Canadian pipe and tube company Nova Steel is returning to the U.S. with a $70 million investment in Delta, Ohio. Nova plans to construct two new tube mills in northwest Ohio in proximity to North Star BlueScope. The 250,000-square-foot facility will produce hollow structural sections and standard pipe. “We are very excited to be back […]
North Star BlueScope reported weaker earnings in the first half of FY 2020 due to softer prices and margin spreads and normal seasonality. Sales revenue of $592 million was down 32 percent from the first half of 2019. Weaker hot rolled coil prices were partly offset by lower raw material costs. Shipments for the half […]
A fire at ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor East on Friday resulted in the evacuation of workers from the hot strip mill. An ArcelorMittal spokesperson said the fire broke out at the 80-inch HSM #3 Coiler late Friday afternoon, Feb. 21. There were no injuries or explosions as a result of the fire. “The two other coilers […]
Olympic Steel missed its mark during a challenging year. The company reported net income of $3.9 million for 2019, down from $33.8 million in 2018. Net sales fell 8.3 percent year-over-year to $1.6 billion. Fourth-quarter sales slid 29 percent from a year ago to $320 million. The company posted a net loss of $890,000 in […]
Reliance Steel & Aluminum announced a slew of records for its performance in 2019 and an increase in net income for the fourth quarter of 2019. “We challenged ourselves to drive continuous improvements in our business in 2019 and we are extremely pleased with the outcome of our performance,” said President and CEO Jim Hoffman. […]
“Transformational” is what Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves called the acquisition of AK Steel in remarks during the Q4 2019 earnings call Thursday. “With the acquisition of AK Steel, Cleveland-Cliffs becomes the most relevant supplier of steel to the automotive industry in the United States, fully integrated from iron ore in the ground to auto parts […]
Canadian steel producer Stelco Holdings cited challenging market conditions and an “unprecedented” drop in steel prices for its fourth-quarter loss. Stelco reported a net loss of $27 million for the quarter on sales of $435 million, down from $648 millon in the prior-year quarter, due to lower steel prices and shipping volumes. Full year net […]
While America’s integrated steel producers are investing millions in R&D to reduce harmful emissions from their steelmaking process, the nation’s minimill steel producers have already claimed the high ground for environmental stewardship. Integrated mills and their blast furnaces heat iron ore and coking coal at high temperatures to produce high-quality virgin pig iron and steel. […]
While business activity remains fairly strong in February, distributors of galvanized products to the HVAC industry are waiting and watching for some indication of which way steel prices will move. Steel Market Update is, too. SMU has moved its Price Momentum Indicator to Neutral until the market establishes a clear direction. Steel prices have softened […]
Worthington Industries plans to close its manufacturing plant in Wooster, Ohio, this spring. The oil and gas equipment manufacturing operations will be consolidated into Worthington’s facility in Bremen, Ohio. “We believe the consolidation of our manufacturing footprint in the East will enable us to better serve our customers and accelerate transformation efforts already under way […]
NLMK USA saw sales decrease 14 percent to 470,000 metric tons during the fourth quarter of 2019. Revenue from the segment dropped 18 percent quarter-over-quarter to $322 million. Declines were attributed to softer demand and lower steel prices. NLMK Group noted weaker demand in energy, automotive and machinery segments and a 4 percent drop in […]
U.S. Steel Corp. has made additional cuts to staff at its Indiana operations as part of its operating and organizational improvements. Amanda Malkowski, spokeswoman for U.S. Steel, said recent cuts affect non-union employees. Said Malkowski in a statement: “In line with the enhanced operating model and organizational structure announced in October 2019, U.S. Steel has […]
ArcelorMittal posted a net loss of $1.9 billion for the fourth quarter of 2019. In comparison, the global steelmaker posted a loss of $539 million in Q3 and a net profit of $1.19 billion in Q4 2018. For the entire year 2019, ArcelorMittal posted a net loss of $2.5 billion compared to net income of […]
U.S. Steel reported a net loss of $680 million for the fourth quarter of 2019 and a loss of $642 million for the year, but counts the quarter a success by exceeding its previously lowered Q4 expectations. The steelmaker sees last year as one of notable strategic progress. Sales for the year totaled $12.9 billion, […]
Nucor beat analysts’ estimates for the fourth quarter, reporting net earnings of $107.8 million due to an unexpected surge in sales during December. “Stronger than expected steel mill segment performance in December was the primary driver for higher actual fourth-quarter earnings than we indicated in our mid-December quantitative guidance,” said Leon Topalian, Nucor’s new president […]
