Tag: logistics

US steel buyers report firmer domestic demand, but long lead times, rising freight costs, and geopolitical uncertainty continue to cause caution on imports.

Survey respondents overwhelmingly said enough obsolete scrap existed to meet demand in May, even as expectations for freight and container costs moved higher and views on the direction of the Midwest premium remained relatively firm.

Market participants report frustration with extending lead times for domestically produced plate products.  

Galvanized steel buyers and distributors expect tightening supply and rising price pressure to last into summer.

We look at how SMU survey respondents are seeing the effects of Trump's tariffs and the Iran war on business.

Global shipping volatility is tightening its grip on steel supply chains. And the risks are not easing; in fact, they’re escalating, according to Anton Posner, CEO of Mercury Resources.

A panel of steel executives said bolstering trade also protects it from the Iran war and other geopolitical risks.

Chinese major Baosteel will re-evaluate its investment in a steel plate making joint venture in Saudi Arabia because war in the Middle East has added uncertainties to the project, Baosteel Chairman Zou Jixin said.

The flat-rolled steel market looks poised for continued gains despite widespread concerns about higher freight costs stemming from the Iran War, according to SMU's latest steel market survey.

A Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA) official said iron ore shipments would be delayed by a few weeks on the Great Lakes because of winter weather and a lack of icebreakers. 

At least two major US plate producers - SSAB Americas and Nucor - plan to increase plate prices by at least $60 per short ton (st).

The market has been naturally fixated on the disruption of aluminum exports from the Persian Gulf. However, there is another shipping problem that also may have repercussions on the movement of manufactured goods originating in the Pacific. That is extreme congestion at the Panama Canal.

Recent winter storms have impeded barge transportation along multiple Midwestern waterways, according to various transportation services. Likewise, U.S. Steel said it was facing challenging shipping conditions but does not expect customers to be impacted.

Recycler BL Duke announced on Wednesday the launch of its new steel turnings containment building in Joliet, Ill.

What's going on in West Coast ports?

Contractors Steel was acquired in 2018 by UPG, a private equity firm with a portfolio of metals and logistics companies

After closing the third quarter -3.84% on a y/y basis, our first look at fourth-quarter flatbed spot rates puts us virtually flat y/y, coming in at -0.68%.

The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) launched a strike just after midnight on Tuesday at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports. The work stoppage spans from New England to New Orleans. It came after a last-ditch offer by the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), which represents maritime employers, failed to meet union demands.

Unless a last-minute deal is struck by midnight on Monday, a massive work stoppage will hit ports up and down the East and Gulf Coasts on Tuesday and cause widespread supply chain disruption. Master contract negotiations remain stalled between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX). The employer group took […]

A potential labor strike is threatening to disrupt supply chains up and down the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts beginning next week.

Canada’s government has ordered an end to the brief rail stoppage which had threatened to disrupt the movement of commodities.

On Monday and Tuesday of this week, SMU polled steel buyers on an array of topics, ranging from market prices, demand, and inventories to imports and evolving market events.

The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) have just over two months left to reach a new labor agreement and avoid a strike at all Atlantic and Gulf Coast ports. However, with talks still suspended, ILA’s president says a strike looks more likely with each passing day.

There are just 40 days left until the 2024 SMU Steel Summit gets underway on Aug. 26 at the Georgia International Convention Center (GICC) in Atlanta. And I’m pleased to announce that it's official now: More than 1,000 people have registered to at attend! Another big development: The desktop version of the networking app for the event has officially launched!

Reliance Inc. has reached an agreement to buy certain assets of Ferragon Corp.'s FerrouSouth division, a toll processing operation based in Iuka, Miss.

Flood-level waters have prompted the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to close locks on the Mississippi River.

Flatbed rates remain roughly 20% higher than dry van but have stayed relatively calm for the first half of 2024, rising just 5% in the first half of the year and remaining negative on a year-over-year basis.

Contract negotiations between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) have soured.

Now that June has arrived, the official countdown until SMU’s Steel Summit 2024 – North America’s premier flat-rolled steel conference – has begun. If you haven’t already registered, don’t delay. More than 700 attendees from more than 300 companies have already registered to be in Atlanta this August. In short, it’s poised to be another […]

We’re just a few months away from SMU’s Steel Summit 2024 – North America’s premier flat-rolled steel conference.