Aluminum

Metro International Trade Services — the dominant London Metal Exchange warehouse operator in Detroit but also with depots across the US, Italy, South Korea and Malaysia — was ever the stand out contrarian operator.

Indeed, it was the fabulous profits the firm was generating that encouraged Goldman Sachs to buy the company in 2010, and it was the prospect of lower profits and regulatory oversight that probably prompted them to sell in 2014 to Swiss-based but British-owned investment house Reuben Brothers.

Metro and Pacorini’s Load-Out Game
It’s probably not unfair to say Metro, along with Glencore’s Paccorini, were the black sheep of the warehousing family in the years following the financial crisis, as they engineered massive load out queues, lasting up to two years, in order to generate vast rent profits from metal stuck waiting in the queue to be loaded out.

Aluminum ingots, possibly waiting at a Metro International warehouse for load out.
Consumers and processors put up with that for a while, but under threat of legal action the LME moved to tackle the problem in recent years and a number of rule changes have effectively forced warehouse firms to limit intake when queues are over a certain length. Increase load out rates and changes this year will force firms to reduce rent on metal in the load out queues.

Open and Transparent Warehousing
As a result, the warehouse business has been forced to operate on a more fair and open basis, charging rents on a competitive basis against other LME warehouses without the benefit of being able to offer massive incentives, in the form of secret discounts or up-front payments, to encourage firms to store metal in their sheds.

The LME’s rule changes were expected to cause rents to rise, storing metal in a highly regulated and secure LME warehouse has costs (and benefits) attached that non-LME warehouse storage does not incur.

Forcing LME warehouses to operate without these distorting incentives was always likely to incur an increase in rents, but according to Reuters the market has been taken by surprise this week when Metro announced their 2016/17 rent and Free on Truck (FOT) delivery charges for aluminum at levels way above those of any other LME warehouse company.

Metro will charge $0.72 per metric ton per day to store aluminum in its sheds from April 1, up from $0.54 currently. The company has also raised its FOT charges in the US to $55.55 per metric ton from $39.95. By way of comparison, the average 2016/2017 rent charge for aluminum among competing operators of LME warehouses in Detroit is $0.535 per metric ton per day, up from $0.4683 in 2015/2016. The average FOT charge from competing operators will be $43.99 per mt, from $40.02 in 2015/2016.

The LME has been typically understated in its response to the news, saying it has queried the economic rationale for the increases submitted, but behind the scenes must be demanding an explanation for such dramatic increases. The average of all warehouse rents for aluminum from April will be near 50 cents, and the LME has suggested it may consider rent capping but it’s unclear if it would run into legal challenges if it tried that route to resolve the situation.

Metro’s Hand… Not All Trump Cards
Metro may be the dominant LME warehouse operator in Detroit, its home base, but it is not the only one. There are four others holding aluminum, but Metro has 90% of the city’s LME aluminum stock.

How much longer it will hold such a dominant position remains to be seen though, the firm can’t even make significant money out of the 200,00+ mt of metal sitting in its load-out queue. New rules such as queue-based rent capping due to be introduced by the LME in May mean the rent payable on metal stuck in a queue for longer than 30 days drops by half and is eliminated altogether after 50 days.

Metro may find that it hemorrhages stock as customers switch to other operators. Or, more likely, this may be just be a negotiating stance and it fully expects to “respond to market pressure” and reduce the planned increases to something close to the industry norm, but achieve better than the average without having to fight a legal case.

Company achieves 49 percent recycled aluminum inputs and has doubled its recycling capacity since 2010.

December 22, 2015 Recycling Today Staff
Atlanta-based aluminum rolling and recycling company Novelis has published its 2015 sustainability report, detailing what it says is significant progress toward increasing recycled aluminum use and using natural resources more efficiently. At the end of fiscal 2015, the company says it has achieved an average of 49 percent recycled aluminum inputs, up 19 percentage points from the baseline years of 2007-2009, and a reduction in water use intensity by 22 percent.

Over the past five years, Novelis says it has doubled its recycling capacity, helping to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 13 percent from baseline. Recycling aluminum produces 95 percent fewer GHG emissions and requires 95 percent less energy than primary aluminum production, enabling Novelis to achieve lower GHG emissions despite increasing global production capacity, the company says.

“Novelis’ commitment to sustainability is fundamental to our success as the global leader in aluminum rolling and recycling,” says Steve Fisher, president and chief executive officer, Novelis. “Our continued focus on sustainability enables us to provide the lower carbon, high recycled content products our customers demand and provides a source of competitive advantage in the markets we serve.”

