ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel have completed their acquisition of Essar Steel Limited. The new joint venture will be called ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India Limited (AM/NS India). ArcelorMittal will hold a 60 percent share of the new entity and Nippon 40 percent. Aditya Mittal, President and CFO of ArcelorMittal, has been appointed Chairman of AM/NS India, […]
Environmental damage and health issues have been a recurring theme in coverage of U.S. steel mills in the past few years. The issues, whether stemming from aging equipment or unanticipated accidents, are costing steel companies millions in repairs, penalties and lost production. U.S. Steel agreed on Dec. 4 to an $8.5 million tentative settlement in […]
Nucor’s Board of Directors has elected Leon J. Topalian as a director and John H. Walker to serve as Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors, both effective Jan. 1, 2020. Topalian is the President and Chief Operating Officer of Nucor and will become the Chief Executive Officer of Nucor on Jan. 1, 2020. Walker, […]
Nucor announced the acquisition of another downstream company, TrueCore, a manufacturer of insulated metal panels for the cold storage market. “This acquisition fits well with our strategy to profitably grow our value-added product portfolio and provides great synergies with Nucor Buildings Group. As the market leader in metal buildings, we currently utilize a high volume […]
Changes may be coming for two joint ventures held by Brazilian mining giant Vale, including California Steel Industries. Vale is looking to trim costs as it continues to make reparations stemming from the Brumadinho tailings dam collapse that took 270 lives and caused major environmental damage to the region. At Vale Day on Dec. 2 […]
U.S. Steel is planning a 48-day outage for its #4 blast furnace at Gary Works that will begin early in the second quarter of 2020. Maintenance will include shotcrete and skip incline improvements. The seven-week outage will affect an estimated 200,000 tons of raw steel production. The idled BF #8 has been restarted to provide production […]
Nucor is expecting its earnings to decrease in the fourth quarter, according to just released guidance estimates. Earnings are expected in the range of $0.25 to $0.30 per diluted share, down from third-quarter earnings of $0.90 per share. Nucor’s steel mills segment will be impacted in the fourth quarter by lower steel prices that occurred […]
The Nucor Plate Mill Group informed customers today, Dec. 10, that it has increased transaction prices on all new orders for carbon, alloy and heat-treated plate by a minimum of $50 per ton, effective immediately. Nucor’s move follows a similar announcement by SSAB Americas on Friday. Sources tell SMU that ArcelorMittal has also followed suit, […]
Editor’s note: Steel is the largest producer of global industrial CO2 emissions. So, as stemming climate change takes on ever greater urgency, steelmakers are challenged to find production methods that emit fewer greenhouse gases. New technologies in development range from improving process efficiency to carbon capture to using hydrogen instead of coal as fuel. Following […]
Maintenance and a flooding incident have forced U.S. Steel to juggle producton on the furnaces at its Gary Works mill. Two of the three furnaces that had to be taken offline when a water pipe burst Nov. 27 are now back in operation. Blast furnaces #14 and #6 are now fully operational and #4 is […]
By CRU Senior Analyst Ryan Smith and Senior Consultant Sarah Macnaughton, from CRU’s Crude Steel Market Outlook Climate change is moving up the political agenda and putting increasing pressure on heavy industry to reduce their CO2 emissions. As the largest producer of global industrial CO2 emissions, the steel sector has a clear role to play in meeting […]
Cleveland-Cliffs and AK Steel Holdings surprised the market this morning, announcing the merger of their two companies. Under a definitive merger agreement, Cleveland-Cliffs will acquire all the issued and outstanding stock of AK Steel at $3.35 per share or $1.1 billion. Cliffs Chairman and CEO Lourenco Goncalves will lead the expanded organization and AK Steel […]
Service has been restored to the largest of the blast furnaces, and a second furnace will be back online shortly, following a water pipe break Nov. 27 that forced U.S. Steel to shut down all three operating furnaces at its Gary Works mill. In an update on Monday, a spokesperson said the third furnace is […]
Early reviews of Cleveland-Cliffs’ decision to acquire AK Steel show mixed opinions among the market observers polled by Steel Market Update. On the surface, the marriage of the producer of value-added iron ore with the long-time steelmaker, its largest customer, seems a natural fit. But merging the two, very different companies may not prove so […]
The following article is written by John Packard, President & CEO, Steel Market Update On Sunday, SMU published in my Final Thoughts the following: “There has also been discussion about U.S. Steel in the marketplace as to whether the mill has decided to concentrate on auto, appliance, energy and electrical markets and perhaps move away […]
