• Skip to main content

    Analysis

    September 5, 2025

    Steel Summit: USS' Kopf sees 2026 as a 'good opportunity'

    Written by Ethan Bernard

    Robert Kopf has been on U.S. Steel’s acquiring side and is now part of the steelmaker’s partnership with Japan’s Nippon Steel, and he sees bright days ahead for the steelmaker.

    Kopf, currently VP of sales, started with the iconic Pittsburgh-based company in 1988. He was there for the purchase of National Steel in 2003 and Canada’s Stelco in 2007, as well as being early on in the ownership stages of USS Kosice in Slovakia. In fact, he oversaw the facilities in Slovakia for three years, from 2004 to 2007.

    Ethan Bernard

    Ethan Bernard is managing editor for Steel Market Update. He previously worked for American Metal Market as a copy editor in the New York office for two years, starting in 2008. Later, he copy edited AMM’s monthly magazine on a freelance basis from 2015 until 2017. With experience in financial copywriting and textbook publishing, he holds a BA in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley, and an MFA in Creative Writing from New York University. He can be reached at ethan@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7871.

    Read more from Ethan Bernard

    Latest in Analysis

    SMU Survey: Current Buyers’ Sentiment rises slightly as Future Sentiment dips

    SMU’s Current Steel Buyers’ Sentiment Index ticked up slightly this week, while Future Sentiment fell, according to our latest market survey. Every two weeks, SMU polls thousands of steel-industry executives, asking them to rate their companies’ chances of success today and also three to six months down the road. We use their responses to calculate our proprietary Current and Future Steel Buyers’ Sentiment Indices, measures tracked since 2008.

    galvalume steel coil

    SMU Survey: Mill willingness to negotiate price at lowest levels since 2021

    The majority of steel buyers responding to our latest market survey reported that mills continue to hold a firm grip on prices. The share of buyers reporting that mills were negotiable fell this week to the lowest rate seen in over five years. Every two weeks, SMU surveys service center and manufacturer buyers asking if mills are negotiable on new spot sheet and plate orders. In this week’s survey, just 3% of respondents said mills were willing to talk price to secure an order (Figure 1). This is down 11 percentage points from our mid-October survey.