Steel Mills

Correction to AK Steel Article In Tuesday Issue
Written by Sandy Williams
January 25, 2017
Steel Market Update inadvertently used third quarter data when reporting results for AK Steel in Tuesday’s issue. The information has been corrected on the website. For those of you who received the inaccurate information in your newsletter, please note the following changes to the first three paragraphs of the article.
AK Steel Strategy Leads to Stronger Balance Sheet
AK Steel reported a net loss of $62.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2016 compared to net loss of 145.4 million in Q4 2015. Sales totaled $1.42 billion with an average selling price of $998 per ton.
Shipments were down in all product categories in fourth quarter. Total shipment for the quarter was 1,412,200 tons compared to 1,655,800 tons in Q4 2015. Value added shipments accounted for 85.2 percent of the total, while non value-added products totaled 14.8 percent.
Remarked CEO Robert Newport, “”The strategy that we introduced at the beginning of 2016 generated improved results and a stronger AK Steel,” said Roger K. Newport, AK Steel’s Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Newport continued, “Our work to optimize our footprint, relentlessly focus on costs, and reduce exposure to commodity spot markets generated improved margins. By successfully completing several capital market transactions, we were able to significantly strengthen our balance sheet. These actions position us well for the future.”

Sandy Williams
Read more from Sandy WilliamsLatest in Steel Mills

BREAKING NEWS: Cliffs plans to idle three mills, cut 950 jobs on ‘insufficient demand and pricing’
Cleveland-Cliffs plans to indefinitely idle its steel mill in Riverdale, Ill., as well as mills in Conshohocken, Pa., and Steelton, Pa. The Cleveland-based steelmaker said all three facilities would be idled on or around June 30. Approximately 950 jobs will be impacted, the company said.

CRU: Usiminas may reduce capex unless government strengthens protection
“The lack of effective measures to create fair competition, amid a surge in subsidized imports, is the main threat to the sustainability of Brazil’s steel industry and its value chain,” CEO Marcelo Chara said.

USS swings to loss in first quarter on N. American flat-rolled segment woes
U.S. Steel CEO praised the company’s resilience, “despite the seasonally low results driven by annual mining logistics constraints in our North American Flat-Rolled segment and lagging spot prices.”

Nucor gives updates on new capacity coming online
Nucor said several of its capital projects will start operations within the next year and provided an update on them.

Algoma swings to loss on ‘market challenges’ and ‘tariff uncertainties’
Canada’s Algoma Steel swung to a loss in the first quarter amid "market challenges," and the company now expects first steel production from its first EAF in the second quarter.