Final Thoughts
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Final Thoughts
Written by John Packard
October 5, 2015
I, Hillary Clinton, Jeb Bush and a number of steel people are all in Davenport, Iowa enjoying the warmer than normal weather and great conditions to do a mill tour which is exactly what we did this afternoon (without Hillary and Jeb). I want to thank everyone at SSAB for their hospitality and for doing an exceptional job of highlighting their production capabilities.
We have a very interesting group attending this workshop – a lot of relatively new people in high management levels to inside customer support. This has created an atmosphere where we can discuss many topics that you wouldn’t normally see or hear during this kind of workshop. We like to build flexibility into our programs so we can discuss the topics that are of interest to our attendees.
A reminder to those who are on our survey invite list. If you have not taken the time to respond to our invite we will be collecting responses until Thursday afternoon. We will send out a reminder email on Wednesday which will have a link to SurveyMonkey.com where our questionnaire is hosted.
Why is it whenever I go away to a workshop major events happen – US Steel decides to pick to day to tell their employees Granite City may be idled for awhile and the UAW thought today would be a great day to tell Chrysler (FCA) that Wednesday sounded like a good day to go on strike. Shouldn’t the membership bitch at their leadership rather than going on strike? After all, they did negotiate a deal that the membership didn’t like. So, go back to the table and figure it out (or work on the membership so the next time you can get the votes needed).
I know automotive is doing well right now and has been for a few years – but, it won’t last forever.
If Chrysler goes on strike does this open the door to US Steel and/or ArcelorMittal to lock out their workers? I would love to get your opinions on that one. Send them to: John@SteelMarketUpdate.com.
Also, Cliffs Natural Resources announced that they were ended an iron ore supply agreement with Essar Steel Algoma saying the company is in breach of contract. Cliffs had a 3 million long ton per year contract with Essar Steel Algoma.
It’s been a long day. As always we thank you for your business as it is truly appreciated by all of us at Steel Market Update.
John Packard, Publisher
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John Packard
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Final thoughts
Sheet prices didn’t roar back after Labor Day. But steel market news sure came out of the gate strong (or maybe chaotically is the better way to put it). First, the nearly $15-billion proposed sale of U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel exploded into the news. And when I say exploded, I mean that all sides seem to be escalating things now.
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Final thoughts
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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Final thoughts
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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Final thoughts
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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Final thoughts
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.