The year 2016 is the year of revolution for industrial production. The point of Industrial 4.0 was put forward formally during the Hannover Industrial Exhibition held in April, 2013. It has spread within the field ever since. Industrial revolution seems to be a very important starting point for the future industrial progress of the country. Up till now, the 13th Five-year Plan made by the government has been flouring in the industrial field, making the former rough developing modes dwarfed in the background of the present vigorously promoted industrial revolution.
Now we are going to analyze some hot topics on aluminum to have a look at the reason why the industrial aluminum profile has been so hot.
Focus one
The 12th International Aluminum Industry Exhibition has concluded successfully. The fair lasted for 3 days, with 400 aluminum enterprises and 28,000 visitors from more than 30 countries and areas taking part in the fair. It focused on showing new techniques, new materials, and new applications of the aluminum industry all around the world. It provided a professional and open platform for all-around communications of information, technology and experience and helped with the faster development for the target of Aluminum Industry 4.0.
During the fair, many enterprises in the rail transportation, aerospace, cars and other relevant industries fully show their new technology and images, and at the same time get to know the latest industry trends and the application development of industrial aluminum both domestic and abroad.
Specialists from industry associations and industrial aluminum application fields, all give utmost attention and expectation for the technological progress and development directions of the industrial aluminum processing equipments. No matter it is the research, development and production of the industrial aluminum profile, or production equipment, or the aluminum profile applications, they are all improved to a large extent and are closer to international standards with the development of China’s high speed trains as well as the car industries.
In the 12th International Aluminum Industry Exhibition, the most remarkable products must be industrial aluminum profiles. It has never been so focused in the last 11 years of exhibitions. So, 2016 is the year of big stride for industrial aluminum profile developments. Theoretically speaking, if industrial aluminum profiles have bad prospect for development, or if industrial aluminum profiles’ development potential is not that good, how will the industrial aluminum profiles be so focused in the industry?
Focus two
Reports have learned from the aluminum profile deep processing forum in the 2016 International Aluminum Industry Exhibition that, industrial aluminum profiles have been applied to the fields of household electrical appliances, consumer electronics as well as commercial vehicle in big quantities. In the field of passenger cars that are not produced in big quantities, they are accelerating the research and development of lightweight technology. In China 80% of the market demand is in the field of real estate buildings. Since 2014, new projects in Chinese real estate have dropped dramatically. And the demand for aluminum profiles for doors and windows has decreased. But many of the specialists hold the opinion that in developed countries 40% of the aluminum profiles are used in industrial fields, so as soon as the industrial aluminum profile market is opened, the quantities will increase dramatically in China.
In the recently published 2015 Nonferrous Metal Market Development Report(referred to as Report hereafter), the industrial aluminum profile production in 2016 is expected to increase steadily, especially the large industrial aluminum profiles applied in the public transportation field. Some industry insiders say, as the demand for industrial aluminum profiles is huge, the increase of production becomes a definite trend, which is sure to bring about good development chances for domestic high-end aluminum profile manufacturers.
The reason why the Report draws such a conclusion is that the real estate market in China has had rational regression and the development of architectural aluminum profiles has slowed down. The Report says that in 2016, the real estate industry investment is expected to decrease furthermore, the real estate market will continue the adjustment, and the housing prices will have rational regression. The real estate market has completed the transformation from housing shortage to upgrade improvements. The potential demand for future housing will drop year by year. Therefore, architectural aluminum profile consumption will be influenced and slow down accordingly.
As we all know, ARJ21 airplanes use aluminum as major materials. The mass of aluminum spare parts accounts for 75% of the total net mass of airplanes. ARJ21 airplanes use similar aluminum profiles as Boeing B777, choosing comprehensive outstanding fourth generation high strength aluminum to build the major body parts. While the parts of the airplanes’ front body, middle body, middle-back body, head and wings are almost all made of aluminum profiles. The aluminum parts in the total mass of C919 accounts for 65% of the total net mass of the airplanes.
The fact that industrial aluminum profiles have become popular in the recent years is not baseless. On one hand, architectural aluminum profile market is shrinking because of the descend of real estate industry investment. For the last dozens of years of economic development, real estate market has become saturated, and the future new generation of youths has changed the concept of housing which also influences the future development demand of real estate market. On the other hand, the development of rail transport and aviation transport also provide huge power to industrial aluminum profiles. Unlike the saturation of architectural aluminum profiles on architecture applications, industrial aluminum profiles are on a primary stage for industrial applications. Therefore, relatively speaking, different development stages of the two parties have determined the future development trends of the two. Which one is optimistic and which one is pessimistic, is very obvious.
