Steel Products

Wednesday SMU Community Chat with Preston Pipe's Rick Preckel
Written by Michael Cowden
February 24, 2021
Preston Pipe Partner Rick Preckel will be the speaker at Steel Market Update’s next Community Chat webinar.
The webinar will be held on Wednesday, March 3, at 11 a.m. ET and is free to those looking to learn more about the interplay between the steel and energy markets.
Joining Rick will be SMU Senior Editor Michael Cowden. Rick and Michael will discuss the rebound in oil prices and what a reinvigorated energy sector might mean for steel demand.
You can register for next week’s webinar by clicking here or by going to www.SteelMarketUpdate.com/blog/smu-community-chat-webinars.
About Rick Preckel and Preston Pipe
Preston Pipe is a consulting, market research, and reporting firm that specializes in steel pipe and tube data, analysis, and related services. It was founded in 1982.
Preckel has been in the steel industry since 1985, when he started his career at Maverick Tube. He held increasingly senior roles at the pipe and tube producer, including vice president of strategic services and president and CEO of Prudential Steel, a Maverick Tube subsidiary. He, along with another steel veteran, Paul Vivian, purchased Preston Pipe in 2006.
Preckel is a graduate of the University of Missouri-St. Louis, where he received a bachelor of science in business administration.

Michael Cowden
Read more from Michael CowdenLatest in Steel Products

September energy market update
In this Premium analysis we examine North American oil and natural gas prices, drill rig activity, and crude oil stock levels through September. Trends in energy prices and rig counts serve as leading indicators for oil country tubular goods (OCTG) and line pipe demand.

Market says cutting interest rates will spur stalled domestic plate demand
Market sources say demand for domestic plate refuses to budge despite stagnating prices.

U.S. Steel to halt slab conversion at Granite City Works
U.S. Steel said it plans to reduce slab consumption at its Granite City Works near St. Louis, a company spokesperson said on Monday. The Pittsburgh-based steelmaker will shift the production and processing of steel slabs to its Mon Valley Works near Pittsburgh and its Gary Works near Chicago. Citing a United Steelworkers (USW) union memo, […]

SMU Week in Review: September 1-5
Here are highlights of what’s happened this past week and a few upcoming things to keep an eye on.

HR Futures: Market finds footing on supply-side mechanics
As Labor Day marks the transition into fall, the steel market enters September with a similar sense of change. Supply-side fundamentals are beginning to show signs of restraint: imports are limited, outages loom, and production is capped, setting the stage for a market that feels steady on the surface but still unsettled underneath.