Construction employment increased in 245 out of 358 metro areas between March 2017 and March 2018, declined in 67, and stagnated in 46, according to a new analysis of federal employment data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said that the new figures come amid questions about how a possible trade war […]
Peter Navarro and Wilbur Ross have gone to China to discuss trade and tariff issues. On their last day in Washington, they made some remarks about the steel and aluminum tariff measures announced Monday night. The picture is becoming clearer, but there are also more questions. Today, I am focusing on the Ross and Navarro […]
Much has been written in the trade and consumer press regarding the status of the country exclusions to President Trump’s steel tariffs and the decision announced last night by the White House. The following is how trade attorney Lewis Leibowitz sees the state of the steel industry: On May 1, here is where we stand: […]
Construction spending dropped from the previous month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.285 trillion in March, but was still up compared to a year ago, according to an analysis of new Census data by the Associated General Contractors of America. AGC officials blamed the decline on drops in private sector construction as new […]
The American Institute for International Steel and the Coalition of American Metal Manufacturers and Users expressed their disappointment in the Section 232 announcement last night. AIIS President Richard Chriss and CAMMU issued the following statement: We are disappointed that the president did not act last night to end the uncertainty in the metals market by […]
Trade attorney Lewis Leibowitz provided Steel Market Update information regarding the White House decision made earlier this evening (Monday) regarding exclusions for various countries from the Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs. Here is what Leibowitz had to say: At about 10:00 PM on Monday evening (tonight), the White House announced that tariffs would not […]
The SMU Steel Summit Conference 2018 is the one conference that you and your company will want to attend. It is truly the steel conference to see and to be seen attending. Exceptional networking with decision-makers from manufacturing, steel distribution, steel mills, trading companies, toll processors and those associated with the industry. I got a […]
Steel Market Update’s scrap sources expect ferrous scrap prices to drop by at least $10-$20 per ton in May, and possibly as much as $30-$40 per ton, as spring weather increases the scrap flows and boosts supply. Adding to the downward pressure on prices, they report, is weakness in the global market. One dealer in […]
Trade attorney and Steel Market Update contributor Lewis Leibowitz offers the following update on events in Washington: Product Exclusions—The Latest No objections to product exclusions had been posted on the regulations.gov website as of April 29. The BIS regulations require objections to be submitted to BIS within 30 days after a request has been posted. […]
The 2018 SMU Steel Summit Conference is shaping up to be the most dynamic and largest steel conference we have ever conducted. Eight hundred executives are expected to join us in Atlanta on Aug. 27-29 for a one-of-a-kind event. Networking will be second to none, as will our speakers, from beginning to end. Even before […]
The 2018 SMU Steel Summit Conference is shaping up to be the most dynamic and largest steel conference we have ever conducted. Eight hundred executives are expected to join us in Atlanta on Aug. 27-29 for a one-of-a-kind event. Networking will be second to none, as will our speakers, from beginning to end. Even before […]
The number of companies – especially service centers – reporting they have been on allocation or controlled order entry has dwindled over the past couple of weeks. Many companies are reporting extended lead times or an abundance of late deliveries, but no full allocations with their suppliers. The one exception being plate companies, where almost […]
The number of companies – especially service centers – reporting they have been on allocation or controlled order entry has dwindled over the past couple of weeks. Many companies are reporting extended lead times or an abundance of late deliveries, but no full allocations with their suppliers. The one exception being plate companies, where almost […]
When the 2017 SMU Steel Summit Conference was over, and the SMU conference team had a moment to gather our wits and begin planning this year’s event, one of the first things we did was to set a new goal for attendees. The new goal set was 800 attendees, up from the 650 attendees that […]
Gerdau announced the appointment of Chia Wang to President of its North American long steel operation, effective April 24. Wang, currently Supply Chain Vice-President in North America, will succeed the CEO of Gerdau, Gustavo Werneck, who served as interim president for the last three months. A 30-year veteran at Gerdau, Wang has held positions in […]
