Teamsters Local 332 members at Alro Steel’s facility in Flint, Mich., have approved their most recent collective bargaining agreement. The union said the four-year agreement includes significant improvements, including a 10% average wage increase in the first year of the contract, improved protections for mandatory overtime, and the maintenance of health care benefits. Additionally, the […]
Buildings supplies distributor MacArthur Co. has completed its acquisition of American Metals Supply. American Metals, a steel products distributor, will operate as an independent subsidiary with the same team, product line, marketing presence, and locations. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. “We both have a strong heritage as successful distribution businesses that share […]
Mississauga, Ontario-based service center group Russel Metals reported sequential improvement in its business segments in the first quarter, while results weakened year over year. The company reported Q1 net income of Canadian $73.9 million (US$55.2 million) on sales of nearly CA$1.2 billion compared to net income of CA$98.7 million on sales of CA$1.34 billion in […]
Alro Metals Outlet has opened a new retail location in northern Indiana. The new 17,500-square-foot outlet located in Elkhart, Ind., stocks a variety of carbon steel, aluminum, stainless steel, tool steel, copper, brass, and plastic products. Alro aims to make metal buying simple for businesses and individual customers with its outlet locations, where no minimum […]
ArcelorMittal is anticipating delays in shipments after recent incidents took down two of its European blast furnaces (BFs). On March 22, a serious fire totally disabled BF A at its mill in Gijón, Asturias, in northeast Spain. Then, on March 30, BF HF4 at its Dunkirk plant in northern France was idled after a similar […]
Manufacturing activity in the US continued to slow during the month of March, as did general economic activity, according to the latest Manufacturing Report on Business from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). The ISM’s monthly PMI index declined for a fifth consecutive month, registering 46.3% in March. This was 1.4 points lower than the […]
Ken Simonson, chief economist for The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), will be the featured speaker on the next SMU Community Chat webinar on Wednesday, March 22, at 11 a.m. ET. The live webinar is free. A recording will be available free to SMU members. You can register here. We’ll talk about the outlook for […]
Leeco Steel has added processing equipment at its Portage, Ind., distribution center. The Lisle, Ill.-based plate supplier said it has put in a Messer MPC2000 MC combination cutting and drilling machine. It is capable of plasma cutting, oxy fuel cutting, beveling, drilling, tapping, counter sinking, and etching. Leeco noted that this expands its processing capabilities […]
Steel mill lead times, following recent pricing moves, have pushed upwards, according to SMU’s latest market survey. SMU’s hot-rolled lead time is approximately 5.4 weeks, up from 4.9 weeks at our last check of the market two weeks ago. The result is notable because lead times have been just below five weeks since the beginning of […]
Schnitzer Steel Industries has been named the most sustainable company in the world, according to a media and research organization. The scrap recycler and long steel producer topped the 19th annual Global 100 List by Corporate Knights, which focuses on corporate sustainability performance. The list is based on an assessment of 6,720 companies, each with […]
Stellantis said it will idle its Belvidere, Ill., auto plant effective Feb. 28, 2023. The automaker, Chrysler’s European parent company, said 1,350 workers will be affected at the plant, which manufactures the Jeep Cherokee. A Stellantis spokesperson cited a range of factors for the idling, such as fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic and the global […]
In this Global Economic Outlook, we look ahead to 2023 and outline our top ten calls for the global economy. These include predictions on inflation, the war in Ukraine, electric vehicles and Covid-19 in China. No. 1: Global Growth Will Slow From 2022 We expect both the US and Europe to experience recessions over the […]
The spread between hot-rolled coil (HRC) and galvanized coil base prices continues to decline, now the lowest level recorded in almost 14 months. The relationship between hot rolled and galvanized prices has been volatile since late 2021. In the last year, galvanized has sold at a premium of as little as $250 per ton ($12.50 […]
ArcelorMittal US has announced new, higher sheet prices with the opening of its 2023 order books. The company said it has also rolled out new grade extras, which will take effect on Jan 1., to reflect higher alloy costs. The price increases effectively apply to AM/NS Calvert, the Alabama mill jointly owned by Luxembourg-based ArcelorMittal […]
Nearly three-quarters of US metro areas added construction jobs year-over-year (YoY) through October, according to Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) figures. Despite the employment boost, job vacancies outpaced hiring as construction firms struggled to find enough qualified workers to hire, the report said. Construction employment increased in 268, or 75%, of 358 metro areas […]
