South Asia’s beverage-can manufacturing capacity continues to expand, with Bangladesh preparing to enter the industry through a USD 100 million aluminium beverage can plant while new and expanded facilities advance across India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, the planned Bangladeshi project still faces a key infrastructure hurdle: securing a gas connection before production begins. Chinese-owned Alu Hi-Tech Industries Ltd is developing Bangladesh’s first aluminium beverage can plant at Kaliakoir Hi-Tech Park in Gazipur, north of Dhaka. The facility is designed to produce around 1 billion cans annually, with approximately 90 per cent of its output earmarked for export markets. The company registered with the hi-tech park in 2024, when work on the project began. Construction has...
Europe’s beverage-can market outperformed other regions in the third quarter, prompting Ardagh Metal Packaging (AMP) to accelerate its investment plans with two new production lines at existing facilities in the UK and Spain. Global beverage can shipments rose 2 per cent year on year in the three months to September 30, while Europe recorded 6 per cent growth, contrasting with a 1 per cent decline across the Americas. AMP announced the expansion alongside third-quarter results that exceeded its own earnings guidance, allowing the company to raise its full-year adjusted EBITDA outlook. Chief executive Oliver Graham said demand remained resilient across the company’s markets, supported by strength in key beverage categories and continued gains for cans within the wider packaging mix. The...
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Russia’s aluminium market could face a new competitive dynamic after Sual Partners signed a production-sharing agreement with state-controlled hydropower group RusHydro, potentially giving Sual access to up to 150,000 tonnes of aluminium from the Boguchany smelter in Siberia. The arrangement could challenge Rusal’s near 20-year dominance of Russia’s primary aluminium market, allowing Sual to target both domestic and overseas customers with the metal. The agreement, announced on October 15 during Russian Energy Week, provides for a production-sharing mechanism at the Boguchansky aluminium plant, which is co-owned by RusHydro. The arrangement could give Sual access to as much as a 50 per cent share of the smelter’s output, putting it in a position to compete directly with Rusal, its...
Aluminium-intensive vehicle design could reduce electric vehicle (EV) weight, battery requirements and manufacturing complexity, according to a joint theoretical study by Stellantis and Alumobility. Using Stellantis’ STLA Medium platform as its reference, the study found that an optimised aluminium-based architecture could cut total vehicle mass by around 20 per cent and create the potential to reduce battery capacity by 15 per cent while maintaining equivalent range. Presented at EuroCarBody 2026 in Bad Nauheim, Germany, on October 22, the study examined how aluminium could be incorporated across the vehicle structure rather than simply replacing steel components on a like-for-like basis. The concept reduced body-in-white mass - the vehicle’s structural body before components such as...
Munich-based travel brand Floyd has entered the aluminium luggage segment with CABIN ALUMINIUM, its first cabin suitcase made from the metal. The new model combines an all-aluminium body with the brand’s signature skateboard-style spinner wheels, bringing its distinctive design approach to a more traditional premium lu]ggage material. The suitcase is formed from a single sheet of 100% aluminium, with a tone-on-tone silver finish that keeps the exterior understated. Natural leather handles on the top and sides add contrast to the metal body, while the 360-degree skateboard wheels retain a defining feature of Floyd’s existing luggage range. CABIN ALUMINIUM comes with a built-in three-digit TSA lock, a leather luggage tag, a duster and a shoe bag. Measuring 55.5 x 39.0 x 23.0 centimetres, it...
Crown Holdings has lifted its full-year earnings outlook following a 6 per cent increase in global beverage can shipments in the third quarter of 2026, as stronger demand helped offset rising input costs. The packaging manufacturer now expects adjusted diluted earnings per share of USD 8.35-8.45 for 2026, alongside adjusted free cash flow of at least USD 950 million. The company reported third-quarter net sales of USD 3.711 billion, up from USD 3.202 billion in the same period of 2025. The increase reflected higher beverage can shipments and the pass-through of USD 405 million in additional material costs. Adjusted diluted earnings per share rose 7 per cent year on year to USD 2.39, compared with USD 2.24 in the third quarter of 2025. Reported diluted earnings per share increased to USD...
