The global automotive industry is accelerating its low-carbon and intelligent transformation, with China's automotive industry advancing from scale advantages to dual leadership in technology and supply chain. In 2025, the penetration rate of new energy vehicles in China exceeded 50%, driving the upgrade of automotive materials such as aluminum, steel, and magnesium, with demand for lightweight new materials surging. Coupled with the implementation of the EU carbon border tax, low-carbon transformation of the industry chain is imminent. Coinciding with the beginning of the 15th Five-Year Plan and the deepening phase of the dual carbon goals, the industry urgently needs a professional platform to address material technology challenges. Against this backdrop,will be held on September 10-11, 2026 in Shanghai . SMM together with exclusive drinking water title sponsorship partner - Anhui Xiongchuang Aluminum Alloy New Material Co., Ltd. sincerely invites industry peers to attend the conference, promoting the in-depth evolution of the automotive supply chain toward green, lightweight, intelligent, and global development. Clickto attend. We look forward to meeting you at the conference. Anhui Xiongchuang Aluminum Alloy New Material Co., Ltd. was established in October 2018 with a registered capital of 100 million yuan. Located at No. 12 Yanghuai Road, Economic Development Zone, Suixi County, Huaibei City, Anhui province, it is a private new-type aluminum alloy material enterprise integrating R&D, production, and sales. The company occupies a total land area of 63,603 m², approximately 95.5 mu. The planned total construction area is 32,000 m², with supporting public auxiliary engineering. The total project investment is approximately 150 million yuan, of which construction investment is 95 million yuan. The overall designed capacity is 150,000 mt per year. The main products include various grades of high-quality cast aluminum alloy ingots, aluminum alloy liquid, and secondary aluminum alloy bars, primarily used in automotive, new energy, and other fields . The main production equipment adopts China's advanced high-efficiency and energy-saving automatic melting furnaces, achieving high efficiency, energy conservation, reduced slag formation, and improved aluminum liquid purity. The production equipment, technical level, and economic indicators have reached the advanced level of similar domestic production processes. The company is dedicated to the research and manufacturing of aluminum as a substitute for steel and aluminum as an substitute for copper, promoting the lightweight development of automotive, rail transit, and aerospace components, achieving energy conservation and emission reduction, and protecting the global environment. For every mt of secondary aluminum we recycle, we can reduce ore mining by 11 mt, reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 0.8 mt, reduce sulfur dioxide emissions by 0.6 mt, reduce solid scrap by 20 mt, save 22 m³ of water, and save 14,000 kWh of electricity. Soaring forward with bold strides, breaking through with innovation! Xiongchuang Aluminum Alloy builds its backbone with integrity and forges brilliance with service! In the future, we will fully leverage our industrial advantages, integrate resources from all parties, target market development trends, and create greater value for our clients. Contact Information Mr. Liu 181 0561 3888 Mr. Yang 151 3040 8133 SMM Conference Contact Lv Junlei 176 1601 9596 lvjunlei@smm.cn

[SMM Weekly Maintenance Statistics] According to SMM statistics, this week (June 6 to June 12), the volume of hot metal impacted by blast furnace maintenance was...

