Steel Products
Final Thoughts
Written by John Packard
January 11, 2013
I spent part of an afternoon with one of our customers the other day. When I was selling steel this was a common occurrence. Now my schedule and time constraints make it much more difficult and that is one of the things I miss from my steel sales days.
One of the questions this individual had, was with the new writers, how much time was I actually spending on researching and writing articles for the newsletter? I continue to do all of the research and writing associated with pricing and price trends. I evaluate all of the survey data. But, a number of months ago – as our new website project grew and grew – it became apparent that I would need to cultivate others around me to do research and write articles.
Our website project is at a point where a portion of my time each and every day is now dedicated to that project. The website we are building is much more complicated – both the public and private sections of the website – and we hope much more interesting than our existing website. Our goal is for each of you, our customers, to begin spending a portion of your day on our website – because it will be easy, different, entertaining, educational, and answer the questions you are asking yourself.
To get to that point is taking a lot of my time and that of my staff (as well as our developers). We hope you will see the results of our labors in the not too distant future.
Our Steel 101 workshop is gaining traction. You can learn more about our program and how to register on our website: www.SteelMarketUpdate.com (or you can click on the banner ad on this newsletter).
As always your business is truly appreciated.

John Packard
Read more from John PackardLatest in Steel Products

US HR prices surge above offshore tags
Hot-rolled (HR) coil prices leaped in the US this week, while tags abroad saw more measured gains. The result: US hot band prices have become even more expensive than imports on a landed basis. In fact, the premium US HR prices carry over HR prices abroad now stands at a 12-month high.

US rig counts inch up again, Canadian activity slips
The latest oil and gas rig count in the US increased slightly from last week, while Canadian activity edged lower, according to Baker Hughes.

SMU flat-rolled market survey results now available
SMU’s latest steel buyers market survey results are now available on our website to all premium members. After logging in at steelmarketupdate.com, visit the pricing and analysis tab and look under the “survey results” section for “latest survey results.” Past survey results are also available under that selection. If you need help accessing the survey results, or if […]

CRU: Rising protectionism impacts global steel trade
US sheet prices surge following tariff announcement

SMU Community Chat replay now available
The latest SMU Community Chat webinar reply is now available on our website to all members. After logging in at steelmarketupdate.com, visit the community tab and look under the “previous webinars” section of the dropdown menu. All past Community Chat webinars are also available under that selection. If you need help accessing the webinar replay, or if your company […]