Europe’s recycled aluminium industry is an important component of the global secondary aluminium supply chain, with Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom (UK) representing key national markets. Production across the European region stood at nearly 6 million tonnes in 2023, supported by established scrap recovery systems, industrial recycling capacity and demand for recycled metal. Russia also contributes to the regional landscape through secondary aluminium production units concentrated in several industrial centres. According to AL Circle’s analysis in its report, “ World Recycled ALuminium Market Analysis Industry Forecast ”, the four countries present different market structures, from Germany’s substantial recycling capacity and Italy’s scrap-based production to the UK’s organised...
According to SMM survey statistics, the operating rate of the secondary aluminium alloy industry in September was 35.0 per cent, up 3.1 percentage points M-o-M but down 6.7 percentage points Y-o-Y. Industry production continued its recovery trend, but the overall operating level remained below the same period last year. On the demand side, September marked the traditional peak consumption season, with downstream orders recovering from August. End-use demand from automobiles and other sectors improved marginally, but the peak season effect has yet to fully materialise. According to CAAM data, automobile production in September was 2.99 million units, up 11.4 per cent M-o-M but down 8.7 per cent Y-o-Y. NEV production was 1.814 million units, up 12.2 per cent Y-o-Y. CAAM noted that China's...
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A project that reduces reliance on natural resources by recycling the aluminium used in overhead power lines has been awarded the top prize in the National Grid supplier design competition. The winning entry, submitted by Bahraini manufacturer Midal Cables?, will enable National Grid to reduce the amount of Aluminium it buys by recycling current supplies and putting the materials back into use. Midal was presented with its award by Sir Peter Gershon, chairman of National Grid and Dame Ellen MacArthur, whose foundation is working with the utilities business to support development of the circular economy. Morrison Utility Services and Alstom, which also submitted entries around extending the lifecycle of National Grid assets, were named as runners up. The competition, which was launched...
Twenty workers will lose their jobs when an aluminum maker shuts down its Hammond plant at the end of the month. Ohio-based Aleris International notified employees Monday they would be out of work in August, because it is closing its 34-year-old aluminum recycling facility at 6340 Indianapolis Boulevard in Hammond. The plant closure is a cost-cutting move. The Hammond plant takes scrap aluminum and uses it to make slag conditioners, desulferizers and other products that are needed for steelmaking, said Aleris director of communications Jason Saragian. That work will instead be done at a plant in Elyria, Ohio. "We did a comprehensive review of our facilities and determined we could streamline operations and serve customers more efficiently by consolidating in Elyria," he said. About 10 to...
Bob Johnson started collecting cans more than 30 years ago. What started as a way to help ease the burden of his grandsons' college tuition, turned into a hobby and even earned him the nickname "The Can Man" at the Deerfield Gables, where he lives. The long-time New Richmond, Wis. resident said he now has about $60,000 for his grandsons, one is enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and the other will be attending UW-Stout in Menomonie. "That took a lot of cans," he said with a laugh. "They'll get about two and a half years each, I've been told. College is so expensive." Johnson said most companies pay more for the aluminum cans around Earth Day, so he saves them until then. Currently the price is about 70 cents per pound of cans - it used to be less than that. That means...
Aleris Aluminum Recycling Elyria Operations announced that it will be streamlining aluminum operations by moving production from Hammond, Indiana to Elyria. Jason Saragian, director of communications, said that the move will bring 10 to 15 jobs to Elyria. Production will be stopped at the Indiana facility effective July 31. Those who worked at the Indiana facility will have the opportunity to apply, but the positions will be open to anyone, Saragian said. The Elyria facility has the adequate capacity to grow and serve customers efficiently, he said. According to Aleris’ website, the aluminum shredding and sizing operation in Elyria makes various aluminum products. Those products play a role in the steel manufacturing process. Customers of Aleris include steel mills and service centers...
A new recycling communications initiative for local authorities has been launched, in an attempt to increase the recovery of aluminium caps and closures for recycling. Launched by the Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro), in partnership with British Glass and the European Aluminium Foil Association (EAFA), the ‘You Can Leave Your Cap On’ initiative encourages recyclers to screw the caps back on their glass bottles before recycling, so that the metal can be extracted during the recycling process. The initiative encompasses the ‘Caps and Closures’ campaign funded by the European Aluminium Foil Association (EAFA) Closures Group and British Glass, who are both seeking to improve the recycling rates of their respective materials through the initiative. According to Alupro...
