Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts
Written by John Packard
September 22, 2014
Consolidation may not be over yet. We saw a report this evening out of Minnesota about how Essar Steel Minnesota has failed to secure financing to complete the $1.8 billion taconite pellet facility. The company’s India parent company was so over-leveraged it was put on the top ten watch list by Credit Suisse one year ago, according to a report in the Star Tribune out of Minnesota. Essar is also the parent company of Essar Steel Algoma which recently was able to procure funding for the Canadian steel mill.
We added a couple more people to our Steel 101: Introduction to Steelmaking & Market Fundamentals workshop in Ft. Wayne, IN in a couple of weeks (October 7 & 8). The workshop will include a tour of the SDI steel mill in Butler, IN. We encourage anyone who has been thinking about attending to register soon as we will close registration late this week. If you have any questions, please contact our offices at 800-432-3475 or info@SteelMarketUpdate.com.
The next workshop after Indiana will be in South Carolina in late January and will include a tour of Nucor Berkeley. More details on this workshop will be coming out in the coming days.
I want to take a moment to welcome our newest member companies and let them know that we encourage interaction with our people. If you have a question, comment or suggestion we are here and available. This includes me personally and I can be reached at: John@SteelMarketUpdate.com or by phone at 800-432-3475.
As always your business is truly appreciated by all of us here at Steel Market Update.
John Packard, Publisher
John Packard
Read more from John PackardLatest in Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts
We’re in the dog days of summer, and the question is whether the market will improve as lead times stretch into September. Your answer to that question might depend on where you are in the supply chain. And producers, it seems to me, are a lot more optimistic than consumers at the moment.
Final Thoughts
We're less than a month out from Steel Summit 2025. Have you already signed up?
Final Thoughts
A scrap trader looks back fondly at blast furnace steelmaking.
Final Thoughts
Is this just a severe case of the summer doldrums? Will demand improve in the fall, as it often does? Or has uncertainty around tariffs and the economy created a more lasting impact?
Trump says Canada deal might not happen: Report
President Trump said a negotiated deal with Canada might not occur, and all existing tariffs, along with those set to take effect soon, will stay in place, according to media reports.