Novelis Inc., the U.S.-based aluminum unit of India’s Hindalco Industries Ltd., sees global demand for the industrial metal rising about 4 percent annually in the next five years. The strongest growth, of about 6 percent to 10 percent annually, will come from Asia, followed by 7 percent to 8 percent increases in South America. North American demand may increase 1 percent to 3 percent annually, followed by Europe, which will see gains of 1 percent or less.
Novelis is seeing the strongest demand growth for metal used in products such as flat-screen televisions, laptop computers, gaming stations, cell phones and cameras. Aluminum for delivery in three months has increased 72 percent in the past year to $2,231 a ton on the London Metal Exchange, driven by demand from China.
Hindalco, India’s largest aluminum maker, acquired Novelis in 2007 for $6 billion, two years after it was spun off by Canada’s Alcan Inc. in 2005. Novelis had $10.2 billion in sales last year, 52 percent of which came from sales of aluminum used for beverage cans. Novelis has 12,000 employees in 11 countries.
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