The steady growth of the global aluminium industry continues to be fuelled by the world’s top 10 largest aluminium companies and the top 10 leading aluminium producing countries in 2020. The rising demand of aluminium is mainly posed by the boom of the downstream industries such as automotive, packaging, electrical applications, construction, and consumer products etc. As the consumption of aluminium in various of industries around the world still remains high, those world’s largest aluminium manufacturers are expected to increase their revenues, while the business opportunities in the global aluminium market are projected to flourish further in the near future.
This industry fact sheet is to assist industry professionals, investors, and people in general that are interested in gaining insights into the global aluminium industry including:
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Due to its advantages of light weight and resistance to corrosion, aluminium is one of the world’s most important and widely used non-ferrous metal materials in various of industrial, commercial, and domestic applications. Thus, the production and consumption of aluminium around the world also reflects the economy performance.
According to the latest data from International Aluminium Institute, the global primary aluminium production amounted 63.7 million metric tonnes in 2019, slightly reduced from 64.3 million metric tonnes in 2018. Another recent market report from Allied Market Research also shows that the global aluminium market size was valued at $147.2 billion in 2018, and is expected to reach $189.8 billion by 2026, registering a strong CAGR of 3.2% during the forecast period.
The growth of the global aluminium market is mainly driven by the rapid development of downstream industries including transportation, construction, electrical engineering, packaging and consumer goods sectors etc. Meanwhile, technological advancements in aluminium manufacturing as well as aluminium recycling also play an important role in propelling the growth of the global aluminium market in the near future.
Geographically, Asia-Pacific, led by China and India, is the largest aluminium markets in terms of production and consumption, followed by followed by Europe and North America. Asia-Pacific’s dominant position in the global aluminium industry mainly attributed to its massive urbanization, increasing income, and rapid industrial development in the region.
Source: USGS
China remains on the No.1 spot on the chart of the world’s top 10 largest aluminium producing countries in 2020. China’s production of aluminium has surged from around 16 million metric tonnes in 2010 to a whopping 36 million metric tonnes in 2019, mainly driven by its booming downstream sectors, particularly the automotive industry and construction industry. In recent years, the Chinese government has been targeting a capacity reduction of up to 30% of the country’s full aluminium output capacity since 2017 as part of nation’s “supply-side reform” to tackle chronic overproduction and environment pollution. Despite the significantly cut on its aluminium production capacity, China is still the world’s largest aluminium producer in 2020, accounting for over 55.6% of the world’s total aluminium production.
Other world’s top 10 largest aluminium producing countries in 2020 include India, Russia, Canada, UAE, Australia, Bahrain, Norway, the U.S., and Iceland. Together, these top 10 largest aluminium producers account for over 85.6% of the world’s total aluminium production volume every year, and their leading position in the global market is expected to continue in the coming years.
Aluminum Corporation of China (Chalco) is the world’s largest alumina producer and largest aluminium company by production volume, with operations in bauxite and coal mining, alumina refining and primary aluminium smelting. Headquartered in Beijing, China, the company is also involved in producing and selling aluminium alloy products, carbon products, and other electrolytic aluminium products. Chalco also has business operations in other segments such as energy, trading, corporate and others.
China Hongqiao Group Limited is a leading Chinese aluminium producer based in Shangdong. The Group is mainly engaged in the production and sales of molten aluminium alloy, aluminium alloy ingots, aluminium alloy casting-rolling products and aluminium busbars. Today, it is one of the top 10 largest aluminium companies in the world.
Rusal is a leading Russian aluminium producer based in Moscow. The company is engaged in the production and sale of primary aluminium and other related products. The company is involved in mining and refining of bauxite into alumina. The company is currently one of the world’s largest aluminium companies by production, and it has 10 aluminium smelters, of which nine are in Russia and one in Sweden.
Xinfa Group is another world’s largest aluminium manufacturer based in Guangdong, China. The Company mainly produces and processes electrolytic aluminium and other related aluminium products. Xingfa Aluminium is one of the oldest aluminium extrusion producers in Chinese mainland and has now become a large-scale enterprise specializing in the production of construction and industrial aluminium profiles.
