Contributor: Nicholas Bell

Nicholas Bell

Nicholas brings over half a decade of experience covering metals markets, pricing trends, and supply chain dynamics. Prior to joining AMU, he reported on aluminum, high-temperature scrap, and ferro-alloy markets at Argus Media, with additional coverage of minor metals and rare earths. His work has built deep expertise in North American metals pricing and trade flows. A native of Houston, Nicholas holds a bachelor’s degree in Media Production and an MBA with a concentration in Finance, both from the University of Houston.

Ball v. Crown and the limits of design

A patent dispute between two aluminum can giants highlights that a can designed to minimize waste shouldn't be piling up in landfills.

Import report card: Fragmented by design

The latest import data reveals a market no longer shaped by supply and demand alone, but by tariffs, carveouts, and timing.

Aluminerie Alouette’s Power Move: Aluminum supply chain under Hydro-Québec

Aluminerie Alouette's will invest $1.1 billion and secure a green power deal in a strategic bid for long-term stability.

Commercial vehicle trends in aluminum

Class 8 orders drop, trailer backlogs thin, but transportation spending sets a record.

Q2'25 auto sales: The sugar high quarter

Second quarter auto sales look strong on the surface, underpinned by a growing split between assembly and production.

Miles of wire, tons of signals: Prysmian’s cable deal to feed largest U.S. transmission line

Prysmian's latest cable contract may reshape the U.S. aluminum cable market.

Casting a wider net: Cascade Die Casting to expand North Carolina site

Casting capacity expands right in the heart of a key OEM supply chain.

Prysmian's Encore Wire breaks ground on TX facility expansion

Prysmian’s groundbreaking for a 650,000-square-foot medium-voltage cable facility on Encore Wire’s Texas campus marks a big development in the aluminum wire and cable sector.

Rules of retaliation: Canada tightens trade policy on tariff tensions

Canada's new trade rules may be retaliation, but it's also starting to look like long-term industrial strategy.

Parsing construction demand: What Oldcastle and Jeld-Wen closures reveal about the B & C market

Plant closures at Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope and Jeld-Wen are two sides of the same coin: indicators of softening demand in different slices of construction.