Jul 13 2007
Asia-Pacific is expected to remain the fastest growing as well as the largest Bauxite and Alumina Market with a share of about 43% for 2006. Europe, the second largest market, is projected to register sales of 52 million metric tons by 2010.
Bauxite ore is an important mineral used in producing alumina, the raw material that is in turn used for producing aluminum. Approximately 85% of Bauxite is converted into alumina, 5% is used in non-metallurgical bauxite applications, and the remaining 10% is utilized in other applications. Leading countries contributing for about 70% of the total mined bauxite include Australia, Guinea, Brazil and Jamaica. On the other hand, Australia, the United States, China and Jamaica account for approximately 60% of the world's alumina production.
Though there has been a decline in demand for refractories over the years, application of alumina in end-use continues to remain strong owing to its better performance. The same is the case in application of both alumina and bauxite in the abrasives industry. High performance materials would influence the demand for both bauxite and alumina in future. The application of alumina trihydrate in flame-retardants, and calcined alumina in electronic ceramics and bioceramics, is expected to grow significantly in the coming years.
GIA's comprehensive research report titled "Bauxite and Alumina: A Global Strategic Business Report" analyzes similar market trends with hard-to-find data and analytics for key regions such as the United States, China, Japan, Germany, France, the UK, Italy, and others alongside up and coming markets such as Latin America and the Rest of World.
The study also sheds light on trends, issues, import and export dynamics prevalent in the industry. Also discussed is the competitive analysis of leading manufacturers in the bauxite and alumina industry, amply illustrated with numerous data rich, market data tables depicting major research findings. Demand patterns quantified in volume terms across major product segments include, Bauxite (Metallurgical Bauxite and Non-Metallurgical Bauxite) and Alumina (Metallurgical Alumina and Non-Metallurgical Alumina).
Comalco, Alcoa of Australia Limited, Queensland Alumina Ltd., Rio Tinto Ltd. and BHP Billiton Ltd. along with Worsley Alumina are the major producers of bauxite and alumina in Australia. Leading producers of the aluminum raw materials in India are Nalco, Indal and Hindalco. The report offers detailed profiles of the dominating players in the US market - Aluminum Company of America, Kaiser Aluminum Corporation, and Century Aluminum Co., among others. RUSAL of Russia, Alusuisse Group of Switzerland, Norsk Hydro of Norway, and several other regional players are also profiled in the report. The study enumerates recent developments, mergers, acquisitions, and other strategic industry activities, and is an easy guide to What, Why, When, How, Where, and Who of the industry.