Steel Products
L.B. Foster Sells Steel Piling Products Business to JD Fields
Written by David Schollaert
September 28, 2021
L.B. Foster Company has completed the sale of its piling products division to JD Fields & Co. Inc. for $24 million.
The business unit had $43 million in sales for the first six months of 2021 and $59 million in 2020. The deal, which concluded on Friday, Sept. 24., included inventory plus steel yards in Petersburg, Va., L.B. Foster said.
The Pittsburgh-based rail and infrastructure service provider said that the asset sale would allow it to focus on investment in other parts of the business, namely rail technologies and precast concrete products.
“Our piling products business model was working-capital intensive and presented constraints on our ability to increase profit margins,” L.B. Foster President and CEO John Kasel said. “We are confident that we can redeploy this capital in a way that will achieve better returns and further strengthen businesses in our portfolio that have more robust growth opportunities.”
The opportunity to expand L.B. Foster’s business through rail technologies and precast concrete is “substantial” because those segments have strong growth prospects. The reason: increased demand for environmentally sustainable solutions in transportation and infrastructure, Kasel said.
For JD Fields, a Houston-based steel distributor focused on the energy and civil infrastructure markets, the acquisition increases its scale and market reach, making it an industry leader in steel pipe and piling.
“Our desire is to be as diversified as possible,” JD Fields President and COO Jay Fields told SMU. “This addition doesn’t displace any of our markets or products, it only adds to the breadth of our portfolio.”
By David Schollaert, David@SteelMarketUpdate.com
David Schollaert
Read more from David SchollaertLatest 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.