Olympic Steel and its employees have been honored by the Hope Stout Society for contributing more than $1 million to Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana. “Our employees consistently exemplify Olympic Steel’s core value of Corporate Citizenship through a strong commitment to the communities in which we operate,” said Chairman and CEO Michael D. Siegal. “Since […]
Thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia added construction jobs between March 2017 and March 2018, while 29 states added construction jobs between February and March, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data. Strong private-sector demand and new public-sector investments in school and airport construction contributed to […]
We have been struggling with the decision as to when we should make an adjustment to the SMU Price Momentum Indicator. The issue that has been holding us back for the last week or two is the role the government is playing in the steel market, which muddies the water. We have made the decision […]
Trade attorney and Steel Market Update contributor Lewis Leibowitz offers the following update on recent events in Washington: • By my count, the Bureau of Industry and Security at Commerce has posted 82 exclusion requests for steel and aluminum combined. The Washington Post reported that 1,200 requests had been submitted to BIS. The NPR program Marketplace yesterday […]
Materials Science Corporation has completed an electro-galvanizing expansion for coating ultra-high-strength steels at its East Chicago, Ind., manufacturing operation. “The use of ultra-high-strength steels in automotive applications continues to grow, and many of those applications require zinc coating for corrosion protection. Our line in East Chicago specializes in coating all grades and sizes of UHSS […]
The high price of galvanized steel has not dampened demand, at least not yet, say distributors of HVAC products, who report continued strong market conditions. “The market is somewhat back to normal, just at dramatically higher transaction prices,” commented one member of the Heating, Air-conditioning, and Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI), during the trade group’s monthly […]
U.S. Steel announced two changes to its executive team on Tuesday. Duane Holloway will join the company as Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Corporate Secretary. Richard L. Fruehauf, who has been serving as Interim General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, will become Vice President of Strategic Planning and Corporate Development. Holloway […]
Registrations for the 2018 SMU Steel Summit Conference have blasted through the 300 executives level and we continue to get multiple registrations daily. Here are some of the companies who registered on Monday of this week (those with an asterisk * denote more than one person registered from that company): Ryerson*, Nucor*, California Steel Industries, […]
It’s simple. SMU wants to invite all of our readers to attend our 8th SMU Steel Summit Conference in Atlanta on Monday, Aug. 27 through Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 29. We expect there will be about 800 reasons for attending (expected attendance) along with an exceptional program, which continues to grow and mature. If you are […]
It’s simple. SMU wants to invite all of our readers and those that come to visit our website from time to time to attend our 8th SMU Steel Summit Conference in Atlanta on Monday, Aug. 27 through Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 29. We expect there will be about 800 reasons for attending (expected attendance) along with […]
Union Partners, a Chicago-based, full-service metals and logistic company, announced on Wednesday the acquisition of Maksteel, a service center, toll processor and logistics provider located in Mississauga, Ontario. Founded in 1970, Maksteel claims to be the first service center in Canada to process advanced high strength steels (AHSS) and martensitic steels as part of its […]
Trying to predict the price of a metal is an exercise in futility, but MetalMiner strives to provide metal buying organizations with clarity around when and how much to buy, says Lisa Reisman, MetalMiner Executive Editor. Reisman will make another appearance at Steel Market Update’s 2018 Steel Summit Conference, set for Aug. 27-29 at the […]
AK Steel announced that three of its employees were recognized by the Manufacturing Institute as 2018 STEP Ahead Award winners who exemplify leadership in Science, Technology, Engineering and Production. Lisa A. Vensel, AK Steel General Manager, Manufacturing Planning, and Joyce C. Niedringhaus, AK Steel Principal Research Engineer, were named 2018 STEP Ahead Honorees. Ayesha Satija, […]
Steel Market Update steel training workshops continue to be very popular. We are finding many companies sending their new people to our flagship Steel 101 workshop. This workshop is excellent for those new to the industry; however, it is not just for new employees. It is an excellent way to expand the knowledge base of […]
Construction costs climbed in March on a wide range of building materials, according to an analysis of Labor Department data by the Associated General Contractors of America. The producer price index for input goods to the construction industry rose at its steepest year-over-year rate since 2011. The goods index climbed 0.8 percent in March alone […]