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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Draft permits for Aloca's Massena modernization up for review
Public comment is now being taken on permits requested for the proposed modernization of the Aluminum Company of America plants in Massena. The proposed permits are available for public review. Comments will be taken until Sept. 21. Alcoa owns and operates two primary aluminum reduction facilities...
Century Aluminum files its Hawesville smelter shutdown notice
Century Aluminum Co. has notified its power provider that it plans to cease all aluminum production at its Hawesville, Ky., smelter, although a spokeswoman for the company told AMM a shutdown may still be avoided given the right circumstances. In documents filed with Big Rivers Electric Corp. on...
Noranda Aluminum Has Returned 41.0% Since SmarTrend Recommendation in March
SmarTrend identified a Downtrend for Noranda Aluminum (NYSE:NOR) on March 8th, 2012 at $10.98. In approximately 6 months, Noranda Aluminum has returned 40.98% as of today's recent price of $6.48. Over the past year, Noranda Aluminum has traded in a range of $5.90 to $13.18 and is now at $6.48, 10%...
Noranda Aluminum and its union negotiating for a new agreement
Noranda Aluminum’s New Madrid Plant announced this week they are currently in negotiations with the local union for a new collective bargaining agreement. The company and United Steelworkers local 76-86 entered into a five-year contract in August 2007. That deal provided annual wage increases and...
Aluminum exports remain strong in Canada
Canadian aluminum shipments were the bright spot in an otherwise quiet July. Steel shipments and shipments of aluminum in the US were nearly flat in both countries. US Service Center Activity; 121,700 tonnes of aluminum products were shipped by U.S. Service Centers in July an increase of 3.6% from...
Alcoa applies for modernization permits for its Massena plants
Alcoa has applied for the environmental permits required to modernize its Massena operations. The three permits will regulate air and water pollution from Massena’s two aluminum plants should Alcoa decide to modernize them. The project is still proposed; Alcoa is lining up the necessary permits in...
Counter-proposal created in Century special power rate case
The state Consumer Advocate Division has created a counter-proposal to Century Aluminum's special power rate request that it says will protect customers from higher rates. Division director Byron Harris said he's dubbed the proposal, filed with the state Public Service Commission Monday, the "do no...
MILOS Group acquires trussing and staging brands – LITEC and TOMCAT
Czech Republic based trussing and staging manufacturer MILOS Group announces the recent acquisition of two leading trussing and staging brands – LITEC and TOMCAT. The new deal makes MILOS the largest global aluminum trussing and staging group with the addition of major manufacturing bases in Italy,...
2013 Range Rover cuts weight with aluminum body
The redesigned 2013 Range Rover SUV goes on sale in the U.S. market in December featuring a sharply lighter body, improved fuel economy and better handling. The five-seat Range Rover has an all-aluminum unibody structure--a first for an SUV, Land Rover said. The body is 39 percent lighter than the...
Novelis profits hit by lower scrap prices
Global aluminium producer Novelis has reported lower earnings for the first quarter of its 2012/13 fiscal year due to decreased volumes and lower scrap benefits year-on-year. Its EBITDA was $259 million for the quarter up to 30 June down 15 per cent year on year from $306 million reported in the...
Century's Ravenswood plant retirees seek restoration of health benefits
Century Aluminum Company, located in the small town of Ravenswood, West Virginia, has announced it will decide in September whether to reopen its smelting plant, restoring health insurance benefits to retirees. Retirees, including men and women in their 60s, 70s, even 80s, began occupying a median...
Aluminum can plant to shut down,110 jobs at stake
An aluminum can plant on Columbus’ far east side is closing, putting 110 employees out of work. Broomfield, Colo.-based Ball Corp. (NYSE:BLL), which bought the plant in 2009 from Anheuser-Busch InBev (NYSE:BUD), said after the markets closed Wednesday that it would shut its Central Ohio plant and...
Aluminum Premiums Set to Extend Gains in Europe and North America
Premiums paid for aluminum in Europe and North America are set to extend gains to records in 12 months as financing transactions tying up inventories keep buyers waiting as long as a year for deliveries. The fee in Rotterdam, excluding duties, will rise 17 percent to about $240 a metric ton on top...
Alcoa to sell Texas plant assets and land
Aluminium company Alcoa said on Wednesday it will sell land and other assets at its Rockdale, Texas plant to the Lower Colorado River Authority, a nonprofit public utility and conservation body. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Alcoa said it will retain ownership of its smelter and...
Century Aluminum electricity rate decision delayed
State regulators have delayed the timeline for deciding whether to approve a special electricity rate for Century Aluminum's Jackson County plant. Appalachian Power and several other parties told the Public Service Commission that they need more time to file additional briefs. They say they haven't...
Ormet Workers future stuck in uncertainty
A complete shutdown of Ormet Corp.'s Hannibal Primary Aluminum Reduction Plant would leave 1,000 employees out of work, a situation Tom Byers said he is doing everything he can to avoid. However, Ormet officials noted they may have to lay off the workers because of metal market pressures and rising...
Noranda Aluminum Shares Climbed 1.3% Higher in Past 2 Weeks
Two weeks ago on July 25th, 2012 Noranda Aluminum (NYSE:NOR) reported earnings and analysts, on average, expected earnings of $0.09 on sales of $355.4 million. The company actually reported EPS of $0.11 on sales of $371.7 million, beating EPS estimates by $0.02 and beating revenue estimates by...
Chicago gears up for Aluminum Week 2012 to be held from October 15 to October 18
The Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC), the Aluminum Association, and the Aluminum Anodizers Council (AAC) have released the program details for Aluminum Week 2012 in Chicago, Illinois. This event marks the third year of cooperation between the organizations to offer a program featuring comprehensive...
