Aluminum – Shanghai Metal Corporation

Controversy over Jerusalem construction work

Jerusalem, one of the most sacred and religious cities in the world is about to get a slightly modern makeover. Due to a surge in housing demand and the quickly increasing housing prices within the city, a private developer has been granted permission to build 100 new homes. Construction within the city has long been a controversial issue with construction work only ever taking place if it factored renovation works or was a reconstruction of traditional builds.
Washington, a close friend of Israel, has always been against governmental decisions to complete any modern construction work within the city, due to its religious standing. Nevertheless, the country believes the time has come where their capital city now needs to begin moving with the times. Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said, “The US is a big friend but in the end, Israel needs to do what is beneficial for itself as a country.” The newly constructed buildings are expected to accommodate growing populations, imcorporate new technologies and provide a better economic future for the city.
A number of construction companies will be bought in to embed the essential skills and technology expertise required within the region and reduces the time ofconstruction. Portuguese company Mota-Engenharia e Construcao, SA and Turkish company Yilmazlar Construction Group will undertake vital works, alongside a multitude of Chinese construction firms: Beijing Construction Engineering Group International, Jiangsu First Construction Corporation, Everbright International Construction Engineering Corporation, and China Huashi Enterprises Company.
It must be a difficult position when you are home to one of the most religious, and sentimental places on earth to find methods of enhancing your countries future without damaging the past.

EU set large import duties on cheap Chinese steel

The EU has imposed import duties of up to 73.7% on cheap Chinese Steel being imported into the European Union; the penalty has come about in response to manufacturers being forced to cut jobs after a flurry of cheap imports from China.
Britain has been one of the worst hit places within the EU, with thousands of jobs already being lost this year and many more seriously under threat. Many of the industryleaders put cheap imported steel as the primary reason for this claiming that such cheap prices are making it increasingly difficult to find buyers domestically.
The EU has agreed to impose import duties of between 13.2% and 22.6% on Chinese hot-rolled steel, which is used in pipelines and gas containers, and 65.1% and 73.7% on heavy plates, which are used in civil engineering projects. UK Steel, the trade body for the industry has welcomed the much needed tariffs but has warned that the levy on hot-rolled steel might still not be enough and could fail to deter the dumping of cheap steel.
David Martin, Labour MEP for Scotland, said the tariffs may be “too little too late” for the UK industry.
Martin, the international trade spokesman for the Socialist and Democrats group in the European parliament, said: “The commission has recognized that Chinese dumping is having a real, damaging effect on EU steel producers and the communities supported by them.

“However, whilst the tariffs on heavy-plate steel are at a workable level, the duties on hot-rolled steel – a crucial product of Tata Steel’s Port Talbot plant – won’t deter Chinese steelmakers from further dumping. I sincerely hope these duties will be revised upwards at a later date.
The future of Port Talbot and Tata Steel’s 11,000 UK staff remains unclear as the Indian company considers a merger with German group ThyssenKrupp and tries to negotiate a rescue package with the UK government.
Regardless of if the tariff is high enough; it is going to be an interesting few months within Europe to see the effects of the newly installed charges. One would assume that if the results do not meet expectation, then EU will be quick to impose further tariffs.

Good news for the British Steel industry!

In what is long overdue after months of fear and protests over the loss of thousands of jobs in the UK Steel market, there is finally something to be cheerful about. Tata Steelwas the catalyst for the protests from British workers, who were campaigning for the saviour of their jobs, after the company made the decision to cancel their manufacturing operations in the UK. The decision from Tata Steel left at least 2’000 jobs effected directly and up to 8’000 at risk due to related businesses being affected.

However, after some anxious few months, a company in the form of Industrial and commodity group Liberty House have made a bid in an attempt to reduce at least some of the arrears. Liberty House have made a bid which is understood to be in the region of £100 million for three of Tata’s steelwork depots, these being in Rotherham, Stocksbridge and Hartlepool, they employ 1’235, 831 and 501 workers respectively. Liberty House has already purchased the Scotland business operations from Tata Steel, so these new acquisitions will add and improve to their ongoing portfolio.

