US Steel says it will indefinitely idle two tubular manufacturing facilities in McKeesport, Pennsylvania and Bellville, Texas in early August. US Steel reported that the decision is a result of poor business conditions due to unfairly traded tubular steel products imported into the United States. The shutdown of the two facilities will impact approximately 415,000 […]
A flurry of promotions has elevated the positions of five executives at AK Steel, effective May 30, 2014. David C. Horn has been named Executive Vice President, Chief Legal and Administrative Officer, and Secretary. Mr. Horn was previously the company’s Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary and will continue to be responsible for all […]
After a weak start to 2014 business activity is going strong in May said participants on the HARDI monthly galvanized steel call. Steel Market Update (SMU) joined HARDI wholesalers who supply galvanized steel to the construction trades to talk about concerns in the industry including domestic mill price trends as well as the impact of […]
As quickly as repaired blast furnaces come back online at US Steel and ArcelorMittal we are seeing them taking down more steelmaking equipment. SMU received word that ArcelorMittal Cleveland Works restarted the C-5 blast furnace early Monday morning, May 26. The C-5 blast furnace has been down for a couple of weeks resulting in the […]
NLMK announced improved sales for the Group and NLMK USA in its Q1 2014 US GAAP results. The Group’s steelmaking capacity utilization ran at 92 percent through first quarter with steel sales up 8 percent quarter over quarter to 3.866 million tons. Crude steel production dropped 4 percent quarter over quarter due to seasonal factors […]
The Canadian International Trade Tribunal has decided that imports of hot-rolled carbon steel plate from six countries “has not caused but is threatening to cause injury to the domestic industry.” The complaint was issued by Essar Steel Algoma against plate steel originating in or exported from Brazil, Denmark, Indonesia, Italy, Japan and the Republic of […]
Total service center carbon steel shipments in April rose by 125,500 tons to 3.640 million tons, the highest monthly tonnage since March two years ago. Shipping days in April were unchanged from March at 21. Tons per day (t/d) shipments rose from 167,400 March to 173,300 in April, both on a non-seasonally adjusted basis. Intake […]
Five members of the Chinese military have been charged with economic cyber-espionage against American companies including US Steel, Alcoa, Westinghouse Electric Company, Allegheny Technologies Inc., United Steel Workers Union and SolarWorld. The military unit allegedly hacked into private sector companies to gain trade secrets between 2006 and 2014 to give competitive advantages to Chinese companies. […]
The “Buy America” plan for federally subsidized projects is problematic for two major U.S. steel mills owned by foreign companies. The push to use American sourced steel products in infrastructure projects is keeping NLMK USA and California Steel Industries (CSI) out of the running for bids on projects—a problem the companies are hoping to rectify […]
The “Buy America” plan for federally subsidized projects is problematic for two major U.S. steel mills owned by foreign companies. The push to use American sourced steel products in infrastructure projects is keeping NLMK USA and California Steel Industries (CSI) out of the running for bids on projects—a problem the companies are hoping to rectify […]
The terms Buy America and Buy American are not interchangeable. CSI Executive VP, Finance & Administration Brett Guge explains the difference: “The longstanding historical standard for direct government procurement is “Buy American,” which requires only that the steel products used in government projects must have been “substantially transformed” in the U.S. “Buy America,” on the […]
There has been a debate which goes back to the 1930’s regarding what “Buy American” means when it comes to steel products. The issue is whether those mills who do not make steel, such as NLMK USA (in their Pennsylvania plant) and California Steel Industries as well as the former ThyssenKrupp plant in Calvert, Alabama […]
US steel service centers shipments for all steel products during the month of April were 3,087,300 net tons, an increase of 3.6 percent from the March shipments, and an increase of 4.9 percent from April 2013 levels. Steel inventories at the end of the month were 8,617,500 tons, an increase of 4.3 percent from the […]
Canadian steel service center shipments for all steel products during the month of April were 496,300 net tons, a decrease of 0.7 percent from the month before, and a decrease of 5.6 percent from April 2013. Inventories at the end of the month stood at 1,431,800 tons, a decrease of 2.7 percent from last month, […]
The following article was originally posted as a blog on the Steel Market Update (SMU) website: The Russian parent company to Severstal NA has responded to requests about the potential sale of their USA assets which include the Severstal Dearborn and Severstal Columbus flat rolled steel mills. Steel Market Update reported over the weekend that […]
