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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Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. reports fourth quarter and full year 2014 financial results
Fourth Quarter 2014 Financial Highlights • Sales were $2.58 billion, up 11.7% from $2.31 billion in the fourth quarter of 2013 and down 4.7% from $2.71 billion in the third quarter of 2014. • Tons sold were up 4.4% from the fourth quarter of 2013 and down 4.9% from the third quarter of 2014, with...
Custom Aluminum announces expansion plans at Genoa Chamber of Commerce’s gala
Receiving one of the Genoa Chamber of Commerce’s most prestigious awards was an honor for Michael Cirone, but it didn’t compare to another announcement he heard Thursday. During the Genoa Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Meeting, City Administrator Joe Misurelli announced that Custom Aluminum plans to...
American Specialty Alloys picks Central Louisiana for their aluminium sheet plant
After much contemplation about the precise location of the elusive aluminium mill planned by American Specialty Alloys, an official announcement reveals that the proposed $1.2 billion plant will be built in Central Louisiana where 650 or more people will be hired to supply aluminium for automobile...
Rio Tinto to invest in Canada aluminium smelters when market improves
Rio Tinto Alcan’s CEO Alfredo Barrios announced on Wednesday their plans to expand smelting capacities in Canada once the aluminium gains strength. Barrios says, since the aluminium prices have fallen since last year, the market situation is not conducive for further investment at the moment. He...
Ball Corp to buy British drinks can maker Rexam for $6.9 bln
U.S. drinks can maker Ball Corp agreed to buy British rival Rexam Plc in a sweetened 4.43 billion pounds ($6.9 billion) deal, creating an industry giant that can better manage capital spending and costs as aluminium premiums rise. The cash-and-stock deal would merge the world's two largest beverage...
Noranda expects third rod mill to be completed by end of 2015
Noranda Aluminum will complete a third redraw rod mill at its New Madrid, Missouri facility by the end of 2015, chief executive Kip Smith said in a conference call on Wednesday to discuss the company's fourth-quarter 2014 earnings. Noranda said in November it had suspended construction on the mill,...
Montana Governor joins the fight to put the abandoned Columbia Falls site in the Superfund List
The long shuttered Columbia Falls Aluminium Co. is in the running to be on the Superfund National Priorities List with support from Gov. Steve Bullock. Superfund is the federal environment program that is especially reserved for the cleanup of abandoned, hazardous waste site. The Environment...
The 2015 AHR Expo rouses interest in aluminium solutioins
Known as the world’s largest HVAC&R marketplace, the 2015 AHR Expo lived up to its billing this year, setting an all-time high with more than 62,000 attendees. The hot news is that the interest in aluminium solutions is on the rise. The recent three-day trade fair in Chicago brought together more...
Noranda reports fourth quarter results, sequential and year-over-year profit improvement
Fourth Quarter 2014 Highlights • Excluding special items, earnings per share ("EPS") was a $0.14 profit compared to a $0.15 loss in fourth quarter 2013; reported EPS was a $0.02 profit compared to a $0.26 loss in the fourth quarter 2013 • Total segment profit was $49.6 million compared to $36.6...
North American shipments of Aluminum Foil drops but Can Stock rises in Jan 2015: Aluminum Association
Estimated shipments of Aluminum Foil by U.S. and Canadian producers totaled 70.6 million pounds during January 2015, a decrease of 11.8 percent from the January 2014 total of 80.1 million pounds. Compared to the previous month, shipments increased 29.6 percent over the December 2014 total of 54.5...
Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing welcomes Alcoa as newest member
The Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CCAM) today announced that Alcoa, the global leader in lightweight metals technology, engineering and manufacturing, will join the research consortium that brings together world-class businesses, Virginia's top universities, and the NASA Langley...
Hiring begins for Constellium-UACJ’s Kentucky plant
Constellium- UACJ is slated to begin hiring over the next two months for its Body in White plant in Kentucky Transpark with a target of recruiting around 50 people by the end of the year. The plant is supposed to employ 80 people in total once the $150million automotive aluminium sheet production...
Century Aluminum delays earnings report in wake of exec’s medical leave
Rick Dillon, the executive vice president and chief financial officer of Chicago-based Century Aluminum Co., is taking a temporary medical leave of absence and that will delay an earnings report for the company that owns a smelter in Mount Holly, Century announced Thursday. Dillon is expected to...
Aluminum maker, Golden Triangle developers at odds over $1.2 billion project
The Columbus area economic development organization has put the 826-acres it has set aside for American Speciality Alloys back on the market, alleging that the startup that plans a $1.2 billion aluminum plant has not been acting in good faith recently. Joe Max Higgins, chief executive of Golden...
Aleris withdraws IPO citing uncertain economic conditions
The aluminum processor Aleris Corp., based in Cleveland, has withdrawn its $500 million initial public offering (IPO), citing uncertain economic conditions. According to Reuters, the decision to rescind the offer comes three years after the Aleris had earlier sought to sell shares in the company....
Lowndes County pulls land reservation for aluminum mill
Mississippi's chances of being the location for a proposed $1.2 billion aluminum mill that would hire 650 or more workers to supply aluminum for auto bodies have taken a step back. The Commercial Dispatch reports Lowndes County is no longer reserving 826 acres near the Golden Triangle Regional...
Novelis forced to import aluminum sheet due to Kentucky outage
Novelis Inc was forced to import aluminum can sheet from Asia and South America to make up for lost output from a three-week outage at its U.S. joint venture rolling mill in January, Chief Executive Officer Phil Martens said on Monday. The mill, which Novelis co-owns with Tri Arrows Aluminun, lost...
Novelis reports strong results for third quarter of fiscal year 2015
Highlights: New Business Model Drives Significant Improvement in Year-Over-Year Results • Net Income Grows to $46 Million • Sales Increase 18% to $2.8 Billion • Adjusted EBITDA Increases 16% to $236 Million • Shipments Increase 5% to 757 Kilotonnes, a Record Third Quarter • North American Auto...