The report highlights other company achievements from fiscal 2015, according to Novelis, including:
 
The opening of the world’s largest and most technologically advanced aluminum recycling center in Nachterstedt, Germany, which can process up to 400,000 metric tons of aluminum scrap annually. This facility advances Novelis’ progress toward increasing recycled inputs, will save 3.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions a year and sets a new global standard for aluminum recycling.
Supplying lightweight automotive aluminum for the Ford F-150, America’s best-selling truck, thereby eliminating 700 pounds from the vehicle and making it highly fuel efficient. Supply for the truck also involves a highly innovative closed-looped recycling system, ensuring manufacturing scrap is recycled in a closed loop between Novelis and Ford.
Continued expansion of the company’s portfolio of certified high-recycled aluminum products, including beverage can sheet and the introduction of evercycle™ for food containers. The evercycle aluminum sheet, which is certified by SCS Global Services to contain 100-percent-recycled aluminum, represents a breakthrough in the food containers category, which has been made historically from primary aluminum-based alloys or lower amounts of preconsumer recycled content, according to Novelis.
Since 2011, Novelis says it has invested approximately $2 billion to expand recycling and production capacity. The company says it looks forward to applying its new capabilities to the fullest extent, driving operational excellence and delivering the highest quality, sustainable products to its customers for years to come, helping them achieve their own sustainability objectives and adhere to evolving carbon constraints around the world.
Improving water efficiency, which is critical to Novelis’ operations, particularly in drought-impacted areas of the world such as Brazil. In FY15, Novelis’ plant in Pindamonhangaba, Brazil, made significant water efficiency improvements, including automation of its industrial and drinking water systems, helping the company to reach an overall 22 percent reduction in water intensity.
 
Novelis says it continues to make progress in multiple areas of its operations, including reducing GHG emissions, energy and water intensity from its baseline.

Novelis aligned this report to conform to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G4 Sustainability Reporting. The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G4 guidelines are the world’s most widely used framework for sustainability reporting.

The report on Global Aluminium Fluoride Sales 2015 Market Research Report added by DecisionDatabases.com gives an in depth industry analysis of the market. I...

CiAL (Consorzio Imballaggi Alluminio in Italian) was created by aluminium producers and users in 1997, and officially recognized by the Italian government in 1998, to promote the reduction of waste and develop the collection process for recycling aluminium products so as to better protect the environment.

Working with local governments across Italy to ensure aluminium is being properly disposed of, CiAl has helped Italy significantly improve the country's performance and surpass European requirements in the field of recycling.

By 2000, the consortium had already formed 210 agreements with environmental companies and 2,500 partnerships with local municipalities, covering 46% of the Italian population. At that time, however, only 30% of aluminium on the market was being recovered and only 26% recycled.

Fast forward 15 years, and the movement for better recycling in Italy has come a long way. As of 2015, CiAl has entered into consistent collaboration with the national government's ministries for the environment and economic development, regional and provincial governments, local communities, NGOs, and individual citizens.

The results have been impressive: since 2010, the consortium has helped recover over 40,000 tons of aluminium packaging every year. The 50,200 tons of aluminium recovered in 2014 accounted for 79% of all aluminium on the market, a major increase from just two years before (when the 44,200 tons recovered made up for 67% of the total).There is still a great deal of work to be done, however. As CiAl's collection data shows, aluminium recycling is much more expansive in Italy's north than it is in central and southern Italy.

That is how recycling process works:

https://youtu.be/ttP_wVB3v30

In order to promote public knowledge of the importance of recycling and sustainability, CiAl offered the Riciletta as the main prize for an online poll called "Riciloamatore - Who Reduces, Wins!" during the European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR) in November 2012. 

The committee behind the EWWR program, which included both the Italian Ministry of the Environment and UNESCO, praised the Riciloamatore as "a game which offered the much-desired Riciletta, the perfect paradigm of recycling and of sustainable mobility, and in doing so spurred many to properly inform themselves on environmental questions." After the success of the contest, Ricicloamatore was chosen to represent Italy alongside projects from 22 other countries taking part in EWWR. 

Over the course of the past decade, the Ricicletta has steadily attained a high level of recognition within Italy. A number of Italian and international celebrities and public figures have been associated with the Ricicletta, including professional cyclist Vincenzo Nibali, actors Danny DeVito, Isabella Ferrari, and Pierfrancesco Favino, singers Giorgia Todrani and Lorenzo Fragola, and writer Beppe Severgnini.

