Final thoughts

The SMU staff will be easy enough to spot. We’ll be wearing a different SMU shirt each day of the conference – light blue on Monday, white on Tuesday, and Navy blue on Wednesday.

We’ll also, in a nod to last year’s conference opener, have a few Magic 8 Balls to mark where we’ll be sitting in the main conference room. So stop by and say hello.

My colleague David Schollaert and I won’t be hard to find. We’ll be up on the stage for much of the time. We’ll be joined there by some of our CRU colleagues – Josh Spoores, Alex Anderson, and Lynn Lupori.

Also, stop by our booth if you’d like to learn more about or have any feedback on the SMU newsletter and website. And, of course, bring along anyone who you think might benefit from a website demo or a subscription.

SMU account manager Luis Corona will be there to help you with any questions. He’ll be joined by SMU senior analyst Brett Linton, who many of you know, and who knows SMU and the website like the back of his hand.

Our booth will be right by the main entrance alongside our colleagues at Recycled Metals Update (RMU). Make a point of asking about RMU, too – it could be a good resource for those looking for more detailed scrap coverage of scrap.

Nearly 1,500 of you will be in attendance when the conference officially kicks off at 1 p.m. If you’re getting in earlier on Monday, I encourage you to attend some of the pre-conference workshops that morning. There is some good stuff on everything from futures and future technologies to a discussion on scrap that RMU will lead.

We’ll officially start the conference off with our opening video. Dave and I will also be doing a few live polls. (Maybe a dad joke or two as well.) So make sure to download the Steel Summit app from either the Apple or Android stores. That will allow you to participate in the polls and the Q&A sessions following most speakers and panels.

You’ll notice a few big themes in the event this year. For starters, we’re going to be talking a lot about trade issues and how trade policy might differ under a Harris administration or a second Trump administration.

It’s a little early for thank-yous and shout-outs. But I think a “thank you” is in order for Hu Wangming, chair of Baowu for the quote about “winter” coming for steel.

Baowu is the largest steelmaker in China and in the world. We can debate all day whether that winter applies specifically to China’s steel industry, given the construction crisis there, or whether a winter for Chinese steel will also bring a chill to the US. One thing is certain: A “Game of Thrones” theme makes the debate more fun.

And, again, Summit remains an interactive event. You’ll be able to ask questions after every speaker and panel. So, for our trade panel, make sure to pack your questions not only about China but also about USMCA, Section 232, Section 301, NMEs, and even good, old-fashioned AD/CVDs.

Another big theme will be electrification and decarbonization. I know that excites some of you. I know eyes are already rolling among others. Here’s the thing. We won’t be doing death by PowerPoint when it comes to decarb. We’re going to try to keep it focused on what companies are doing today – not what they might do in 2025 – to reduce their carbon footprint.

Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) President and COO Barry Schneider will do just that when we catch up for an exclusive interview on the first day of Steel Summit. That conversation will continue on the policy front on Day 2 when we’ve got a great panel of DC insiders who will spell out how trade and climate policy might be linked in the future. And then on Day 3, we’ll have another great panel on some of the technologies that are being used now, or that soon will be, to help reduce CO2 in the atmosphere.

You’ll also notice that we’ve got more of a focus on end markets this year – notably appliance and automotive, both important markets for flat-rolled steel. When it comes to automotive, we’re going to talk less about what sales and production figures might be for the balance of the year. Instead, we’ll examine how supply chains might change if EV adoption continues to increase.

Because, let’s face it, designs for internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and EVs are massively different. We arguably haven’t seen a design shift this radical since we went from horse and buggy to Model T. What does that mean for steel and competing materials?

We’re also keeping some of the features of the event you’ve appreciated in the past. We’ll have forecasts from leading industry analysts. We’ll hear from leading executives from steel mills, service centers, and scrap companies about the latest trends and developments in the markets they serve. And we’ll have entertaining keynotes on politics and economics.

By the way, we know some of you feel like winter is coming if your candidate doesn’t win in November. But I think all sides are tired of partisan bickering. So, while politics will be unavoidable at the event this year from time to time, let’s keep it respectful. We’re here to network, have fun – and maybe learn a thing or two about the industry we love. Fortunately, it’s one that, along with apple pie, remains popular on both sides of the aisle.