With February's focus being nonferrous thermal processing, it seemed appropriate to look at what is happening in the aluminum industry and discuss how it is marketing itself. This may actually have an effect on the ferrous industry in the years to come.

Several new market-research reports out recently have some input on the worldwide aluminum industry. One asks/answers the question: "Will China be the world's new green aluminum fabricating base?" Clearly, the development of this nation is resulting in the expansion of aluminum fabricating capacity in China. In the past five years, China's aluminum fabricated-product output grew at an annual rate of 34.1%.

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The numbers from China's National Bureau of Statistics indicate that the country became a net exporter of aluminum foil in 2004 and expected to become a net exporter of aluminum strip and plate in 2008.

See more at: Aluminum coil

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