In 2015, even professional cycling's Astana Pro Team teamed with CiAl to help put on the third edition of the Riciloamatore contest, recording a YouTube video to explain how recycled aluminium can be given a new life: five recycled cans can produce a biker's water bottle, 37 provide enough aluminium to make one of Italy's famous Moka coffee pots, and 800 can be transformed into the famous Ricicletta.

As we entered the final month of 2015, what we’ve known for some time became all but cemented: 2015 will go down as one of the worst years on record for metals producers. Great news for buyers, sure, but was it ever lean to be a producer this year.

Our final MMI report of the year showed another batch of all-time low prices and not a single sub-index showed positive growth. The best any of our metals could do was hold steady. You may remember us saying something similar — all-time low prices and little, if any, upward movement in the sub-indexes — in November, October and September… andJune… and March.

How bad is it? The last time raw materials like copper and oil were this cheap, an economic depression loomed. the Bloomberg Commodity Index, which tracks a wide swath of raw materials, plummeted to its weakest level since June 1999.

The last time US oil reserves were this flush with crude was 1972. What’s a major miner to do as raw materials are historically low, too? Well, If you’re Anglo American, this week, you announce you’ll cut jobs, sell mines and retrench. 85,000 Of Anglo American’s 135,000 workers’ jobs are on the line.

It’s not surprising and no one can really blame Anglo American for finally cutting jobs and production. It’s now more expensive, depending on where it’s mined, to pull iron ore out of the ground than to sell it at these prices. Alcoa‘s move to shut down smelters came from the same economic conditions.

For steelmakers, it’s the worst downturn in 15 years. US steel shipments were down about 11% through the first nine months of 2015 compared with the year-ago period, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). The industry, which employs about 150,000, has announced 12,000 layoffs the past year, the group says.

What’s most disturbing is this downturn is nothing new and it’s been afflicting producers since last year. It would be great to say that the overproduction problem and supply gluts are being curtailed and the shutdowns are having their desired effect.

Except that’s not true. So far, oversupply still exists and producers are still in the same boat. So things could, indeed, get a lot worse in 2016. Umm, Happy New Year?

Key members of the aluminium industry and academics alike, descended upon the Intercontinental Hotel in Doha, Qatar for leading aluminium producer Qatalum’s Annual Aluminium Symposium. Titled “Aluminium The Engine for Growth in the Region”, the event was led by the remarks of key Qatalum executives Christian Stette, Khalid Laram and Olaf Wigstoel. Each executive addressed the importance of the aluminium industry in the Middle East during a period of stagnation in the energy sector, whilst stating the importance of educational research in helping to bolster their respective aims.

Two sessions followed the inauguration speeches which touched on aluminium downstreaming, quality, recycling and research. Company executives from Qatalum, Hydro, SAPA and Taha International Corporation helped guide the sessions with presentations specific to dross handling, futuristic applications, building systems, casthouses and more. The support of Qatar University further stated how aligned industrial pursuits central to aluminium have become with academia based on the increasingly essential nature research is playing within the sector.

MetalMiner welcomes commentary from Heidi Brock, president and CEO of the Aluminum Association.

Like many industries in the global commodities sector, 2015 has been a bit of a roller-coaster for the North American aluminum industry. From highs, such as the release of the aluminum-intensive Ford F-150, to lows like the announced curtailment of some domestic production, this has unquestionably been a year of ups and downs.

Free Sample Report: Our Annual Metal Buying Outlook

However, some recent chatter and reporting suggesting a “collapse” of the US aluminum business, framing ours as an industry “fighting for its life,” are overblown, misjudged and simply incorrect.

It’s time to take a deep breath, tone down the rhetoric and look at the hard facts.

It is absolutely true that this is an extremely challenging time for parts of the domestic and global aluminum industry — particularly in the upstream segment of the business. The recently announced curtailments of US smelting capacity have real-world consequences on hardworking families and rural communities.

But, let’s keep a couple of things in mind. First, a curtailment is not a closure. In better market conditions, these curtailed smelters could be brought right back into production. Second, we’re working together as an industry to do everything we can — improving trade conditions, supporting transparency in the financial trading of aluminum, promoting common-sense regulations — to create an environment where these smelters can reopen.

Despite these obvious challenges, what’s also important to remember is that many parts of the domestic aluminum industry are as healthy — or healthier — than they’ve ever been. Let’s start with the fundamentals.

Aluminum is a product virtually every person in the US, and indeed most of the world, uses every single day. The metal is so ubiquitous that many of us don’t even realize how often it touches our lives.

