Jean Carroll Kemp, a Washington trade and public policy veteran, has joined the Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA) as Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Trade Policy. “Jean’s experience and character make her uniquely qualified for this role at the SMA. She is a trade policy expert adept at creating solutions to the sensitive and […]
The Section 232 report on the effect of steel mill product imports on U.S. national security was submitted to President Trump by Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross late on Thursday, Jan. 11. The president now has 90 days to take action. Details of the report have not been released. In its announcement, the Commerce Department […]
The Section 232 report on the effect of steel mill product imports on U.S. national security was submitted to President Trump by Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross late on Thursday, Jan. 11. The president now has 90 days to take action. Details of the report have not been released. In its announcement, the Commerce Department […]
Sectors closely associated with the steel industry have generally reacted favorably to the tax reform legislation passed on Wednesday. The Steel Manufacturers Association hopes the bill will “result in significant economic growth that improves the fiscal situation for individuals, small business and corporations.” SMA President Philip Bell said it is now time to turn to […]
The Senate passed a tax bill on Dec. 2 and is now in the process of reconciling it with the legislation passed by the House last month. Steel Manufacturers Association President Philip Bell said in a statement on Saturday, “It is our hope that after reconciliation the final legislation will result in significant economic growth […]
Two representatives of steel intensive regions will co-chair the Congressional Steel Caucus, Representatives Rick Crawford (R-AR) and Mike Bost (R-IL). Crawford’s 1st Congressional District in Arkansas was a farming region three decades ago when the Caucus was founded. Today, it hosts Nucor-Steel Yamato, Nucor Steel Arkansas, and Big River Steel, making it the second largest […]
Two representatives of steel intensive regions will co-chair the Congressional Steel Caucus, Representatives Rick Crawford (R-AR) and Mike Bost (R-IL). Crawford’s 1st Congressional District in Arkansas was a farming region three decades ago when the Caucus was founded. Today, it hosts Nucor-Steel Yamato, Nucor Steel Arkansas and Big River Steel, making it the second largest […]
The Global Forum on excess steel capacity is getting closer to releasing its report. The Forum was convened after the G20 meetings in Paris and has outlined six key principles in a draft report that is circulating among 33 participating countries. Comments are due by Oct. 10 with a possible final draft delivered to G20 ministers on […]
The Steel Manufacturers Association is still confident that the Section 232 investigation on steel imports will bring relief to the U.S. steel industry. SMA President Philip Bell called the investigation a “really complex issue,” during a media call on Monday. Although the administration issued a self-imposed deadline of June 30, which it failed to meet, […]
Are “Buy American” policies good for the U.S. economy and the U.S. steel industry? President Trump issued an executive order in April instructing all federal agencies to conduct comprehensive assessments aimed at cracking down on weak enforcement of Buy American policies, and targeting the abusive use of waivers and exceptions that undermine Buy American laws. […]
European steel producers are worried about tight supply conditions for carbon graphite electrodes used in electric arc furnace steelmaking, but it may not be as big a problem in the U.S. A global shortage of high quality needle coke has spiked prices and squeezed supply of electrodes in Europe in recent months, said Axel Eggert, […]
Solar manufacturers are hoping for a positive determination in a Section 201 trade case that claims U.S. manufacturers are harmed by global overcapacity and the import of cheap solar modules from China. They are now getting support from the steel industry in the form of a letter to the U.S. International Trade Commission from the […]
Steel Market Update asked four panelists at the 2018 Steel Summit to define free and fair trade and offer some solutions to what most in the industry consider unfairly traded steel imports. Philip Bell, president of the Steel Manufacturers Association representing North American EAF steel producers, said there are five components of free and fair […]
Shipping complaints about CSX Transportation have prompted the Surface Transportation Board to write to CSX President and CEO E. Hunter Harrison to express their concerns. According to the Board, shippers are complaining that CSX rail service deteriorated markedly in second-quarter 2017, coinciding with significant operational changes at the company. The Board received a number of […]
The Commerce Department has extended the deadline for determinations in the anti-circumvention investigation of corrosion-resistant steel from China to Feb. 15, 2018. On Nov. 14, 2016, the anti-circumvention case was initiated on CORE steel products from the People’s Republic of China in response to a request from steel companies ArcelorMittal USA, Nucor, U.S. Steel, AK […]
