusal previously announced that it would borrow EUR 150 million from VEB to upgrade the facility to produce higher value-added products. Part of the loans was used to acquire Ondskaya Hydroelectric to ensure stable power supply for the smelter.
The US Commerce Department announced overnight that the country’s trade deficit expanded to USD 40.29 billion in April as imports of automobiles and mobile phones exceeded exports. This will contribute to its GDP growth in the second quarter. In response, LME aluminum jumped to the highest since March 25 at USD 1,949/mt, up for a sixth straight trading day. Nevertheless, uncertain global economic prospects caused LME aluminum to trim some gains at the tail of the session, which finally closed at USD 1,943/mt, up 1.09%. LME aluminum inventories decreased 1,975 mt to 5,196,400 mt. Markets are now eyeing US employment data due to be released later in the week, which will stall any substantial uptick in aluminum prices . LME aluminum should struggle at USD 1,940/mt and move within USD...
Century Aluminum Co. announced Monday that it had completed the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of the nearly 500-employee plant from Rio Tinto Alcan. With this acquisition the Sebree, Ky., aluminum smelter now has the fifth owner in its 40-year history. “We are really happy to welcome the men and women of Sebree to Century,” company President and CEO Michael Bless said in a statement. According to Century spokesman Mike Dildine, no significant changes in the workforce at Sebree are expected, although the smelter is getting a new plant manager: Jason Young, who has been the continuous improvement manager at Century’s smelter in Hawesville, Ky. “With the changes occurring in U.S. energy markets, we believe Sebree, along with our existing smelter at Hawesville, will be...
On May 30th, five departments of the State Council held a symposium with fifteen aluminum smelters including Chalco. According to a source with knowledge of the symposium, the meeting involves capacity control, setting up funds to subsidize aluminum producers that pull capacity out of central and east China. The other issues in meeting included differential power prices, expanding aluminum application, substituting aluminum cable for copper cable, replacing wood with aluminum in construction and furniture and resumption of 5% import tariff. These measures shall be submitted for final approval.
