COMMENT :
Indian aluminium companies to benefit from higher global demand
Major Indian aluminium companies like Hindalco and Nalco will reap rich benefits from the higher global demand for the light metal in the world, according to the industry trends analysis by market experts. it is expected that Indian companies, which had recently added capacities, will gain from the growing demand for aluminium. The demand for the metal is expected to grow by 4-5% over the next two years, while there is shortage in the supply side. There will be a shortage of aluminium as there are no major new supply sources coming up in the near future, according to analysts.
COMPANY PROFILE
NALCO focuses on local value enhancement, seeks offshore footprint
Riding on the crest of a boom in metal market, the public sector blue chip National Aluminium Company, the
country's largest integrated manufacturer and exporter of alumina and aluminium, has clocked 52.39% per cent jump in
net profit to Rs2,380.70 crore in 2006-07 from Rs1,562.20 crore in the previous year.
IN FOCUS
Scenario of manganese alloys in the world
Manganese alloy is the largest produced ferroalloy in the world with a share of around 41% of the world ferroalloys
production. Manganese is essential to iron and steel production by virtue of its sulphur fixing, deoxidizing and alloying properties. It is introduced in the form of ferromanganese, silicomanganese and manganese metal. These are produced by reduction of manganese ore with carbon / silicon at high temperatures in blast furnace and submerged electric arc furnaces. Typical inputs for production of 1 ton of HC ferromanganese consists 2.6 T of manganese ore, 0.50 t of reductant and 3 MWh of electricity. Silicomanganese production involves reduction of manganese ore, quartzite and manganese slag with coke.
NEWS CORNER
- Aluminium India 2008 moves into high gear
- Hydro readies for series upgradation of its North Americal casthouses
METAL NEWS
India Resources delves deeper to unveil mineral cornucopia
• India’s hunger for minerals is escalating at an exponential rate, not to mention that for copper to satiate fast improving socioeconomic standards.
• India Resources Limited is mulling various ventures across the country’s grids to step up the mineral reserve in collaboration with different metal majors like HCL.
PRODUCT PROFILE
Cognex introduces SmartView SQM to ensure superb metal surface scanning with enhanced profitability
Cognex Corporation with headquarters in Natick, Massachusetts produces surface inspection systems used in the production of materials manufactured in a continuous fashion, such as metal or paper. They are a leader in state-of-the-art equipment for detection, identification, and visualization of defects in aluminium sheet processing with a product called SmartView Metals. The company has installed over 750 systems, which includes numerous nonferrous inspection lines at aluminium hot mills, cold mills,
and foil mills, and on leveling lines and coating lines all over the world.
SPECIAL FEATURE
From Power to Nano-particle - Aluminium traces a versatile application trajectory
Aluminium embodies ‘Versatility’. The inherent molecular uniqueness makes the white metal the most widely used metal
after steel, with annual world production around 24 million tonnes. If one needs to trace a detailed application profile of
aluminium, one would be left bewildered, as the variety of sectors where it is used is just unthinkable. Alloyed aluminium,
especially, finds a wide array of applications in sectors ranging from automotive sector to power production, not to mention
other conventional areas of usage. To add to this, when nanotechnology, today is poised to redefine the world around us
with a whole new meaning, aluminium metal science is set to arrogate its own call as well. Interestingly, it has been found
to score over other base metals like copper at the nanoscale level.
TECHNOLOGY FOCUS
Possible future trends for aluminium metallizing
In the future metallizers, to remain competitive, will have to offer something more than they currently do. Inevitably one of the pressures exerted by the markets will always be price. To compete on price either the same coating has to be offered at a lower price, or something else has to be given to maintain or possibly even increase the price.
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IRON & STEEL REVIEW
