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Aluminium News

New duties another dose of 'slow poison' to steel industry, says Neasa

By: Marleny Arnoldi 11th August 2020 The National Employers’ Association of South Africa (Neasa) has reiterated its dissatisfaction with government's approval of an extended 8% safeguard duty on hot rolled coil, bringing the total duty payable on this product to 18%. This follows after Neasa launched an urgent application in the... →

Specialised steel extends life of ore wagons

By: Halima Frost 31st July 2020 Stainless steel manufacturer Columbus Stainless advocates that the much longer life span of ore wagons achieved using 3CR12, makes it clear why stainless steel is the cost-effective choice for equipment in ore-handling processes. “Owing to its excellent properties in wet sliding conditions, the... →

UP ORE DOWN Wagons manufactured by Columbus Stainless using 3CR12 transport ore for substantially longer with less degradation than those made of mild steel or other materials

Manufacturer obtains welding certification

By: Halima Frost 31st July 2020 Rolling stock manufacturer Transmashholdings (TMH) Africa, which acts as the centre of excellence for narrow-gauge rolling stock within the TMH Group, announced in March that it had been awarded the ISO 3834 welding certification. The certification was awarded to the company by the Southern... →

ACCREDITED FUSION Transmashholdings Africa have been awarded an International Standards Organisation 3843 welding certification which will help draw in new clients for the company

Hulamin becomes first aluminium semi-fabricator to achieve emissions milestone

By: Donna Slater 9th July 2020 Aluminium products manufacturer Hulamin reports that it has become the first global aluminium semi-fabricator to have a greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions target approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The SBTi mobilises companies to set science-based targets and boost their... →

New approach adopted in uncertain steel market

By: Darren Parker 3rd July 2020 Steel merchant Macsteel has been re-evaluating its business strategy, owing to a steady decline in steel consumption over the past five years, with 2019 being a “new low” and the start of 2020 faring just as poorly – a situation that has been exacerbated by the lockdown because of Covid-19.... →

BUILDING THE RIGHT WAY Macsteel aims to build its market share through strong, well-established and sustainable relationships with customers

Automation reduces costs, increases productivity

By: Darren Parker 3rd July 2020 With companies that invest in technology and automation showing signs of being more adaptable and strategically well positioned to take advantage of an inevitable upswing in the economy, local manufacturer and supplier of cutting and welding equipment consumables as well as distributor of steel... →

ANDREW POOLE Companies which take the risk and invest are more agile, more productive and better positioned to diversify and access new markets

New booster for industry

By: Darren Parker 3rd July 2020 Nitrogen generation equipment manufacturer and supplier NitraLife has introduced a booster for its NitraCut nitrogen generator product, which ‘bolts’ onto the company’s NitraCut nitrogen generator, to increase its nitrogen delivery pressure and therefore also increase the thickness of steel it... →

BOOSTING CAPABILITY
The NitraCut booster will enable higher pressures and therefore enable the cutting of thicker steel

NitraLife MD Tom Sowry discusses the new NitraCut booster. Camerawork: Nicholas Boyd. Editing: Nicholas Boyd. Recorded: 11.06.2020

Future order book to relieve pressure for fabricator

By: Darren Parker 3rd July 2020 Although the strategic decision to continue to pay employees full salaries during the Level 5 lockdown in April put pressure on its cashflow, steel fabricator and erector Betterect believes a healthy order book of projects for the next 18 months should ensure that the pressure will be relieved.... →

NICOLETTE SKJOLDHAMMER
The ‘Team Africa’ mindset has been embraced by several industry stakeholders since its inception

Betterect MD Nicolette Skjoldhammer discusses the company’s strategic decisions, facility upgrades and the concept of ‘Team Africa’. Camerawork: Nicholas Boyd. Editing: Nicholas Boyd. Recorded: 12.06.2020

Metso Outotec can drive industries towards responsible use of natural resources

By: Marleny Arnoldi 1st July 2020 Metso Minerals, a subsidiary of global industrial company Metso, has officially merged with Finnish-listed technology company Outotec. The merger has formed a leading process technology, equipment and services company serving the minerals, metals and aggregates industries. The combined company... →

Hulamin experiences difficult 2019, but balance sheet remains robust

By: Marleny Arnoldi 26th June 2020 JSE-listed aluminium supplier Hulamin says it experienced particularly difficult conditions during the financial year ended December 31, 2019, which resulted in its loss a share increasing by 57% year-on-year to 380c. Headline earnings were down 182% year-on-year to a loss of R240-million, which... →

Cables for corrosive conditions

By: Tracy Hancock 26th June 2020 Industrial equipment supplier BMG’s extensive portfolio of Tsubaki Kabelschlepp cable carrier systems and safety cables includes S/SX steel cable carriers, which have been designed to carry heavy mechanical loads in harsh environments, including corrosive conditions. “The S/SX series comprises... →

