US aluminium extruder Indalex reports 10% decline in shipments

US aluminium extruder Indalex has provided another example of the weakness in North American demand emanating from the automotive and residential construction sectors. The company reported a 10% decline in aluminium extrusion shipments in the first quarter of this year relative to last year. As with other operators in the sector, Indalex has focused on restructuring, closing two plants—Girard, which manufactured windows and door frames for the housing market, and Niles, which supplied mill-finish metal to the truck and trailer market. The combination of lower shipments and restructuring charges for the plant closures saw EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization) fall by $7.8m to break-even in the first quarter of this year relative to the comparable year-earlier period.