The prolonged price crunch in the global aluminium market is turning out to be a nightmare for the primary aluminium producers worldwide. Low market prices coupled with falling demand from Europe and some of the fastest growing emerging markets, China being the fulcrum, is pushing smelters world over into the operationally uneconomical zone. As if […]
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Before the 1980s, banking institutions weren’t allowed to own non-financial businesses — Congress wanted to reduce the risks banks take, as well as safeguard depositors. However, in the 1990s, Congress and the Federal Reserve’s rules were relaxed, soon permitting some banks to develop businesses in storing and transporting commodities. In 2010, Goldman Sachs bought Metro […]
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One area of the aluminium industry that doesn’t get talked about much is, what happens to a dead pot? In the normal scheme of things, the steel furnace in which pure aluminium is made will last somewhere between 5 and 10 years before the protective linings wear down too far. At that time, the […]
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Before you start reading the blog below, consider the following THREE facts about aluminium and China: 1. China is now the world’s largest producer (> 50%) of primary aluminum using mostly (> 80%) coal-generated electricity; 2. Production of primary aluminum requires large quantity of electricity, and therefore emits a large quantity of GHG (12 tonnes […]
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Primary Aluminium History: People often think of aluminum as a cheap and plentiful metal, but 130 years ago aluminum was considered rare and expensive. According to the book “Chemical Principles,” refining aluminum from bauxite was so costly in the 19th century that the Washington Monument was given an aluminum tip to symbolize its value. In […]
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India with its abundant supply of quality bauxite and low cost labour has established itself as a low cost producer of primary aluminium. Global primary aluminium production in 2012 was 45.2 million tonnes, with China accounting for an astounding 19.8 million tonnes or 44%. However, in India, the production of primary aluminium has stagnated around […]
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In order to remain in competition with rival Ford Motor, General Motors is planning to scale down the weight of its full-size pickup trucks by employing more aluminum from manufacturers like Alcoa and Novelis. GM’s 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra are 250-400 pounds lighter than previous models, but Ford’s 2015 F-150 is anticipated to […]
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Over last three decades, the global Aluminium industry has been undergoing structural changes. New and major production centers have emerged since 1980s which have slowly but surely taken over the leadership in terms of not only as leading production centers but also fast emerging consumption regions. We are talking here of the China and Gulf […]
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The fenestration industry in India has gone through a sea change in the last few years. What started way back in the 80s and 90s by the erstwhile Indian Aluminium Company – INDAL and pushed by other Aluminium majors – Jindal, Hindalco and others, seems to be maturing now. In the late 80s and early […]
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Overview of aluminium industry in the Middle East The Middle East region is poised to become a major hub for primary aluminium production over the coming decade. High energy and labour costs in North America and Europe have resulted in the shifting of production to China and the GCC countries, to some extent. With production […]
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