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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US shredded scrap prices drop; US aluminium Scrap prices show flat trend
United States shredded scrap prices dropped during the week ended February 12, while major US aluminium scrap commodities weekly average prices on Scrap Register Price Index showed an almost flat trend. According to TSI, US Midwest weekly shredded index fell by $3 a long ton during the week to $182...
Automotive demand growth for metals likely to slow down
After news of Toyota’s recent supply chain troubles, so ably covered by my colleague Lisa Reisman last week, news from the US car industry, by contrast, couldn’t be better. General Motors reported $9.7 billion net income for 2015 as it was bolstered by buoyant US light-truck sales. Results for the...
Accuride introduces new lightweight aluminum wheels
Accuride Corp. has announced that it has added two new lightweight aluminum wheels to its product offering. Re-engineered to reduce weight by 5-7%, the new aluminum wheels are both standard type 22.5 x 9.0 wheels produced at the company’s aluminum wheel production facility in Erie, Pa., according...
Hydro - Sapa JV : Announcement of results for Q4 2015
Aluminium major Norsk Hydro announced the fourth quarter 2015 results of its joint venture with Sapa. Compared to the previous quarter, underlying EBIT for Sapa declined mainly due to seasonally lower demand. Underlying EBIT for Sapa increased compared to the same quarter of the previous year...
STUDY: Vehicle lightweighting an economical solution for truck fleets
Commercial truck fleets looking to increase fuel efficiency, haul more freight and retain more drivers can look to lightweighting as a key enabler, according to a recent Confidence Report on Lightweighting by Trucking Efficiency. The report found that investing in lightweighting is an attractive...
Southern Aluminum Finishing Co. selected as Atlanta Metro Export Challenge semi-finalist
Southern Aluminum Finishing Co. received a $5,000 grant and is a semi-finalist in the inaugural Atlanta Metro Export Challenge, a grant competition powered by Chase which boosts support for small and medium-sized businesses looking to begin exporting or to increase their export programs....
CRL-U.S. Aluminum partners with ARCOM to integrate its architectural glazing systems into MasterSpec
CRL-U.S. Aluminum, the leading manufacturer and supplier of architectural glazing systems in North America, and ARCOM, the leader in building specification services and tools, has announced a partnership that will incorporate CRL-U.S. Aluminum products into MasterSpec. As the most trusted and...
US grants aid to Alcoa smelter workers after China complaint ruling
The US government has granted aid to workers at Alcoa's Intalco aluminium smelter in Washington state, after they complained that Chinese dumping threatened their jobs, according to a federal ruling. The US Department of Labour (DOL) granted Trade Adjustment Assistance to the 500 workers at the 279...
Exclusive Speaker Interview: Francois Nadeau, Technical Leader, Aluminium Assembling Technologies, the National Research Council Canada
With the CAFE standards continuously driving the automotive industry towards manufacturing technologies that allow maximum weight reduction while maintaining parts performance has long since became the priority for automakers. GALM series is bringing the 3rd Annual Lightweight Vehicle Manufacturing...
Carter County Tomorrow obtains option on former aluminium plant
Carter County Tomorrow will obtain an option on the Matheson property on U.S. Highway 19E, where an aluminium extrusion plant once operated. It includes 22 acres on the building site and an adjoining 10 to 12 acres of undeveloped land. The option guarantees an asking price of $4,069,000 for the...
US sets new deadline for investigating China aluminium extrusions
The U.S. Department of Commerce has set a new deadline of February 22 to decide whether to investigate allegations that a Chinese aluminium extruder evaded U.S. import duties, a spokesperson said yesterday. New deadline comes after Commerce Dept. asked Aluminum Extrusions Fair Trade Committee to...
Alcoa to appoint three new directors to its Board
Lightweight metals leader Alcoa Inc. has announced that it will appoint Ulrich “Rick” Schmidt, John C. Plant and Sean O. Mahoney to serve on the company’s Board of Directors, effective February 5, 2016. These appointments will further strengthen the company and add valuable aerospace and automotive...
US purchased 758 million pounds of aluminum scrap during November 2015: USGS
According to aluminum recycling statistics published by the U.S. Geological Survey, Department of Interior; the U.S. aluminum industry purchased an estimated 758 million pounds of aluminum scrap during November 2015. This is a 1.1 percent down from the November 2014 total of 766 million. USGS...
US shredded scrap prices stay flat; aluminium scrap prices show down trend
United States shredded scrap prices stayed flat during the week ended January 22, while major US aluminium scrap commodities weekly average prices on Scrap Register Price Index showed negative trend. According to TSI, US Midwest weekly shredded index remained flat during the week at $189 a long ton...
Aluminium demand stable in North America despite the volatile market
Preliminary estimates indicate that aluminum demand in the United States and Canada (shipments by domestic producers plus imports) totaled an estimated 23,798 million pounds through November 2015, up nine-tenths of one percent over the same period last year. Demand for semi-fabricated (mill)...
Ford's 2015 profit jumps on stronger sales
Improving sales in most of the world helped Ford Motor Co. achieve a record pre-tax profit in 2015, and the company says the numbers could go even higher this year. Full-year pretax profit jumped 48 per cent to $US10.8 billion ($A15.33 billion) as its global sales and market share grew. Ford's US...
EPA pushes back Superfund decision on Columbia Falls Aluminum plant
The Environmental Protection Agency officials said recently that the disciplinary authority will put off a decision on whether to approve Superfund cleanup of the shuttered Columbia Falls Aluminum Company plant. Regional project manager for the EPA, Mike Cirian, had recently told community members...
CARSTAR Vision Park hosts aluminium repair sessions
CARSTAR Canada has launched a series of one-day aluminium repair information sessions. The events take place at CARSTAR Vision Park in Hamilton, Ontario. The first of these sessions took place January 26. The next is set for January 27, with two more events scheduled for February 17 and 18. The...