At the end of October, Friedman Industries began shipping material from its new coil processing facility on the campus of Steel Dynamics Inc.’s newest sheet mill in Sinton, Texas. The Longview, Texas-based processor’s new 70,000-square-foot facility includes a new stretcher leveler cut-to-length line that’s able to process coils up to one-inch thick and in widths […]
Metal products service center Gerber Metal Supply Co. has been purchased by All Metals Industries Inc. (AMI). Gerber is a New Jersey-based distributor of carbon sheet steel, strip, blanks, and edge processed material. Belmont, New Hampshire-based AMI is a finisher and distributor of carbon, aluminum, stainless, and coated sheet and coil products serving the Northeastern […]
Canadian service center Russel Metals posted lower earnings in the third quarter of 2022 on falling prices and customer destocking. The Mississauga, Ontario-based service center posted net sales of Canadian $1.27 billion ($938.58 million USD) in third quarter of this year, up 15% from $1.11 billion in the same quarter in 2021. But net income dropped to […]
Marubeni-Itochu Steel America Inc. (MISA) has acquired Worthington Specialty Processing (WSP), a joint venture between Worthington Industries and United States Steel Corp. The New York-based value-added steel and aluminum processor and North American subsidiary of Japan’s Marubeni-Itochu Steel Inc. acquired WSP’s only remaining facility in Jackson, Mich. in an all-cash deal for an undisclosed sum. […]
Flat rolled distributor Mill Steel has launched an order tracking feature that customers can use to track their orders and estimated time of arrival. The Grand Rapids, Mich.-based company aims to streamline its supply chain process with enhanced digitalization as a value-added service. In 2020 it launched an app for the painted coil market and […]
The reshoring of US manufacturing, nonresidential construction, and semiconductor manufacturing are key areas where Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. remains incredibly bullish. Speaking on the company’s third quarter earnings conference call with analysts on Thurs., Oct. 27, executives expressed their optimism for these markets. Reshoring/nearshoring is “legit,” and the company is “pumped up about it,” […]
BICO Steel has acquired Integrity Fab and Machine Inc. (IFABM), further expanding its processing and fabrication capabilities. BICO is a processor of heavy carbon steel plate and forged specialty alloy steel in Mogadore, Ohio, providing die casting, fabrication, machining, and other processes that serve various end-use segments. The addition of Breckenridge, Mich.-based IFABM, which specializes […]
Somewhat better-than-expected demand helped service center behemoth Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. achieve strong third-quarter sales. And despite macroeconomic uncertainty, inflation, continuing supply chain disruptions, and geopolitical issues, the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company anticipates healthy demand trends to continue in the current quarter, according to its Q3 earnings report released on Thursday, Oct. 27. The company […]
Engineered shapes producer McDonald Steel Corp. is adding plate processing capabilities to its portfolio via the acquisition of General Steel Corp. Mac Steel GSC Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of McDonald Steel, recently acquired the assets of General Steel, a Cleveland-based plate service center and processor, for an undisclosed sum. The addition of plate processing capabilities naturally […]
Friedman Industries is already seeing the benefits of its April acquisition of Plateplus Inc., but hedging losses continue to impact the company. The Longview, Texas-based steel processor and manufacturer said the fiscal 2023 first quarter ended June 30, 2022, was positively impacted by the acquisition, resulting in the second most profitable quarter in the company’s […]
Flat-rolled steel processor JM Steel Corp. is expanding into Georgia with the acquisition of Five Star Roll Form LLC and Sun States Steel Corp. Financial terms of the deals were not disclosed. Five Star is a fabricator serving the trailer, garage door, roofing, and solar industries. Sun States Steel is a flat-rolled steel distributor. Both […]
Steel service center Willbanks Metals Inc. is expanding in Fort Worth, Texas. The company recently purchased property across the street from the current location of its headquarters and flat-rolled steel sheet and plate service center, allowing it to expand with a new Red Bud stretcher leveler and additional processing equipment. “We are thrilled to continue […]
Metals supplier Alro Steel has completed the acquisition of Access Metals, a service center and supplier located in Essex, Md. Effective Sept. 30, the purchase allows Alro to continue growing its customer base. Access Metals caters to small-purchase customers, both from the public and within the manufacturing, machining, and fabricating industries. “Alro shares my philosophy […]
The Hamilton, Ohio-based Matandy steel and metal companies are now 100% employee owned. The prior owners of 35 years, Frank and Joanne Pfirman, recently converted the company to an employee stock option plan, surprising its 110 employees on Sept. 28 with the announcement. “I knew if we were to sell to a competitor or venture […]
A new spiralweld pipe mill has officially opened its doors in Houston. The JDF/HDM mill, a partnership between Houston-based JD Fields and Turkish pipe piling manufacturer HDM Çelik Boru Sanayi ve Ticaret AŞ, has been rolling pipe successfully for two months now. An official ribbon cutting ceremony was held on Wednesday, Sept. 28, to celebrate […]