Tag: Manufacturing

I attended the SAFE Summit in Washington, D.C., earlier this week. It was an out-of-this world event – and I mean that quite literally. There were serious discussions around building data centers in space.

A broad coalition of steel groups have written a letter urging the US government not to allow China access to the domestic auto market.

The Chicago Business Barometer eased for a second consecutive month in April. The 3.6-point slip to 49.2 for the month represents a fall back into contractionary territory.

Turner Industries said it's dedicating two state-of-the-art nuclear fabrication facilities in New Iberia and Port Allen Louisiana to producing high-precision modules and nuclear-grade piping.

Cleveland-Cliffs plans to deploy Palantir’s advanced AI technologies across its commercial and operations internal processes.  

Sheet market participants reported steady to elevated demand over the past week. But while spot prices continued to edge up, some sources said lead times were becoming more closely aligned to industry norms.

The economic outlook by metalforming manufacturers remains steady for the next three months, said the Precision Metalforming Association (PMA). 

US manufacturing activity edged higher across most Federal Reserve Districts, with the Beige Book describing gains ranging from slight to moderate as producers navigated rising input costs and heightened geopolitical uncertainty.

Manufacturing activity in New York state strengthened in April, with steel-adjacent producers reporting firmer demand and improving throughput, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s latest Empire State Manufacturing Survey.

Canada's Algoma Steel and Roshel Inc. have partnered to form Roshel Algoma Defence (RADS), a sovereign ballistic steel solutions joint venture.

US manufacturing activity grew for the third straight month in March, according to the latest report from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). March marked the 17th month of overall economic expansion. 

This piece was first published by SMU’s nonferrous sister publication, Aluminum Market Update. To learn about AMU, visit their website or sign up for a free trial. An automotive supplier plans to turn a former steel mill site in Alabama into a facility to produce aluminum and plastic components for US automakers. Taiwan-based Minth Group Limited said the $430 million […]

Economic activity across the US increased at a light-to-modest pace in seven of the 12 Federal Reserve Districts, according to the US Federal Reserve’s latest Beige Book report.  

The Chicago Business Barometer continued to rise in February, marking its second month in expansion territory, according to Market News International (MNI) and the Institute for Supply Management (ISM).

SMU polled steel buyers on an array of topics, ranging from market prices, demand, and inventories to tariffs, imports, and evolving market events.

Turbine production grew along with demand from renewable energy. Now, data centers are fueling demand for electricity derived from natural gas.

The latest 10% tariff is expected to be enacted over the next several days using Section 122.

Companies are framing 2026 around backlog, mix and production discipline rather than a uniform market recovery.

Sheet market participants said conditions this week were more stable than in past weeks, but they remain cautiously optimistic overall.   

The latest Institute for Supply Management (ISM)’s Manufacturing PMI report found manufacturing activity expanded in January 2026. The preceding 26 consecutive months’ reports showed manufacturing activity in contraction.    

A coalition of US steel industry CEOs has formally urged President Trump to maintain—and fully enforce—current Section 232 tariffs on steel and steel‑containing goods.

Metalforming manufacturers anticipate strong near-term economic conditions that will give way to increasing orders, according to the Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) Business Conditions Report for January 2026. 

Kloeckner Metals Corp. announced that beginning Jan. 1, 2026, the former Bauer Built Manufacturing site in Paton, Iowa, would lead all its commercial, manufacturing, and other operational activities. 

The Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM) latest report finds that December 2025’s market conditions in the manufacturing sector continued to soften.

Metalforming manufacturers are more upbeat on the prospect of improved near-term economic activity despite lower shipping levels in December, according to the Precision Metalforming Association’s (PMA) December report.

Growth remains uneven, and capital continues to concentrate. But compared to the rest of the world (RoW), the US continues to have the most stable path forward.

Architecture firms across the United States continued to grapple with weak billings in November, amid uncertain economic conditions, according to the AIA.

Business activity in New York state retreated in December, according to the Empire State Manufacturing Survey conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Economic activity across the US was largely static with some modest activity unfolding at a sluggish pace, according to the US Federal Reserve’s (The Fed) latest Beige Book report.

General Motors (GM) is planning a ~$250 million investment to upgrade its Parma Metal Center. The outlay is part of GM's plans to invest ~$4 billion in its US-based manufacturing operations over the next two years. Its 2025 reshoring commitments currently total over $5 billion.