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Hulamin expects global demand to hold, but warns local sales may slow - 0 views

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    Despite a slowdown in the global economy and a softening in demand for aluminium rolled products in some regions, JSE-listed aluminium reroller Hulamin expected global demand to increase this year. CEO Alan Fourie on Tuesday commented that the company, which exported about 70% of its products, had seen some softening in demand for aluminium rolled products in some regions, but added that demand for these products was expected to grow by between 5% and 7% this year. "Obviously the slowdown of the [global] economy puts pressure on margins, it is an economic consequence, but we are still selling into a growing international market," he said. Locally, however, the softening economic climate was expected to impact on sales volumes for the second half of the year. However, Hulamin expected these high-value products to continue growing as a percentage of its sales in the next few years. Fourie noted that five years ago, these products equated to just over 50% of its sales volumes, while their contribution was just below 60% in 2007. They now comprised about 64% of its total sales volumes. Meanwhile, Hulamin stated that its costs had increased by 16%, influenced by a 58% increase in energy costs, increasing alloying costs caused by magnesium prices rising from $2 000/t to $4 500/t, and increases in other metals. Excluding the cost of increasing energy and metals prices, the company's costs had increased by 6%. Fourie noted that while the rising aluminium costs did not affect its profitability, it did have an effect on its working capital. "We hold aluminium in our working capital. So when the aluminium price increases, the cash tied up in working capital increases and we have seen a significant increase in working capital during this period, because the rand price of aluminium has increased by close to 40% in the last six months," he explained. Further, Fourie did not expect the increasing electricity prices to have too great an impact on its futu
Colin Bennett

Leoni will continue to expand its commercial vehicles business with innovative products... - 0 views

  • “We have developed several new solutions, which can provide clear weight and cost saving opportunities to manufacturers of such commercial vehicles as  trucks, buses as well as agricultural, industrial and construction equipment”, stated Dr Andreas Brand, member of Leoni AG’s Management Board with responsibility for the Wiring Systems Division. “We are confident that we will grow our business with the CV industry by more than five per cent per year until 2025.”Alternative conductors save weight and costIn terms of weight optimisation, Leoni can reduce the harnesses’ weight by replacing conventional wires. Alongside copper wires with smaller cross-sections, the Company provides the CV market with a range of wires made of aluminium for the power segment, i.e. with a cross-section between 10 mm2 and 110 mm2 and even larger. Although the aluminium conductors have a larger cross-section in order to deliver the same electrical conductivity, aluminium technology results in a noticeable weight reduction. On its booth, Leoni will show its busbar, a solid aluminium conductor, which can be bent in three dimensions and weighs only about half as much as the conventional copper component.Leoni will also show various conductor solutions based on copper. These can be used where mechanical strength as well as electrical conductivity is required. For example, a copper wire with a cross-section of 0.75 mm² could potentially be replaced by a smaller wire cross section, such as a 0.50 mm² or a 0.35 mm². Thanks to the use of less conductor material, Leoni’s customers can not just reduce the weight of their vehicles, but also benefit in terms of cost savings.
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    ""We have developed several new solutions, which can provide clear weight and cost saving opportunities to manufacturers of such commercial vehicles as trucks, buses as well as agricultural, industrial and construction equipment", stated Dr Andreas Brand, member of Leoni AG's Management Board with responsibility for the Wiring Systems Division. "We are confident that we will grow our business with the CV industry by more than five per cent per year until 2025." Alternative conductors save weight and cost In terms of weight optimisation, Leoni can reduce the harnesses' weight by replacing conventional wires. Alongside copper wires with smaller cross-sections, the Company provides the CV market with a range of wires made of aluminium for the power segment, i.e. with a cross-section between 10 mm2 and 110 mm2 and even larger. Although the aluminium conductors have a larger cross-section in order to deliver the same electrical conductivity, aluminium technology results in a noticeable weight reduction. On its booth, Leoni will show its busbar, a solid aluminium conductor, which can be bent in three dimensions and weighs only about half as much as the conventional copper component. Leoni will also show various conductor solutions based on copper. These can be used where mechanical strength as well as electrical conductivity is required. For example, a copper wire with a cross-section of 0.75 mm² could potentially be replaced by a smaller wire cross section, such as a 0.50 mm² or a 0.35 mm². Thanks to the use of less conductor material, Leoni's customers can not just reduce the weight of their vehicles, but also benefit in terms of cost savings."
Colin Bennett