The bid has not yet been accepted as its understood Tata are still in talks with a number of other interested parties, in addition to this, Tata are also still in talks with German rival Thyssenkrupp over a possible mergence, which would include the acquirement of the UK operations. However, they have continued to discuss the sale of separate areas of their UK operations and will go ahead with them should offers be concluded before any deal is made with Thyssenkrupp.
Although, it is only a quarter of the workforce that is likely to be saved from this particular deal, it is good to see Tata have interested parties and the

Base Metals shows a collective decline

Across the board on Monday, base metals saw a decline which is a reflection of weak stock markets in Asia whilst also suggesting a revival from the dollar.
In Asia, the Shanghai Composite was last down 1.76 percent at 2,980.429 while the dollar index was last at 95.39 having recovered from selling pressure last week following news that the US Federal Reserve would not raise interest rates his month.
Last week all market eyes were on the FED of the US and the Bank of Japan, whom were both making significant policy announcements. However, all eyes have taken a turn towards politics with the highly anticipated first debate of the Presidential election race taking place between Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump; it will be interesting to see how the base metals market reacts on Tuesday.
In the metals, copper at $4,820 per tonne was down $35 on the pre-weekend close, while around 4,000 lots have changed hands on Select so far. There were further deliveries into listed warehouses in Busan, Gwangyang, Port Klang and Singapore – total stocks rose a net 7,250 tonnes to 364,125 tonnes and are holding around one-year highs.
Aluminium at $1,626 was $11 lower although stocks continued to fall. Inventories were down 10,700 tonnes to 2,136,025 tonnes due to decreases in Vlissingen and Singapore. Cancelled warrants rose – metal that had been warranted into Asian sheds was cancelled – to 881,350 tonnes, up 14,250 tonnes.

Lead at $1,910 was down $19.50 on talk that Trafigura will rewarrant large tonnages into Europe. Moves today, however, were marginal, with just 300 tonnes arriving into Leghorn. Stocks rose 250 tonnes to 191,250 tonnes while cancelled warrants fell 50 tonnes to 66,150 tonnes.
Zinc at $2,251 was down $14; stocks fell 650 tonnes to 442,000 tonnes. Nickel was $200 lower at $10,460 although it continued to find support from news of mine closures in Philippines. Traders also noted that the metal looks positive from a technical perspective.
Tin at $19,630 was $15 lower. Stocks were unchanged at 3,715 tonnes but cancelled warrants rose 95 tonnes to 1,955 tonnes, dropping on-warrant material to its lowest since 2005 at 1,760 tonnes.
Still, investor sentiment looks brighter – according to CFTC statistics, they nearly halved their net short positions on Comex to 19,600 contracts in the week to September 20 mainly via short-covering.

“THE FUTURE OF METAL IN AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY”

As the automotive market looks for innovative ways to meet future Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) requirements, which will nearly double the average light vehicle fuel economy to 54.5 mpg by 2025, the North American steel industry continues to invest in advanced materials and manufacturing technologies that have led to the introduction of a wide variety of new automotive steels. The steel industry is meeting this need through the development of new advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) grades, whose unique metallurgical properties and manufacturability enable the automotive industry to affordably meet increasingly stringent requirements.

Studies show that AHSS steel grades are growing faster in new automotive applications than aluminum and plastic—steel’s main competitors. Each year, new car models are introduced using lighter-weight, higher-strength steel components that provide a cost-effective answer to the demand for increased safety and fuel economy.

“We have been able to develop advanced high-strength steels, which are the most sophisticated steels available today for automotive applications.” – John P. Surma, chairman and chief executive officer, United States Steel Corporation and director, AISI Board of Directors”.

Recent projects, such as “FutureSteelVehicle”, a WorldAutoSteel study released in May 2011, which introduced more than 20 AHSS grades, show that the latest steel grades, combined with innovative processing methods and design optimization techniques, enable steel to achieve a 39 percent mass reduction in many applications, virtually equivalent to mass reduction levels achieved by aluminum. There are several other examples of AHSS technologies, including the front lower control arm that is the same weight as the aluminum version at one-third less cost.

Mass reduction with AHSS not only conserves material but helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the full lifecycle of the vehicle, including manufacturing, driving and recycling. Life cycle assessment data shows that steel, which makes up nearly 60 percent of the average North American vehicle, generates fewer manufacturing emissions than other automotive body materials. Vehicles using high-strength steels provide a significant reduction in driving emissions, as well as total lifecycle emissions.

If currently available AHSS were applied throughout the present U.S. automotive ﬂeet, greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles would be reduced by approximately 12 percent—an amount greater than the emissions generated by the entire American steel industry today. This reduction in emissions is already underway as automotive designers around the world use increasing amounts of AHSS in their vehicles.

As a representative of the metal industry, Shanghai Metal Corporation is one of the leading businesses in the manufacturing of metal products in the global field. We can produce aluminum, stainless steel, copper, shipping containers and other metal products and service. We prioritize the efficient of manufacturing and environmental sustainability.

Want to know more about our company? Please visit our website and you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Feel free to download our new mobile application by scanning the QR code below.

Source: http://www.steel.org/the-new-steel/automotive.aspx

SM(ART) RECYCLING : JAPANESE ARTIST TRANSFORMS ALUMINUM BEER CANS TO POP ART

How would you react if you knew someone who drinks beer, takes the aluminum cans then transforms it into art ?