SSAB Americas posted a loss of $23 million (-222 million SEK) for the fourth quarter of 2019 due to lower realized steel prices and maintenance costs associated with a planned outage in Mobile, Ala. Heavy plate demand was good in the first half of the year, but weakened in the fourth quarter due to inventory […]
Canadian steel producer Stelco will return Alan Kestenbaum to the position of chief executive officer, effective Feb. 21. Current CEO David Cheney will step down and return to his previous role at Bedrock Industries. Kestenbaum served as Stelco’s CEO from the closing of the company’s initial public offering in November 2017 until February 2019 and […]
A fire at the AK Steel Mansfield facility reportedly caused serious burns to a female employee who was working near the ladle in the melt shop. Mansfield Fire Department received a call at 5:12 pm regarding an explosion and fire at the plant. By the time firefighters arrived the fire was under control by AK […]
JSW Steel USA reported dismal results for the third quarter of 2020, but the company expects losses will be reduced substantially in the fourth quarter. JSW Steel – Baytown produced 70,479 metric tons of plate and 14,669 MT of pipes during the third quarter of 2020, reported JSW Steel India. The plate mill operated at […]
Michelle Pearson-Casey has returned to Olympic Steel as Vice-President-Corporate Communications & Marketing after a five-year hiatus. Pearson-Casey joined Olympic Steel in 1999 and left her role as Director-Human Resources in 2015 to pursue opportunities in consumer packaged goods and as a communications and change management consultant supporting global organizations. She brings nearly 20 years of […]
Steel Dynamics reported record steel shipments of 10.8 million tons and net sales of $10.5 billion in 2019 for the company’s second-best sales performance. Steel fabrication also set a yearly record with shipments of 644,000 tons, and almost doubled its operating income from 2018. Sales declined 11 percent to $11.5 billion from the record high […]
NLMK USA sold 472,000 metric tons of steel in the fourth quarter of 2019, a decline of 14 percent from the previous quarter and 6 percent from a year ago. The decrease was attributed to a seasonal slowdown in steel buying activity. Sales for the full year of 2019 declined 3.0 percent to 2.2 million […]
Acknowledging that “it’s a lot easier to sell steel when the price is going up,” distributors of steel products to the HVAC sector reported strong sales in the first month of the new year despite galvanized base prices that have risen by about $130 in the past 12 weeks to the current $800 per ton. […]
Olympic Steel has promoted Francis M. (Frank) Ruane to the role of Executive Vice President – Supply Chain. “Frank’s expertise in supply chain, distribution, inventory management and routes to market have played an important role in Olympic Steel’s commercial planning and business strategy,” said President and COO Andrew Greiff. “His careful assessment of the current […]
Cleveland-Cliffs has begun exchanging senior notes issued by AK Steel for notes issued by Cliffs in preparation for the acquisition of the Ohio-based steel company. “For each $1,000 principal amount of Existing AK Steel Notes validly tendered on Feb. 12, 2020 (the ‘Expiration Date’) and not validly withdrawn, Eligible Holders of Existing AK Steel Notes […]
Allegheny Technologies’ Midland plant may be on the chopping block if the Trump administration doesn’t approve an exclusion from Section 232 tariffs. ATI CEO Robert Wetherbee, in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, demonstrated how difficult it can be to support Trump trade policies and one’s own business interests. Wetherbee believes the tariffs were […]
Worthington Industries has acquired majority ownership of Samuel Steel Pickling Co., which it has held in a joint venture with Samuel, Son & Co. since 2010. Worthington will hold a 63 percent share of the venture and Samuel 37 percent. Worthington’s recently acquired Heidtman Cleveland facility and Samuel Steel Pickling will be combined, forming Worthington […]
Commercial Metals Company is looking forward to a steady construction market in 2020 for its merchant bar and rebar products. “We are positioned to continue benefiting from the positive trends in our core markets and remain optimistic about the construction market, as many of the macro indicators we monitor point to resilience ahead,” said President […]
Tenaris S.A. has completed its acquisition of IPSCO Tubulars from Russian steel manufacturer PAO TMK. The $1.1 billion transaction includes a six-year distribution agreement that, as of Jan. 2, makes Tenaris the exclusive distributor of TMK’s OCTG and line pipe products in the U.S. and Canada. Tenaris’ facilities are primarily located in the South and […]
William (Bill) Zielinski, chief operating officer for Chicago Tube and Iron, will succeed Dr. Donald McNeeley as president of CTI. As president, Zielinski will lead the business strategy and day-to-day operations of CTI in addition to his current duties as COO. McNeeley will continue with the company as chairman of CTI. The planned succession was […]