Aluminium prices stabilized at a low level-China Mining - 0 views

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    Aluminium prices at LME and SHFE have stopped slumping at a low level since mid October, after major aluminium enterprises reduced production on the market downturn. Under the current economic recession and financial crisis, outputcut is not big enough to reverse the situation of surplus supply, said market analysts here, adding that it is hard to improve aluminium price in a short period. Currently, the whole aluminium industry is losing money
Colin Bennett

Aluminum gains industrial lustre - 0 views

  • It says that demand for aluminium cable, especially in the power industry, is already rising and “certain to increase in the coming years” – at the expense of copper. “There will be substitution, and it will have an impact on the market,” said Christophe Allain, the company’s corporate purchasing director for non ferrous metals, addressing the Cesco copper conference in Chile earlier this year. “We have customers who in the past thought the cost differential between the two metals would not be sustainable [and so stuck with copper]. But now they ask directly for an aluminium cable design.” This is not Nexans necessarily talking its book – the company manufactures both copper and aluminium cable. One area where substitution is likely to increasingly occur is in car wiring. Industrial copper cabling could be switched to aluminium in the railway, aeronautics and wind farm sectors. But the biggest threat to copper is in the power sector.
Colin Bennett

Points from the China Aluminium Conference - 0 views

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    "1. Chinese smelters are jointly calling on the government to scrap the 15% export tax on aluminium ingots, as they hope to benefit from a global market deficit. Yet many market participants cast doubts on the proposal as it is against Beijing's industrial policy on the light metal. 2. Beijing has cancelled approval requirement for aluminium smelting projects, but it continues to keep tight control over the sector, ordering local governments not to register new aluminium smelting..."
Piotr Ortonowski

Europe - Aluminium continues to permeates specialist copper markets - 0 views

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    Norsk Hydro, a Norwegian aluminium semis fabricator, has entered into agreement with Konveyor, another aluminium semis producer based in Turkey, to manufacture heat-transfer products that would utilise aluminium in substitution for copper. Norsk Hydro intends to supply precision-drawn aluminium tubes from its Danish Tonder plant to Konveyor, which will subsequently convert them into specialist capillary tubing using advanced manufacturing technologies. The finished products will be used in heating, ventilation, refrigeration and air conditioning equipment.
Colin Bennett

Aluminium hits record on China cuts - 0 views

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    Aluminium prices hit a record after China's top 20 aluminium smelters announced plans to cut production by as much as 10 per cent from this month because of increasingly serious power supply problems across the country.
William Pratt

SEI to Supply Aluminium Wiring Harness to Toyota - 0 views

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    Sumitomo Electric Industries, the Japan based wire and cable manufacturer, has announced plans to provide its newly-developed aluminium wire harnesses to Toyota, for use in the Yaris subcompact, from 2011. Although the new product in 20-25% larger than a conventional copper wire harness, it weighs roughly 40% less because aluminium is lighter, thus improving vehicle efficiency of vehicles. With the price of aluminium presently very low relative to copper, the new aluminium wire harness should also reduce costs.
Colin Bennett

SWS to Start Al Wiring Harness Production in Autumn 2010 - 0 views

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    Sumitomo Wiring Systems (SWS), a subsidiary of Sumitomo Electric Industries (SEI) to manufacture automotive wiring harnesses and components, will start commercial production of aluminium-conductor wiring harness at Suzuka plant, Mie, Japan in autumn 2010 to supply Japanese major automaker. SWS changed layout of Suzuka plant partially and introduced productive facilities specialized to aluminium wiring harness in June. In future, SWS aims to increase aluminium wiring harness ratio to 20-30% of the total wiring harness production.
Panos Kotseras