Well this japanese artist, MACAON is the kind of person who does this kind of thing. From basic and used aluminum materials he imitates well known characters like Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story, Gundam robots, Pikachu and even a cool mask of Dark Vader !

The fun thing about this artist is that most of his works are imitations of already famous characters which allows a wider understanding and appreciation from the public’s point of view. Although each of this figure doesn’t represent a deep meaning, the message that Macaon transmits, directly or indirectly, is to wake up the collective consciousness of recycling ; as the world consumes more, it is in our best interest to stop wasting basic materials and start thinking new strategies as to reusing them better. We live in world where beer cans can be transformed into your favorite cartoon, movie or animated character.

As you can see, aluminum beer cans here are reused in a sophistic way and are not wasted. Without basic and flexible material like aluminum, consuming society like ours would have difficulties to satisfy our needs. Simple gestures like recycling aluminum cans can lead to a better future and that is what Macaon’s creativeness can influence to later generations.

It’s amazing how a common material like aluminum can have different types of uses. That is exactly what Shanghai Metal Corporation can provide you !

As representatives of the metal industry, Shanghai Metal Corporation is one of the leading businesses in the manufacturing of metal quality products in the global field. As a major producer of aluminum, stainless steel, copper, shipping containers and other metal products and service, we essentially are committed to the universal use that metal can offer by delivering overseas and promoting environmental sustainability.

To know more about our company please visit our website. Also follow us on Twitter,Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. You can also download our new mobile application by scanning the QR code below.

#AddingValueAcrossTheGlobe

Maria // SMC Editor

IMPORTANCE OF METALS IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE

Whether you like it or not, metals play a BIG PART in our everyday life. We interact with them differently as each of them has it’s own properties : some are used as supporting elements for buildings, smartphones, transportation. Some are used for decoration by artists and sculptor or some are used to display wealth, like gold for example.

That being said, we have tendency to overlook the importance of metal because we confront them directly or indirectly everywhere, therefore perceiving their presence as self-evident. Oh and also, some of them are imperceptible to human eyes so this may contribute to our lack of understanding metal in our life.

So let’s explore these hidden but common metals we interact with everyday shall we ?

COPPER for example, is a type of cheap metal used by companies to conduct electricity. The average American will use more than 1,000 pounds of copper in their lifetime ! You can find them in your ALARM CLOCKS, DENIM JEAN BUTTON, PORTABLE AUDIO DEVICES or your DOORKNOB and even in your GRANOLA BARS ! Copper is essential not only for everyday objects but also for our own body.

Next on the list is STEEL. Like Copper metal, you can find it almost everywhere too. Taken for granted, they are in buildings, machinery, cars, galleries and statues. So can you imagine our world without these elements ? It would be hard to conceive another element as useful as these metals. When the word Steel is pronounced it also means RECYCLING. Each year, the US alone recycles no less than 80 million tons of steel, which works out to about 70% of the world’s total steel recycling

Another metal important for our future is ALUMINIUM. Thanks to its strength, low weight and good potential for recycling Aluminium is as useful and flexible as it’s other metal brothers. It’s properties also allow to build high buildings, transportation and also for packaging, the most common use that this metal is known for.

Not to mention other types of metal, these three principles are maybe the most commonly known by public although people easily tend to forget their usefulness.

Apart from the referred objects we just mention, the crazy thing about metal is that it has a really wide range of function and can be used by any types of profession. Physicians and architects take advantage of these metals by constructing impressive buildings industry while some artists see these elements as pure physical support in which they transfer their imagination and creativity.

See how great metals are ? As representatives of the metal industry, Shanghai Metal Corporation is one of the leading businesses in the global field. As a major producer of copper, aluminium, steel and other metal products and service, we essentially are committed to the universal use that metal can offer by delivering overseas and promoting environmental sustainability.

To know more about our company please visit our website. Also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. You can also download our new mobile application by scanning the QR code below.

Maria // SMC Editor

#AddingValueAcrossTheGlobe

Maria // SMC Editor

Iron-air batteries: a cheap and eco-friendly solution for energy storage

After more than 40 after preparing the first prototype of a cheap , rechargeable, high energy density iron-air battery, researchers at the University of Southern California are now finishing the job of the patent-pending design of the battery.

The technical characteristics of the batteries look particularly well-suited to the kind of large-scale energy storage that could accelerate the adoption of renewable energy sources.

Back in the 70’s, researchers were already working on environmentally friendly rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and only recent advances in materials technology have made this technology into one of the most common, high-performing solutions for today’s portable electronics.

Iron compared to other materials has a few advantages: it’s durable, it has a great capacity to pack energy (per unit of mass), it’s recyclable but most importantly it’s cheap with costs around US$1/kg (2.2 lb).

