Algoma Steel has been awarded a $4 million grant to upgrade its equipment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The funding was provided by Canada’s Low Carbon Economy Fund and will be used to improve both the tar-removal and light-oil-recovery areas of its coke-making plant in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. This process will not only help […]
Ports on the West and East coasts were overwhelmed by a surge of imports in July and the trend is expected to continue into September. The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach report congestion and full warehouses due to a 40 percent increase in Asian imports from May to July. Chassis shortages are common […]
The July Architecture Billings Index held steady at 40.0, the same as June, indicating that business activity continues to be soft at firms, reports the American Institute of Architects. The project Inquiries index slipped from 49.3 in June to 49.1 in July, while the index for design contracts fell sharply from 44.0 to 41.7. Any […]
If you have been waiting for a price drop on an imported Korean LG or Samsung washing machine, you may be waiting a bit longer. The U.S. International Trade Commission is considering extending safeguard tariffs and quotas on imports of large residential washers, including those two popular brands. Whirlpool is asking that its foreign competitors continue […]
The housing industry continued to be a boost to the economy in July. Housing starts jumped 22.6 percent in July to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,496,000 from the revised June rate of 1,220,000. Compared to a year ago, housing starts were up 23.4 percent. “Demand is being supported by low interest rates and […]
Philip Bell, president of the Steel Manufacturers Association, and Washington trade attorney Lewis Leibowitz will square off next week at the SMU Steel Summit 2020 to offer their viewpoints on steel trade. The Steel Manufacturers Association recently added its name to a letter penned to the House rules committee in support of an amendment that […]
North Star BlueScope, the Ohio subsidiary of Australian steelmaker BlueScope Steel Ltd., operated at over 90 percent capacity during the second half of FY 2020 despite auto demand plunging to zero during the last quarter of its fiscal year. The “ability to pivot to other end markets” kept shipment levels almost steady with the first […]
Manufacturing activity in the New York region slowed in August, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The Empire State Manufacturing Index slid 14 points to 3.7 in August, well below economists’ estimates in the range of 14-17. A reading above zero indicates activity is expanding. “After increasing significantly in July for the […]
Canadian steel producer Stelco reported stronger sales in the second quarter despite market headwinds, posting revenue of $411 million. Net income was nil compared to a net profit of $1 million in Q2 2019 and a net loss of $24 million in Q1 2020. Adjusted net income was $10 million, up from $6 million a […]
ArcelorMittal announce plans to build an electric arc furnace steelmaking facility at AM/NS Calvert. When completed the facility will have the capability of producing 1.5 million metric tons of steel slabs for Calvert’s hot strip mill as well as producing a wide variety of steel grades for end-users. “An electric arc furnace at Calvert makes […]
The Department of Commerce is proposing modifications to antidumping and countervailing duty regulations to make them more efficient and to create new enforcement tools to address circumvention and evasion. In a detailed rule published in the Federal Register, Commerce proposes: The creation of standalone rules governing Commerce’s conduct of circumvention inquiries. The new rules set […]
“A Covid-19 vaccine would be a ‘shot in the arm’ for the economy,” said AISI Chief Economist Tim Gill during Wednesday’s SMU Community Chat Webinar. 2020 has been a challenging year for the steel industry in the U.S. and around the world, said Gill. Capacity utilization rates fell 30 percentage points from mid-March to just […]
Samuel Roll Form Group, a division of Samuel, Son & Co., is expanding operations at its Iuka, Miss., facility and adding 30 jobs. “Our team is very excited about Samuel’s investment in Iuka. The additional 67,000-square-foot process bay will accommodate a number of additional rolling mills and complementary steel fabricating equipment,” said Samuel Roll Form […]
Canadian-based Nova Tube & Steel says it will delay construction of its new pipe and tube steel plant in Delta, Ohio, until next year. The company plans to build a $70 million facility that will produce structural tubing. Construction was originally scheduled to begin on May 1 of this year, but was delayed due to […]
Commercial Metals Company, a long products producer, is adding a third micro mill that will make merchant bar quality products through a continuous production process that will utilize renewable energy. “We are excited by the tremendous promise of CMC’s third micro mill. This is a smart growth initiative that feeds the large underlying West Coast […]