China - Zhejiang Power Grid to use more aluminium cable - 0 views

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    It was reported that Zhejiang Power Grid Company decided to use aluminium cable instead of copper cable in new low voltage power grid projects. Using 6 km aluminium cable instead of copper in a 100 kV power grid project cut costs by at least 1.92M yuan. In addition, using 340 m aluminium cable in a 220 kV power grid project led to investment reduction of 108,000 yuan. Adopting aluminium cable in low voltage power projects can achieve a cost reduction of 40-70%.
Colin Bennett

Aluminium buckles under weight of supply pressure - 1 views

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    Mr Kloppers can afford to dislike aluminium; the majority of his profits come from iron ore, oil and coal. But for the rest of the industry, his comments have sparked a debate: after a decade of sub-par profitability, is it still worth investing in aluminium?
Colin Bennett

Alupro announces project to discover real aluminium packaging recycling figure - 2 views

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    "Independent environmental consultancy, Resource Futures is carrying out the research, which aims to determine how much aluminium packaging is reprocessed or exported beyond that reported by the accredited organisations."
Colin Bennett

Rio Tinto Board Recommends Formation of Aluminium, Copper and Iron Ore Joint Venture - 0 views

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    The Boards of Rio Tinto plc and Rio Tinto Limited (together "Rio Tinto") announce today that they are unanimously recommending to shareholders a transaction with Aluminium Corporation of China ("Chinalco"), a leading Chinese diversified resources company. The transaction will forge a pioneering strategic partnership through the creation of joint ventures in aluminium, copper, and iron ore as well as the issue of convertible bonds to Chinalco, which would, if converted, allow Chinalco to increase its existing shareholding in Rio Tinto.
James Wright

China - New 400,000t/y wirerod plant enters trial production phase in Guangzhou province - 0 views

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    It was reported that China's Amer International expects to complete construction of its new 250,000t/y copper rod production line, located in its Chaohu City facility in Anhui Province, by year-end. The expansion project will bring Amer's production capacity to 500,000t/y and its total copper rod production is anticipated to reach 200,000t in 2011. A spokesperson for the company said that it will manufacture rod for both domestic and foreign export markets. In addition, Amer also intends to source copper cathode for rod-processing from within China and also overseas. Total investment for the project amounted to RMB2.5B.
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    Jiangxi Copper has said that it will start-up a new 400,000t/y wirerod and wire plant in H2 2012, after missing its scheduled commissioning month of May due to the onset of the rainy season. The plant, which is based in Zengcheng city, Guangdong province, will be fed by refined copper produced by the company's smelting/refining operations resulting in less Jiangxi Copper cathode available to the domestic market. After startup, the company's semi-finished copper products capacity would double to almost 900,000t/y. Whereas Platt's figures indicate that Jiangxi's cathode production is expected to rise by a smaller value of around 150,000t to reach 1.09Mt in 2012.
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    Leyuan Group has started-up 40 copper foil lines with a total annual production capacity of 10,000t. The new plant is located in Tianjin City, Tianjin province and will be supplemented with two further phases of capacity expansions. The second phase lines are expected to be commissioned in June 2012 while the final phase capacity expansions will be operational by June 2013. The plant represents Leyuan Group's only copper foil production facility and the end of the phased capacity expansion project should see the company's maximum production capability amount to 100,000t/y. Leyuan expects to supply the domestic and Southeast Asian markets with copper foil produced from locally sourced copper cathode. Capital investment for the project is expected to amount to RMB1.22B.
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    Southwire, the US-based aluminium and copper cablemaker, has said that while the use of copper in most electrical applications is unlikely to change, some manufacturers are likely to move toward the use of aluminium wire. The auto industry is increasingly using aluminium wire for traditional copper applications. This is occurring most predominantly outside of the US, however domestic autos companies have also been using aluminium wire for battery cable and aluminium wire harnesses for lights. Southwire stated that for most electrical applications copper usage will remain dominant because of its overall reliability.
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    Guangzhou Jiangtong Copper products, a subsidiary of Jiangxi Copper, announced that it began trial production at its new 400,000t/y copper wirerod plant this week. The company expects to supply nearby consumers in southern China as well as those in foreign markets in Southeast Asia. Capital investment expenditure totalled RMB2.0B.
Colin Bennett

