Nonferrous

• Health benefits key issue in Kidd strike Oct 05, 2005

  Changes in the health-benefit structure are at the heart of the disagreement between striking workers at Falconbridge Ltd.'s Kidd Metallurgical division and the Toronto-based company, a union source said Wednesday.

• Kestenbaum kicks off IME trade, targets metals asset acquisitions Oct 04, 2005

  Alan Kestenbaum, one-time president and chief executive officer of failed Internet company Aluminium.com who is now known for his ownership of New York-based trading company Marco International Inc., has announced plans to raise $200 million for new acquisitions in the metals sector.

• Magnesium prices hold steady as contract negotiations begin Oct 04, 2005

  Magnesium prices in the United States are holding at around $1.30 to $1.35 a pound as annual contract negotiations get under way, traders said Tuesday.

• Umicore strikers voting on deal Oct 04, 2005

  Striking workers at Umicore SA's 250,000-tonne-per-year zinc smelter in Balen, Belgium, were voting Tuesday on a tentative agreement between trade unions and management.

• Two awarded stockpile germanium Oct 04, 2005

  The U.S. Defense National Stockpile Center (DNSC) has awarded 85 kilograms of germanium to Canberra Industries Inc., Oak Ridge, Tenn., and Firebird Technologies Inc., Trail, British Columbia, for $52,564. The next bid opening for germanium is scheduled for Oct. 24.

• Novelis ponders sale of rolling mill in France Oct 04, 2005

  Novelis Inc. is looking into the possible sale of its operations in Annecy, France.

• Horsehead adds gas component Oct 04, 2005

  Zinc producer Horsehead Corp., Monaca, Pa., said Tuesday it will institute an energy surcharge on all zinc oxide shipments in a bid to combat high energy and transportation costs.

• Placer is handed default notice on Cerro Casale Oct 04, 2005

  Placer Dome Inc.'s exit from the Cerro Casale project in Chile has landed it a notice of default of its obligations from joint-venture partners Arizona Star Resource Corp., Toronto, and Bema Gold Corp., Vancouver, British Columbia.

• International Titanium Association appoints Edward Sabota president Oct 04, 2005

  Edward F. Sabota Sr. has been elected president of the International Titanium Association (ITA).

• Phelps Dodge completes $450M financing accord for Cerro Verde Oct 03, 2005

  U.S. copper producer Phelps Dodge Corp. has completed $450 million in debt financing agreements for the expansion of the Cerro Verde copper mine near Arequipa, Peru, in which it is the majority owner and operator.

• Alcan in talks to sell Steg smelter Oct 03, 2005

  Alcan Inc. is in "preliminary discussions" with a Swiss consortium lead by Albert Bass about the possible sale of its 44,000-tonne-per-year aluminum smelter in Steg, Switzerland.

• Mitsui Mining to start operations at new Peru zinc mine in January Oct 03, 2005

  Mitsui Mining & Smelting Co. Ltd., Tokyo, has confirmed it will bring on-stream a new zinc mine at Palica, Peru, in January 2006. Capacity at the mine will be the ore equivalent of 12,000 tonnes of refined zinc annually, and all output will be exported to Japan, a company spokesman said.

• Alcoa completes $77.5M sale of four railroads Oct 03, 2005

  Alcoa Inc. has completed the sale of four railroads to Boca Raton, Fla.,-based RailAmerica Transportation Corp. for $77.5 million.

• Honeywell lifting titanium sponge production Oct 03, 2005

  In a booming market for titanium metal, the industry's smallest sponge producer is looking to boost its role.

• Man Financial takes heat in hedge fund failure Oct 03, 2005

  A senior manager at Man Financial Inc., the trading arm of Man Group, has been placed on leave after accusations surfaced that he helped hide a customer's losses in a commodities hedge fund that has since gone bust, according to news reports.

• Titanium pulls the rip cord and eyes some down-to-earth targets Sep 30, 2005

  In the military market as well as in commercial aerospace, titanium's biggest roles are in the air. But during the next decade, the greatest growth in the military titanium market could occur outside aerospace in armor and other land-based uses.

• Nymex moves to allay investors' fears that pit trading is doomed Sep 30, 2005

  The New York Mercantile Exchange has moved to protect its pit-trading activities in a meeting with members and shareholders after press reports hinted that since it agreed to sell 10 percent of its stock to an investment company last month it could be pushed toward electronic trading.

• Projects utilizing geothermic power also hot spots on radar Sep 30, 2005

  Alcan Inc., Montreal, is continuing to discuss a possible 325,000-tonne expansion to its existing 176,000-tonne-a-year smelter with local authorities in Iceland.

• Chinese plant growth targeted in Alcan talks Sep 30, 2005

  Alcan Inc., Montreal, is in talks with the Chinese government about expanding the 150,000-tonne Ningxia smelter in China, in which it owns a 50-percent stake.

• India port's copper concentrate imports halted Sep 30, 2005

  Imports of copper concentrate via the southern Indian port of Tuticorin have been suspended after concerns were raised about pollution levels.

• Union mulling Falconbridge offer for new agreement at Kidd Creek Sep 30, 2005

  Falconbridge Ltd., Toronto, has presented a complete contract proposal, including language about wages, to the union representing 615 workers at its Kidd Creek plant in Timmins, Ontario.

• Falconbridge hopeful about talks with workers at Kidd Creek plant Sep 29, 2005

  Falconbridge Ltd. is still hopeful that an 11th-hour deal can be reached with unionized workers at its Kidd Creek mine and metallurgical plant before the current contract expires Sept. 30.

• Coega smelter will need more capacity Alcan Sep 29, 2005

  Alcan Inc.'s proposed Coega aluminum smelter project in South Africa needs to have an annual capacity of around 800,000 to 900,000 tonnes to be economically viable, Travis Engen, the Montreal-based company's president and chief executive officer, said Thursday.

• US investor has eye on Britain's Metal Castings Sep 28, 2005

  Metal Castings Ltd., the British high-pressure die-caster of aluminum automotive components, is close to being acquired by an unidentified U.S. investor, according to industry sources.