OPTIMISED GEOMETRY The link design of the S/SX series allows contaminants found in harsh environments to fall through the system when the cable carrier is in motion

Hulamin expects headline loss a share of at least 70c

By: Marleny Arnoldi 19th June 2020 JSE-listed aluminium supplier Hulamin expects to report a basic loss a share of between 370c and 380c for the year ended December 31, 2019. This compares with a loss a share of 242c reported for the year ended December 31, 2018. →

Covid-19 compounds challenges in Africa

By: Tracy Hancock 12th June 2020 The legislation put in place amid the Covid-19 pandemic is compounding the “exceptionally challenging” business environment already faced by companies when operating in Africa, where each country presents its own challenges, says Macsteel Exports senior branch manager Adrian Isemonger. He... →

AFRICAN REACH Macsteel Exports supplies sub-Saharan Africa with the broadest range of carbon steel, stainless steel, specialty steels, aluminum products and value-added processes to all industry sectors

Fitch Solutions expects most metal markets to move into a surplus this year

By: Simone Liedtke 13th May 2020 Most metals markets are expected to move into a surplus this year, says research firm Fitch Solutions, noting that consumption is likely to decrease more than the decreases in production capacity, as a result of the spread of Covid-19. Although some operational hurdles, owing to government... →

Hulamin expects Covid-19 to negatively impact on earnings

By: Simone Liedtke 17th April 2020 South Africa’s national lockdown is a significant disruption to JSE-listed Hulamin’s operations and has resulted in a decrease in demand for its products, particularly in the general engineering and automotive sectors. Consequently, Hulamin expects this to negatively impact on its earnings before... →

Global GDP to contract 1.9% this year, spark commodity oversupply, says Fitch

By: Simone Liedtke 6th April 2020 Owing to unprecedented lockdown in much of Europe, the US and across the globe, the world is currently experiencing considerably lower economic activity, which in turn significantly reduces commodity consumption, says ratings agency Fitch Ratings. As a result, it expects global gross domestic... →

Hulamin finalises acquisition of rolling slab business from Isizinda venture

By: Marleny Arnoldi 3rd April 2020 JSE-listed aluminium supplier and exporter Hulamin says all conditions have been fulfilled around the transaction between its subsidiary Hulamin Operations (Hulamin Opco) and Bingelela Capital to acquire the rolling slab business from Isizinda Aluminium company. The Isizinda company owns the... →

South32 cuts expenditure as operations are adjusted

By: Esmarie Iannucci 27th March 2020 Diversified miner South32 has announced a $160-million cut to capital expenditure over the next 15 months, with the miner also announcing a number of operational changes in response to COVID-19. In response to a 21-day lockdown in South Africa, Soutnh32’s manganese assets in that country, along... →

South32 CEO Graham Kerr

First bauxite cargo from Chalco's Guinea mine arrives in China

By: Reuters 27th February 2020 The first cargo of bauxite shipped from Aluminum Corp of China's Boffa mine, in Guinea, has arrived in China, a spokesperson for the company, which is also known as Chalco, said on Thursday. The 55 000 t cargo arrived at the port of Rizhao in eastern China's Shandong province on Wednesday after... →

South Africa will caution Trump against ‘premature’ trade review

By: Bloomberg 29th January 2020 South Africa’s government will tell President Donald Trump’s administration that its review of a preferential trade agreement that could put as much as $2.4-billion in exports at risk is premature and potentially damaging for both economies. The US Trade Representative will start public hearings... →

World risks 'disaster' as reuse of natural resources declines

By: Reuters 21st January 2020 The proportion of raw materials the world is reusing has fallen, researchers said on Tuesday, warning of a "global disaster" as annual consumption of natural resources rose to 100-billion tonnes for the first time. Just 8.6% of the 100-billion tonnes of materials – including minerals, metals,... →

Apple buys first carbon-free aluminium from Alcoa, Rio Tinto JV

By: Simone Liedtke 6th December 2019 Technology company Apple has bought the first-ever commercial batch of carbon-free aluminium from a joint venture (JV) between two aluminum suppliers. The metal is being made by Elysis, the Montreal-based JV of Alcoa and Rio Tinto. The JV was established last year, with $144-million in funding... →

Cloud-based software anchors steel construction design

By: Halima Frost 22nd November 2019 Construction industry services and technology provider Hilti South Africa’s new, fully cloud-based steel anchor design software Profis has been well received in the South African construction sector. Launched in July, Profis Engineering is customised software used in the design of steel anchor... →

HARD JOB The new cloud-based software makes the design of steel erections, stiffeners and welding associated with the connection easier

Alcoa joins the ICMM

By: Creamer Media Reporter 21st November 2019 US-headquartered bauxite, alumina and aluminium products producer Alcoa has become the twenty-seventh company to become a member of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), which brings together companies and regional and commodities associations to strengthen the mining industry's... →

