Every month HARDI members conduct a steel conference call to discuss what member companies are seeing regarding galvanized steel prices and demand for steel products within their regional markets. Steel Market Update, as a HARDI member company, is an active participant in these monthly calls. Over the past four weeks HARDI wholesalers have seen the […]
According to just released MSCI data, total steel shipments out of the U.S. service centers were reported to be 3,632,900 tons during the month of August 2013. The daily shipping rate rose from 157,500 tons per day in July to 165,100 tons per day in August. Compared to August 2012 shipments (all products) were lower […]
Austrian-based, Benteler International AG has begun construction of a division of Benteler Steel/Tube in Shreveport, LA. The $975 million steel manufacturing project will include a hot-rolling seamless tube facility to be completed in third quarter 2014 and an electric arc furnace in 2020. The facility will have a capacity of producing 320,000 tons of steel […]
In guidance remarks released Tuesday, Nucor Corp. said it expects the third quarter to outperform the second due to strong performance from its sheet and structural steel segment. Sheet steel improvements are attributed to competitor supply disruptions, customer inventory restocking and market demand improvement. The structural segment benefited from higher production following a planned maintenance […]
A minor fire at the ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor plant was contained by company and local firefighters on Sept. 15. According to an ArcelorMittal spokesman, the fire occurred at around 2:40 Sunday on a conveyor unit that carries revert materials to the sinter. No employees were injured, however, a firefighter was taken to the hospital for […]
Severstal North America announced the appointment of Olga Petrova as new Chief Financial Officer. Petrova will succeed Interim CFO Michael Tuomey who has been appointed Deputy Chief Financial Officer. Petrova held the position of Head of Business the Planning and Controlling at parent company OAO Severstal since 2011. Her background includes high-level financial positions at […]
Attempts to save the Warren steel mill connected with the former RG Steel have finally come to an end. BDM Warren Steel Operations filed a permit application to demolish the mill that was shut down in May 2012 said Howland Township Administrator Darlene St. George. The mill was purchased by BDM in August 2012 and […]
In light of the statistics shared earlier in this newsletter regarding South Korean shipments of hot dipped galvanized into the United States by port. We thought our readers would be interested in learning that South Korean steelmaker; Hyundai Steel is expanding their production capabilities (even with 700+ million metric tons of capacity in neighboring China). […]
A new generation of solar panels has been developed by ArcelorMittal. Instead of using glass plate, a thin semi-conductor coating is layered directly on steel substrate to produce electricity via solar radiation. The photovoltaic technology using steel is more environmentally friendly process than solar modules using glass panels, said ArcelorMittal. The new technology will allow […]
Italian steel maker Riva Steel announced it will cease as of today (September 12) all activities at its plants in Italy except those at its troubled Taranto-based ILVA Steel. The announcement follows the seizure of almost 1 billion euros of assets from the Riva Group by Italian police on September 10. The seizure was […]
Dubai-based Alita USA Holdings will construct a $102 million steel plant in Buffalo, NY. The new plant will produce casing pipes used in the oil and gas industries and employ an estimated 172 workers. Alita president and CEO Ali Hosseini said in an interview with The Buffalo News that the choice of location was between […]
Worthington Industries announced that Ivan Meltzer has been named president of TWB Company, a laser welded blanking joint venture with Wuhan Iron and Steel Company. Meltzer will replace interim president and CFO Michael Lowrey, a 15 year veteran of the company, who will continue to serve as executive vice president and CFO. Meltzer is no […]
SunCoke Energy has signed an agreement to supply metallurgical coke to ArcelorMittal for another ten years. SunCoke’s Indiana Harbor cokemaking operation, located in East Chicago, Indiana, will provide more than 1.2 million tons of coke in an extension of an existing contract with ArcelorMittal that includes pass-through of coal costs and certain operating and maintenance […]
Steel Market Update (SMU) has been advised that ArcelorMittal USA is attempting to raise Tinplate prices by 12 percent for calendar year 2014. Tinplate, which is used to make cans and other product packing devices, is commonly sold on an annualized contract basis to a fairly limited number of buyers. Last week we received an […]
ThyssenKrupp AG has told the media that reports of them not selling the Steel Americas assets and that they may keep the facilities are erroneous. Steel Market Update (SMU) understanding of the current negotiation process is CSN is the leading company in negotiations. The most recent development has CSN purchasing the steel mill in Calvert, […]
