News

In recognition of their packaging excellence six products, which won the prestigious Alufoil Trophy, have been awarded a WorldStar by the World Packaging Organisation (WPO). The winning alufoil products were made by Ampac Flexibles; Ardagh and Amcor Flexibles; Constantia Flexibles; Guala Closures and Huhtamaki Flexible Packaging. Five WorldStars were received by Alufoil Trophy winners in the food category. Ampac were given the award for its Marinade Pouch, an innovative, 3-side-sealed pouch with a special zipper solution, which contains 200ml of sauce, to marinate fresh meat within...

Noranda Alumina has secured a long term agreement with the Century Aluminum to supply smelters in Hawesville and Sebree, Kentucky with smelter grade alumina. Commenting on the announcement, David D'Addario, the chairman and chief executive officer of Noranda and managing partner of DADA Holdings, said that the long term agreement with the Century Aluminum marks an essential development in Noranda’s future. The alumina refining and Jamaican bauxite mining assets of Noranda were acquired by DADA Holdings in the late 2016, which is an investment and management company...

Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba) is the proud Gold Winner of the Green World Award 2016 for Environmental Best Practice. The award endorses the company’s long-standing commitment towards protecting the environment not only at the local level but also at the regional and international levels.   Alba won the Gold in the prestigious International Green Apple Awards 2015 for its project ‘Aluminium Smelter to Green Oasis’, which was then submitted for the Green World Award for 2016.   Commenting on this accolade, Alba’s Chief Executive Officer Tim Murray...

Alcoa Corporation has announced that it intends to permanently close the Suralco alumina refinery and bauxite mines in Suriname, fully curtailed since November 2015. The Government of the Republic of Suriname and Alcoa continue to develop definitive agreements concerning Suralco’s remaining activities in the country and the future of the bauxite industry in Suriname. Pending completion of those agreements, Alcoa will continue to operate the Afobaka hydroelectric facility, which supplied power to the Suralco operations. “We are working in partnership with the Government...

According to reports, Tiwai Point smelter is unlikely to close despite the shut-down clause. Southland's Tiwai Point aluminium smelter, which has issued a shutdown notice, employs 800 people and brings $500 million annually to the region's economy. However, the smelter is expected to be operating despite the shutdown clause. Once the company's results for 2016 are released in the next few months, it may give a clear indication of its future. However, it is almost certain that the plant is not going to shut down in the short to medium term.

On a frosty December day 111 years ago, Hydro – the biggest commercial company in Norway – was established.  Hydro has grown considerably from its humble beginnings in the heart of Telemark, approximately 100 kilometers from Oslo. Today it is a global company spanning 40 countries and 13,000 employees. “Norsk hydro-elektrisk Kvælstofaktieselskab” was born December 2, 1905, during a meeting of company founder Sam Eyde and foreign investors. The idea was to harness the power of waterfalls above Rjukan to drive production of nitrogen fertilizer....

Rio Tinto has reached an agreement to sell its assets at Lochaber, Scotland to SIMEC for consideration totalling $410 million (£330 million). The sale purchase agreement comprises the sale of Rio Tinto’s 100 per cent shareholding in Alcan Aluminium UK Limited which includes the operating smelter, the hydroelectric facilities at Kinlochleven and Lochaber as well as all associated land. Rio Tinto Aluminium chief executive Alf Barrios said “This is a value-creating sale for Rio Tinto and represents another example of refining our portfolio to focus on our suite of...

The new large facility at the aluminium company Hydro´s plant in Grevenbroich, Germany, got started recently: Hydro is producing first coils for customers at automotive line 3 (AL 3). This follows weeks of trials on how the new machines for EDT rolling, continuous annealing and coating of high-end car body sheet are working as such and as joint operations. Now first orders have been produced and shipped to automotive suppliers. Furthermore, first strip from AL 3 were sent to car makers in order to qualify products from the new facility.   “To get this challenging,...

UC Rusal has completed the sale of a 100% stake in Alumina Partners of Jamaica (‘Alpart’) to the Chinese state industrial group, JIUQUAN IRON & STEEL (GROUP) Co. Ltd. (‘JISCO’) for a USD 299 mln cash consideration. The divestment of Alpart does not affect Rusal’s 100% self-sufficiency in alumina. Vertical integration into efficient upstream assets remains one of the key pillars of Rusal’s strategy.   Alpart (Alumina Partners of Jamaica) is a large production complex in Jamaica, which uses its own bauxite mines to feed alumina production....

The Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro) is frustrated that the proposed options within the consultation on new packaging recycling business targets do not reflect the ambition of the aluminium sector to maximise recovery and recycling of this valuable material. Although the trajectory proposed should lead to the UK achieving the targets in line with the EU Circular Economy package, we are concerned that the momentum that has been achieved over recent years, and which has seen significant improvements in recycling performance for our material, could be undermined....