The week’s biggest mover on the weekly Aluminum MMI® was the price of Chinese aluminum scrap, which saw a 4.8 percent increase. This comes on the heels of a 7.3 percent decline the week prior. The price of Chinese aluminum billet rose 0.7 percent after falling 2.0 percent during the previous week. The cash price of Chinese aluminum rose 0.2 percent after falling 1.3 percent during the previous week. The price of Chinese aluminum bar did not change since the previous week. The Indian aluminum cash price rose 4.6 percent after falling 0.2 percent during the previous week. The primary aluminum cash price rose 2.4 percent on the LME to $1,774 per metric ton after falling 3.3 percent during the previous week. The aluminum 3-month price rose 2.1 percent on the LME to $1,817 per metric ton after...
The trend to market craft beer in cans has not escaped the attention of Alcoa Inc., one of the world’s leading producers of aluminum sheet used in beverage cans. Alcoa, with aluminum recycling and manufacturing facilities in Blount County, is actively trying to promote the use of such cans, Allison Buchanan, with Alcoa marketing communications, said in a statement Wednesday. “Alcoa’s packaging (recycling) business has been working in partnership with its can-making customers to offer craft brewers innovative aluminum packaging options and get the word out on why cans are the ultimate beer package,” she said. While beer purists have preferred bottles for years, innovations in can design have led to a recent move toward packaging beer in aluminum cans. Innovations include peel-off tops that...
On Tuesday, after three changeless days, the price of Chinese aluminum scrap closed higher. The cash price of Chinese aluminum rose by 0.6 percent. For the fifth consecutive day, the price of Chinese aluminum bar held flat. The price of Chinese aluminum billet remained steady. On the LME, the cash price of primary aluminum rose 1.3 percent to $1,754 per metric ton. At $1,793, the aluminum 3-month price finished the market day on the LME up 1.0 percent per metric ton.
The aluminum smelter Oetinger, one of the largest buyers of aluminum scrap, has filed for insolvency at the district court in Neu-Ulm on Tuesday. Frank Kebekus of the Düsseldorf law firm Kebekus et Zimmermann has been appointed as the preliminary insolvency administrator. The company ran into financial difficulties despite being full with orders. This is in part due to the sluggish economy in Southern Europe and the decline in prices for aluminum castings.
Bosses at a company that recycles dross from the Tiwai Pt aluminium smelter say they are investing hundreds of thousands of dollars on their plant because they are confident a deal between the smelter and Meridian Energy will be “sorted within a month”. However, Stewart Hamilton, acting general manager of New Zealand Aluminium Smelters, said a time frame for resolution of the electricity contract negotiations had not been discussed but he remained hopeful of a positive outcome. He could not say how much longer talks would take and it was not until he understood the complexity of the talks that he realized why they were taking so long, he said. Taha Asia Pacific general manager Mark Egginton said directors of the Bahrain-based company were so confident of the survival of the smelter they...
Aluminium is likely to stage a come back in demand as well as price only in the end of 2013. This outlook was conveyed during the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) World Recycling Convention, held in Shanghai in late May Aluminium markets are in the midst of significant upheaval. Aluminium is in overcapacity on the global market. Closures of potlines and smelters have been announced throughout the world, with the general consensus that further cuts are going to be needed to bring supply and demand back into balance. Supporting this outlook, a recent report from the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association (CNIA) notes that while aluminium capacity in China was 78% in April, the highest level since 2008, aluminium prices in the country have been below production costs since...
Japanese rolling mills and extruders are buying more primary aluminum ingot instead of scrap due to the fall in London Metal Exchange high-grade aluminum prices, market sources said Thursday. Sales prices of primary aluminum ingot in Japan were heard at around Yen 200 ($2.04)/kg ex-warehouse for July deliveries, down Yen 10 from two weeks ago, local traders said. Prices reflected the LME high-grade aluminum three-months prices falling below $1,800/mt June 20 and staying below that level since then. Meanwhile, prices of 6063-grade A scrap aluminum (over 97% aluminum) moved little in the last two weeks, at Yen 180-195/kg ex-yard, said a trader. In Japan, primary aluminum and scrap prices reflect LME price movements. Primary aluminum prices reflect LME prices immediately, but there is a time...