Iron-air batteries were first expected to be used for electric vehicles and military applications after the 1973 oil crisis. However, research stopped abruptly only years later, when scientists realized that iron-air batteries presented a serious limitation: whenever the battery was being charged, a wasteful process of hydrolysis drained away about half of the battery’s energy.

With today’s technology and advanced research, University of Southern California found a solution to this problem. They learned that adding a small amount of bismuth sulfide into the battery shut down the harmful reaction and reduced the waste of energy more than tenfold, from 50 down to just 4% .

The other good characteristic cost-effective design of its iron electrode. The researchers combined iron powder with a polyethylene binder, heating the mix to obtain a “pressed-plate” electrode that is simple to make and has high specific energy.

The iron-air battery is exhibiting very promising durability, with a target life of 5,000 charge-discharge cycles. Even more importantly, the batteries seem to retain good performance when they are being drained quickly: at a two-hour rate of discharge, the batteries are showing a twenty-fold increase in capacity compared to commercially available electrodes.

Shanghai Metal Corporation encourages the development and innovation of new technologies. You can visit the company’s website , contact us and follow us on twitter and facebook for more information and news on metal.

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Houria // SMC Editor

Use of Solar mirrors to Melt Metal, an efficient metal processing Method

As manufacturing plants are being under pressure to reduce their energy spending, many countries and companies are trying to make progress in innovating. some researchers from Germany and South Africa have proposed a technique to reduce the emission in metal processing factories. and will use South Africa’s large aluminium processing industry as a test bed.

In addition to powering electricity-generating turbines , the large mirrors can also melt metals thanks to their ability to concentrate solar rays. The process helps reducing carbon footprint of the metal processing industry.

The preliminary concept is going to be tested first in Germany at the Aerospace Centre’s (DLR) by the Institute of Solar Research in Julich before launching it in South Africa.

According to these researchers, solar mirrors would focus sun rays reaching 700°C to a rotary solar kiln which will be able to melt aluminum ore but also recycled aluminum objects. In addition the research team will develop a logistics plan to transport the molten aluminium from the central solar melting plant to the production facilities where liquid metal will be processed.

“The aim of the project is to develop an energy and cost effective method that can be implemented across a variety of system sizes, depending on the requirements,” said Martina Neises-von Puttkamer, project manager at DLR.

South Africa is a particularly interesting place to start the project because the country’s metal processing facilities rely mostly on electric energy coming from coal-fired power plants which brought them to become the 15th largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world. Also Metal processing is the country’s largest industry.

source: eandt.theiet.org

Shanghai Metal Corporation is specialized in manufacturing a wide variety of metal products and understand the importance of a green environment and efficient manufacturing. For more information, you can visit the company’s website or contact us for any inquiry.

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Houria // SMC Editor

Aluminum, Metal of choice for sustainable cans

the Aluminum Association and Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) new report states that aluminum cans are the most recycled beverage containers in the market, they have the highest recycling rate. A can usually contains 70% of recycled content, which is 3 times more than plastic or glass containers all this while being around 300 percent more valuable than other materials. A can is generally turned into a new can and back on store shelves within 60 days.
In addition aluminum cans have become lighter by 38 percent since 1972 in the United States, with a weight of 12.99 grams approximately. Aluminum cans are more than 15 times lighter than standard 12 oz. glass bottles, which makes it easier to transport bigger quantities of beverage and optimizing their transportation costs.

An Aluminum can goes through several steps during its life span from one recycling process to a new one

Stage 1 : Can Shredding

In this step cans are shredded into pieces the size of a walnut. The shreds are then passed through a double magnetic drum separator to remove any steel that may have been mixed into the bale.

Stage 2 : De-coating

Any paint or other chemical coating on the aluminum is removed by blowing hot air (around 550°C) through the shreds on a slowly moving insulated conveyor. The exhaust gases from this process are first passed through an afterburner and then used to heat incoming process air via a heat exchanger, minimizing the energy requirements of the system

Stage 3 : Melting

After the de-coated process, the aluminum shreds are put into a melting furnace containing submerged stirrers that create a vortex in the pool of molten aluminum and drag the shreds quickly down into the melt.

Stage 4 : Aluminum Casting

The molten metal is transferred into a furnace to remove impurities and start the casting process then Ingots are cast from the remaining pure metal.

Once in the mold, cool water is sprayed around and through the base of the mold. The aluminum ingot ten solidifies for the next three hours. The finished 18-ton ingots, each containing approximately 1.5 million used cans, are shipped to a mill for rolling into the sheet from which aluminum can makers subsequently produce new cans and the whole process begins again.

source: www.aluminum.org and homeguides.sfgate.com

Shanghai Metal Corporation offers a wide range of aluminum products and is conscious about ecology and sustainable business . You can visit the company’s website or contact us for any inquiry.

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Houria // SMC Editor