Aluminium production down double digits

The production of raw aluminium fell by 14% to around 748,000 tonnes in the second quarter of 2023. After the first half of the year, output stands at just over 1.5 million tonnes (-13%). In the process Production of primary aluminium fell by 50 per cent in the period from January to June compared to the same period last year - the smelters produced around 98,000 tonnes. Before the energy crisis, they produced almost three times as much.

At just under 595,000 tonnes, the aluminium semi-finished products processing segment recorded also fell significantly in the second quarter (-12 per cent). The decline was in the double-digit range for both manufacturers of extruded products (-16 per cent) and producers of rolled products (-11 per cent). A total of 1.2 million tonnes of semi-finished products were produced in Germany in the first half of the year (-10%).

„The exodus of industry has already begun and is gathering pace. Industrial value creation and thus prosperity in Germany are at stake. The Federal Government urgently needs to take countermeasures. This is not about permanent subsidies, but about a bridge. And more than 60,000 jobs in the aluminium industry. We welcome the Federal Chancellor's announcement to reduce energy prices in Germany to a competitive level through structural measures. But we cannot rely on this alone. Time is pressing and if large parts of the industry are gone, they will not come back. With all the consequences for industrial value creation and the country's independence.“ Rob van Gils, AD President

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Van Gils continues: „Germany is the only industrialised country that will not grow this year. That should give us all pause for thought - fundamentally. Production and investment conditions must be significantly improved. The current weak economy is causing us problems. Demand from key customer sectors such as the construction industry and mechanical engineering continues to decline. And the upturn seems further away than ever. The worry lines are getting deeper.“

Source: Aluminium Deutschland e.V.