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A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | M A R C H 2 0 1 5
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MARKET SPOTLIGHT
FEEDBACK
THE JOY OF STAINLESS
I thoroughly enjoyed the recent ar-
ticle on stainless steels (“Metallurgy
Lane,” January). I am a metallurgist
by training and have been asked to
prepare a presentation on stainless
steels for UTC Aerospace Systems’
personnel. I am also interested in
any other information, articles, or
presentations that the author might
be willing to share on the subject.
Robert Bianco, FASM
[
AM&P
supplied an advance copy of “Stain-
less Steel: Part II” from the February issue
for use in Dr. Bianco’s presentation.—Eds.]
ALUMINUM ALLOYS
I immensely enjoy the “Metallur-
gy Lane” articles in
AM&P.
I am a
student of the history of aluminum,
and I live in one of the most import-
ant areas for the production of early
aluminum products, Manitowoc,
Wis. I just wanted to point out what
I believe to be an oversight in Part III
of the aluminum series, published
in Nov/Dec 2014. In this article, the
2000 series is identified as alumi-
num-magnesium alloys. However,
I believe these are conventionally
referred to as aluminum-copper
alloys.
David Weiss
[Weiss is correct in that the 2000 series is
reserved for the Al-Cu alloys, but 2024 must
include Mg. I should have said Al-Cu-Mg
alloys.—Charles R. Simcoe]
We welcome all comments and
suggestions. Send letters to
frances. richards@asminternational.org.
NORTH AMERICAN ALUMINUM INDUSTRY
SHOWS SUSTAINED GROWTH
According to preliminary data re-
leased in the Aluminum Association’s
monthly
Situation Report,
the aluminum
industry in the U.S. and Canada experi-
enced year-over-year demand growth
of 5% through the end of 2014. The
estimated 25.5 billion lb of aluminum
shipped by North American producers
and fabricators last year is the largest
shipment total for the industry since
2006, say analysts. Key findings include:
•
Apparent aluminum consumption
(demand minus exports) in do-
mestic markets totaled 22 billion lb
through the end of 2014, a 7.3%
increase over 2013.
•
Total mill product shipments grew
4.5% in 2014, led by growth in
extrusion, foil, and sheet and plate
markets.
•
New orders of aluminummill prod-
ucts rose 3.9% in 2014 and were up
3% in January year-over-year.
•
Secondary recovery—or recycling—
of aluminum is up 4.1% year-to-date
through November 2014 (U.S. only).
•
Primary aluminum production de-
clined 7.1% in 2014 and was down
4% year-over-year in January.
•
Imports of aluminum (excluding
U.S./Canada cross-border trade)
rose 20.2% in 2014 to 5.5 billion lb,
while exports declined 6.8% to
7.4 billion lb.
“Growth in North American de-
mand for aluminum in 2014 is even
more impressive given the harsh winter
weather the region experienced at the
start of the year, and the significant im-
pact it had on operations,” says
Ryan
Olsen
, vice president of business infor-
mation and statistics for the Aluminum
Association. “Demand grew just eight-
tenths of one percent year-over-year
during the first four months of 2014,
compared to a year-over-year increase
of 7.1% over the final eight months.”
According to the latest data, alumi-
num demand has grown by 38.3% since
the depths of the Great Recession in
2009 and continues to expand. Over the
past two years, Aluminum Association
member companies have announced
domestic plant expansions and planned
investments totaling more than $2.3
billion. Investments are intended to
meet anticipated demand growth for
aluminum in the automotive sector as
manufacturers strive to make lighter
and more fuel-efficient vehicles. The in-
vestments announced to date could in-
crease industry auto sheet capacity by
more than two billion pounds over the
next decade.
For more information, visit
aluminum.org/statistics.
26 26.6 25.3
22.7
18.4
20.9
22.7 23.9 24.3 25.5
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
North American Aluminum Demand
(Billions of Pounds)
Courtesy of the Aluminum Association.