The car you drive to work most likely has an aluminum hood and other lightweight parts to drive fuel efficiency and improve performance. Your house or office building likely uses aluminum windows and doors, or maybe even a cool roof to improve insulation and decrease heating and cooling bills. That airplane you fly in to visit family and friends over the holidays would literally not be possible without lightweight aluminum as a key component. Increasingly, even the high-tech gadgets you use to stay connected make major use of aluminum.

The recent history of industry shipments bears out the strength of the metal. In 2014, demand for aluminum in the US and Canada totaled more than 25 billion pounds, approaching record levels last seen in the mid-2000s. This is more than five times the aluminum demand in 1960, despite the fact that the population has not even doubled during that time period. And that doesn’t even take into account global demand, which has seen half a decade of 5-to-8% year-over-year demand growth. Bullish projections five years ago had global aluminum demand doubling between 2010 and 2020. Midway through the decade, we’re on track to exceed that forecast.

People use more aluminum today than ever before and this shows no sign of abating.
What’s just as clear as our positive demand picture is that the industry is continuing to modernize and grow. While domestic primary production remains a critical part of the mix, production in the US is increasingly centered around recycled metal — or secondary production as it’s known in the industry. Domestic market players are also focusing more on the value-added end of the business.

Today, nearly 80% of aluminum industry jobs are either in making recycled aluminum or in downstream parts of the business like rolling mills and foundries. This value-added segment, in particular, has seen significant investment in recent years to meet projected demand growth in auto and aerospace. Indeed, since 2013, our member companies have announced investments north of $2.5 billion in domestic plant expansions. Just a few weeks ago, one of our members broke ground on a $240 million project in Kentucky that will add 200 jobs to an aluminum rolling facility there.

At the same time, the US industry increasingly makes recycled (secondary) metal. We make twice the amount of secondary aluminum today as we did in 1980 — about 8.5 billion pounds last year — and more recycled aluminum than any other country besides China. Since recycling aluminum requires 92% less energy to make than new aluminum, this has a major – and positive – impact on the industry’s environmental footprint.

No market stands still and we fully expect to see continued shifts in this dynamic yet growing sector of the manufacturing economy. Some of these changes may create challenges and we will work together as an industry to overcome them. But we also know the fundamentals — and the facts — support a continued vibrant aluminum business in the United States.

Heidi Brock is the President & CEO of the Aluminum Association, based in Arlington, Va. The Aluminum Association represents 111 US and foreign-based companies and their suppliers throughout the value chain, from primary production to value-added products to recycling. The aluminum industry helps manufacturers produce sustainable and innovative products, including more fuel-efficient vehicles, recyclable packaging, greener buildings and modern electronics. For more information visit www.Aluminum.org, on 

Aluminium anodising provides a number of benefits that can help to provide protection against the elements, increase longevity, and enable a product to be coloured.

The process of anodising can be traced as far back as 1923 when it was employed to protect certain parts of planes from the corrosive nature of salt water. In these modern times, anodised aluminium is a product that is often taken for granted due to its ubiquitous nature within society. What are some of the benefits associated with anodised aluminium?

Anti-Corrosive Properties

One of the most important advantages of anodised aluminium is that it is highly resistant to corrosion. This is accomplished by adding a protective layer to prevent oxygen from reacting with the surface of the metal. So, it should only make sense that products such as mobile phone cases, aluminium cans, spray bottles and bottle tops (such as those used with perfumes and soft drinks) will often utilise anodised aluminium.

Durability and Longevity

As opposed to simply polishing aluminium, the anodising process is able to extend the lifespan (and therefore the reliability) of many safety products. This can be commonly seen in modern climbing equipment. Not only will vital items such as carabiners and tools be protected from corrosion, but their physical strength is not sacrificed.

The Difference Between a Simple Coating and an Anodised Product

One common misconception is that the anodising process involves coating the surface of an aluminium object such as a bicycle wheel or a piece of jewellery. On the contrary, the anodised finish is completely integrated with the metal substrate. This is important for a number of reasons. In reference to items such as nuts and bolts that experience physical stresses, the surface layer will remain intact under duress. Additionally, anodised aluminium objects such as cans are completely recyclable and they retain their physical properties remarkably well.

A Scientific Process

Anodising a product such as a plumbing pipe or a necklace is a highly exacting process that begins with aluminium polishing on an industrial scale. Trust a metal polishing and anodising company such as Badger Anodising (Birmingham) Ltd to produce a longer-lasting finish that is also much more pleasing to the eye.