Canadian craft breweries are facing higher production costs as US tariffs on aluminum increase the price of beer cans, forcing smaller businesses to absorb some of the extra expense or pass it on to customers. Wesley Burbidge, who opened Brew Revolution in 2019 to offer affordable craft beer to his community, said the latest US tariffs have made it harder to keep prices down. Although the brewery managed to survive the COVID-19 pandemic, rising material costs have forced it to adjust its pricing. According to a 2024 report by Beer Canada, around 75 per cent of beer sold in Ontario was packaged in aluminum cans, compared with 43 per cent in 2014. Burbidge said Brew Revolution was trying to limit the impact on customers as the cost of materials increased. He said, “As we see our material...
Bugatti has brought a unique aluminium-bodied Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse back to its original condition through its La Maison Pur Sang restoration programme, reviving the supercar’s distinctive mirror-like exterior more than a decade after its creation. Known as chassis 8.100, the one-off roadster was originally commissioned with a body made entirely of polished aluminium. Its construction required massive aluminium blocks weighing up to 20 tonnes to be delivered to Bugatti’s headquarters in Molsheim, France, before the vehicle was completed in 2014. It was reportedly the most expensive Veyron ever produced at the time. The recent refurbishment was carried out at the owner’s request, with Bugatti returning the car to its original specifications. The process included removing aftermarket...
Ferrari is accelerating its India expansion as anticipation builds around the proposed India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA), with the luxury sports carmaker reporting more than a doubling of orders ahead of the deal. Alongside plans to extend its dealership network to five cities, Ferrari is strengthening its India-focused team, customer engagement and personalisation services as expectations of lower import duties bring fresh attention to the country’s luxury car market. EU trade deal lifts demand expectations According to Ferrari’s senior leadership, orders from India have more than doubled in anticipation of the FTA, which is expected to come into force in early 2027, subject to the required approvals. The agreement is set to reduce import duties on European-made luxury cars from around...
Solar panels could benefit from a simple cooling arrangement made from aluminium fins and discarded plastic bags, according to a laboratory study that explored ways to limit heat-related power losses without consuming additional electricity. The combination increased a panel’s output power by 11.6 per cent under simulated sunlight, only marginally higher than the 11.5% gain recorded with aluminium fins alone. The findings point to a potential use for waste plastic in solar panel cooling, although outdoor testing is still needed to establish whether the approach can deliver similar results under changing weather conditions. Aluminium fins offer a simple way to manage solar panel heat Photovoltaic panels can lose electrical performance as their temperature rises under strong sunlight. To...
Ardagh Holdings S.A. can resume preparations for a potential sale of its stake in Ardagh Metal Packaging S.A. (AMP) after a Luxembourg court lifted an order that had prevented the parent company from proceeding with the transaction. The ruling, issued on 14 October by a summary judge at the Luxembourg district court, allows Ardagh Holdings to re-engage with its advisers on a possible sale. The injunction was originally imposed following a unilateral ( ex parte ) application by certain minority holders of senior secured toggle notes due in 2027, issued by ARD Finance S.A. before its parent company, Ardagh Group S.A., completed its recapitalisation transaction in November 2025. The order had prohibited Ardagh Holdings from selling all or part of its interests in AMP. Following the court's...
Germany’s automobile industry is a major part of the country’s aluminium story, with the metal used in everything from vehicle body panels and chassis components to battery enclosures and electric-drive systems. As automakers develop lighter vehicles and expand their electric models, aluminium has become an important material across the manufacturing process. Germany’s automotive industry consumes around 950,000 tonnes of aluminium annually, accounting for a substantial share of the wider transport sector’s demand. In 2025, Germany’s total aluminium consumption stood at approximately 2.9 million tonnes, with the transport sector accounting for 1.35 million tonnes, representing 46 per cent of the total. This extensive use of aluminium in transport mirrors its importance to the global...
Australian aluminium producer Capral has welcomed proposed trade measures against Chinese aluminium window and door imports, following preliminary findings of dumping and subsidies that have put pressure on local manufacturers. The Australian Trade Remedies Commission's investigation found dumping margins of 5.3 per cent to 70.4 per cent on certain imports. Provisional measures introduced on October 15 require importers to provide financial security against potential duties of up to 73.3 per cent. The investigation covers fully and partially assembled aluminium windows and doors imported from China between July 2024 and June 2025. Capral said the findings were important for Australia's domestic aluminium supply chain, particularly businesses involved in manufacturing windows and doors. To...
