Yep, I read a similar article, except it was more aimed at...

Yep, I read a similar article, except it was more aimed at explaining why aluminium can still be profitable - especially since "apparently" its cheaper for them to import it rather than produce it themselves.

Here is something I have on this topic:

"The answer to this question - a big part of it, anyway - resides in the riverside Saguenay Lac St-Jean region of Quebec. It is there that Alcan has staked out its claim as the most efficient large-scale aluminum maker in the world, thanks not merely to its investment in cutting-edge smelting technology, but to the munificence of the provincial government, which has subsidized the company by providing access to waterways that can be used to generate cheap power.

With these winds at its back, Alcan can do something that few other manufacturers can: It can make a product more cheaply - much more, in fact - than the Chinese can."