Aluminium in packaging consumption grows 6.8% in 2014

The Brazilian Aluminum Association (ABAL) reported that consumption of aluminium products for the packaging segment was 475.9 million tons last year, an increase of 6.8% compared to 2013, when the volume was 445.4 million tons. The packaging sector, attended by plates and sheets, is the primary aluminium market in Brazil, accounting for 33% of the demand.
Already the domestic market consumption of processed products, aluminium retreated in 2014. According to the entity, the internal demand of processed aluminum products reached 1,429 .7 million tons, 5.5% less volume when consumed in 2013, of 1,512 .5 thousand tons.
The fall in consumption was caused mainly by the performance of cast products, followed by extruded wire and cable. For 2015, the first predictions of ABAL point to a year of stability in consumption, with a slight growth of 0.3%.
According to the ceo of ABAL, Milton Rego, although growth expectations in the country in 2015 are not optimistic, the good news is that the aluminum industry won't fall off in 2015 and will remain stable. Milton explains that stability comes from two factors: "the first reason is the use of aluminum in the packaging industry with prospects for growth and the second which will ensure the stability of the sector is the use of aluminum in PV panels".
External sales of the Brazilian aluminum industry in the first quarter totaled $ 941 million FOB, fall of 8.1% over the same period from 2012; imports also retreated 9.4% registering $ 310 million FOB. According to the predictions of ABAL, in 2014 the industry's exports should total $ 4.4 billion (+12.6%) mainly driven by increased shipments of alumina. Imports, may register a fall of approximately 17.0%, totaling $ 1.4 billion.