Tag: Mexico

After a complete stoppage earlier this year, ArcelorMittal Mexico’s steel mill in Lazaro Cardenas, in the state of Michoacán, will soon return to full production.

Barry Zekelman, chairman and CEO of Zekelman Industries, says the import data unquestionably supports the fact that imports of Mexican conduit have been surging into the US market.

US presidential campaigns frequently sport an “air of unreality.” No more so than the 2024 campaign, where superlatives fly around like mosquitos. Steel trade has been a feature of political discourse for at least half a century now. Just last week, it proceeded to a new level of “unreality.” Four senators  - Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Mike Braun (R-Ind.) - wrote a “bipartisan” letter attacking Mexican exports of steel to the United States. They framed it as a “surge” in US steel imports from Mexico. To address this “surge,” the Senators urge the imposition of 25% tariffs on all steel imports from Mexico.

Ternium USA Inc. has requested a host of Section 232 tariff exclusions since the US reimposed the duties on Mexican steel earlier this summer. Domestic steelmakers, however, are pushing back.

CANACERO's General Director Salvador Quesada Salinas shares his thoughts on the Mexican steel trade 'myth' and what US trade data really shows.

Mexican service center Aceromex has installed a new cut-to-length line in its facility in Cienega de Flores in the state of Nuevo Leon.

North American auto assemblies slumped by more than 14% from June, falling to a 20-month low in July. Assemblies were also down 1.5% year on year (y/y), according to LMC Automotive data.

Italian mill equipment provider Danieli announced a Mexican company has ordered two electric-resistance welded (ERW) tube mills from Danieli Centro Tubes.

Altos Hornos de México (AHMSA) announced it is entering the third stage of bankruptcy.

Former U.S. Steel executive Kenneth Jaycox is moving from steel to the automotive parts industry.

When we last talked to Jared Rowe in May, he had just been appointed Reibus International's new CEO and chairman of the board. Now two months into the job, SMU caught up with him on our July 24 Community Chat for the latest on the online metals marketplace.

Nucor’s top executive expressed concerns over unfair trade practices, highlighting increased steel imports from Mexico and Canada.

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.

Cleveland-Cliffs Chairman, President and CEO Lourenco Goncalves had some insightful things to say today about the steel market and about a conference we suspect might be Steel Summit.

Cleveland-Cliffs expects its acquisition of Canada’s Stelco to close later this year, which will help the the Cleveland-based steelmaker as a bottom to steel tags nears.

ArcelorMittal Mexico reached an agreement with the local mining union on Thursday, July 18, to end the 55-day blockade of its steelmaking and mining facilities in Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacán. While a large majority of Section 271 of the Sindicato Nacional de Mineros voted to accept the proposal, a group of unknown size continues to protest illegally and has even turned to violence, according to the company.

US light-vehicle (LV) sales fell to an unadjusted 1.32 million units in June, down 3.4% vs. year-ago levels, the US Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) reported. The year-on-year (y/y) dip in domestic LV sales came in with a 4% month-on-month (m/m) decline.

North American auto assemblies ticked down by nearly 6% in June after reaching a nine-month high in May, according to LMC Automotive data. Assemblies were also down 1.4% year on year (y/y).

Operating income from Steel Dynamics Inc.’s (SDI) recycling operations clocked in higher in the second quarter than in the first on increasing volumes and despite lower realized pricing. Recycling operations brought in $32.1 million, an increase over $22.6 million in Q1, but lower than the $40.3 million last year, the Fort Wayne, Ind.-based company said […]

I thought we’d have more clarity this week on Section 232, Mexico, and a potential carve-out for steel melted and poured in Brazil. As of right now, the only official comment I have is from the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR).

Steel Dynamics Inc. executives provided further insight into operations at the company’s Sinton, Texas, flat-rolled steel mill on a second-quarter earnings conference call on Thursday morning. Despite a series of start-up woes, the company recently commissioned two new coating lines there, and the mill continues to ramp up production. The execs were also bullish on […]

A labor judge in Mexico City has ruled that the strike of a local mining union is illegal at ArcelorMittal Mexico’s Lazaro Cardenas mill and Las Truchas mine in Michoacán state, Mexico.

Growth in the US economy continues to be constrained. The Federal Reserve’s Beige Book report for July shows more areas reporting flat or declining economic activity than in its previous report at the end of May.

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!

SMU’s hot-rolled coil price fell to $640 per short ton (st) on average on Tuesday. That’s down $10/st from last week and marks the lowest point for HR prices since December 2022, according to our pricing archives. SMU’s HR price is now $5/ton below 2023’s low of $645/st, which occurred against the backdrop of a United Auto Workers (UAW) union strike.

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

There are a lot of rumors swirling around the steel market over the last couple of weeks. Chief among them was that we might see a price hike after Independence Day. Another concerns a key detail in the new Section 232 agreement with Mexico. Namely, steel imported from Brazil into Mexico. Of particular interest is its potential implication for slabs imported from Brazil, rolled in Mexico, and then exported to the US.

Steel is, mostly for historical reasons, a bellwether of international policy. No longer an industry of primary importance, its advocates still proclaim that it is. And steel still continues to punch above its weight in Washington, DC. Below are a few recent examples.

A roundup of CRU aluminum news.

The local mining union has rejected a proposal to end the labor strike at ArcelorMittal Mexico’s Lazaro Cardenas mill and Las Truchas mine in Michoacán, Mexico.