Aluminium is third most abundant element (after oxygen and silicon) and it is the most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust. It makes up about 8% by weight of the Earth’s solid surface.
Cooking equipment, aero planes, vehicles, power lines, etc. Aluminium (when solid) has a density of 2700 kg per cubic metr and it has a Youngst Modulus of 70 GPa. Aluminium weighs about a third as much a copper.
The worldwide industry of Aluminium saw an increase of 403% in production over the span of 13 years i.e 2000-2013 which are Africa, Asia (ex China), China, North America, South America, East & Central Europe.
Particularly Asia region saw an annual increase of 8.5%on average from year 2000 to 2009, however onwards 2009 the production capacity dropped to an average of 4%. The reason being the countries that contributed the most in Asian region started manufacturing the machinery itself that produced Aluminium products rather than using the machinery to produce Aluminium products. Still,the increase in production remain significant, as of year 2009 to 2013 it was at an average of 4% and surprisingly this was the contribution by only few countries which lead us to conclude that countries like Pakistan, India and Iran have increased their production rapidly.These countries are targeting their respective local and international markets while also taking the advantage of the newly created space.
It is quite alarming that there is no exact statistical knowledge available to new companies that creates a basic barrier to entry, which is due to the fact that existing companies don’t want new comers in the field, and they want to enjoy huge profits and have already created their monopolies.
Particularly, the industry of Pakistan is considered to be rapidly emerging as a front runner in production level and consumption level of Aluminium. In the Dubai Expo which was held in April this year (2013) a lot focus was on Pakistani market, the reason being Pakistan is a developing country and the construction industry is slowly and steadily growing. The political scenario settling is also attracting higher levels of local and foreign investments.
According to the information gathered from Industry Experts and demands monitored by existing manufacturers and distributors, the present demand of Aluminium is 26,000 Tonnes per year and it is expected to grow to 29,000 Tonnes by the end of 2015. Surprisingly, the aluminium market is still huge and the demand is far greater than the supply. Last year there was a gap between supply and demand of almost 4,000 Tonnes due to which the prices have increased.
Various manufacturers have done analysis on Pakistani Aluminium Industry on independent basis and it was concluded that the consumption of aluminium saw an average annual increase of 4.8% to 5.9% from year 2006-2012. Furthermore they also expect this demand to grow up by 6.2% each year from 2013-2020.
The consumption of Aluminium also increased as the population increased rapidly over the past decade and it is further expected to expand at a high rate. The construction industry of Pakistan is also expected to grow at 5%-6% annually justifying the assumptions and research done by the various manufacturers.
Currently in Pakistan, there is no company that produces Aluminium Profiles for building purposes (doors and windows) of good quality that can meet international standards.
It is heart-wrenching that people are deprived of their rights of getting the best quality since they are paying ridiculously high prices for the profiles.
Manufacturers take advantage of the lack of knowledge of the people. Sometimes even plans are proposed to promote awareness in people but the industrialists have always rejected the ideas, as they fear reduction in profits. If current situation is also prevalent in coming years, it is quite possible that due to increase in demand each year there would be a point when the Aluminium profiles and products would become extremely expensive and people would eventually have to switch over to cheaper substitutes though they cannot provide the same benefits as aluminum.
Author: Mian Meekail, is one of the leading metallurgists in Aluminium sector of Pakistan. He has experience of more than 12 years and he has also played an important role in bringing new names & companies in Pakistan. Currently, he is production specialist in one of the local manufacturing unit and besides that he is working as a consultant for two new factories that are going to be developed in UAE.
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