Refurbished building boasts new materials

By: Darren Parker 15th November 2019 Shared workspace provider WeWork will officially open its newly refurbished 155 West street building, in Sandton, next month. The building, which is more than 25 years old, was previously occupied by health insurance provider Discovery before it was overhauled. →

NOT JUST A PRETTY FAÇADE The interior of the refurbished building includes upgraded safety features and improved facilities

Coca-Cola chooses plastic bottle collection over aluminium cans to cut carbon footprint

By: Reuters 7th November 2019 Coca-Cola is committed to collecting and recycling plastic bottles rather than switching to aluminium cans as the world's largest soft drinks maker seeks to reduce its carbon footprint, its chief executive officer told Reuters. Along with multinational rivals including PepsiCo and Nestle,... →

EU argues case against Trump's metal tariffs at WTO

By: Reuters 5th November 2019 The European Union argued on Monday for the withdrawal of tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on metal imports in one of the most high-profile and potentially explosive cases to come to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Trump set duties in 2018 of 25% on incoming steel and 10% on... →

Antiplastic trend raising aluminium demand – Novelis

By: Reuters 1st November 2019 Moves to reduce plastic packaging to protect the environment are starting to increase demand for aluminium packaging, the European head of Novelis, the world's largest producer of rolled aluminium products, said. Aluminium demand will also be underpinned by a trend towards more electrically... →

MSI launches welders' recruitment programme to boost job creation

By: Yvonne Silaule 30th October 2019 The Mpumalanga Stainless Initiative (MSI) and the Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) have launched the Mpumalanga Informal Welders Recruitment Programme. MSI CEO Victor Mashego says the programme will assist welders in rural areas and townships gain access to the market and grow their... →

Metals sector in costly battle to turn green

By: Reuters 25th October 2019 Metals producers, from miners to smelters, are grappling with increasingly tough and costly environmental demands imposed by banks seeking cleaner investments. While the transition may prove overwhelming for smaller producers, larger companies are playing a long game, casting ahead to a period... →

Plastic bottles vs aluminium cans: who'll win the global water fight?

By: Reuters 17th October 2019 Global bottled water giants are ramping up trials of easily recyclable aluminium cans to replace plastic that pollutes the world's seas. Sound like a slam-dunk for the environment? Not entirely. Aluminium cans might indeed mean less ocean waste, but they come with their own eco-price: the... →

China's Chalco delays Boffa bauxite mine launch to 2020

By: Reuters 10th October 2019 Aluminum Corp of China, also known as Chalco, has delayed the launch of its Boffa bauxite project in Guinea until at least the first quarter of 2020, a company official said on Thursday. Construction on the project, expected to produce 12-million tonnes of the aluminium ore a year, would be... →

WTO slashes forecast for trade growth as conflicts mount

By: Reuters 1st October 2019 The World Trade Organization (WTO) cut its forecast for growth in global trade this year by more than half on Tuesday and said further rounds of tariffs and retaliation, a slowing economy and a disorderly Brexit could squeeze it even more. The WTO said it now expected global merchandise trade to... →

Photo by Reuters
WTO director-general Roberto Azevedo

Extrusion press concept for aluminium sector developed

By: Halima Frost 27th September 2019 As a global service partner for clients, metallurgical industry plant and integrated systems provider, SMS group has developed a concept for extrusion presses offering significant flexibility and efficiency for the steel and aluminium industries. “SMS group service technicians are specifically... →

KEEP ROLLING ROLLING ROLLING A cold rolling production line supplied to an international client by SMS group

Demand growth continues to outweigh production growth

27th September 2019 Last month, macroeconomic researcher Fitch Solutions – a unit of the Fitch Group –reported that the global aluminum market will see a number of deficits over the coming years as solid demand growth, driven by the construction and autos sectors, outpaces production growth. Notably, the global... →

BUILDING SPEED The construction and automotive sectors have seen solid demand growth which has outpaced production growth

Company launches recycled bicycle

27th September 2019 Global food and beverage company Nestle Global’s brand Nespresso has announced the launch of its fully recycled aluminium bicycle the RE:CYCLE – part of its drive to remain at the forefront of a circular economy and demonstrating its commitment to recycling. Aluminium is one of the world's most... →

THINK BIKE For every Vélosophy bike sold a second bike will be donated to a developing country in an effort to aid poverty relief

Govt looking to create 'certainty' in local steel, manufacturing industries

By: Simone Liedtke 13th September 2019 Public Enterprises Deputy Minister Phumulo Masualle on Friday said the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) was looking to create “a sense of certainty” in the local steel and manufacturing industries by leveraging investments from State-owned entities (SOEs). This, he told delegates at the... →

Public Enterprises Deputy Minister Phumulo Masualle discusses measures being implemented by government to create more certainty for the domestic steel and manufacturing sectors. Video: Kutlwano Matlala; Editing: Nicholas Boyd.

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