Aluminium: Shock and ore - 1 views

  • While markets such as copper or iron ore have been revolutionised by Chinese demand, in aluminium the revolution has been the astonishing growth of Chinese production. A relatively minor producer of 2.8m tonnes in 2000, it is now the market’s dominant force, with 17.8m tonnes of output last year, or 40 per cent of the world total, according to the International Aluminium Institute. The country in theory faces one hurdle. “Aluminium production is energy-intensive, and China is at a competitive disadvantage in terms of electric power supplies,” Mr Albanese wrote in 2007, arguing that this would lead to higher prices.
Colin Bennett

RUSAL and CHALCO to deepen cooperation in aluminium business - 0 views

  • RUSAL's clear advantages in aluminium industry technologies and hydro power resources are evident. Both parties will work closely together on various levels in the aluminium sector by complementing each other's advantages, thereby contributing to the sound development of the global aluminium industry.'
Colin Bennett

Aluminium demand set to grow 60% in 5 years - 1 views

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    "The primary demand for increased consumption is expected to come from the power sector, where aluminium is a cheaper, lightweight substitute for copper in transmission and distribution, it said. Power distribution companies and government are planning investment of Rs. 4.3 lakh crore over the next five years to expand the transmission and distribution networ"
Colin Bennett

Nexans' innovative overhead line technology helps Brazil solve electricity transmission... - 1 views

  • Resulting from a five-year development programme involving Nexans’ technology centres in France and Belgium, this innovative overhead line technology consists in a thermal resistant aluminium conductor wrapped around a composite carbon core. Compared with a traditional ACSR (Aluminium Conductor Steel Reinforced) which uses steel core, the composite carbon core of the same diameter is much lighter and 50 percent stronger. Most importantly, the carbon core’s coefficient of thermal expansion is roughly one tenth of that of steel, so it expands (and ‘sags’) much less when heated by the high current flowing in the conductor, enabling the vital safety clearances to be maintained between the conductor and the ground, even at high operating temperatures.
Colin Bennett

Flexible Aluminium Power Cable For Wind Turbines - 1 views

  • Aluminium power cable technology for wind turbines took a giant leap forward today with the introduction of HELUKABEL’s HELUWIND WK POWERLINE ALU. This diesel locomotive (DLO)-like power cable is made of finely-stranded aluminium and is highly flexible, offering customers the performance capabilities of a standard copper cable, but at a fraction of the cost. “Since the POWERLINE ALU is made of aluminium its weight is reduced by nearly 50 percent, it is quicker and easier to install, as well as being less expensive than comparable copper power cables,” says Uwe Schenk, Global Segment Manager – Wind at HELUKABEL. “Given the uncertainty of the PTCs and the need for reducing turbine costs (manufacturing, installation and maintenance), the POWERLINE ALU is our attempt to further the development of the industry in the United States and Canada by making wind turbines more affordable.” 
Colin Bennett

A multi‐stakeholder approach to create a Responsible Aluminium Standard - 1 views

  • The ethical, environmental and social performance criteria that will compose this new standard are expected to be defined by 2014, following multi‐stakeholder consultation to ISEAL specifications. Once defined and publicly launched, the expectation is that aluminium industry organizations will want to adopt these criteria to produce, use or re‐use aluminium.
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