JSW Steel plans to accelerate its plans to overhaul its U.S. facilities in Ohio and Texas. Both plants have been idled due to weak demand and pricing resulting from COVID-19 impacts. The plant in Mingo Junction, Ohio, will receive an upgrade to its 1.5-million-ton capacity electric arc furnace and is expected to restart production in […]
Olympic Steel’s Andrew Wolfort has been promoted to the role of Vice President-Specialty Metals. Joining Olympic Steel in 2007, Wolfort most recently led three of the Olympic specialty steel locations as Regional Vice-President. In his new role he will continue to lead the teams at Schaumburg, Ill., and Gary, Ind., facilities and the Berlin Metals […]
Latin American steel producer Ternium took COVID-19 assistance a step beyond its own needs in the second quarter. The company built a 112-bed field hospital in Monterrey, Mexico, with a fully equipped intensive care unit as well as supplying 25 intensive care units to two hospitals in Rio de Janeiro and 100 beds and intensive care […]
Canada’s Russel Metals, a North American metals distribution company, generated net income of $5 million on revenues of $588 million in the second quarter of 2020. Total tons shipped fell 14 percent from the first quarter. Results from U.S. operations represented 33 percent of total revenues. “During the second quarter, the pandemic along with low […]
“It’s official, pandemics are not great for business,” understated Mike Barnett with an ironic smile during the SMU Community Chat Webinar on Aug. 5. Barnett, President and COO at Grand Steel Products, and Lisa Goldenberg, President of Delaware Steel Co. of Pennsylvania, described the challenge of operating a service center business during the COVID-19 crisis. Delaware […]
The Dodge Momentum Index posted its first gain in 2020, moving 3.4 percent higher to 124.7. The index has declined 18 percent since December 2019 due to business shutdowns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. April was a particularly difficult month for construction planning. “The pullback has largely come from institutional planning, rather than commercial plans,” […]
The construction industry reported 20,000 new jobs in July, but almost all were in new housing construction, says the Associated General Contractors of America. “It is gratifying that the construction industry continued to add jobs in July, but last month’s gains were entirely in residential building and specialty trades,” said AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson. […]
The COVID-19 pandemic is not stopping CEO Lourenco Goncalves. “We are back on track and ready to fulfill our vision for the new Cleveland-Cliffs, which includes our mines and pellet plants, AK Steel, AK Tube, Precision Partners and our new HBI plant.” Having set his sights on the auto industry and already dedicating more than […]
The COVID-19 pandemic is not stopping CEO Lourenco Goncalves. “We are back on track and ready to fulfill our vision for the new Cleveland-Cliffs, which includes our mines and pellet plants, AK Steel, AK Tube, Precision Partners and our new HBI plant.” Having set his sights on the auto industry and already dedicating more than […]
A new Danieli spooler line is in operation at the Nucor Steel Sedalia minimill in Missouri. The spool will deliver twist-free compact and regularly shaped coils at up to 30 m/s. The high-efficiency and low-cost line is for the production of rebars and rounds in coils weighing up to five tons. The spooler line consists of […]
Olympic Steel posted a net loss of $6.5 million for the second quarter of 2020. Sales totaled $248 million, down from $429 million in Q2 2019 due to lower average selling prices and a significant decline in shipments as a result of pandemic-related shutdowns, including the automotive industry. “As the pandemic began to affect the […]
A challenge by JSW Steel USA to the U.S. Court of International Trade regarding the denial by Commerce of its slab exclusion requests has prompted CIT to order Commerce to provide further explanation of the steps taken in the denial process. “Remand of all twelve exclusion requests is warranted because Commerce’s denials are devoid of […]
Auto sales are beginning to recover momentum after the pandemic-related shutdowns of the second quarter. The market hit bottom in April, but sales began picking up once mandatory shutdowns eased. Auto manufacturers have been successful in ramping up production and are working to increase inventory. Ward’s Intelligence and ALG Inc. estimate that the seasonally adjusted […]
“The second quarter has been one of the most challenging quarters I can remember,” said Ternium CEO Máximo Vedoya. Steel demand fell in the second quarter with steel companies in many regions shutting down blast furnaces. Ternium operations in Brazil and Argentina were able to keep operating, albeit at reduced volumes, and increased shipments to […]
Allegheny Technologies, Inc., posted a net loss of $422.6 million for the second quarter, but feels poised to emerge from the COVID-19 crisis stronger than ever. Revenue slipped 26 percent year-over-year to $770 million. ATI generated between $140 million and $160 million in cost reductions through efficiency measures, right-sizing workforce and reducing working capital. The […]