• Skip to main content

    Prices

    Father of Esmark Founding Investor Passes Away


    Esmark Inc. has announced the passing of Hans Joachim Schmidt, father of Esmark founding investor and longtime member of the Esmark board of directors, Uwe T. Schmidt.

    EsmarkHans Joachim Schmidt passed away on Feb. 19 at the age of 90, Esmark said, noting that he was a leader and internationally recognized business executive serving the international iron and steel industry for 45 years.

    Latest in Prices

    Plate supply squeeze tightens as demand presses higher

    The domestic plate market is showing few signs of relief for steel buyers. Lead times are stretching well beyond seasonal norms, spot availability has all but evaporated, and mills are drawing hard lines on contract volumes heading into 2027 negotiations. And the supply squeeze will likely intensify in a market that some industry sources say is structurally undersupplied because of stringent US trade and tariff policies. Imports have been arriving in larger volumes, and the expectation is they will continue to tick higher into 2027. The big question is whether those foreign tons will arrive in volumes sufficient to provide the relief steel consumers want.