Recent aluminum supply news remains inundated with the Zhongwang Holdings controversy. Many remember the case from 2019 when US prosecutors accused six southern California companies of evading aluminum import duties. The organizations had ties to Zhongwang Holding’s owner Liu Zhongtian and the skipped duties came to $1.8 billion total. The prosecutors claimed that between 2011 […]
Category: Manufacturing
Metal Price Trends: Tin May Rebound, While Zinc Could Experience Additional Declines
Since the beginning of 2022, tin prices have steadily declined. Indeed, such was the case for many metal prices after the March peak. However, it’s possible tin could see a reversal in the long term. As it begins to reach lower support ranges indicated by September 2020’s low, we could see tin start to push […]
Iron Ore Demand Remains Strong, But Will It Last?
Concern over China’s economy notwithstanding, iron ore remained relatively stable in September and October. This is of note because historically, these months are one of China’s highest peak demand periods. That said, whether the iron ore price will continue to weather the economic storm remains a point of intense debate. The Many Factors Affecting the […]
New Trends in Battery Nickel as EV Demand Rises
Battery original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have enjoyed a clear trend for much of the last decade. In fact, they’ve largely achieved falling per kWh manufacturing costs thanks to two strong dynamics. The first is economies of scale. After all, demand for both consumer electronics and electric vehicles in all forms – hybrid and full EV […]
ArcelorMittal Iron Ore Refining Hindered by War in Ukraine
Russian forces continue to wage rocket attacks on Ukraine’s cities and energy networks. So far, the destruction has caused at least one steelmaker and one iron ore producer to lower their production levels. Integrated longs producer ArcelorMittal Kriviy Rih recently announced it would limit the electricity consumption of its most energy-intensive equipment. According to an […]
Advantages of Using Aluminum for CNC Machined Parts
Aluminum, a widely used material option for CNC machines, contains many practical characteristics and properties. Its strength makes it perfect for use in mechanical parts. The oxidized layer on its surface protects them from the environment. For these reasons, aluminum components can prove useful in a broad spectrum of industrial products. This includes automobiles, aircraft, […]
Chinese Steel Manufacturing Profitability Down 20%
Is it all doom and gloom for Chinese steel manufacturing? It’s hard to tell at the moment. Indeed, China finds itself in a precarious place financially. What’s more, a sizable section of global financial and stock analysts have predicted the crises will only get worse as the country prepares to face its toughest winter yet. […]
Glencore Slows Energy-Intensive Zinc Smelting
Glencore plans to place the zinc smelting line at its Nordenham plant in northern Germany on care and maintenance starting November 1. This represents yet another major blow to European metal manufacturing, which continues to see shutdowns amid the continent-wide energy crisis. In an October 5 memo, the London and Johannesburg-listed company’s supervisory board chairman, […]
Aluminum MMI: Aluminum Prices, Physical Delivery Premiums Decline
After substantial declines throughout September, this month’s aluminum prices appear strong compared to other metals. Aluminum prices hit a bottom in late September, but rebounded during the first week of October. Should prices continue to break out of range upward, it would indicate a halt of the downtrend amid building bullish sentiment. Despite the recent […]
HRC and CRC Steel Prices Stagnate Amid Energy Crisis
Hot rolled coil steel prices in Western Europe remain largely unchanged since early September. However, as various market participants told MetalMiner, this is despite attempts by at least one steelmaker to increase them According to our sources, multiple factors continue to suppress demand for flat rolled products. These include a slowdown of public works programs […]