In 1930, Pittsburgh plumber Leo Scanlon built a backyard observatory using a material rarely employed in construction at the time: sheet aluminium. His lightweight, rotating dome protected a homemade telescope and became a model for later small observatories, helping establish his reputation in the amateur astronomy community before he met Albert Einstein four years later. Known as the Valley View Observatory, the structure stood in the Summer Hill neighbourhood on Pittsburgh’s North Side. Scanlon’s solution to a practical engineering problem demonstrated how aluminium could offer an alternative to heavier materials such as wood and steel in observatory construction. Aluminium offers a lighter solution Scanlon began documenting his backyard project in September 1930, according to...
Acer Japan has introduced four models in its Swift Air 14 laptop series, featuring all-aluminium bodies, 14-inch displays and lightweight designs aimed at users seeking portability and everyday computing performance. The laptops measure approximately 12.99 mm thick and weigh around 1.18 kg, with CNC diamond-cut processing used on the lid. The four models - SFA14-I31-A38Y, SFA14-I31-A32Y, SFA14-I31-A58Y and SFA14-I31-A52Y - differ in specifications, including processor and memory configurations. The range offers Intel Core 3 Processor 304 and Intel Core 5 Processor 320 options, both equipped with integrated Intel AI Boost technology. Aluminium construction and display specifications The Swift Air 14 features an all-metal aluminium chassis designed to combine a slim profile with a...
Germany-based Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (Fraunhofer IPA), headquartered in Stuttgart, has developed a new aluminium anode technology for lithium-ion batteries in collaboration with the University of Stuttgart, addressing a key challenge that has limited the material’s practical use. The patented cell and electrode design manages the volume changes that occur during charging and discharging, helping prevent electrode damage and maintain electrical contact over repeated cycles. The technology also eliminates graphite and silicon from the anode, replaces conventional copper foil with aluminium foil and removes a separate electrode coating process. Aluminium anode technology targets electrode degradation Aluminium has long attracted interest as an...
The 2026 Audi Q3 is all set to arrive in India with a redesigned look, a technology-packed cabin and a few metallic touches that help its interior shine. Aluminium inserts add a premium edge to the dashboard and cabin surfaces, complementing the soft-touch materials and digital displays. Under the bonnet, a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine produces 201 BHP and 320 Nm of torque, while Quattro all-wheel drive (AWD) adds confidence on the road. The engine is also E20-compatible, a relevant consideration for motorists in India as the use of ethanol-blended petrol grows. To know the aluminium casting demand forecast in the transportation sector, explore our report "Global Aluminium Casting Market 2026-2032: Plant Economics, Alloy Segmentation, Pricing Intelligence, Supply Chain Analysis &...
Germany’s construction industry has endured several years of contraction, weighed down by elevated financing costs, expensive building materials and subdued residential investment. The downturn has also affected the country’s aluminium industry, with estimated construction-related aluminium consumption declining by around 12 per cent between 2022 and 2025. However, the outlook is beginning to change. With Germany’s construction industry projected to return to growth in 2026 and accelerate further in 2027, opportunities are emerging for aluminium suppliers across residential construction, transport infrastructure, energy networks and commercial developments. At the same time, efforts to strengthen closed-loop aluminium recycling in buildings could provide an additional avenue for growth....
Diet Coke prices have risen from INR 50 (USD 0.52) to INR 70 (USD 0.73) for a 330 ml can in several Indian markets as bottlers and retailers face higher aluminium can costs. The new price has been reported in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Goa. Some stores are charging the current price even for cans that still carry the earlier maximum retail price (MRP) of INR 50 (USD 0.52) Can-grade aluminium prices rose 30 per cent year on year, mainly because of supply disruptions in West Asia amid tensions. The increase has raised packaging costs for beverage bottlers and their suppliers. To learn the future of aluminium in the packaging industry, explore our report " ALuminium in Packaging: Consumer Trends and Market Dynamics " An independent Coca-Cola bottler confirmed the price increase,...
Ardagh Metal Packaging (AMP) has supplied a 250 mL aluminium wine can for Royal Swinkels’ BarLoca, an alcohol-free wine now launching across the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. The BarLoca Bianco and Rosso variants come in a semi-matt can developed specifically for wine, with a design blocking light and air and an interior lining intended to preserve the product’s quality and taste. The format is crafted to bring the convenience of aluminium packaging to wine. Lightweight and unbreakable, the can is easy to transport, chill and store, while its single-serve format is suited to consumers looking for greater flexibility. To learn the future of aluminium in the packaging industry, explore our report " ALuminium in Packaging: Consumer Trends and Market Dynamics " Referring to the new...
