Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts
Written by John Packard
January 14, 2014
By the way – I think Sandy Williams did an excellent job of following the Ford F-150 aluminum story and providing some balance and depth to her article. We are going to put the article on our Blog and make it available for you to send out on social media to your contacts and friends. This subject, the battle between aluminum and steel, will last for a number of years and it is important for those of us involved in the steel industry that the steel mills ultimately win the war.
One of our articles this evening was sent to us by someone who follows our company through our LinkedIn group (conveniently called Steel Market Update) and our Blog postings. Brandon Hays of Behlen Manufacturing wrote an interesting piece regarding the value of the social media in the steel industry and I highly recommend our readers take a few moments to read what Brandon had to say.
We intend to provide a number of articles in the coming days about what you are missing by no logging into our new website. It’s easy, painless and you may find quite interesting. If you need for us to reset and send you a new user name and password so that you can log into the website please send us an email at: info@SteelMarketUpdate.com or give us a call at 800-432-3475. We are ready and willing to help you get into the website and to show you some of the secrets contained within its walls.
Last reminder that I am speaking at the AWMI dinner in Chicago on Thursday evening at the Erie Cafe. Event begins at 6 PM. Showtime at 7:30.
On Tuesday and Wednesday of next week I will be in New York City at the AHR Expo and at a lunch hosted by Timna Tanners of Bank of America Merrill Lynch. For those attending the BOA luncheon I will be bringing a couple of guests (new blood)…
On February 3 through the 5th I will be in Mobile, Alabama preparing, hosting and teaching at our next Steel 101 workshop along with John Eckstein, Steve Painter, Peter Wright and John Temples. Also attending this workshop will be Brett Linton. Come join us and meet the SMU Steel 101 team.
John Temples will be representing Steel Market Update at the next Association of Steel Distributors regional meeting in Detroit, Michigan. The meeting will be held on Thursday, January 23rd. The next meeting of the ASD will be their annual Spring Convention which this year will be held in Orlando, Florida on March 20-22, 2014. I will be attending the Orlando meeting.
I am speaking at the Toronto Steel Buyers Association dinner in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on March 26th. More details regarding tickets and location to follow. You can also check our calendar on the new website to find information about a number of conferences and meetings to be held throughout the year. If you have a meeting or conference which you would like added to our calendar please send us an email at: info@SteelMarketUpdate.com.
Another reminder that we still have a number of spots open for our next Steel 101 workshop. The workshop is being held in Mobile, Alabama on February 4 & 5, 2014 and includes a tour of the SSAB mill located just outside of Mobile. Contact us with any questions you might have: info@SteelMarketUpate.com or by phone: 800-432-3475. SMU member companies receive a $100 per person discount on the cost associated with the workshop. We also offer a $100 per person discount for companies who send 2 or more people to the workshop. Membership in Steel Market Update comes with benefits.
As always we want to thank you for your business which is truly appreciated by all of us here at Steel Market Update.
John Packard, Publisher
John Packard
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Final Thoughts
We joked in our last Final Thoughts that Wiley trade attorney Tim Brightbill – one of the nation’s leading experts on trade law and policy – would probably be revising his presentation on Trump, trade policy, and tariffs for the Tampa Steel Conference. He did. And even after those last-minute revisions, he actually got trumped […]
Final Thoughts
The whole SMU team is packing up our laptops and our SMU polos/cardigans, loading up the PowerPoint slides, and preparing to make the trek down to Florida for the Tampa Steel Conference. There will be plenty to talk about!
Final Thoughts
From one group of folks, I’ve heard that Trump might not wait until Feb. 1 – the date he threatened on to place tariffs on China, Canada, and Mexico. They say he could act as soon as Friday. And then there are those who don’t think anything will happen before April 1. That’s the deadline for Commerce, Treasury, and USTR to submit key reports on “America First Trade Policy” to President Trump.
Final Thoughts
Trump made a clarification in a speech on Monday. Previously, he had declared the word “tariff” the most beautiful word in the dictionary. No longer.
Final Thoughts
President Donald Trump on Sunday hammered Colombia with 25% tariffs and threatened to increase them to 50%. Trump in a post on Truth Social said he took the action not because of a trade dispute but because the South American nation had refused to accept planes carrying deported immigrants. The president also cited "national security" concerns, just as he did to justify 25% Section 232 tariffs on steel in his first term. Even the 50% threat echoes his first term. Turkish steel, like that of most nations, was assessed a 25% tariff in March 2018. Trump doubled Turkey's tariff to 50% via a tweet in August of that year over a matter unrelated to steel.