AL Circle Analysis: Import rise meets demand growth on aluminium extrusion chessboard
Aluminium’s downstream trade network is getting more fragmented as import dependence, changing end-use demand and trade-policy interventions reshape regional markets. From North America and Europe to Asia-Pacific, the aluminium industry is navigating a market where access to supply, competitive...
US industrial policy needs to be systematic, not just ad hoc – Part 2
Our current approach can win economic skirmishes, but not the geopolitical conflict. – Part 2 Impact #5 of ad hoc industrial policy: Failing to use all required tools Industrial policy is often caricatured as just tariffs and subsidies. Mis-framed debates that evaluate the merits of tariffs in...
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Stanley’s Self-piercing rivets to enter North American automotive market
<p>Stanley Engineered Fastening announced the launch of “next-generation self-pierce rivets” in North America in August.<br /><br />The company presented the technology during the Global Automotive Lightweighting Material conference in August in Detroit and described the technology as...
Estimated aluminium shipment in U.S. and Canada down 5.8 % YOY in July
<p>According to an Aluminum Association estimate, aluminium net shipments (including exports) by domestic facilities from U.S. and Canada facilities stood at 1,752 million pounds during July, which dropped 5.8 per cent from the July 2015 total of 1,860 million pounds. Shipments of aluminium mill...
Michigan based aluminium die caster acquires Accuride Corp’s Brillion Iron Works
<p>Southfield, Michigan based Metaldyne Performance Group Inc. (MPG) has announced the acquisition of Brillion Iron Works, a business unit of Accuride Corporation. MPG is a leading provider of cutting-edge lightweight components used in powertrain and suspension applications for the global light,...
Secondary recovery in U.S up 4% YTD in H1 2016: USGS
<p>The U.S. aluminium industry purchased an estimated 775 million pounds of aluminium scrap during June 2016, according to aluminium recycling statistics published by the U.S. Geological Survey, Department of Interior, which recorded a slight increase of seven-tenths of one per cent over the June...
Aleris to be acquired by Zhongwang USA LLC
<p>In a press release on August 29, Aleris Corporation, a global aluminium rolled products producer, announced that it has entered into an agreement with Zhongwang USA LLC, a company majority-owned and led by Mr.Liu Zhongtian, founder of China Zhongwang Holdings Limited. According to the...
Michigan company now among the largest full-service aluminium casting groups post acquisitions
<p>Future Die Cast and Engineering (FDCA), an aluminium casting and machining company in the privately-held Shelby Township of Michigan, has acquired Clarksville's Smithfield Manufacturing (SMI) and Conner Engineering, along with the local SMI facilities and operations on Kraft Street, said a...
Weldaloy builds on its aluminium forging capabilities
<p>Weldaloy Products Company has been on an expansion spree. The company has been adding to its seamless rolled ring capabilities, and in line with these recent upgrades, it has added a new low-temperature aluminium aging oven at its plant that will increase its aluminium heat-treating...
Gränges completes acquisition of Noranda's Huntingdon aluminium rolling plant
<p>Swedish aluminium company Gränges AB has completed the purchase of Noranda downstream aluminium rolling business in the United States. The company won the court supervised auction to acquire Noranda Aluminum assets in July this year. <br /><br />Gränges CEO Johan Menckel said,...
New emissions and fuel economy standards to integrate more aluminium into heavy-duty vehicles
<p>On August 16, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) finalized new emissions and fuel economy standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. They have listed benchmarks for cutting...
Estimated aluminium demand in U.S. and Canada up 1.9% YTD in June
<p>According to the Preliminary estimates from Aluminum Association, aluminium demand in the United States and Canada that includes shipments by domestic producers plus imports were an estimated 13,329 million pounds during H1 2016, an increase of 1.9 per cent over the same period last year. Demand...
Secondary aluminium recovery in U.S. up 4.6% YTD in May: USGS
<p>The U.S. aluminium industry purchased an estimated 751 million pounds of aluminium scrap during May 2016, according to aluminium recycling statistics published by the U.S. Geological Survey, Department of Interior, up 10.6 per cent over the May 2015 total of 679 million.<br /><br />According to...
Shipments of aluminium products in U.S. and Canada drop YOY in July 2016
<p>According to the estimate of The Aluminum Association, shipments of aluminium products in U.S. and Canada drop YOY and YTD in July 2016.<br /><br />During July 2016, shipments of can stock by domestic producers totalled 350.3 million pounds, a drop of 1.3 per cent over the July 2015 total of...
Nordic Aluminium introduces WarmCore aluminium folding door system with high thermal efficiency
<p>Leeds-based HWLWindows group company Nordic Aluminium has announced the addition of Synseal’s innovative WarmCore aluminium folding sliding door system to its prolific product portfolio. With this expansion of product basket, the leading manufacturer of bespoke aluminium windows and doors...
BRCC's new tech center to train aluminum high-pressure die-casting manufacturers
<p>Blue Ridge Community College in Virginia, USA, announced Thursday that it has created Southeastern Advanced Molding Technology Education Center (SAMTEC), which will open its doors within the campus in January 2017. A recent joint venture by the Swiss Company Georg Fischer (GF) and...
U.S. Customs considering tariffs change to combat fake semis
<p>U.S. Customs and Border Protection is working with the American aluminium industry to change aluminium tariffs in a manner designed to staunch the flow of fake semis from China into the global aluminium market.<br /><br />As previously detailed in these pages, major Chinese firms have been...
Canadian auto parts maker kicks off expansion at Montreal-area plant
<p>Raufoss Automotive Components Canada, an auto parts making firm, announced that it has kicked off expansion at its auto parts plant in the Montreal suburbs. The company is using US$2 million in federal assistance from Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED) to fund the...
New truck rule recognizes aluminium as mass reduction solution to boost fleet fuel economy
<p>New regulations that will boost the fuel economy of the nation's medium and heavy-duty truck vehicle fleet recognize the importance of mass reduction technologies such as aluminum to help reach these goals. On August 16, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway...
Gränges AB: Patrick Lawlor appointed President Americas and Member of the Group Management Team
<p>In preparation of Gränges acquisition of Noranda’s downstream aluminium rolling operations in the United States, Patrick Lawlor has been appointed President Americas of Gränges, effective 22 August, 2016. He will replace Daniel Daoust, who will take on the role of Vice President...
