Downstream Aluminium Projects

Demand is flying, but margins aren't: Kaiser Aluminum’s Q3 dilemma
25 OCT 20266MINS

Demand is flying, but margins aren't: Kaiser Aluminum’s Q3 dilemma

Kaiser Aluminum is seeing stronger demand across aerospace, defence, packaging and semiconductor-related markets, with customer bookings extending into 2027. However, the aluminium producer’s latest results highlight a challenge: converting rising shipments and record conversion revenue into stronger profitability as planned outages, lower scrap utilisation and startup costs weigh on margins. The company reported third-quarter 2026 shipments of 300 million pounds, up from 270 million pounds in the same period last year, while conversion revenue climbed 25 per cent year-on-year to a record USD 439 million from USD 351 million. Net sales reached USD 1.21 billion. Despite the growth, adjusted EBITDA increased by only USD 3 million year-on-year to USD 84 million. A USD 29 million unfavourable...

24 OCT 20264MINS

Aluminium safety workshop trains 120+ workers as US industry targets stronger domestic supply chains

The US aluminum industry is placing renewed emphasis on workforce safety, domestic production, and material recovery, with the Aluminum Association’s sold-out Casthouse Safety Workshop in Charlotte, North Carolina, highlighting the importance of safe molten aluminum handling. The program trained more than 120 industry workers and has been running for over 30 years, with the Association describing it as a global benchmark for casthouse operators and supervisors. The workshop comes as the industry continues to focus on strengthening domestic manufacturing capabilities and supply chains. Alongside workforce training, the Aluminum Association has called for bipartisan permitting reform to accelerate investment in US aluminum production, arguing that faster approvals could help unlock the...


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Canada wants to keep its aluminium at home, starting with rolling mills
Downstream

Canada wants to keep its aluminium at home, starting with rolling mills

Canada is looking to expand its domestic aluminium processing capacity as the government seeks to reduce the sector’s dependence on the United States. Industry Minister Mélanie Joly has described more than USD 193 million in federal funding for projects at five industrial sites in Quebec as a first step towards strengthening the country’s aluminium supply chain and building the capacity to process more metal at home. The funding, announced in La Baie, Quebec, covers projects at four Rio Tinto facilities in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region and the Alouette aluminium smelter in Sept-Îles. Joly, who also serves as the minister responsible for economic development in Quebec, said the investment reflects the strategic importance of aluminium to Canada’s economy and national sovereignty. The...

More revenue, less aluminium: Profilgruppen’s Q3 numbers tell two stories
Downstream

More revenue, less aluminium: Profilgruppen’s Q3 numbers tell two stories

Profilgruppen reported a 14 per cent increase in third-quarter revenue to SEK 567.6 million (USD57.12 million), but the rise was driven mainly by higher metal prices rather than stronger demand. The Swedish aluminium profile producer delivered 6,850 metric tonnes of aluminium profiles during Q3 2026, down 6.8 per cent from 7,350 tonnes in the same period last year. Despite the higher revenue, operating profit under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) edged down 1.7 per cent to SEK 28.6 million (USD 2.88 million) from SEK 29.1 million (USD 2.93 million) a year earlier. Under the company’s alternative accounting method, RAN, operating profit fell 37.5 per cent to SEK 3 million (USD 301,970), compared with SEK 4.8 million (USD 483,153) in Q3 2025. Net income under IFRS...

AL Circle analysis: How do Germany’s 32.8% automotive aluminium share, 40% Diet Coke can price rise & 3.54Mt North American extrusion demand matter?
Downstream

AL Circle analysis: How do Germany’s 32.8% automotive aluminium share, 40% Diet Coke can price rise & 3.54Mt North American extrusion demand matter?

Aluminium’s downstream and end-user world is having one of those fortnights where a beer can, a luxury sports car, a German construction site and an Indian furnace all end up in the same conversation. The metal may begin its life far upstream, but its real fuss is playing out in cans, cars, extrusions, buildings and factories, where tariffs, trade policy, energy costs and demand cycles decide who wins. This fortnight highlights that aluminium demand is moving towards electric vehicles, lightweight transport and long-life infrastructure, even as packaging and construction feel the pinch of cost and weak activity. Meanwhile, producers from Vietnam to New Zealand are arguing over the oldest question in the business of how much protection, taxation or openness does a downstream industry need...

PyroGenesis completes seven-system aluminium dross recovery deployment in Saudi Arabia
Downstream

PyroGenesis completes seven-system aluminium dross recovery deployment in Saudi Arabia

PyroGenesis Inc. has completed the deployment of seven Drosrite aluminium dross recovery systems at a new purpose-built plant in Saudi Arabia, fulfilling its original contract with Radian Oil and Gas Services Company. The systems can collectively process up to 45,000 tonnes of aluminium dross annually, including the company’s first two 10,000-tonne-per-year units. The Montreal-based technology provider announced on October 15, 2026, that the final four systems were installed and operational at the facility, located within what the company describes as the world’s largest vertically integrated aluminium production complex. The completed installation comprises two 5,000-tonne-per-year systems and two 10,000-tonne-per-year systems. The larger units are the first of their capacity to be...

Aluminium extrusion market shrinks 29.8% as New Zealand rejects import protection
Downstream

Aluminium extrusion market shrinks 29.8% as New Zealand rejects import protection

New Zealand's Government has rejected calls for safeguard measures on aluminium extrusion imports, despite an official investigation finding that domestic manufacturers have suffered serious injury. The decision, accepted by Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Cameron Brewer on October 5, has prompted warnings from the Aluminium Extruders Association of NZ (ALENZ) that continued pressure could put local plants and thousands of jobs at risk. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) concluded that imports contributed to the industry's difficulties but were not the sole or primary cause of the injury. It recommended against imposing safeguards, citing the contraction in domestic demand, rising production costs and the potential for higher prices for downstream...

Germany’s Fraunhofer and University of Stuttgart develop aluminium anode technology for lithium-ion batteries
End User

Germany’s Fraunhofer and University of Stuttgart develop aluminium anode technology for lithium-ion batteries

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...

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