AMU Survey: January lead times stable, but still uneven across products
January's AMU survey shows stabilizing lead times with growing product-level and role-based divergence, alongside a notable shift in perceptions of import competitiveness.
Category: Building & Construction
North America rail freight shipments: Gauging industrial demand
Early-2026 rail freight data show bulk commodities driving volume gains while primary metals, lumber and vehicle shipments lag, highlighting uneven demand signals across North American industrial markets.
AMU Survey: MWP/UBC expectations and scrap outlook
January AMU survey results show firmer Midwest premium expectations, stabilizing UBC outlooks, and a split between recycler responses and those of producers, manufacturers, and traders.
Construction end market check-in: 2025 Backlog and momentum indicators
Non-residential construction indicators show how planning and backlog shaped aluminum demand heading into 2026.
The question of aluminum and substitution
Decisions to swap materials are not made in the spur of the moment. Significant engineering changes have to be made, tooling has to be redesigned. With current lead times for heavy industrial equipment, substitution could take 1-2 years to execute. Substitution, whether good or bad for aluminum, is not happening quickly.
Lead time takeaways from AMU's survey
December survey data showed lead times rising across aluminum products even as respondents reported steadier conditions.
ALUKO Group expands US manufacturing footprint
ALUKO Group plans to establish a second US manufacturing facility in Tennessee, expanding its domestic manufacturing presence beyond the EV-focused Jackson site.
MMG Extrusions completes multi-year expansion at New Hampshire facility
MMG Extrusions completed a multi-year expansion at its New Hampshire facility that increased extrusion capacity and added automated aging, packing, and downstream processing.
AKFA Aluminum Solutions to build first US manufacturing facility in Kentucky
AKFA Aluminum Solutions will establish its first US manufacturing facility in Bowling Green, Kentucky, introducing a new extrusion-focused aluminum producers into the regional secondary market.
AI needs data centers. What this means for metals.
AI is seeing an aggressive buildup, but some cracks are beginning to show.