Doosan Infracore North America, Suwanee, Georgia, says it will showcase its DL320-7 wheel loader and a DX225MH-5 material handler at the 2022 Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) Convention & Exposition. The equipment will be displayed in booth A7 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas from March 21 to 24.   

The company says the Doosan DL320-7 wheel loader is part of the redesigned -7 Series wheel loaders that were first launched in 2021. The DL320-7 has an operating weight of 43,506 pounds and a 7 percent larger capacity bucket than its predecessor. These updates allow an operator to move more material every hour.   

Doosan also will display a new wheel loader guarding package, available as a factory-installed option for select wheel loader models. The package is intended to provide additional uptime protection for Doosan wheel loader owners.  

“We are excited to be back in person at ISRI 2022 in Las Vegas,” says Aaron Kleingartner, product and dealer marketing manager for Doosan Infracore North America. “This is an important event for the recycling industry, and we are proud to be exhibiting one of our new -7 Series wheel loaders.”  

Doosan also will showcase its 162-horsepower DX225MH-5 material handler. The company says the machine is built for rugged work with additional guarding and a straight boom and droop-nose arm specifically designed for material-handling tasks. It has a reach of 35 feet, 5 inches and a loading height of 40 feet. A raised and fixed cab provides operators a better line of sight when loading and unloading material.  

“Our customers can activate the material handler’s Smart Power Control feature to enhance machine efficiency while maintaining productivity,” Kleingartner says. “This is achieved through variable speed control and pump torque control, automatically adjusting RPMs to match the operator’s lifting needs.”  

Doosan DX225MH-5 material handler customers can pair the machine with a grapple attachment or a magnet and generator set. The latter is an ideal solution for customers who regularly handle ferrous metal. Two-way and rotating auxiliary hydraulics come standard on the machine for optimal use of rotating grapples. 

Constellium SE, headquartered in Paris, has reported its fourth-quarter and full-year earnings for 2021.

The company points to a number of highlights for the fourth quarter:

In the news release announcing the company’s earnings, Jean-Marc Germain, Constellium CEO, says that despite the challenges of “inflationary pressures across the business, weakness in aerospace demand, semiconductor shortages in automotive and other supply chain issues,” the company achieved record adjusted EBITDA, which included record results in Packaging and Automotive Rolled Parts (P&ARP) and Automotive Structures and industries (AS&I) segments. 

He forecasts strong demand from the packaging and industrial markets in 2022. “We are starting to see the beginnings of a recovery in aerospace demand and expect year-over-year growth in shipments in the coming quarters,” Germain adds. “In automotive, we expect demand to remain low to start the year as the semiconductor shortage persists and to improve in the second half of the year. We are expecting inflationary pressures to continue at an elevated level throughout 2022, though we are confident in our ability to offset most of the impact with improved pricing and our relentless focus on cost control.”

In the company’s Feb. 23 earnings call, a transcript of which is available from Seeking Alpha, Germain said as its core market, packaging represented 43 percent of the company’s revenue in 2021, noting that growing demand for aluminum cans is a result of consumer preference for cans versus alternatives such as plastics. “We expect midsingle-digit demand growth in the medium term, which is supported by canmaker capacity additions in [North America and Europe], and we are doing our best to meet the needs of our customers.”

Germain said Constellium is investigating a number of initiatives to increase can sheet, which likely will be achieved through debottlenecking of its operations and additional investments.

Automotive represented 26 percent of Constellium’s revenue in 2021, he said, noting that the company is “well-positioned in both sheet and extrusions to benefit from the secular shift to aluminum in automotive and the electrification of the automotive fleet.” 

Germain said production stoppages related to the semiconductor shortage are expected to continue in the first half of this year and to improve in the second half. “From an end market demand perspective, however, we remain very positive on this end market. Dealer inventories are low, and we believe underlying consumer demand remains strong, especially for light trucks, SUVs and luxury vehicles where Constellium has greater exposure,” he added. 

Aerospace represented 6 percent of the company’s revenue in 2021, which Germain noted was “well-below historical levels.” He said the market represented 15 percent of Constellium’s revenue in 2019. However, he said, “Optimism in the aerospace supply chain is increasing, and the destocking appears largely complete. More recently, major [original equipment manufacturers] have announced build rate increases. The timing is still uncertain, but we expect to show year-over-year growth in aerospace shipments in the coming quarters.”

In terms of financial guidance for 2022, Constellium expects adjusted EBITDA of 600 million euros to 620 million euros ($670 million to $692 million). 

“Looking forward, I believe there are substantial opportunities for Constellium to benefit from sustainability-driven secular growth megatrends, which are creating significant momentum around sustainable packaging, lightweighting and fleet electrification,” Germain said in the earnings call. “We will continue to work closely with our customers and deliver value-added products that help reduce their carbon footprint.

“Constellium is part of the solution in the circular economy,” he continued. “As we previously announced, we are expanding our recycling footprint with significant investment in the European recycling center with 130,000 tons of capacity. We are very excited about this investment as it will strengthen our business, help us be a further solutions provider to our customers with increased recycling and contribute to a more sustainable future. It is a triple win for Constellium, for our customers and for the environment.”

Germain said the recycling center is scheduled to start production in the second half of 2024 and is expected to operate at 80-plus percent of capacity in 2025, reaching full capacity in 2026. 

Commenting on the effect of widening scrap spreads and their effect on earnings, he said, “[G]oing forward, we do not anticipate scrap spreads to widen and all that. But we do anticipate energy costs, which are a big part of the conversion costs … to be higher. So, the net impact of that may be a little bit less scrap profit, so to say, in '22 than we had in '21.”

The company will hold its Analyst Day at its Muscle Shoals, Alabama, facility. At that time, Germain says Constellium expects to provide an update on its businesses, detail future plans, establish new long-term guidance and present its 2030 sustainability strategy.