On November 4th, Fan Shunke, deputy secretary of the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association and chairman of the China Nonferrous Metals Processing Industry Association, pointed out at the 8th Guangdong Aluminum Processing Technology (International) Symposium that in recent years, under the joint efforts of the whole industry China's aluminum processing industry has achieved remarkable results. The output and consumption rank first in the world for 11 consecutive years. In 2016, the output of aluminum processed materials reached 35.2 million tons, from the perspectives of industrial scale, industry standards, quality, technology and equipment. China is already a veritable aluminum processing country, and to some extent has become a strong country. In the future, China's aluminum processing industry should focus on strengthening investment in research and development and improving independent innovation capabilities. At the same time, environmental protection and recycling are still important development directions of the industry.

Main features of the aluminum processing industry

To the high-end development, the equipment level is leading the world. As of 2016, China has more aluminum processing equipment than other countries combined. In terms of extruded materials, it is equipped with 181 extruders of 45 mega-ton or more, of which the largest tonnage is 225 mega-ton, which is unique to the whole country and unique worldwide. In terms of rolled materials, 19 production lines of 1+3 to 1+5 hot-rolled hot Lianda were put into production; 12 1+1 preheating rolling and light rolling production lines, of which the largest width of 4,500 mm was the highest in Asia; 2000 mm There are dozens of wide-width rolling mills with a maximum width of 2,350 mm, which is the widest in the world.

Product standards and quality are fully integrated with the international market, and gradually break through the occupation of the international market. China's major aluminum standards are based on European, American and Japanese standards and are in line with international standards. China GB-T5237 aluminum alloy building profiles national standard and English version have been recognized and adopted by many countries in the world. The quality of China's aluminum products has reached international standards and entered the international market. It has been the world's largest exporter of aluminum for seven consecutive years, and its exports account for about 20% of the global aluminum. In 2016, a total of 4.6 million tons of aluminum were exported, including 1.64 million tons of plates, 1.3 million tons of extruded materials, 1.08 million tons of aluminum foil, and 30,000 tons of aluminum powder and wire.

Trade friction has become the norm. With the increase in the export volume of China's aluminum processing products, the enhancement of competitiveness, the rise of international trade protectionism, and increased trade frictions, a few countries even frequently conduct administrative investigations on Chinese aluminum products and file double-difigation proceedings. After the United States conducted 32 competition investigations on China's aluminum industry last year, this year it launched a double-reverse investigation on aluminum foil. On October 27, the US Department of Commerce announced the preliminary investigation results on China's aluminum foil double anti-dumping, and decided to impose an import tariff of 96.8%~162.2% on aluminum foil imported from China. The final decision will be announced in February 2018.

The development of the industry presents the characteristics of industrial clustering, enterprise large-scale, production specialization and product customization. After years of development, in addition to Chinalco enterprises, private enterprises have become the main force of the industry.

Product development is mechanized. A number of aluminum processing industry clusters have been gradually formed throughout China, such as Guangdong Nanhai, Shandong Linyi aluminum alloy construction platform, Henan Gongyi aluminum strip, Liaoning Liaoyang industrial profiles, Shandong Binzhou, Inner Mongolia Hollingrad, Xinjiang Colorful Bay and other places A new model is being formed around the centralized layout of the electrolytic aluminum plant.

The development of aluminum processing enterprises is large. The production capacity of many enterprises has reached 500,000 tons per year, and some even reached the scale of 1 million tons per year, such as Chinalco, Zhongwang Group, Nanshan Aluminum, Feng Aluminum, Xingfa Aluminum, Huajian Aluminum. And other businesses.

Specialization in aluminum processing production. A variety of development models coexist in the industry, more and more companies pay more attention to market segments, such as Jianmei aluminum to produce high-end aluminum profiles; Liaocheng Wanhe production heat exchange system with long and short flat tubes, the domestic market share Gao; Shanghai Huafeng mainly produces brazing composite materials. These enterprises are moderate in scale, but they all have a large share and the benefits are significant.