With a turnout of 79 percent of the membership on Friday, USW Local 8782 voted by a 57 percent margin to accept the contract offered by US Steel. Ratification of the contract ends a contentious battle between the Lake Erie Works union and US Steel and will get Canadian steel production rolling once again. In […]
On July 22nd the Ternium Guerrero plant suffered an explosion during maintenance at the electric arc furnace (EAF) which resulted in the deaths of 11 employees. Late last week Paulo Rocca, Ternium CEO, announced the company was investing $225 million on plant safety, environmental measures, maintenance and remodeling of the Guerrero facilities. In a […]
DEARBORN, Mich. September 3, 2013 – Severstal, one of the world’s largest steel and mining companies, today announced it has appointed Saikat Dey Chief Executive Officer of its subsidiary Severstal North America (“SNA”), a leading flat rolled steel producer in the U.S. Dey replaces Sergei Kuznetsov, who departed after four years as CEO of the […]
West Chester, OH, August 28, 2013—AK Steel (NYSE: AKS) said today that members of the United Auto Workers Local 3044 have ratified a four-year labor agreement covering about 195 hourly production employees at the company’s Rockport (IN) Works. “We are pleased to have reached a competitive labor agreement at our Rockport Works ahead of the […]
United Steelworkers (USW) Local 8782 is due to vote on a contract proposal on Friday that may end the long standoff between U.S. Steel and union employees at Lake Erie Works. Union members at Lake Erie Works have been locked out since April 28 after rejecting at that time a second and final contract offer […]
Cliffs Natural Resources announced Tuesday that it has entered a nine year agreement to provide iron ore pellets to AK Steel. The new agreement runs from 2014 through 2023. Cliffs will continue to supply AK Steel under its previous agreement from now until 2014. The new agreement sets minimum and maximum volume purchases from Cliffs […]
Severstal NA revenue for Q2 rose to $953 million from $930 million in the first quarter 2013. Demand growth was led by U.S. automotive, construction and pipe and tube industries. First half 2013 revenue, however, fell to $1,883 million from $2,158 million in H1 2012—a 12.7 percent loss. Severstal reported a utilization rate of almost […]
Oversupply is likely to weaken China steel prices in the second half of 2013 said Baosteel General Manger Dai Zhihao to analysts on Monday. Profit margins have fallen in China with Baosteel reporting a 61.47 percent year over year drop in earnings for the first half of 2013. Overcapacity of nearly 300 million surplus tonnes […]
HARDI held their monthly steel conference call earlier today. The purpose of the call is to keep the HVAC wholesalers who sell galvanized sheet and coil in touch with market conditions and trends which could impact their businesses. The consensus of opinion, based on the comments made during the conference call, is prices remain stable […]
ArcelorMittal Cleveland will take down their C-6 blast furnace according to a company spokesperson who communicated with Steel Market Update this afternoon. The blast furnace is scheduled to go down on September 5 and is scheduled to be down approximately ten weeks, according to the company. The company is conducting a partial reline of the […]
Esmark Inc. announced management restructuring changes for Esmark Steel Group on Tuesday. Esmark Inc. Chairman and CEO James P. Bouchard will reassume the CEO duties of Esmark Steel Group formerly held by Thomas Modrowski. Esmark also advised Ohio Cold Rolling restart has been delayed. The restructuring affects management positions in both Esmark Steel Group and […]
AK Steel said its steel shipments will be 1.27 million to 1.30 million tons in the first quarter of 2013, compared to 1.4 million tons in the fourth quarter of 2012, since the normal cycle of spot pricing increases has floundered and not resulted in higher sales. Automotive market shipments are expected to surpass fourth […]
Worthington Industries, a diversified metals manufacturing company, reported a one percent gain in net sales in the third quarter ending February 28, 2013, finishing at $619.5 million compared to $611.3 million the prior year. Gross margin improved to $97 million from $83.3 million in 2012, mostly due to gains from Pressure Cylinders and acquisitions. Steel […]
According to SMU sources combined with an article written by Jose Manuel Saavedra & Ivo Ribeiro we have discovered that CSN has not yet made a firm proposal on the assets of ThyssenKrupp Steel Americas steel mills. The Brazilian article reported that CSN is requesting an extension of time in order to conclude their negotiations […]
Severstal announced that International Iron Beneficiation Group Ltd. (IIGB) has launched a study into the feasibility of locating a granulated iron facility in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Severstal is also considering locations in Quebec, Minnesota, Kentucky and Indiana. The iron facility would use an innovative process that converts superfine iron ore into metallic iron units without […]