Final Thoughts

Final Thoughts

Written by John Packard


As of this weekend, we have registered 775 executives in manufacturing, steel distribution, steel mills, trading companies, toll processors, transportation companies, as well as suppliers to these industries, for our SMU Steel Summit Conference. We are now 125 above last year’s record. With 35 days to go we should reach, and hopefully exceed, our goal of 800 attendees at this year’s conference.

If your company or your name is not yet on the list, you can go to: www.SteelMarketUpdate.com/Events/Steel-Summit where you can get more details and to register. You are also welcome to contact our office at 772-932-7538 or send us an email to request more information, request an invoice, register more people from your company or whatever your need might be.

I posted a brief article about our first Steel 201 workshop, which will be held on Sept. 11-12, 2018, in Middletown, Ohio. As mentioned in the article, I believe this will be a special program as we tour both the AK Steel Middletown fully integrated steel mill and their Research and Innovation Center (RIC). You can find more information about registering online: www.SteelMarketUpdate.com/events/steel-201.

I will be out of the office this week traveling to Minnesota. I am available by email: John@SteelMarketUpdate.com

I am expecting another exciting week in the steel industry. I am sure we will have plenty to discuss as the week progresses.

Your business is truly appreciated by all of us here at Steel Market Update.

John Packard, President & CEO

Latest in Final Thoughts

Final Thoughts

As Wolfe Research’s Timna Tanner put it in her opening talk at Tampa on Monday afternoon, we’re living in a world of “Trumplications” now. That probably means – at least in the short term – higher scrap costs, lower imports from countries hit with or threated tariffs, and higher steel prices. SMU data reflects that. Scrap went up in January. More than 75% of the respondents to our more recent survey expect scrap to go up again February, maybe by a lot. Lead times, meanwhile, have been ticking upward this month. It started with hot-rolled coil and plate earlier this month. Now we’re seeing coated lead times extending too.