Product production is customized. Liaoning Zhongwang, Shandong Jungle and other processing enterprises have been transformed from manufacturing vehicle platform to manufacturing rail vehicles. Hunan Tongtong cooperates with logistics companies to produce lightweight high-end trucks. It also cooperates with CNPC to produce lightweight high-end tankers from simple materials. Producers, turned into a total solution provider, just as aluminum profiles become the overall supplier of aluminum doors and windows, product customization is becoming popular.

The core problems of the current industry

Basic research and innovation. At present, China's aluminum processing industry has been catching up with the advanced level of foreign countries and developing into a development stage parallel with foreign countries. However, there are still shortcomings in the industry technology research and independent innovation capabilities, such as the development of aluminum alloy core grades. Alcoa registered 512 aluminum alloy grades, while China only registered three.

The development of downstream demand is insufficient, and product homogeneity is serious. In the past few years, the printed base aluminum cans, which have been sought after by the market, are currently overcapacity and have vicious competition. According to statistics, as of now, the annual production capacity of aluminum cans in China has exceeded 1.5 million tons, the homogenization and actual production is only about 800,000 tons, and the capacity utilization rate is only about 50%. The homogenization has caused the market competition to heat up. The processing fee has dropped and then dropped. For example, the processing cost of the can body material has dropped from 9,000 yuan per ton in previous years to 4,000 yuan per ton.

The integration of physical enterprises and capital markets is not close enough. Rough statistics, at present, China's independent aluminum processing enterprises have only listed more than a dozen domestic and foreign companies. Compared with the scale of the processing industry, aluminum processing enterprises have not been able to use the power of the capital market to achieve their own leap-forward development. At the same time, The listed companies have not been able to give full play to the market's contribution to the development of the company, which will be the next step for China's aluminum processing industry.

Future development direction of China's aluminum processing industry

First, increase investment in research and development and improve the ability of independent innovation. China's aluminum processing industry has gone through the development stage of tracking imitation, digestion and absorption, and re-innovation. The industry has now entered a parallel development stage with foreign developed countries, and some enterprises have even become leaders. In the next step, the industry should further increase investment in scientific research, improve its independent innovation capability, and strive to build 8 to 10 world-class enterprises with core competitiveness in 3 to 5 years.

Second, pay attention to environmental health, safety and recycling. Aluminum is a green product, and aluminum should play a bigger role in creating a better life. Aluminum processing enterprises should continue to improve and reduce the level of pollutants and waste emissions in the surface treatment of aluminum, minimize the damage to nature and human health, and make the green concept deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. At the same time, further improve the awareness of safe production operations, increase safety production protection measures, pay attention to product safety production cycle research, and improve cycle utilization.

Third, the rapid development of the capital market. Aluminum processing enterprises must actively plan their listings, make full use of the capital market, improve their corporate reputation, increase financing channels, reduce financing costs, expand partners and development opportunities, and promote mergers and acquisitions and establish a professional A highly sensitive capital market talent team, scientifically and effectively using futures tools to resolve business risks and achieve leapfrog development.

Fourth, grasp the opportunity of the “Belt and Road” and implement the strategy of going global. The “Belt and Road Initiative” provides a good opportunity for Chinese aluminum processing enterprises to “go global”. “Going out” can not only extend the industrial chain, but also open up new markets, in order to effectively deal with trade frictions of other countries. We must use them well. The “Belt and Road” initiative.

China's socialism has entered a new era, and the main contradictions have been transformed into contradictions between the people's growing needs for a better life and the development of inadequate imbalances. Looking forward to the future, the aluminum processing industry should implement the development concept of “innovation, coordination, green, openness, and sharing”, adhere to the priority of quality first, and focus on the supply-side structural reform, in conforming to and satisfying the people’s growing and better life. China still has a lot to offer.