[SMM Analysis] Steel billet sees notable YoY increase, while UAE’s decline hits a new low By product: Steel billet’s increase remains impressive, mainly because previous geopolitical conflicts caused periodic logistical bottlenecks and surging insurance premiums in major billet and slab production areas at some local Middle East EAF mills and BF-based plants. Overseas billet supply faced a vacuum period, directly pushing global buyers to launch massive inquiries with China. Purchasing sentiment strengthened notably in Southeast Asia in particular. According to SMM’s order-taking survey, exports are expected to stay high in the short term. It is also worth noting that Vietnam’s anti-dumping duties on China’s HRC will be implemented on April 17. As a result, total HRC exports to Vietnam in April increased compared with March, driven by a final rush to front-load shipments before the deadline. Exports are expected to pull back again in May. Data Source: SMM, General Administration of Customs By country: Djibouti’s increase topped the list. Its product mix chart clearly shows that HRC (42%) and steel billet (30%) are the dominant products. As the “Gateway to East Africa” and a transshipment hub, Djibouti itself lacks large-scale consumption capacity. This surge is essentially because repeated Red Sea tensions caused large vessels to unload and transship directly in the Mediterranean or south of the Suez Canal, with Djibouti serving as a safe transit point serving East African inland infrastructure projects such as Ethiopia, or shipping onward via smaller vessels to North Africa. As a global shipping and trade settlement center, Singapore saw an increase of 290,000 mt, mainly due to centralized procurement and trade settlement by ASEAN and Chinese-invested construction projects in Singapore, which provided marginal support for China’s exports of bars, wire rods, and other infrastructure-related finished steel products. The UAE dropped 870,000 mt, and Saudi Arabia dropped 450,000 mt. This was primarily due to geopolitical uncertainties in the Middle East, compounded by excessive stockpiling by major Middle Eastern buyers earlier to avoid logistics risks, pushing the Middle East market into a defensive cycle of destocking and slower purchasing. Data Source: SMM, General Administration of Customs Outlook: SMM’s April orders remain at a high level, and May exports are still expected to see increases. According to SMM’s steel export order data, affected by holidays, steel export orders in April dipped slightly by 0.57% MoM from March. However, it is also learned that shipping to the Middle East is gradually recovering, and orders for slabs destined for Southeast Asia saw a significant increase in April. Taking all factors into consideration—with the new export orders index re-entering expansion territory, the export price advantage still significant, and export order performance excellent—SMM expects that China’s steel exports in May will still see growth, with steel billet continuing to play a dominant role. Data Source: SMM Copyright and Intellectual Property Statement: This report is independently created or compiled by SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "SMM"), and SMM legally enjoys complete copyright and related intellectual property rights. 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Use all or part of this report in any form (including but not limited to reprinting, modifying, selling, transferring, displaying, translating, compiling, disseminating); 2. Disclose the content of this report to any third party; 3. License or authorize any third party to use the content of this report; 4. For any unauthorized use, SMM will legally pursue the legal responsibilities of the infringer, demanding that they bear legal responsibilities including but not limited to contractual breach liability, returning unjust enrichment, and compensating for direct and indirect economic losses. 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South America remains the cornerstone of global copper supply, with Chile and Peru collectively accounting for more than one-third of global mined copper production. As electrification, grid modernisation, renewable energy deployment and AI-driven infrastructure investment continue to reinforce long-term copper demand growth, policy developments across the region are becoming increasingly important determinants of future supply availability.

Aurubis expects to complete the expansion of its Augusta, Georgia copper scrap recycling facility later in September 2026. The project is designed to increase processing capacity and support growing demand from data centers, grid infrastructure and automotive applications.

Eldorado Gold announced that its McIlvenna Bay project in Saskatchewan, Canada, has produced its first copper concentrate, marking the start of commissioning and ramp-up activities. McIlvenna Bay is one of Canada's major new polymetallic mining projects, producing copper, zinc, gold and silver. The company said commissioning activities will continue as the operation progresses toward commercial production. This project will provide an additional source of copper concentrate supply as output ramps up.

Chilean miner Antofagasta announced plans to invest approximately US$900 million in a life-extension project for its Zaldívar copper mine, aiming to extend operations through 2051. The investment will include upgrades to mine infrastructure and sustaining capital required for continued operations. Zaldívar currently produces around 80,000–90,000 tonnes of copper annually. Extending the life of existing assets is becoming increasingly important as the industry faces challenges in developing new large-scale copper projects.

[SMM Photovoltaic: China Energy Conservation Solar Receives RMB 505 Million in Renewable Energy Subsidies YTD] China Energy Conservation Solar Co., Ltd. has disclosed that it received RMB 505 million in renewable energy subsidies year-to-date, up 451.99% YoY, including RMB 489 million in national renewable energy subsidies, up 553.32% YoY. Five additional solar projects have recently been added to the subsidy disbursement list as the company's compliance filing work continues to advance. The company noted that while the cash inflow will improve project-level cash flows, it will not have a material impact on current-period earnings, as revenues were previously recognized upon electricity sales. In SMM's view, the acceleration in subsidy disbursements should help ease the persistent cash flow pressure facing legacy solar power plant operators, while also bolstering market confidence in the recoverability of receivables tied to renewable energy operating assets.

Developing local processing capacity is not simply a matter of building another plant next to a mine. It requires a country to simultaneously possess reliable energy supply, logistics infrastructure, chemical-industry capabilities, engineering expertise, customer qualification systems, access to financing, policy continuity and transparent pricing mechanisms. Resources can attract investment, but they cannot guarantee project success.

【SMM Steel】SSAB is expanding its Oxelösund steel powder facility for additive manufacturing to commercial scale in partnership with SMS group. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2026 with production ramping up gradually from Q1 2028 targeting annual capacity of 350 tonnes and creating 20 jobs at full operation. The project serves growing demand from defense automotive and engineering sectors enabling lighter components with less waste and shorter lead times. SSAB's specialized steel powders require no subsequent heat treatment and can replace aluminum as a lightweight material in certain engineering applications.