Although anodising may be taken for granted by the bulk of the population, society would not enjoy so many modern amenities without it. It is often the lesser-known innovations which truly revolutionise our existence!

Alcoa, with headquarters in New York and Pittsburgh, has announced that it has entered into a three-and-a-half year agreement with New York state to increase the competitiveness of the Massena West smelter. The company had previously announced plans to curtail the facility amid prevailing market conditions; however, the agreement will help maintain hundreds of jobs in New York’s North Country, improve the cost position of the smelter and support growth projects for the casthouse, Alcoa says.


“Sen. Schumer and Gov. Cuomo have been tremendous allies for Alcoa’s Massena operations for many years, and we thank them for their continued support,” says Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Klaus Kleinfeld. “Today’s agreement helps better position the smelter in light of prevailing market conditions, providing this facility a bridge to a stronger commodity market and maintaining jobs in the North Country. We remain focused on ensuring our Upstream business is well-positioned to succeed throughout the cycle.”

New York state’s incentive package will help maintain approximately 600 jobs at the Massena West facility through the term of the agreement. The plant has 130,000 metric tons of smelting capacity.

With the Midwest transaction aluminum price down 30 percent year to date, Alcoa says it will continue with its other previously announced curtailments of uncompetitive smelting and refining capacity. Once the curtailments are complete, Alcoa’s smelting capacity will be reduced by 373,000 metric tons. The reductions will further improve the cost position of the Upstream business and ensure competitiveness in a lower pricing environment, the company says.

Alcoa says it has been aggressively reshaping its Upstream portfolio as part of a successful multiyear strategy to position itself as a low-cost global leader in alumina and aluminum production.

Revised total restructuring-related charges in the fourth quarter of 2015 associated with actions announced in November will be between $130 million and $150 million after tax, or 10 cents to 11 cents per share, of which approximately 40 percent would be noncash, according to the company.

Aluminum Association releases ‘Green Building Guidelines’
“Aluminum in Green Buildings: A Guide to Green Building Development and Certification with Aluminum Products” is intended to assist and support aluminum end-users.

November 30, 2015 Recycling Today Staff
The Aluminum Association, based in Arlington, Virginia, has released a new guide that outlines aluminum’s exclusive properties for use in building and construction, as well as data on the metal’s life cycle characteristics and environmental performance.

“Aluminum in Green Buildings: A Guide to Green Building Development and Certification with Aluminum Products” is intended to assist and support aluminum end-users—architects, designers and engineers—in understanding how aluminum contributes to green building development and achieving certifications, such as the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC’s) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building certification program, according to the Aluminum Association.

The association says key information in the guide includes:


- aluminum’s unique properties and building applications;
-aluminum building products and systems that contribute to credits for LEED v4 certification’
-North American aluminum’s life cycle environmental performance (Environmental Product Declarations); and
-The North American industry’s sustainability strategies, metrics and major achievements.

“The aluminum industry is committed to advancing the sustainability efforts of its customers through the use of aluminum,” says Heidi Brock, president and CEO of the Aluminum Association. “The Green Building Guidelines will allow the industry’s building and construction end-users to make informed decisions about using one of the greenest, most innovative materials in their projects today.”

The Aluminum Association says the guide is based on key requirements of the current, most commonly adopted green building certifications systems and construction codes. The Green Building Guidelines guide elaborates how those requirements can potentially be met or exceeded through the use of aluminum products and systemic aluminum solutions. The guide incorporates the most up-to-date understanding of aluminum’s technological solutions to challenges of the building and construction industries, according to the Aluminum Association. Additionally, the results of the aluminum industry’s extensive sustainability research and studies are featured, the group says.

Lightweight, strong and infinitely recyclable, aluminum products can help lower energy costs and carbon emissions in building and construction applications, according to the Aluminum Association. Properly coated aluminum roofs can reflect up to 95 percent of sunlight, helping improve building energy efficiency. Aluminum framing systems and curtain walls can accommodate highly insulating glass and enhance the balanced functioning of heating and cooling, the association says. This allows for the systems to serve as the best solution for building energy efficiency improvements and “net zero” energy performance, the group adds.

Aluminum in Green Buildings: A Guide to Green Building Development and Certification with Aluminum Products is available on the Aluminum Association’s website at www.aluminum.org.