Tomorrow, Monday, Aug. 28, the steel event of the year will kick off in Atlanta. With over 650 steel and manufacturing executives registered, expectations are for this conference to truly be the most dynamic steel conference in North America for 2017. Welcome to the Steel Market Update Steel Summit Conference. This is what the fuss […]
Senior steel executives representing most of the nation’s flat rolled and long product manufacturers appealed directly to Donald Trump on Wednesday urging action on the Section 232 steel imports case. The letter from 25 steel and steel-related companies asked the president to take “broad and decisive action to ensure the ability of the domestic steel […]
Today, 25 steel mills and related companies, as well as the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA), sent a letter to President Trump asking that he act on Section 232 and stop foreign steel from damaging the domestic steel industry. According to the letter, 30 percent of the apparent supply […]
In their pursuit of free and fair trade, U.S. steelmakers are often called protectionist—a label they increasingly resent. Steel industry trade groups, including the American Iron and Steel Institute and the Steel Manufacturers Association, have urged the Trump administration to take a harder stance on steel imports. Trade action, including new tariffs or quotas under […]
In their pursuit of free and fair trade, U.S. steelmakers are often called protectionist—a label they increasingly resent. Steel industry trade groups, including the American Iron and Steel Institute and the Steel Manufacturers Association, have urged the Trump administration to take a harder stance on steel imports. Trade action, including new tariffs or quotas under […]
On Monday, August 28, the steel event of the year will kick off in Atlanta. With less than four weeks to go and 575 steel and manufacturing executives already registered, expectations are for this conference to truly be the most dynamic steel conference in North America for 2017. Welcome to the Steel Market Update Steel […]
On Monday, Aug. 28, the steel event of the year will kick off in Atlanta. With four weeks to go and 560 steel and manufacturing executives already registered, expectations are for this conference to truly be the most dynamic steel conference in North America for 2017. Welcome to the 7th Steel Market Update (SMU) Steel […]
We asked trade attorney Lewis Leibowitz what impact there would be on the Section 232 investigation and timing for decisions based on the comments made by President Trump of a delay in the process. Here is what Leibowitz told us earlier today: On Tuesday, July 25, President Trump revealed that he will indefinitely postpone a […]
The American steel industry is facing a crisis that endangers U.S. national security, and it’s time for decisive action, says Philip Bell, president of the Steel Manufacturers Association in Washington, which represents the interests of EAF steel producers in the U.S. In the pending Section 232 investigation, SMA is advocating strongly for a new steel […]
Phil Bell is a brave man. The president of the Washington-based Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA) has volunteered to serve on a trade panel during Steel Market Update’s Steel Summit Conference next month in Atlanta. He knows full well that his fellow panelists—a trade lawyer, a manufacturers’ advocate and a spokesman for a libertarian think tank—will […]
What was it – Tuesday that I said I thought the Section 232 results would be much less than what the steel mills thought a few weeks back? Last night on Air Force One President Trump spoke about considering quotas and tariffs on steel imports into the U.S. According to excerpts of his conversation with […]
The G20 Summit concluded Friday with some concessions made by members on trade, but still no deadline for the looming Section 232 steel investigation results. Pressure from the United States resulted in the G20 joint statement including a more strongly worded pledge for members to “fulfill their commitments on enhancing [steel] information sharing and cooperation by […]
Metalforming companies are not expecting much change in business conditions in the next three months. The latest Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) Business Conditions Report indicates that only 34 percent of survey participants predict an improvement in general economic activity, while 58 percent predict no change. Orders are expected to be steady or slightly better in […]
As you can see by the number of articles in tonight’s newsletter, there is a LOT going on and we are working over-time trying to stay on top of everything. For that reason we have put off our MSCI articles until Sunday evening’s issue (we will actually publish them to the front of our website […]
Six leading steel groups in Canada, Mexico and the United States are today urging their respective governments to ensure that negotiations on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) include key tenets that would result in growing consumption of steel in North America and increasing intra-NAFTA trade and market share for NAFTA producers. In a […]