SMU Community Chat

Next SMU Community Chat Guest: Bernard Swiecki, Center for Automotive Research

Written by John Packard


On Wednesday, April 22, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time, Steel Market Update will host our next SMU Community Chat Webinar. We will feature Bernard Swiecki of the Center for Automotive Research (CAR). This webinar is open to anyone in the steel community and is complimentary. We will discuss the automotive industry in North America and how it is being impacted by the COVID-19 virus, and what the industry will look like once people return to work.

Click here to register.

On Wednesday, April 15, Steel Market Update hosted our weekly SMU Community Chat Webinar with Phil Raimondo of Behlen Manufacturing and John Packard, President & CEO of Steel Market Update. We had a minor technical glitch, which got us out of the gates around 11:10 (our mistake as we learn how to use the Zoom webinar software). The webinar took 40 minutes and was well received by the 555 people who were registerd for the event.

The video recording is now available- click here to view the recording (you will need to register if you have not done so already – there is no charge for registration or viewing of the recording).

Bernard Swiecki serves as Director of the Automotive Communities Partnership (ACP) at the Center for Automotive Research (CAR), as well as a Senior Automotive Analyst in CAR’s Industry, Labor, and Economics (ILE) group. He joined CAR in 1994. Bernard has written and managed research in a diverse array of automotive fields pertaining to automaker/supplier relationships, electric and alternative powertrain vehicles. He manages CAR’s analysis of vehicle sales, production, and segmentation data. He has also led trade missions to China, Italy, India, and Russia.

John Packard of SMU has seen Bernard speak on a number of occasions and we believe he will provide valuable information about the automotive industry as the auto plants come back online, as well as auto demand and what we should expect for automotive production over the next 3-12 months.

Attendees can submit questions and we will endeavor to answer as many as possible during the planned 30-40 minute window of time we have scheduled for the webinar.

As part of the webinar, John Packard will provide real-time market intelligence as we speak directly with steel buyers, steel mills, trading companies, toll processors and others associated with the flat rolled and plate steel markets.

Please join us next Wednesday (and every Wednesday) at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time (10:00 a.m. Central Time, 9:00 a.m. Mountain Time and 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time).

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us at info@SteelMarketUpdate.com

Latest in SMU Community Chat

SMU Community Chat: Dec. 11 with ITR economist Taylor St. Germain

ITR economist Tyler St. Germain will join SMU for a Community Chat on Dec. 11 at 11 am ET. You can register here. The live webinar is free for all to attend. A recording will be available only to SMU members. We'll discuss the 2025-26 outlook for both the overall economy and also for manufacturing. We’ll in addition discuss how Trump administration policies when it comes to tariffs and immigration might impact the steel sector and key end use markets.