Castings producer purchases aluminum foundry operator based in Minnesota.

Manitowoc, Wisconsin-based Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry (WAF) has acquired fellow castings producer DEE Inc. of Crookston, Minnesota, according to regional media reports.

Green Bay, Wisconsin-based WLUK-TV is among the outlets reporting the transaction, saying the acquisition has been designed to allow the newly combined company to expand its operations and create new opportunities and increased capacity.

The TV station quotes WAF CEO Sachin Shivaram as saying, “DEE has a dedicated and skilled workforce that operates much of the same equipment as our Manitowoc plant, making it a natural extension of our business as we look to meet the growth in our customers’ demand for aluminum castings. It also creates new opportunities as manufacturing continues to evolve, so we envision significant growth at DEE as well as [at] Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry.”

On its website, DEE says its 96,000-square-foot foundry is equipped to allow it “to build small to large castings with a wide variety of complexity.”

The WAF website describes that firm as a more diversified castings nonferrous foundry that offers “a wide range of services in aluminum, bronze and brass castings; specializing in permanent mold casting; green sand casting and green sand molding; air set sand casting; [and] no-bake sand casting.”

WLUK says the latest acquisition by WAF comes less than a year after it purchased Wabash Castings of Wabash, Indiana.

Warfare in Ukraine and sanctions on Russia are combining to change multiple material flows in metal markets.

The invasion of Ukraine by Russia’s military has produced immediate effects on that nation’s flows of minerals and metals. Now, sanctions placed by much of the world on Russian banks and corporations are leading to numerous scrambles for buyers and sellers of aluminum, stainless steel and other metals and raw materials to keep their trade channels open.

In Ukraine itself, which is being attacked by Russia by land, air and sea, the nation’s chamber of commerce issued a force majeure (suspension of the enforcement of contracts) notice effective from Feb. 24, when the Russian invasion started.

According to the Interfax news agency, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ukraine posted a Facebook notice in late February declaring in part, “From Feb. 24, 2022, until [the conflict’s] official end are extraordinary, inevitable and objective circumstances for business entities and/or individuals under the contract, certain tax and/or other obligations, the fulfillment of which occurred in accordance with the terms of the agreement, contract, treaty, legislative or other regulatory acts and the fulfillment in accordance with which became impossible within the prescribed period due to the occurrence of such force majeure circumstances.”

The Davis Index metals news service has reported that metals producers including ArcelorMittal, Metinvest and Ferrexpo suspended production shortly after the invasion, citing workforce safety concerns.

Subsequently, Davis Index says, Ukraine-based mining and steel producer Metinvest has invoked force majeure citing blockaded seaports, infrastructure damage and workforce safety.

Global shipping line Maersk, in a March 1 update, states in part, “As the stability and safety of our operations is already being directly and indirectly impacted by sanctions, new Maersk bookings within ocean, air and intercontinental rail to and from Russia will be temporarily suspended, with the exception of foodstuffs, medical and humanitarian supplies (bar dual-use items).”

The Denmark-based shipper adds, “Countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany are holding back vessels en route to Russia in search of restricted commodities, primarily dual-use items.”

Overseas buyers of Ukraine-made steel as well as other metals and raw material feedstocks shipped via the Black Sea are among those scrambling to change their purchasing routines. Davis Index cites Mexican steelmakers and buyers among those already paying more for either iron ore or semifinished steel.

Such shifts in purchasing habits likely are widespread as sanctions on Russia expand. In 2021, Russia exported more than half of the 76 million metric tons of steel it made, according to S&P Global Platts.

According to the Brussels-based Bureau of International Recycling (BIR), Russia in 2020 exported more than 4.7 million metric tons of ferrous scrap. Russian steelmakers and scrap exporters alike will have to navigate new banking restrictions and a commitment by many nations to conduct less business with Russia after the invasion.

Primary aluminum is another large-tonnage Russian export. In the first 11 months of 2021, some 183,000 metric tons of Russian-made finished and semifinished aluminum found its way to the United States, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Despite previously existing sanctions, that made Russia the second biggest exporter of aluminum to the U.S. last year, following only the United Arab Emirates (and not including neighboring free trade zone partners Canada and Mexico).

Postinvasion, prices for finished aluminum and aluminum scrap have trended upward. London Metal Exchange (LME) prices at the start of March reached $1.58 per pound, or $3,495 per metric ton. That is a 107 percent increase compared with the $1,684 per metric ton (76 cents per pound) value of LME aluminum at the start of March 2021.

Regarding trade patterns, Davis Index in early March characterizes sanctions placed upon the participation of some Russian banks and companies in the global SWIFT money transfer system as meaning trade with that nation and its leading aluminum producer, Rusal, could become a “tedious process.”

The drug store chain will add 20 units where CRV beverage containers can be redeemed in underserved areas of California.

