Final Thoughts
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Final Thoughts
Written by John Packard
October 27, 2017
Steel Market Update (SMU) will begin our next flat rolled steel market trends survey at 8 AM ET tomorrow (Monday). If you receive an invitation, please take a few moments to click on the button in the message and fill out our questionnaire. Most people are able to get through the process in less than five minutes. We think this will be an important barometer to see if the price increases are taking hold, what is happening with lead times and mill negotiations, as well as how steel distributors are handling spot sales to their customers. Again, look for the invitation to participate at 8 AM ET.
A second reminder that our Steel 101: Introduction to Steel Making & Market Fundamentals workshop scheduled for Mobile, Ala. on Jan. 24-25, 2018, is sold out. We are creating a waiting list, and we are hopeful we will be able to accommodate a couple of those on the list once we get closer to the workshop dates. The Mobile workshop includes a tour of the SSAB Mobile minimill.
Following Mobile, we will be traveling to Portage, Ind., to tour the NLMK USA minimill. We are working on finalizing the dates of that workshop, which will be in the month of March. After Portage, we anticipate hosting another Steel 101 workshop in May, then we are looking at one during the summer months and finally one in October.
I want to welcome a new addition to the Steel Market Update family. We have added Jill Waldman to our Events team. Jill will be working with Ray Culley and me on next year’s SMU Steel Summit Conference. She will be involved first with coordinating our sponsor and exhibitor efforts. If you would like to communicate with her, she can be reached at Jill@SteelMarketUpdate.com.
As always, your business is truly appreciated by all of us here 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.