Labor agreement timelines converge in US aluminum
Labor agreements across US aluminum producers are converging around 2026, bringing collective bargaining timelines into sharper focus this year.
Category: Pulse
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.
Join AMU on Jan. 22 for a Community Chat with Greg Wittbecker and Edward Meir
Join aluminum experts and Aluminum Market Update (AMU) contributors Greg Wittbecker and Edward Meir for an AMU Community Chat on on Thurs., Jan. 22, at 11 am ET to find out.
Recreational vehicle wholesale shipments slump
US RV wholesale shipments declined more sharply than typical seasonal norms in November 2025, signaling mounting pressure on discretionary consumer spending amid inflation and elevated interest rates.
AB InBev repurchases minority stake in US metal can operations
Anheuser-Busch InBev has repurchased a minority stake in its US metal can manufacturing operations, reversing a $3 billion transaction completed in 2020.
Novelis says Oswego repairs to cost $255 million, restart TBD
The most recent blaze in November damaged the hot mill's finishing mill, which is highly specialized.
Midwest premiums: Falling Canadian imports are telling
The US has seen a drastic decline in imports from Canada.
Novelis' Oswego plant sees management shakeup
The changes are happening months after recent fires took parts of the facility offline.
AMU Survey: UBC expectations fragment as scrap signals stabilized
December survey results show UBC price expectations becoming more debated even as scrap availability, inventory behavior, and Midwest premium expectations point toward steadier underlying conditions.
Midwest premiums: How high is high?
The Midwest premium has risen beyond replacement economics, driven by thin liquidity, depleted US inventories, slow import response, and limited near-term substitutes - raising questions about sustainability and forward risk.