We have been getting mixed messages regarding the Ecorse or USS Great Lakes steelmaking operations. Our sources have been advising us that there have been plans to bring the furnaces and #2 BOP back up over this past weekend (did not happen) and then again today (still not up). Other sources close to the situation […]
The C-5 blast furnace at ArcelorMittal Cleveland suffered a breakout at the taphole on Thursday, May 8. A spokesperson at ArcelorMittal says there were no injuries as a result of the incident and the furnace should be fully operational by the week of May 19. In the meantime, the mill will coordinate with other ArcelorMittal […]
The hotly contested air emission permit requested by Severstal Dearborn was approved on Monday by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The new permit does not increase the emissions levels that the plant is currently operating under but will reflect those emissions more accurately than was possible in 2007 when the previous permit was […]
ArcelorMittal losses narrowed in the first quarter of 2014. The company posted a net loss of $200 million in the first quarter compared to $345 million in Q1 2013. First quarter EBITDA was $1.75 billion, an increase of 23 percent from Q1 2013. Sales of $19.8 billion were below Q4 and almost par with Q1 […]
The key highlight of first quarter was the Calvert acquisition, said ArcelorMittal CEO Lakshmi Mittal in the company’s first quarter earnings call. ArcelorMittal’s 50 percent ownership of AM/NS Calvert gives AM the capacity needed to supply AHSS solutions for the auto industry in the US and Mexico. ArcelorMittal has been focusing on light weight steels […]
Mark Millet, president and chief executive officer of Steel Dynamics Inc. has been named “Steelmaker of the Year” by the Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST). The award is presented annually to recognize notable leaders for their impact on the steel industry. Millet also received the AIST William T. Hogan SJ Lecture Award for […]
CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Nucor Corporation announced today that Chad Utermark, Vice President and General Manager of Nucor-Yamato Steel Company, has been promoted to Executive Vice President of beam and plate products effective May 11, 2014. Joe Stratman, who has served as Executive Vice President of beam and plate products since 2007, will […]
Steel Market Update sources confirmed that the two Severstal North America (NA) steel mills are for sale. At 7.0 million tons of steelmaking capacity, Severstal NA is the fourth largest flat rolled steel producing mill in the United States. Rumors of the possible sale of the Dearborn and Columbus facilities had been circulating around the […]
In case you missed the special issue we put out on Saturday we have reproduced the article below: Steel Market Update sources confirmed that the two Severstal North America (NA) steel mills are for sale. At 7.0 million tons of steelmaking capacity, Severstal NA is the fourth largest flat rolled steel producing mill in the […]
On Tuesday of this week, Steel Market Update publisher, John Packard met with Saikat Dey, CEO of Severstal North America (NA), and discussed a wide range of topics including foreign steel, supply and demand issues, steel prices, the F-150 move to aluminum and much more. In the article below we will focus on Mr. Dey’s […]
John Correnti let loose strong criticism of the latest attempt by Nucor Steel to delay the Big River Steel project. Nucor attorney David Taggart told Osceola City council members on Tuesday that the company intends to file a lawsuit in federal court against Big River Steel under the Clean Air Act, according to a report […]
ArcelorMittal’s Canadian iron ore project may begin production as early as third quarter 2014. Last week the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development gave final approval for Baffinland Iron Mines, a 50/50 venture between ArcelorMittal and Nunavut Iron Ore, to commence operations. The mine is located in the Qikiqtani region of Nunavit, over 300 […]
More than 200 Ohio steel workers and supporters gathered at a rally outside US Steel Lorain Tubular Operations on May 5 to urge the federal government to protect the Northeast Ohio steel industry from unfair foreign competition. “Northeast Ohio’s steelmakers and workers can compete against anyone in the world—when given access to a level playing […]
Nine workers were injured on Monday when a roof collapsed at the former Bethlehem Steel (RG Steel) plant in Sparrows Point. The plant is in the process of being dismantled by Hilco Global and demolition contractor MCM Management Corp. The roof caved in around 10 am as workers were tearing down the building. Fire department […]
The $156 million judgment against Nucor, Reliance Steel & Aluminum, American Alloy Steel and JSW Steel (USA) will be delayed two weeks while the defendants file a motion for a new trial in the anti-trust lawsuit brought by MM Steel LLC. Last week US District Judge Kenneth Hoyt ruled that a $52 million jury verdict […]