The Aluminum Association says it represents U.S. and foreign-based companies and their suppliers throughout the value chain, from primary production to value-added products to recycling. The association is one of the industry’s leading voices, providing global standards, business intelligence, sustainability research and industry expertise to member companies, policymakers and the general public. The aluminum industry helps manufacturers produce sustainable and innovative products, including more fuel efficient vehicles, recyclable packaging, greener buildings and modern electronics.

Moncks Corner-based electric utility Santee Cooper is staying mum about Monday’s planned discussions on the future of its power deal with Century Aluminum’s Mount Holly smelter.

But state Sen. Paul Campbell, R-Goose Creek and a former top executive at the plant, said he’s confident a solution will be reached to keep the smelter open beyond the Dec. 31 expiration date for the current electricity contract that supports about 600 jobs.

Campbell said he hopes that news comes as early as Monday.

“I expect there’s going to be a bona-fide effort to see if there’s something that can be done to make this work,” Campbell said. “We’ve been looking at several different options to keep those jobs.”

Santee Cooper’s board will hold a special meeting via telephone conference at 9 a.m. at the utility’s headquarters. The board will meet in closed session at first, and a public announcement will be made afterward.

Mollie Gore, the utility’s spokeswoman, said she does not know what will be discussed other than what’s on the agenda. That document states the board will meet to talk about “contract negotiations and receive legal advice with regard to the Century industrial contract.”

Michael Bless, Century’s CEO, said he doesn’t know what the board will be considering.

“All we know is they called that board meeting and we’re on the edge of our seat to hear what they have to say,” Bless said. “But we don’t know any more than that.”

Bless is hoping the utility accepts a proposal he made earlier this month that would reimburse Santee Cooper for any electric transmission capacity the utility loses if Century buys all of its power from an out-of-state supplier.

Century currently buys 75 percent of its power from out of state and the remaining 25 percent from Santee Cooper, which then transmits all of that electricity over its power lines to the plant off Highway 52. The aluminum company wants to buy 100 percent of its power from out of state and pay Santee Cooper about $60 million over five years to transmit it.

Santee Cooper says it can’t accept such a deal because it would force other customers to subsidize Mount Holly’s electric supply.

However, Bless said he’s willing to pay Santee Cooper for any of the transmission capacity the utility actually needs but can’t get if it transmits 100 percent out-of-state power to Mount Holly.

“Tell us every month, every quarter, every six months or whatever ... send us a calculation of that import capacity, that 25 percent that you wanted to use but couldn’t because Mount Holly is using it, and we’ll pay the incremental amount,” Bless said. “If you can prove to us after the fact that you really did need it, no problem, we’ll pay the additional amount.”

Bless said Santee Cooper’s projections show its transmission capacity needs will decrease in coming years. Gore said such calculations are difficult and the utility needs available capacity for growth — Myrtle Beach, one of its key markets, is among the nation’s fastest-growing areas — and future development, such as a Volvo car factory in Berkeley County that ultimately will get its power from Santee Cooper.

“I thought it was a winner,” Bless said of the proposal, adding that Santee Cooper rejected it. It’s not clear if that proposal will come up again during Monday’s meeting.

Gore said Century has not presented any plan that would not affect other ratepayers, adding that if there had been such a proposal, “we would have done it a long time ago.”

This week, New York officials said they would give $30 million in power concessions and $38 million more for facility expenses to keep Alcoa’s Massena West smelter open. Alcoa previously had announced the facility would close after the first of next year.

Campbell, a former Alcoa executive who oversaw plants in several states, including the Mount Holly smelter when it was co-owned with Century, said he doesn’t believe the money exists for a similar deal in South Carolina. Century bought out Alcoa’s majority ownership a year ago.

“It’s up to them to make it happen,” Campbell said, referring to Century and Santee Cooper. “It is in everybody’s best interest to keep jobs, not to lose jobs. There’s a solution if both sides will negotiate.”

China's aluminum and nickel producers have asked Beijing to buy up surplus metal, sources said, the first coordinated effort since 2009 to revive prices suffering their worst rout since the global financial crisis.

The state-controlled metals industry body, China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association, proposed on Monday that the government scoop up aluminum, nickel and minor metals including cobalt and indium, an official at the association and two industry sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.

The request was made to the state planner, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

The NDRC and the metals industry association did not respond to requests for comment.

While it is not clear if the authorities will agree to the proposal, the approach underlines the extent to which loss-making smelters in the world's top producer and consumer are suffering from prices hovering at or near multi-year lows.

Major Chinese zinc smelters had already proposed that the sector slashes output by 500,000 tonnes next year, or around one month's production, in an attempt to boost prices.

