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COMPANY NEWS WORLDWIDE
Kobe Steel is planning to build a global supply
network for aluminium body panels, as
announced in its medium-term business plan
at the end of May. In addition, the agreement
with Hydro strengthens the company’s capability
to meet the global procurement needs
of its customers.
Alcoa and Rusnano sign MoU
to produce aluminium drill pipe
with antiwear coating
Alcoa and OJSC Rusnano will produce technologically
advanced oil and gas aluminium
drill pipe finished with a life-extending antiwear
coating under an MoU signed by the
companies. With the help of the Alcoa Technical
Centre, the parties intend to pursue the
potential application of a nanotechnologybased
coating for the aluminium drill pipe to
enhance its wear resistance in harsh corrosive
drilling environments. The nano-coating is
expected to extend the life of the aluminium
pipe by 30-40% in aggressive and corrosive
drilling environments compared to uncoated
On the move
Alba’s board has appointed Ali Al-Baqali CFO
with immediate effect. Amin Sultan is the
company’s new power station director. Khalid
A. Latif has been appointed the new engineering
manager at Alba.
Glencore Xstrata has appointed three new
directors to its board with immediate effect:
John Mack and Peter Grauer have been appointed
independent non-executive directors,
while Peter Coates has been appointed an
executive director.
The London Metal Exchange has appointed
Robin Paine chief technology officer. He
will report to the LME chief operating officer,
Diarmuid O’Hegarty.
Marc Rich, the commodities trader who
founded Glencore and is accredited with
inventing the spot market for oil, has died
aged 78 after suffering a stroke at a hospital
in Lucerne.
Abdulla J M Kalban, president and CEO of
Dubal, received an Institute of Directors (IOD)
Distinguished Fellowship Award in recognition
of his contribution to transforming Dubal into
a global giant and a benchmark organisation
for comparison all over the world.
Vedanta has appointed Deepak Parekh
an independent non-executive director on its
board.
aluminium pipe.
With facilities in Samara and Belaya Kalitva,
Alcoa is Russia’s largest producer of
fabricated aluminium, manufacturing a wide
range of flat rolled products, forgings and extrusions
for a variety of end markets including
aerospace and automotive. Under terms of
the MoU, Alcoa will leverage its Samara facility
to produce aluminium drill pipe with
hot fit tool joints for the country’s oil and
gas market. Rusnano Capital, a subsidiary of
OJSC Rusnano, will contribute capital.
Midas wins major contract from
CNR Changchun Railway Vehicles
Jilin Midas Aluminium Industries Co., Ltd has
won an RMB44.3m (USD7.2m) contract from
CNR Changchun Railway Vehicles Co., Ltd for
Changchun Metro Lines 1 and 2. Jilin Midas
will supply aluminium profiles for 44 train sets
(one set corresponds to six train cars) from
2013 to 2015.
Jilin Midas is a subsidiary of Midas Holding
Ltd, which was founded in 2000. Midas
is the leading manufacturer of aluminium alloy
extrusion products for the passenger rail
transportation sector in China. Over the years,
the company has built an established track
record in supplying to the PRC passenger
rail transportation sector, which includes participation
in landmark contracts such as trains
for the Beijing-Tianjin High Speed Train
Project. Midas’ customers include domestic
PRC licensed train manufacturers from China
South Locomotive & Rolling Stock Corp. Ltd
and China CNR Corp. Ltd as well as international
customers such as Alstom Transport,
Siemens AG and Bombardier Transportation.
Logan Aluminum rewarded
for energy efficiency efforts
Logan Aluminum in Russellville, Kentucky,
is saving electricity and money on its power
bills at its production facility through energy
efficiency efforts in partnership with the Tennessee
Valley Authority. The manufacturer
of flat rolled aluminium sheet, primarily for
beverage cans, refitted its lighting systems
and upgraded equipment including pumps and
air dryers through the EnergyRight Solutions
for Industry Programme offered by TVA and
Russellville Electric Plant Board. The projects
reduced the mill’s annual power consumption
by more than 2m kWh, which is enough energy
to supply about 150 homes in the Russellville
district for a year. The energy savings
also earned the company a cash incentive of
USD182,400 from TVA.
TVA’s EnergyRight Solutions for Industry
offers 10 cents per kWh on first-year savings
or 70% of project cost, whichever is less, to
programme participants for approved energy
efficiency projects. “Energy efficiency helps
keep rates low, reduces costs associated with
meeting consumer demand, conserves natural
resources and produces zero emissions,” said
Brent Powell, one of the managers of the TVA
energy savings programme in Kentucky.
ThyssenKrupp Aerospace
expands aluminium business
ThyssenKrupp Aerospace continues to expand
its business. The German division of Thyssen-
Krupp Materials CA Ltd recently opened its
first facility in Tunisia. The newly constructed
site at Aerospace Park Mghira commenced
business in April. This includes cutting block
drafts from aircraft grade aluminium plates,
the exclusive distribution of metal plate and
sheet as well as aluminium profiles. With an
expected number of 12 employees, the facility
will supply sheet metal, plate metal and
aluminium profile to the regional aerospace
industry, specifically to customers Aerolia
Tunesia, Figeac Aero and Mecahers.
ThyssenKrupp Aerospace has also renewed
and expanded a six-year contract with Bombardier
Aerospace as the service provider
for cut-to-size aluminium plate, sheet and
extrusions and related supply chain services.
Work will be performed at the existing ThyssenKrupp
Aerospace facility in Baie D’Urfé
Québec, Canada.
Further, ThyssenKrupp Aerospace North
America has entered into a three-year contract
extension with Cessna Aircraft Co. to remain
its service provider for aluminium sheet products
and related supply chain services. The
company will service Cessna’s facilities in
Wichita, Kansas, as well as Cessna’s key subcontractors
throughout the North American
region. The just-in-time deliveries and valueadded
services will be supported from its existing
facility in Hutchinson, Kansas. n
Suppliers
LOI wins order for coil annealing
line by Ma’aden-Alcoa
Tenova LOI Thermprocess has been awarded
a contract for the installation of a heat treat-
70 ALUMINIUM · 7-8/2013