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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SAF installs cut-to-length aluminium coil processing line
SAF (Southern Aluminium Finishing Co.) recently installed a Cut-To-Length (CTL) aluminium coil processing line in their SAF-West, Redding, CA plant. The heart of the line is a Herr-Voss 6 hi corrective leveler to enhance processing of non-ferrous coil for surface critical sheet with the flatness...
Salsa launches carbon and aluminium versions of all-mountain trail bike Redpoint
Salsa is a brand known for their out-of-the-box take on the world of bikes. But now they have shouldered their way into the full-bore gnarmobile arena with their latest launch, the power bike- Redpoint in carbon and aluminium versions. The Redpoint is Salsa’s 27.5 inches wheeled 150mm trail bike...
Aluminum Extruders Council to develop industry-wide EPD
The Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC) announced that it has launched a program to develop a set of industry-sanctioned Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) that will document the environmental performance of aluminium extrusions produced in the U.S. and Canada. An EPD is an independently...
Alcoa strikes power deal to keep Intalco aluminium plant open
Alcoa has agreed to a new power deal for its 279 000 t/y Intalco aluminium smelter in Washington state, according to a statement from its power supplier, staving off the closure of one of the last remaining US aluminium plants. Both sides struck a deal starting on July 1 that would keep 2.5...
Ford's aluminium-body F-150 Super Cab tested safest pickup truck by industry research group
Ford Motor Co’s F-150 Super Cab pickup truck was the only 2016 model large pickup truck to receive a “top safety pick” after new tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the agency said today. Two pickups built by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles — the Ram 1500 Quad Cab and the Ram 1500...
Sapa opens corrosion test center in Florida for customers using aluminium tubing
Sapa has opened a corrosion test center in Florida to service customers using aluminium tubing in automotive and industrial heat transfer applications, and in residential air conditioning systems. Sapa has installed new automated corrosion cabinets in the technology center at its aluminium...
Alcoa Q1 2016 Results: All Arconic segments on track to deliver $650 mln productivity savings
Lightweight metals major Alcoa announced yesterday first quarter 2016 results reflecting solid performance. During the period under review, downstream and value-added business segments of Alcoa, namely, Global Rolled Products (GRP), Engineered Products and Solutions (EPS) and Transportation and...
US aluminium scrap recovery totaled 8,244 mln lb in 2015, up 2.8% over 2014
The U.S. aluminium industry purchased an estimated 746 million pounds of aluminium scrap during January 2016, according to aluminium recycling statistics published by the U.S. Geological Survey, Department of Interior, down 9.2 per cent from the January 2015 total of 822 million. USGS estimates...
Alcoa reports solid Q1 2016 performance
Lightweight metals leader Alcoa reported solid first quarter 2016 performance. Arconic segments (Value-Add) reported year-over-year profit growth and the Upstream segments, Alumina and Primary Metals, remained profitable despite continued low pricing. The company is on track to complete its...
Declining US aluminium ingot supply to ratchet up need for imports to meet demand
US primary aluminium production will drop to 0.8Mt in 2016, down from 1.6Mt in 2015. The strong US dollar, relatively high power prices, and low metal prices are behind this major reduction in output. Ingot production will be the hardest hit, but the continuation of slab casting at Alcoa's Warrick...
Aluminium die casting manufacturer Exco Technologies closes acquisition of AFX Industries
Exco Technologies said Tuesday, April 5, it has completed the acquisition of AFX Industries L.L.C. for US$73 million, excluding US$4 million of assumed debt. The transaction was first announced in February. AFX had revenue of approximately $115 million in 2015. Exco said it expects the acquisition...
Aluminum Association applauds International Trade Commission on launching investigation on global aluminum industry
The Aluminum Association applauds the International Trade Commission for beginning its investigation into the global aluminum industry and the competitiveness of U.S. producers. The federal trade agency announced yesterday it has officially launched its investigation, “Aluminum: Competitive...
US aluminum recovered from scrap falls in January 2016
According to USGS Mineral Industry Survey for Aluminum in January 2016, total aluminum recovered from scrap in January 2016 was 296,000 t, 2% more than that recovered in December 2015 but 9% less than that in January 2015. Of this, 173,000 t of aluminum was recovered from new scrap, 6% more than...
US primary production falls 25% in January YOY
According to USGS Mineral Industry Survey for Aluminum in January 2016, domestic primary aluminum production in US in January 2016 was 106,000 metric tons (t). The average daily production was 3,430 t, 6% less than the daily production during the preceding month and 25% less than that in January...
US aluminium smelting industry decline likely to have far-reaching consequences
An important part of the dramatic shift in global aluminium supply seen this century is the decline of primary production in the USA. While production in the Middle East has jumped from 0.9 million tonnes (Mt) in 1999 to an expected 5.7Mt this year, and Chinese primary production has skyrocketed...
Kobe Steel to spend $900 mln to bolster aluminium supplies for cars, planes
Japan's Kobe Steel Ltd will spend 100 billion yen ($900 million) over the next five years to boost steel and aluminium supplies to automakers and aircraft manufacturers as it looks to drive growth and counter faltering demand in China. Steel producers in high-cost countries say their best hope for...
ESI Group introduces comprehensive cast simulation software for aluminium die casters
ESI Group, pioneer and world-leading solution provider in Virtual Prototyping for manufacturing industries, announces its participation at CastExpo,16-19 April 2016 in Minneapolis, MN, USA. Sponsored by the American Foundry Society (AFS), CastExpo is the largest metal casting trade show in North...
Anheuser-Busch InBev breaks ground on US aluminium bottle line
Anheuser-Busch InBev has started construction on a US$175m aluminium bottle line in Florida as it looks to increase production of the format. The new line, at Anheuser-Busch's Metal Container Corp facility in Jacksonville, will produce Budweiser and Bud Light aluminium bottles, the company said...
