Hydro Launches New Automotive Aluminum Parts Plant in Taicang, Supplying BMW and Boosting Local Industry

[SMM Aluminum Flash] Currently, ex-China ADC12 quotes have pulled back to $3,350-3,410/mt, while China's prices have strengthened, easing the inverted spread between domestic and overseas markets. The immediate loss per mt has narrowed from over 3,000 yuan to around 2,500 yuan, but the inversion magnitude remains large, and the import window is still closed. It is expected that ex-China ADC12 prices still have downside room in the near term, while China's prices will continue to hold up well. The inversion is likely to narrow further, but there is still a significant gap before the import window reopens.

[SMM Aluminum Express] According to Hongjin New Materials, the Hongjin New Materials Nantong Research Institute and a leading China-based embodied robot enterprise jointly tackled key problems for nearly six months, successfully developing a specialized high-strength and high-toughness aluminum alloy structural component. It has been mass-produced and applied in the latest-generation flagship robot. The material achieves a combination of light weight, high strength, and high toughness, with bulk properties reaching UTS ≥380 MPa, YTS ≥300 MPa, A ≥8%, and fatigue strength ≥120 MPa. Used for critical load-bearing components such as joint brackets, mass production commenced in Q2 2026, pioneering a new model of "deep integration between material R&D and end-use applications."