Russian aluminum producer Rusal has reported 0.8pc less aluminum production in Q1 2021 at 932,000mt from 940,000mt in the same quarter last year. The company’s smelters in Siberia accounted for 93pc of the total aluminum output.
Rusal’s aluminum production in this quarter was 1.9pc lower than the previous quarter’s number at 950,000mt. The company’s foil and packaging production stood at 26,600mt in the first quarter of the year, a 6.7pc jump from the same period last year, but a 4pc drop from Q4 2020 at 27,800mt. The company’s alumina output increased 1.6pc at 2.04bn mt in January-March 2021 compared to 2bn mt in Q1 2020. Rusal’s domestic operations accounted for 36pc of the total alumina output.
Sales
Aluminum sales were up 5.3pc at 962,000mt in Q1 2021 compared to 914,000mt during the same quarter period of last year. The numbers, however, declined 6.4pc from 1.02bn mt in the previous quarter. Rusal attributes the reduced sales figures to normalized inventories in January 2021 after reaching below optimum levels in Q4 2020.
Region-wise sales distribution shows that Europe continues to be the manufacturer’s biggest market, with 42pc of Q1 2021’s total share. There is, however, a downward trend from this region as Europe’s share of sales during the same period last year was 56pc, and in the fourth quarter of 2020, the continent accounted for 43pc of total sales.
The commonwealth of Russia and Asia held 24pc and 26pc of the total share of sales, while the US has emerged as a new market. Rusal’s sales in the US were 8pc in Q1 2021, which is a 1pc increase from the same quarter last year and a 2pc increase from the previous quarter.