"The 'Promoting Aluminum Applications High-Level Forum,' jointly organized by the State Council Counselor's Office and the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association, was held in Beijing. This forum is a crucial component of the 'Green Aluminum' initiative launched by the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association. With the rise of the domestic high-end aluminum processing industry, aluminum has become a vital material for China to break free from energy and environmental constraints.
Green Everywhere, Deep into People's Lives
Today, the concept of energy-efficient and environmentally friendly aluminum is permeating various industries, benefiting countless households. Aluminum not only plays a significant role in national defense and technology industries but is also deeply intertwined with our daily lives, enhancing every aspect of our clothing, food, shelter, and transportation. Thanks to its excellent conductivity, heat dissipation properties, lightweight, malleability, corrosion resistance, low-temperature resilience, and recyclability, aluminum finds applications in various fields. From clothing zippers and food packaging to aerospace aircraft and high-speed trains, aluminum is omnipresent.
China's Aluminum Industry: From Size to Strength, Focusing on High-End
Indeed, aluminum provides real convenience to the public and continuously enhances the quality of national life. As we enjoy a healthy and eco-friendly aluminum lifestyle, we also witness the emergence of the aluminum processing industry. The rise of aluminum cans is the best example of increasing the value of aluminum products.
In the 1960s, aluminum cans emerged in the United States, gaining favor worldwide due to their convenience, safety, and recyclability, surpassing other metal packaging containers. Aluminum cans are considered ideal containers for beer and carbonated beverages, maintaining steady growth as people's consumption levels rise and environmental awareness increases.
It's worth noting that aluminum cans are high-precision aluminum sheet and strip products, with an annual consumption of billions in China. However, due to the lack of large-scale industrial production capacity, a significant amount of aluminum strip for cans needs to be imported to meet the demand. Data shows that China lags behind international advanced producers of aluminum strips for cans in terms of research and development technology and production equipment.
However, the ability to produce aluminum strips for cans is a crucial measure of a country's aluminum processing capabilities. Shifting from import substitution to exploring the international market has become a consensus among domestic high-end aluminum processing companies.
In China, it's precisely because the concept of energy-saving and environmentally friendly aluminum products has taken root that the aluminum processing industry has tremendous growth potential. Currently, the concept of "precision deep processing of aluminum" is emphasized repeatedly. Precision deep processing products mainly refer to high-precision aluminum sheet, strip, and foil that meet high standards in terms of surface quality, dimensional accuracy, sheet shape, and performance. These products are required in transportation, aerospace, national defense, and other industries with high-quality, high-performance, and high-technical content, as well as high-value-added products such as aluminum alloys with special properties.
Experts point out that China's aluminum extrusion industry is transitioning from being large to being strong, and aluminum profiles are extending from semi-finished products to finished products. The Chinese government will use economic leverage such as "export tax rebates" to encourage aluminum companies to extend into downstream manufacturing, and enterprises actively involved in aluminum profile deep processing projects will undoubtedly enjoy stronger development."
