Uneven growth of German aluminum

Production in the German aluminum industry developed unevenly in the second quarter, Aluminium Deutschland reported.

Aluminum recyclers recorded an increase in the period from April to June inclusive, with 725,000 tons of aluminum recycled (+4%). After the first half of the year, production levels are 2% below the previous year (1.4 million tons).

Rob van Gils, president of Aluminium Deutschland, said in a statement that “aluminum recycling is an essential pillar for the decarbonization of Europe and has enormous growth potential. The availability of scrap is essential for this. However, large quantities are exported from Europe and are not available. But without an adequate supply of scrap, we cannot achieve the goal of climate neutrality.”

Producers processing aluminum semifinished products almost reached the previous year’s level (-1%) in the second quarter, with 586,000 tons. In the first half of the year, they produced around 1.2 million tons of semi-finished products (-4%). Of these, manufacturers of rolled products recorded a relatively moderate decrease of 911,000 tons (-3%). Production of extruded aluminum products fell significantly more sharply (-9% to 247,000 tons).

While other areas of the aluminum industry are recovering, the crisis continues for extruders. In particular, weak demand for electric cars and the poor situation in the construction industry continue to cause problems. The EU CO2 fleet targets for 2025 could cause electric car production to gain momentum towards the end of the year. In addition, the federal government must create much more attractive framework conditions for electromobility if it is to meet its 2030 targets.”