Contributor: Stephanie Ritenbaugh

Demand is up, but tariffs raise concerns

The government said it hopes to reach an agreement with the two companies outside of the courts, according to a filing last week.

This marks the eighth week of increases

A quick way to catch up on what you might have missed.

Employees at Evraz North America, a subsidiary of Russia's Evraz plc, reportedly falsified quality control test results on armored plate for military vehicles. Evraz NA denies the claims.

Section 232 tariffs are expected to go into effect March 12.

The penalties are expected to be reinstated on Wednesday, March 12. 

"We urge you to resist any requests for exceptions or exclusions and to continue standing strong on behalf of American steel," the companies wrote.

Manufacturing activity exhibited slight to modest increases across a majority of districts. However, manufacturers expressed concerns over the potential impact of looming trade policy changes between late January and February.

The latest on the trade war

April 2 is when reciprocal tariffs are expected to kick in.

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers slammed the use of "broad and indiscriminate" penalties.

The Manufacturing PMI registered 50.3% in February. That’s 0.6 percentage points lower compared to the 50.9% recorded in January.

The company said 79 workers will be impacted.

"We experienced an event at the blast furnace which required a controlled shut down to facilitate repairs," a spokesperson said.

The metal roofing manufacturer is launching Fabral Solar to integrate solar technology within commercial, residential, and agricultural structures.

New orders gained 3.1%, reaching $286.0 billion, according to the US Census Bureau.

Nearly 99% of ILA members voted in favor of a new labor deal with the United States Maritime Alliance that covers workers at ports on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

It won't be so easy to restart idled aluminum production in the US, AMU says.

"The second half of last year was especially bad with the steel demand from the automotive sector slowing down, construction activity lagging and industrial production taking a hit," the CEO said.

Olympic Steel has seen jobs for line pipe jump in recent weeks as the Trump administration has talked up fossil fuel production, which is good news for hot-rolled coil producers. Meanwhile, tariff talk has lengthened lead times, Olympic executives said.

Reliance noted that it is about 95% domestically sourced.

"The collaboration with these three companies will enhance AISI’s already significant engagement with members of Congress and the administration," the group's CEO said.

Automakers, construction, manufacturers raise concerns

The new version of Section 232 goes into effect on 12:01 am ET on March 12, according to the executive order. The latest iteration of Section 232 removed quotas, exemptions, and other carve outs that had accumulated over years.

If 2021 and 2022 was the party, 2024 is the morning after, one panelist said.

There's a lot of production waiting to come online

Steel and aluminum have been identified as high priorities for trade

Muted demand from the auto industry took a particular toll later in the year.

Despite the gain, the index remains below both the levels of November 2024 and the 2024 average.