Rio Tinto’s aluminium division is a subsidiary of the world’s leading mining company Rio Tinto, based in Montreal. Rio Tinto operates through several mining and metal manufacturing businesses, including iron ore, aluminium, copper and diamonds, energy and minerals, and other operations. The company has 24 production sites across the globe. Products of the company include sheet ingot, extrusion billet, forging stock, and others.
Alcoa is one of the world’s leaders in the production of Bauxite, Alumina and Aluminium products, with corporate headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Alcoa conducts business across 10 countries and has facilities located in Australia, Guinea, Suriname, Texas, Sao Luis, Brazil, and Spain. Alcoa has the largest bauxite mining operations in the world, a leading alumina refining system, as well as a global network of aluminium smelting plants.
Emirates Global Aluminium is the world’s leading aluminium producer based in the UAE. The company produces high-quality aluminium products in three main categories including primary aluminium, bauxite, and water. Its product portfolio comprises of high-purity and foundry re-melt products, rolling products, and billets for extrusion and forging.
Headquartered in Norway, Hydro is one of the world’s leading company in areas of Bauxite & Alumina, Primary Metal, Rolled Products, Extruded Solutions, and Energy. Hydro is engaged within all market segments for aluminium, from production of the primary metal to recycling and repurposing it. Today, Hydro is a fully integrated aluminium company with 35000 employees with operations in 40 countries.
East Hope Group Co. Ltd is one of the largest investment companies in China. The Company invests in electricity, aluminium, non-ferrous metals, bio-chemicals, and other industries. It owns and operates several largest aluminium smelters in China and abroad, making it one of the largest aluminium companies in the world.
China Power Investment Corporation, known as CPI, is one of largest state-owned electricity producers and investment companies in China. Headquartered in Beijing, China, CPI has huge capacities in electricity, coal production, aluminium smelting, alumina refinery, and bauxite production. It is now one of the world’s top 10 aluminium producers.
The growing demand and usage for recycled aluminium have become one of the major trends in the global aluminium market. Aluminium is also well-known for being a widely recycled metal, with over 75% of all produced aluminium still in circulation and being reused around the world. Meanwhile, the production process of secondary aluminium is more energy-efficient than the primary production process which further increases its significance in end-user industries. Growing demand and increasing use of recycled aluminium products are expected to create more lucrative opportunities in the global market for the near future.
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The GCC is expected to account for 13 per cent of the world’s total aluminium production by the end of 2013, with total output estimated to reach five million tonnes per year by 2014.
Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), Dubai Aluminium (Dubal), Emirates Aluminium (Emal), Qatar Aluminium (Qatalum) and Sohar in Oman collectively produced 3.73 million tonnes of primary aluminium in 2012, up seven per cent from 3.48 million tonnes in 2011, according to the Gulf Aluminium Council (GAC).
The region is ramping up production even as global demand for aluminium is anticipated to reach 70 million tonnes per year by 2020.
Abu Dhabi’s Emal plans to increase production capacity to 1.3 million tonnes by 2014 and the Ma’aden Aluminium Complex in Saudi Arabia’s Ras Al Khair, a $10.8 billion joint venture with Alcoa, will have a total output of 740,000 tonnes per year when complete.
Here are the top 10 operational primary aluminium smelters in the world by capacity, as of December 2012.
Country: China
City: Hongjun
Capacity in tonnes per year (tpy): 1,060,000
Country: UAE
City: Jebel Ali, Dubai
Capacity (tpy): 1,040,000
Country: Russia
City: Krasnoyarsk
Capacity (tpy): 1,008,000
Country: Russia
City: Bratsk
Capacity (tpy): 1,006,000
Country: Bahrain
City: Askar
Capacity (tpy): 890,000
Country: China
City: Xinjiang
Capacity (tpy): 860,000
Country: UAE
City: Taweelah
Capacity (tpy): 800,000
Country: China
City: Dongfang Xiwang
Capacity (tpy): 780,000
Country: China
City: Wujiaqu
Capacity (tpy): 740,000
Country: South Africa
City: Richards Bay, Hillside
Capacity (tpy): 720,000
Source: Light Metal Age