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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USA remains the top aluminium foil exporter to Mexico in last three years
The U.S. Commerce Department has decided to impose tariffs ranging from 97 per cent to 162 per cent on Chinese made aluminium foil increasing it from the already existing 81% rate that the administration had imposed in the summer. However, Canada and Mexico have not imposed any such restrictive...
Aluminium imports in North America were up 25% in the first three quarters of 2017
The Aluminum Association, in cooperation with the Aluminium Association of Canada reported that the total primary aluminium production in U.S. and Canada was at an annual rate of 3,947,875 tonnes during October 2017, up 5,279 tpy (+0.1%) over the September 2017 rate of 3,942,596 tonnes. The...
U.S. aluminium foil converters concerned over the ripple effects of extra tariffs on Chinese foils
The U.S. Commerce Department has decided to impose tariffs ranging from 97 per cent to 162 per cent on Chinese made aluminium foil increasing it from the already existing 81% rate that the administration had imposed in the summer. Industry experts from the U.S. are of the view that the measure will...
Zhongwang withdraws proposed acquisition of Aleris
The acquisition deal between China Zhongwang and Cleveland’s Aleris Corporation has been called off on November 12, 2017. Aleris Corporation announced in a press release on Monday that the merger agreement will not proceed following the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS)...
U.S. aluminium recovery from scrap up YoY through August, export registers 12.8% rise
According to aluminium recycling statistics published by the U.S. Geological Survey and Department of Interior, the U.S. aluminium industry purchased an estimated 370,000 tonnes of aluminium scrap during August 2017, down 1.3% from the August 2016 total of 375,000 million. USGS estimates that...
China turns to WTO in aluminium foil dispute with United States
China’s Ministry of Commerce has asked the World Trade Organization (WTO) for consultations on a recent U.S. move to impose antidumping duties on imports of Chinese aluminum foil. The ministry, which accused Washington of breaking world trade rules after the United States on Oct. 27 imposed duties...
Argentina seeks new markets for aluminum as U.S. probes imports
Argentina is seeking new markets for its aluminum exports as the United States probes the national security implications of imports of the metal, an executive at Aluar Aluminio Argentino, the country’s leading producer, told Reuters. Aluar commercial director Miroslavo Puches said the company was...
NAFTA talks causing business uncertainty: Rio Tinto executive
The current state of talks to update the NAFTA trade pact is creating uncertainty among businesses and could hurt investments and growth, Rio Tinto Aluminium chief executive Alf Barrios said on Wednesday. Canada and Mexico say several U.S. proposals for modernizing the North American Free Trade...
Taiwan’s export of aluminium can falls year-over-year
Taiwan shipped USD 28.90 billion worth of goods in September 2017, up 28.1 per cent year-on-year. The country’s exports of aluminium can have been decreasing over the last two years. The trend is expected to continue in 2017. The largest part of aluminium can is exported to Japan. Indonesia and the...
China to take measures against aluminium foil tariff; urges US to take corrective actions
China expressed dissatisfaction following the U.S. decision to impose duties on aluminium foil. The government will take necessary measures to safeguard the legal rights and interests of Chinese companies and reserve rights under the WTO’s dispute settlement mechanism. The U.S. Commerce Department...
U.S. imposes duties up to 162% on aluminium foil imports from China
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced on Friday that the Commerce Department issued affirmative preliminary antidumping duty determination on aluminium foil from China. It was found that exporters of aluminium foil sold their product at prices below cost. The U.S. Commerce Department...
US imports of alumina remain unchanged in Q2 2017, exports up QoQ
According to the latest USGS release on Bauxite and Alumina in the Second Quarter 2017 , imports of alumina by the U.S. in the second quarter of 2017 were 307,000 tonnes, essentially unchanged from the amount imported in the first quarter of 2017 and in the second quarter of 2016. Imports of...
North America’s primary production drops 2.2% in the first three quarters of 2017
The Aluminum Association, in cooperation with the Aluminium Association of Canada, reported primary aluminium production in North America (U.S. and Canada) for the month of September. Production rate for the month of September was at an annual rate of 3,942,596 tonnes during September 2017. Month...
Extruded products shipments in North America slightly up in the first nine months of 2017
According to the latest report from Aluminum Association, U.S. and Canadian producers shipped an estimated 444.3 million pounds of Aluminum Extruded Products including extruded shapes, pipe & tube, and rod & bar during September 2017, up 1.4% over the September 2016 total of 437.9 million pounds....
US import of bauxite up 20% QoQ in the second quarter of 2017; YoY import drops 33%
According to the latest USGS release on Bauxite and Alumina in the Second Quarter 2017 , imports of crude and dried bauxite by the U.S. in the second quarter of 2017 were 945,000 tonnes, 20% more than those in the first quarter of 2017 that imported 790,000 metric tons of bauxite in the first...
Real Alloy to restart its Kentucky UBC recycling facility on growing demand for recycled aluminium
According to a September report, Real Industry Inc., Sherman Oaks, California made an announcement that its subsidiary Real Alloy Holding Inc. would restart its used beverage container (UBC) recycling operation at its Morgantown, Kentucky, facility, which was idled since December 2015. However, the...
US export of aluminium tubes and pipes expected to drop faster than import in 2017
Tubes and pipes are two aluminium extruded products that have wide uses across a number of sectors. The most common aluminium alloys used for tubing and pipe are 2024, 3003, 5052, 6061, 7075. USA has a big demand for aluminium pipes and tubes which has a flourishing end use market in aerospace,...
Trump administration may include steel & aluminium in NAFTA autos rules: sources
The Trump administration seeks to include steel, aluminium and other basic materials under North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) rules. The U.S. wishes to use NAFTA to boost these industries. The government wants to propose strict use of North American-made steel, aluminium, copper and...
