Year in Review: The Journey of Aluminium Prices in 2017
The last twelve months have seen an incredible comeback in the aluminium market. Thanks to sweeping fundamental changes in the...
Christopher Clemence
Why Section 232 Sanctions May Do the U.S. Aluminium Sector More Harm than Good
Late last week the United States Commerce Department delivered to President Donald Trump the much-anticipated results of its Section 232 investigation into the national security implications of primary aluminium imports from the People’s Republic of China. While the administration’s exact response to...
Will the 140-year old London Metal Exchange survive the 21st century?
There is no question that the London Metal Exchange (LME) is the biggest metals exchange on Earth. However, questions have...
Trade Data Reveals Apparent Drop-Off of Aluminium Extrusions from China to Vietnam
China Zhongwang seems to have entered a new chapter in the continuing saga of its alleged transshipment of extruded aluminium. The...
Events
Aluminium Wrap – CRU’s 22nd World Aluminium Conference
CRU Group held its 22nd World Aluminium Conference in London between May 3-5. The event has long been among the premier events on the commodities calendar, and 2017 was no exception. This year’s focus was sustainability in the aluminium industry, investigating the delicate but important interplay between economic and environmental considerations, the effect of such […]
Is Winter Coming for Iceland’s Aluminium Smelters?
Despite its location far north of the ecliptic and far distant from the world’s major industrial centers, Iceland has developed a robust and inexpensive energy infrastructure. The island’s location astride two major diverging tectonic plates and atop a massive mantle plume supplies it with an essentially inexhaustible supply of geothermal energy. Centuries-long use of hot […]
The Thirteenth Element and 3D Printing
The demand for aluminium has risen from many quarters – automotive, aviation, construction, infrastructure, energy transmission, and many more. Among the more exciting (and perhaps less talked-about) avenues of demand for the versatile metal is that of additive manufacturing, or, as it is more popularly known, 3D printing. Three-dimensional printing technology has been in existence […]
Metal Fatigue – Has China Hongqiao’s Weiqiao Model Run Its Course?
The world’s largest aluminium company finds its finances again in question after being suspended from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. China Hongqiao Group Limited saw the trading of its shares halted Wednesday morning, one day after announcing that the publication of its annual results would be delayed. According to the relevant filing, Hongqiao advised the […]
Increased Aluminium Content Drives into the Geneva Motor Show
The 87th Geneva Motor Show begins on Thursday at the Geneva Palexpo in Switzerland. As one of the world’s premier auto shows, “The Salon” is a forum for automakers from around the globe to showcase their latest offerings. As lightweighting and sustainability become more important to the global automobile industry, an increasing number of vehicles […]