Stelco’s strategy to get into the merchant pig iron (MPI) market is getting high marks from the experts. As one of the Canadian steelmaker’s strategic growth initiatives, it plans to construct a new pig iron making facility at its Lake Erie Works to coincide with a blast furnace reline scheduled for Q2 2020. Stelco claims […]
The mills may have announced two increases in flat rolled steel prices in the past month, but you couldn’t tell from comments by members of the Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International. The distributors of galvanized steel to the HVAC sector report little impact on prices so far, though demand remains healthy despite some […]
Favorable winds are blowing for Nucor Steel in Missouri. The company will start production at its new rebar micro-mill in Sedalia, Mo., by the end of December powered by clean energy provided by Evergy Inc. Evergy has plans to build a windfarm at the Sedalia site that will offset 100 percent of the energy used […]
The first U.S.-flagged Great Lakes bulk carrier to be built in more than 35 years will be made from steel supplied by ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor. The carrier was commissioned by Interlake Steamship Company and will be built by Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding. A ceremony celebrating the first cut of steel for the new vessel was held at […]
AK Steel Ashland rolled its final coil on Monday, Nov. 11, at 10:14 a.m. The Kentucky plant is expected to close its doors for good on Dec. 31. “Everyone was walking the line, and as we walked the line, everyone watched it,” said Brian Boggs, an electronics technician at the mill, in a comment to […]
Canadian integrated steelmaker Stelco managed to improve on its revenues and operating income from the second to the third quarter, but still reported an $11 million loss in Q3 adjusted net income. The company plans to expand its product mix by adding pig iron production and shipments in 2020. Third-quarter revenue of CAD $475 million […]
U.S. Steel announced on Wednesday a new target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions intensity. As part of its “best of both” strategy, U.S. Steel said it will reduce its global greenhouse gas emissions intensity 20 percent by 2030, based on 2018 baseline levels. Emissions intensity is measured by the rate of carbon dioxide equivalents emitted […]
Flack Global Metals says it will move forward on plans to build a new coil coating and downstream processing facility adjacent to Big River Steel in Osceola, Ark. The new facility will cost approximately $150 million and create more than 150 new jobs. This investment, if completed, will add production capability to the Big River […]
Allegheny Technologies Inc. and NLMK USA have signed a one-year agreement to extend and expand carbon steel hot rolling conversion services for NLMK at ATI’s Hot-Rolling and Processing Facility (HRPF) in Brackenridge, Pa., through December 2020. ATI expects 2020 volumes to increase significantly compared to 2019 levels and provide guaranteed volumes and fixed fee-per-ton revenues, […]
ArcelorMittal USA will shut down its blast furnace #3 at Indiana Harbor West. The furnace has reached the end of its current operational life and will be taken down in a safe and orderly fashion, said a spokesperson for the company. The furnace could be restarted in the future “if customer demand merits the necessary […]
U.S. Steel initiated layoffs for some of its non-union staff on Friday, citing challenging market conditions requiring a leaner and more efficient organization. The layoffs are related to restructuring plans that were announced in early October. “While market headwinds persist, we continue to focus on what we can control, including re-scoping our asset revitalization investments […]
Big River Steel announced it will be the long-term provider of high-quality steel products to Array Technologies, an industry-leading solar tracking manufacturer. Array was committed to finding a source of steel products that would allow the company to maintain its commitment to providing reliable renewable energy not only in their product design but also through […]
Olympic Steel reported third-quarter net sales of $384 million, a 16 percent decline from third-quarter 2018 due to lower shipping volumes and pricing in the carbon flat segment. Net income was $591,000 for the quarter, down from $11.6 million in Q3 2018. “Softer global demand, unsettled trade agreements, excess global steel capacity and overall market […]
AK Steel Chief Financial Officer Jaime Vasquez will retire from the company effective Nov. 30, 2019. Christopher Ross, current AK Steel Vice President and Treasurer, has been named interim CFO and Treasurer, effective Nov. 5. “Jaime’s experience and financial focus have served the company well as we forged a new strategic path,” said CEO Roger […]
Olympic Steel announced the appointment of Daniel Harnois to General Manager of Berlin Metals, effective Nov. 1. Harnois will be responsible for driving profitable growth for Berlin Metals and will report directly to Andrew Wolfort, Regional Vice President and General Manager. Berlin Metals is an Olympic Steel company that specializes in tin mill products, stainless […]