Aluminium Association has come up with its future policies in response to US President’s recent climate change plan. The aluminum industry is aggressively working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. According to Mr. Heidi Biggs Brock, President of the Aluminum Association, “The Industry has proactively taken steps in recent years to reduce its own carbon footprint by cutting North American perfluorocarbon (PFC) emissions by 85% since 1991. The unique characteristics of aluminum make it the material of choice for many applications developed specifically to improve energy efficiency, from cool metal roofs to light weight automotive parts that reduce the consumption of fuels.” Energy is a vital input in the production process for aluminum, and the Aluminum Association supports policies that...
SMM survey found that A356 alloy output at surveyed producers in June fell 2,000 mt from May due to mainly production cuts at some producers. The operating rate was also down 1.04% MoM to 55.70%. On the supply side, some aluminum smelters in Zhejiang and Henan cut production and some others produced aluminum ingot in preference to other products to meet demand from aluminum rod producers, precipitating a fall in overall supply. Shandong Innovation Metal, Shandong Nanshan Aluminum and Xinjiang Joinworld shipped to Zhejiang to make up for alloy shortages in the region. With respect to demand, demand from wheel factories fell some for two factors. First, wheel manufacturers maintained low operating rates against higher temperature. Second, wheel factories built up sufficient stocks before...
Australia based metal recycling company Sims Metal Management has taken an initiative to collect aluminum cans to benefit this year’s American Cancer Society Relay for Life of Duneland. The company will collect aluminium cans through July 12. Sims will pay the prevailing rate for aluminum scrap and will generously match 5 cents per pound as their contribution. When cans are dropped off by teams or participants of this year’s Relay, Sims will write a check payable to the American Cancer Society which can be turned in by teams at the Relay’s bank night. Anyone can bring in his or her aluminum cans to recycle as a donation and need not be a participant of the Relay to donate. The Relay for Life of Duneland will be held from noon Saturday, July 13 through 6 a.m. Sunday, July 14 at Chesterton...
Alupro (Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation) has welcomed the opportunity to comment on Defra’s Review of Producer Responsibility Schemes, supporting in general its objectives. However, it has highlighted a number of areas of concern and seeks further discussion and clarification. In particular Alupro is keen to pursue discussions on Positive Value Waste Streams, in respect of aluminium packaging. Executive Director, Rick Hindley stated: “Used aluminium packaging has by far the highest value of any domestically collected recyclable material, typically between £800 and £1,000 per ton. With such a high inherent scrap value, the PRN revenue is largely ineffective with only a limited impact on collection; currently PRN prices are between £5 and £10 per ton.” The only justification...
The price of Chinese aluminum scrap fell 2.8 percent on Friday, June 21, making it the day’s biggest mover. The price of Chinese aluminum billet dropped by 1.7 percent after holding steady. The cash price of Chinese aluminum weakened by 1.1 percent. The price of Chinese aluminum bar continues hovering in place for the fifth day in a row. Primary cash aluminum saw its price drop on the LME 2.5 percent to a 30-day low of $1,748 per metric ton last Friday. The 3-month price of aluminum reached a 30-day low on the LME after decreasing 2.3 percent to $1,794 per metric ton. After a 2.3 percent increase, the Indian aluminum cash price finished the day higher.
Operating profit has risen at Cheshire recycling company Novelis as the company completes a rationalisation program of its factories. Four years ago, Warrington-based Novelis UK announced a plan to shut its site in South Wales and in 2011 it agreed to deal with Discovery Foils to sell its base in Shropshire. According to newly filed accounts for the year to 31 March 2013, operating profit rose from £4.43m to £6m while pre-tax profit fell year-on-year to £5.5m from £21.6m in 2012. However, this was boosted by a £14.7m credit as part of the reorganisation. Revenue also dropped by £7m to £194m. A report accompanying the newly filed accounts said: “The year has seen the completion of the plant rationalisation in the UK, and the directors can now foresee a future flow of profitability from the...
