Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts
Written by John Packard
March 10, 2014
For our Premium Level members – we should have a special Premium Supplemental newsletter for you by Wednesday afternoon. In it will be an article on currency values and changes and their impact on the market as well as our imports by product, port and country. We will be including slabs in our import by port report. We also will have a special report on net imports by Peter Wright.
We are looking for price providers for plate products. If you would be interested in becoming a price provider please contact me at: John@SteelMarketUpdate.com.
Our next Steel 101 workshop is about 60 percent sold out. We do have spots available but we recommend that those interested not wait until the last minute. Based on past experiences we believe the tour of the Severstal Dearborn facility will be tremendous and help our attendees better understand the steelmaking process and learn more about Severstal as a steel supplier. As with all of our programs this one promises to have a very diverse group of attendees with manufacturing, service centers, logistics, mill people and others associated with the industry participating. The networking is an important part of the program. You can learn more about the workshop in the Events section of our website.
I hope to be able to unveil our next Managing Price Risk 2: Strategies & Execution workshop which we are trying to have ready for late April/May in Chicago. More on this soon.
I was speaking with a couple of metals and mining analysts earlier today. One of the questions on their minds was: How can the flat rolled mills be running at approximately 90 percent of capacity and steel not be able to have any pricing power? The question was asked of ArcelorMittal during their investor conference in New York City yesterday (Monday) and the only response was “foreign imports.” We heard that the mill does not anticipate closing any of their facilities – even with the acquisition of the TK Calvert facility (AM/NS Calvert).
As always your business is truly appreciated by all of us here at Steel Market Update. Keep in touch with us by asking questions. You care welcome to let us know what you are thinking and what questions you may have for us: info@SteelMarketUpdate.com or you can send them directly to me: John@SteelMarketUpdate.com.
John Packard, Publisher
Special offer for new subscribers during March – contact JohnTemples@SteelMarketUpdate.com or Ryan@SteelMarketUpdate.com for more details.
John Packard
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Welcome back from Labor Day, from Steel Summit, and from whatever fun you might have had over the long weekend. Personally, I enjoyed camping with friends and family near Starved Rock. No one starved, there were no major injuries, and we enjoyed the many splendors of Mystical Fire. (Speaking of which, does that have industrial uses? But I digress.)
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I want to say a huge ‘thank you’ from all of us at SMU to all of you (more than 1,500!) who attended Steel Summit this year. We appreciate you taking time out of busy schedules to join us – whether that was up on stage, submitting thoughtful questions, or catching up over a drink and bite to eat. Also, a bit shoutout to everyone at SMU and at CRU who made this event possible. It’s no understatement to say that we have a fantastic team.
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Day one and two of SMU's Steel Summit 2024 are officially in the books. We covered a lot of ground, and the agenda sure did deliver.
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The big show is just about here. SMU Steel Summit will be getting underway on Monday. Where does the networking begin? I’d say at the airport. So don’t forget your business cards. And it can't hurt to wear a company golf shirt.