Written by: John Packard

I was speaking with the Director of Strategic Sourcing for a multi-billion dollar company this morning. The individual (in this case it is a woman) had just been promoted to the position and as she reviewed various companies around the world and their steel coil needs she found gaps in her product knowledge. Not everyone buys C1050 or special alloys and special grades. So, she was inquiring about our Steel 101 workshop already recognizing her need for more basic information to compliment her many years of experience.

Steel 101 is not for dummies.

One of the areas we discussed was the level of competence of our instructors. The reality of any program is you are only as good as the quality of those teaching the program. Our instructors are second to none – John Eckstein, metallurgist/production specialist (flat rolled & plate); Peter Wright, metallurgist/marketing/information specialist (long products); Steve Painter, product/sales specialist; Tony Bonavita, purchasing/inventory management specialist & John Packard, marketing/mill/trading company/service center/information specialist. As a group we have close to 200 years of active steel experience. Actively assisting in the development and running of the program are: Sophia Fain and Brett Linton of Steel Market Update (no steel but they have already cut their teeth with previous conferences and workshops).

The Expanded Steel 101 Program has “teeth” and has something for everyone.

Our program – which you can review on our website – covers the steelmaking basics. We go through the raw materials, how they are input or “charged” into the hot end of the mill and the impurities removed. We discuss chemistries (like the C1050 question our caller had this morning) and the rolling process not only for flat rolled but long products as well.

After discussing raw materials and the hot end of a steel mill our students will actually get to see one in action. Our program includes a tour of the Severstal Dearborn fully integrated steel facility.

 On the second day of the program we will discuss the fundamentals that move market pricing. We look at raw material costing and how it impacts BOFs (Basic Oxygen Furnaces) and EAFs (Electric Arc Furnaces) differently. The class will walk through supply and demand drivers that can change the market. Learners will evaluate the global influences on the market (including China) and the local influences on the market (your competition).

The program also incorporates basic procurement perspective by identifying common risks that can reduce supply chain value. Workshop attendees will understand the benefits of choosing the right supplier, managing transportation and quality risk and the tools available to navigate market price risk.

Steel 101 is a great class for your information/marketing people – or anyone trying to understand the markets and the flow of information.

We added Peter Wright as an instructor this year. Peter will complement our other instructors with his knowledge of the long products and EAF production but also as a marketing and information specialist. For those who have seen the Gerdau Steel Market Update report which we believe is excellent – it is produced by Peter Wright. Peter and John Packard are going to team teach a portion of the workshop about information and sources of quality information which can then be used within your company to develop strategic planning or just as an effort to understand what is moving the steel markets. Below is a sample of Peter’s work and we will be taking this chart and expanding it to include flat rolled and long products and then working with our workshop to understand it and use it properly.



Early bird discounts as well as SMU and multi-person discounts are available. Check out our registration page or contact our office for more information: 800-432-3475.