One month into the Iran war

On March 28, Iranian strikes hit two major smelters in the Middle East — Emirates Global Aluminium’s (EGA) Al Taweelah complex in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Aluminium Bahrain (Alba). Together, the facilities represent roughly 4% of global aluminum and alumina capacity. No fatalities were reported. This is on top of the roughly 500,000-600,000 tons of curtailments already announced by Qatar’s Qatalum and Alba.

Some of the activity is being redirected elsewhere. Alcoa, for instance. “We are getting more inquiries from customers for the second quarter as well as for the second half of 2026 related to Middle East supply uncertainty,” said CFO Molly Beerman.

AMU’s parent company CRU Group has been hosting emergency webinars to discuss the ongoing impact of the war, from logistics, pricing, supply and demand issues.

“Aluminum does look more vulnerable to price shocks because of the regional importance of primary production here,” said Paul Williams, head of aluminum value chain. He added the market has already seen the impact of price competitiveness in places like the United States, where there is “already been massive price escalation due to the 50% tariffs on ingot inputs.” That has created a large premium over the LME in terms of the overall price when increased fabrication fees for most downstream products are included.

In other news

Novelis has restarted casting operations at its Greensboro, Ga., recycling and casting facility after a March 1 explosion temporarily halted production, the company said. The explosion occurred in the late afternoon of March 1 and damaged a baghouse and cold-end equipment at the plant, according to a statement provided by the company. No injuries were reported.

Pace Industries plans to close two more die-casting plants in Muskegon, Mich., according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filed with the state. The disclosure comes shortly after news the company’s Harrison, Ark., die-casting facility will also shutter on a similar timeline. The closures point to a broader restructuring of Pace’s casting footprint across multiple states.

Rio Tinto and Prysmian are conducting an industrial trial to produce low-carbon aluminum cables intended for the data center sector, as operators expand power infrastructure to support growing computing demand. The companies said the project combines aluminum smelting with cable manufacturing to supply aluminum rod and cable products with lower associated emissions.

Steel Dynamics Inc., whose Aluminum Dynamics division operates its flat-rolled aluminum business, provided Q1’26 earnings guidance that pointed to higher profitability in its steel segment. At the same time, the company’s aluminum business is entering a more capital-intensive phase as its Columbus, Miss., flat-rolled mill continues ramping up.

An automotive supplier plans to turn a former steel mill site in Alabama into a facility to produce aluminum and plastic components for US automakers like Hyundai and Kia. Taiwan-based Minth Group Limited said the $430 million investment will redevelop the 400-acre brownfield site that was the previous location of Republic Steel and Gulf States Steel.

Hyundai Translead plans to build two manufacturing facilities in Will County, Ill. The company plans to will invest more than $450 million in the project, which is expected to add about 2,500 full-time jobs and increase US production capacity. The expansion comes as trailer production declined in 2025 and as trade actions tied to imports and tariff classifications continue to move through federal review.

A gigacasting facility built by Linamar Corp. in Welland, Ontario, was expected to begin operations in early 2025. The plant was designed to house three large aluminum gigacasting machines and produce structural vehicle components for electric vehicles. However, industry reporting and local property listings indicate the newly completed facility was recently marketed for sale or lease, roughly a year after its planned start of production. Unlike gigacasting projects implemented directly by automakers, the Welland facility was structured as an investment by an independent supplier.

General Motors plans to invest about $40 million in its Toledo Propulsion Systems facility to expand manufacturing capacity and introduce a new transmission variant, according to a statement from Ohio State Rep. Elgin Rogers. The investment is tied to production supporting the Chevrolet Equinox and other GMC vehicles. It adds to more than $1 billion GM has invested in the plant since 2011.

Form Technologies’ Dynacast has acquired Mexico-based Platinadora Baja, adding aluminum die casting capacity and expanding its presence in downstream manufacturing processes. The transaction extends Dynacast’s North American footprint while increasing its ability to process components beyond casting.

Monthly survey

AMU’s March survey results show lead times remained extended as supply tightness persisted, even as import competitiveness declines and logistics costs increase. But there’s more to uncover when you dig into how each product is faring. The survey also revealed what participants are saying about supply trends… The share of respondents reporting new US supply is not keeping up with demand increased only marginally month over month, but remains well above the historical average.

You can dig a little more into what participants said here.

Coming up

The EU’s carbon border adjustment mechanism, otherwise known as CBAM, is here. So, what does it mean for North America? To answer that question, Nick Ogilvie, product manager and CBAM lead at CarbonChain, will join AMU for a Community Chat on Thursday, April 9, at 11 a.m. ET. The webinar is free for anyone to attend. You can register here.

Mark your calendars for April 13. That’s when AMU’s next survey will open. The survey collects data on important topics for your business in an anonymous format. The goal is to provide you with a snapshot of the market as it is, even if that’s not always where it was forecast to be. Our survey data is also a great way to keep tabs on what your peers across the industry are thinking.

All personal data is kept confidential.

There are other perks for getting involved. Survey participants receive early access to results, including select breakdowns and comparative data not published in full on the website. Subscribers get access to expanded survey analysis and an archive of historical results. Those interested may contact Nicholas.Bell@crugroup.com.