The country's major nickel producers will meet on Friday to discuss potential output cuts of their own.

One source familiar with the producers' request said the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association had suggested that the state buys 900,000 tonnes of aluminum, 30,000 tonnes of refined nickel, 40 tonnes of indium, and 400,000 tonnes of zinc.

Other sources did not specify zinc as being part of the plan.

All of the sources declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.

While the proposal does not include copper, it is likely to revive memories of 2009, when the State Reserve Bureau (SRB) in Beijing swooped in to buy more than 700,000 tonnes of copper on the domestic and international markets.

Prices were languishing at around $3,000 per tonne at the time, and the buying spree reversed the falls and ultimately helped to propel prices to record highs above $10,000 per tonne in February, 2011.

The SRB considers copper a strategic metal.

The SRB is controlled by the NDRC, and any state purchases of most commodities are normally approved by the planner and executed by the bureau.

The push to get the government to bail out the industry is likely to stir debate over whether Chinese producers in particular are doing enough to limit oversupply that is overwhelming global demand.

In the United States, aluminum smelters have blamed ballooning exports from China for hurting international prices.

Nickel prices on the London Metal Exchange, which sets the benchmark for global trade, plunged to their lowest in more than a decade on Monday amid concerns about waning demand from China, the world's second-largest economy.

Few, if any smelters, are making a healthy profit at prices as low as $8,200 per tonne, down almost 60 percent since last year.

Aluminum prices have fallen nearly 30 percent over the past year.

Constellium N. V. based in Amsterdam, has announced that it will construct a new greenfield manufacturing facility in Bartow County, Georgia, in response to growing demand for its automotive structures in North America.

The company says the project represents a $20 million investment from Constellium and an additional $12 million investment by developer Seefried Properties, for a total project value of $32 million. Construction of the plant will begin in early 2016 with start of production anticipated in 2017. Constellium expects to create approximately 150 high-tech manufacturing jobs at this location by 2019.

“The new Georgia plant demonstrates Constellium’s commitment to work in partnership with automakers in North America and to be near their assembly plants,” says Paul Warton, president of Constellium’s Automotive Structures and Industry business unit. “This expansion of our footprint in the Southeast United States will allow us to better serve our automotive customers and to respond the industry’s growing demand for aluminium structural parts to lighten vehicles, improve fuel economy and reduce environmental impact.”

The planned 84,000-square-foot greenfield facility may be expanded up to 220,000 square feet to adapt to customers’ supply needs in the future.

“Georgia has a strong business climate and an advanced technical education network to provide a skilled workforce for our operations,” says Eric Krepps, vice president and general manager of Constellium Automotive Structures North America. “We are grateful for the warm welcome we have received from the state of Georgia, Bartow County and a number of partners to help achieve our business goals.”

The development of the downstream aluminium industries in the region will have positive implications for the aluminium sector as a whole, said a senior Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) official at a major conference.

Abdulla Jassem bin Kalban, managing director and CEO at EGA, was among the senior representatives from EGA, who participated as an international speakers at the annual Arab International Aluminium Conference (Arabal), which took place recently in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

The Arabal 2015 event, comprising a strategic conference and industry exhibition, focused on the integration of the aluminium upstream and downstream sectors in the GCC, said a statement.  

On the first day of the conference Kalban participated in a keynote panel discussion on ‘The prospects for the GCC aluminium sector’, it added.

In his presentation he focused on the downstream industry in particular, highlighting the growth of downstream capacity in the UAE in parallel with the midstream smelting industry.

Today, the UAE’s downstream sector has a production capacity of around 380,000 tonnes per annum, of which more than 63.5 per cent of annual production is exported internationally. The predominant aluminium product type consumed by the downstream sector in the UAE is billets, which are used to manufacture construction, kitchen, industrial and automotive profiles as well as scaffolding tubing, heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) and automobile applications; and heat exchangers. Increased demand is expected from the local end-user market, driven by new local infrastructure development projects; as well as in international markets.

Kalban said: “As one of the largest industrial developments in the UAE outside the oil and gas sector, EGA provides a significant opportunity for downstream aluminium industries in the region, with the growth of these industries affecting factors such as the economy, through job creation.”

“EGA does not have assets in the downstream industry, so as not to compete with its local customers. Instead we support the sector by supplying virtually all of the primary aluminium required by the UAE’s downstream aluminium businesses and nurturing mutually beneficial, successful partnerships,” he said.

