International Steel Mills
Turkish Steelmaker Considers U.S. Expansion
Written by Sandy Williams
March 3, 2018
Turkish steel producer Borusan Holding is considering expanding its steel pipe plant near Houston. CEO Agah Ugur made the announcement on Friday following the proposal by President Trump to increase tariffs to 25 percent on steel imports.
“The U.S. tariff decision on steel imports is important for Borusan…. We are considering expanding our production facility there, depending on the details of the U.S. tariffs,” said Ugur.
Ugar said that although a Section 232 tariff could disrupt steel imports, it was unlikely to have much impact on low-cost Turkish steel.
The Turkish Steel Exporters’ Association noted that with prices at $600 per ton versus U.S. steel at $850 per ton, a 25 percent tariff would only increase Turkish steel to $750 per ton.
“We match the prices of U.S. producers even with the additional tariff,” said TSEA Chairman Namik Ekinci said. “So there seems to be no disadvantage.”
Turkey is the sixth-largest exporter of steel to the United States with a 5.6 percent share of American steel imports.
The Borusan Mannesmann location in Baytown, Texas, 30 miles east of Houston, began operation in 2014 and has a capacity of 300,000 tons per year. The company produces OCTG and ERW line pipe.
Sandy Williams
Read more from Sandy WilliamsLatest in International Steel Mills
Ternium’s Vedoya named AIST’s Steelmaker of the Year
Maximo Vedoya was awarded in recognition of Ternium’s expansion project in Pesquería, Mexico, and Ternium’s efforts to decarbonize steelmaking.
CRU: Baosteel hints at output cuts in China
Baosteel exec comments on market rumors of 50 million tons of output being cut this year, less than 0.5% of the 1 billion tons-plus China has produced annually in recent years.
POSCO mulls teaming up with Hyundai on Louisiana mill
South Korea’s POSCO is eyeing linking up with Hyundai Steel in the project to build a steel plant in Louisiana, according to media reports.
Global steel production edges lower in February
February’s global raw steel output is tied with last December's for the fourth-lowest monthly production rate recorded over the past two years.
Japanese PM cites ‘unjust political interference’ in Nippon/USS deal: Report
Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Monday that former President Joe Biden’s decision to block Nippon Steel’s buy of U.S. Steel was “unjust political interference,” according to a report in Reuters. This comes after another Reuters report on Friday saying that President Trump would not object to Nippon taking a minority stake in the […]