CVS Health Corp. and CalRecycle have signed an agreement under which the pharmacy chain will install 20 reverse vending machines at its stores in unserved areas of the state, enabling Californians to redeem California Redemption Value, or CRV, beverage containers. CVS also will pay CalRecycle a settlement of $1 million in restitution for disputed back fees for bottle and can redemption obligations.

In addition to providing places for more Californians to redeem their CRV fees, this five-year pilot project will give CalRecycle data to analyze the potential for widespread use of reverse vending machines throughout the state, the agency says. RePlanet LLC of Ontario, California, used reverse vending machines but closed its network of 284 recycling centers and processing facilities and terminated its 750-person workforce in 2019.

In 2021, grocery chain Safeway began adding reverse vending machines in the Bay area. Lise Murphy with Olyns, a reverse vending machine manufacturer based in California, says four Safeway stores in Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Santa Clara and Milpitas are using reverse vending machines supplied by Olyns after a pilot at the Sunnyvale store in 2021 in partnership with PepsiCo. 

CVS agreed to install the machines within one year and to operate them for all open store hours, according to a news release from CalRecycle.

“We appreciate CVS’ willingness to participate in this landmark agreement, partnering with CalRecycle to invest in innovations that will help California communities redeem and recycle their bottles and cans,” CalRecycle Director Rachel Machi Wagoner says. “Instead of simply settling a penalty for disputed compliance issues, the company is working with us to help modernize this important recycling program.”

“We’re committed to minimizing our CVS Pharmacy stores’ environmental footprint and contributing to healthier, more sustainable communities,” Maureen Cormier, division vice president of CVS Pharmacy, says. “We’re continuously working with our stores that participate in the in-store California Refund Value program to ensure that eligible recyclable containers are accepted and refunds are provided. In addition, we look forward to working with CalRecycle on the reverse vending machine initiative as  well as other innovative new ways to ensure communities have accessible and convenient ways to recycle.”

Under the state's CRV recycling law, retailers in defined zones without a recycling center must refund the 5- or 10-cent fee on CRV containers in-store or pay $100 per day.

*This article was updated March 4 to include information about the Safeway stores' Olyns units. CalRecycle originally said that reverse vending machines last operated in the state in 2019.

Aziz Aghili serves as executive vice president and president of the heavy vehicle group of Dana Inc.

Graphic Packaging Holding Co., Atlanta, announced that Aziz Aghili has joined its board of directors.  

"Aziz is an accomplished executive whose vast global experience in leading large, varied business units will provide a new dimension to our board,” says Phil Martens, chairman of Graphic Packaging.  “We are pleased to welcome Aziz and look forward to his guidance as we continue our global growth."  

According to a news release, Aghili currently serves as executive vice president and president of the Heavy Vehicle Group of Dana Inc., a producer of drivetrain and e-propulsion systems for commercial and industrial vehicles in Maumee, Ohio. During his 13-year career with Dana, Mr. Aghili has held various global executive roles, currently leading a team of more than 20,000 employees located in 27 countries and 110 manufacturing, assembly and service centers. 

Before Dana, Aghili spent more than 20 years at Meritor, Inc., where he ultimately served as vice president and general manager of the body systems division. Before joining Meritor, he worked for Nissan Motor Company and General Electric Plastics. 

"Aziz's diverse perspective and outstanding record of integrating acquisitions, achieving synergies in manufacturing and engineering and managing large capital projects will serve Graphic Packaging well in our mission to become the world's premier provider of fiber-based consumer packaging,” says Michael Doss, president and CEO of Graphic Packaging. 

The company also announced that effective March 1, 2022, board member David D. Campbell, is retiring from the Board.  

The upgrades were for facilities in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and Duncan, South Carolina.

Machinex, Plessisville, Quebec, has announced the completion of upgrades at two single-stream material recovery facilities (MRFs) in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and Duncan, South Carolina. These two projects resulted from a tight and efficient collaboration with Pratt Industries, Atlanta, according to the systems provider.  

According to a news release from Machinex, upgrades started in June 2021 at the Duncan location. This single-stream system needed to replace its rubber disc polishing screen and increase throughput capacity without adding additional sorters to handle around 15,000 tons of recyclables per year. The system was redesigned to sort materials from curbside collection using equipment such as a Mach Ballistic separator and two Mach Hyspec optical sorters to sort fiber, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE).  

The upgrade in Fayetteville was completed in August 2021. Pratt wanted to recover more HDPE and PET with the upgrade, which also involved adding a quality control station on its aluminum line to recover used beverage cans. The upgraded system includes a Mach Ballistic separator, two Mach Hyspec optical sorters to eject PET, 3D fiber and mixed paper. It is designed to process 20,000 tons of material annually. The upgrade aims to improve the uptime, recovery and capacity at the MRF. 

"Machinex worked very closely with our team to ensure that the design and components of the upgrades accomplished our objectives,” says Kurt Schmitz Sr., vice president of Pratt Recycling.