At the end of his presentation, Kalban announced that EGA will host Arabal 2016 in Dubai, UAE. Next year’s event will be the 20th edition and will mark the sixth time that EGA has hosted Arabal. A key member of the Arabal Forum since its inception, EGA is committed to making Arabal 2016 one of the best ever.

EGA’s second speaker at Arabal, Dr Ali Mohamed Al Zarouni, senior vice president Jebel Ali operations, technology development and transfer, spoke during a session dedicated to innovation and technology in the aluminium industry - areas in which EGA has devoted significant resources and expertise since its inception.

Dr Al Zarouni presented a case study on EGA’s high amperage DX and DX+ Technologies during which he highlighted the benchmark performances achieved by these innovations to date - including improved productivity and environmental impact along with lower Capex. He also shared the performance results of EGA’s DX+ Ultra Technology demonstration cells, emphasising the tremendous promise inherent in the technology’s achievements to date; and touched on EGA’s new pot control technology.

“The proprietary reduction technologies developed in-house by EGA over the years have made the company a respected competitor in this sector of the global aluminium industry,” said Dr Al Zarouni.

“EGA will continue to develop energy-efficient, environmentally responsible, low Capex and high performance reduction cells for its own facilities and future licensing,” he added.

As evidence of this, Dr Al Zarouni ended his presentation with a high level overview of EGA’s new DZ Technology concept, which is expected to set the benchmark against other reduction cell technologies.

A pre-feasibility study to install a demonstration section is on-going, with DZ Technology expected to operate at amperages of above 600 kA and energy consumption levels of less than 12 kWh/kg Al.

“The aluminium industry in the Middle East is among the fastest-growing in the global sector, consistently drawing interest from businesses and analysts across the world,” said Kalban.

“Arabal provides a powerful platform for highlighting the region and showcasing our accomplishments,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service

State-owned Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) is participating in a high-level meeting focusing on ‘Aluminium Industry Challenges and Strategy for Executives’, which opened today (November 25) in Dubai, UAE.

The event will conclude tomorrow (November 26), and is being organised by the Gulf Aluminium Council.

The line-up of speakers at the event includes Walid Attar, chief marketing officer, EGA, who will discuss market figures, product and pricing as well as the future outlook for the market; while Dr Ronald Otte, senior manager, EHSFS, will address environmental issues and standards in the Gulf aluminium industry.

Dr Ali Mohamed Al Zarouni, senior vice president, Jebel Ali Operations, technology development and transfer, will share insights into the latest technological developments, explaining how these will impact the future of the industry.

Abdulla Jassem bin Kalban, managing director and CEO, EGA, said: “EGA’s vision is to provide the global economy with sustainable material of the highest quality, building a legacy of excellence for the UAE, the region and the world.”

“Gulf Aluminium Council fosters collaborative partnerships within the industry, enabling us to work with our peers to promote the long-term sustainability of the sector. This meeting is an excellent forum for knowledge-sharing, for this purpose. From innovation to the environment, the EGA speakers at the event will cover topics which are at the top of the industry’s agenda,” he added.

Gulf Aluminium Council, a body that represents, promotes and protects the interests of the aluminium industry in the region, aims to facilitate continuous improvements in efficiency within the sector.

The council provides forums for industry players to discuss strategy and best practice, as well as to explore opportunities for synergy between their operations in the interest of further improving the region’s international competitiveness. EGA played a key role in the formation of the council, with Kalban serving as its chairman. – TradeArabia News Service

The Aluminum Association has released Aluminum in Green Buildings: A Guide to Green Building Development and Certification with Aluminum Products.

The new guide features information on aluminium’s unique properties for use in building and construction, as well as data on the metal’s life-cycle characteristics and environmental performance.

The guide is available at the online on the Aluminum Association’s website.
 
The Guide is intended to assist and support aluminium end-users – architects, designers and engineers – in understanding how aluminium contributes to green building development and achieving certifications like Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design.  

“The aluminium industry is committed to advancing the sustainability efforts of its customers through the use of aluminium,” said Heidi Brock, President & CEO of the Aluminum Association. “The Green Building Guidelines will allow the industry’s building and construction end-users to make informed decisions about using one of the greenest, most innovative materials in their projects today.”
 
The Guide is based on key requirements of the current, most-commonly adopted green building certifications systems and construction codes. The Guide elaborates how those requirements can potentially be met or exceeded through the use of aluminium products and systemic aluminium solutions. The Guide incorporates the most up-to-date understanding of aluminium’s technological solutions to challenges of the building and construction industries. 

Additionally, the results of the aluminium industry’s extensive sustainability research and studies are featured as well.