Construction employment continues to increase in April, but the Associated General Contractors of America say that demand would support the hiring of more workers if they were available. AGC urges the government to enact immigration reform that would boost the supply of qualified workers. “Contractors face an ever-increasing challenge to find enough qualified workers to […]
Existing-home sales declined slightly from March to April, slipping 0.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.19 million. Sales were down 4.4 percent from April 2018, said the National Association of Realtors. Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist, said he is not overly concerned about the dip in sales and expects moderate growth very […]
Nucor Steel South Carolina will celebrate its 50th anniversary next month with plans to add vacuum degassing to its engineered bar capabilities at the Darlington mill. “This strategic investment complements our existing bar mills that primarily produce engineered bar products in Norfolk, Neb., Memphis, Tenn., and Wallingford, Conn. It will position us to better serve […]
On Friday, May 17, President Trump concurred with findings by the Commerce Department that imports of automotive vehicles and parts threatened to impair national security. As a result, the President directed the U.S. Trade Representative to pursue negotiation of agreements with the EU and Japan, and any other country the Trade Representative deems appropriate, to […]
The agreement to terminate Section 232 tariffs on Canada and Mexico and all retaliatory tariffs was welcomed by many industry associations. As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in his announcement remarks on Friday, it was “pure good news.” “On behalf of the membership of the CSPA, we thank the Government of Canada for its significant […]
The U.S. has agreed to lift steel and aluminum tariffs on Mexico and Canada, removing a major roadblock to the ratification of the new North American trade agreement. The Section 232 tariffs, imposing a 25 percent tax on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminum, have been in place just over one year. The tariffs […]
The Washington Post reports that the U.S. has agreed to lift steel and aluminum tariffs on Mexico and Canada in 48 hours in return for tougher measures to prevent Chinese steel from entering the U.S. via Canada or Mexico. According to sources, the agreement does not include previously discussed quotas for the two North American […]
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is seeking comments on a potential trial program that would allow drivers age 18 to 20 to operate commercial vehicles for interstate commerce. The FMCSA already has a pilot program for former military drivers under the age of 21 and expanding the program would increase the potential labor pool […]
The Associated General Contractors of America applauded the Trump administration’s plan to welcome skilled immigrants to the United States. AGC says the immigration policy would help the construction industry fill workforce shortages. Trump’s plan would prioritize approval of immigrants based on skill or merit. The points-based system would favor young, educated, highly-skilled individuals who can […]
Housing starts jumped 5.7 percent in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,235,000, said the Department of Commerce in its latest report. Single-family starts led the way with a 6.2 percent increase, while homes of five units or more increased 2.3 percent. Starts soared by 84.6 percent in the Northeast and 42 percent […]
ArcelorMittal USA has agreed to a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice to pay $5 million in fines for emissions violations in Northwest Indiana and Cleveland, Ohio. “We have been working collaboratively with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Indiana Department of Environmental Management and Ohio EPA to […]
Business activity in New York State rose sharply in May, according to the latest Empire State Manufacturing Survey. The general business conditions index gained eight points for a reading of 17.8, its highest level in six months. Manufacturers reported a jump in new orders and shipments and an increase in backlogs. Inventories were slightly below […]
Metal fabricators are worried about how content provisions in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement will impact their industry. The proposed trade agreement for North America includes provisions on steel and aluminum regional content for automobiles, but may extend to other manufacturing sectors. “Too many people view NAFTA as just about cars when the agreement impacts virtually every […]
Material Sciences Corp., a producer of advanced materials and specialty coated metals, announced that private equity firm Sky Island Capital has purchased majority control of the company. “Bringing in the Sky Island team will allow us to be more aggressive with add-on acquisitions and continue to grow the company,” said MSC CEO Pat Murley. “We […]
U.S. Steel Corp. has been hit with another penalty by the Allegheny County Health Department due to emissions violations at its Clairton Coke Works. A fine of $337,670 was levied against the company for excessive visible emissions from its coke batteries during the first quarter of 2019, along with a penalty of $5,750 for a […]
ArcelorMittal faced a number of challenges that impacted earnings in the first quarter resulting in net income plunging 66 percent to $414 million from $1.19 billion reported in both the fourth quarter of 2018 and first quarter of 2019. Earnings reflected a $150 million impairment charge related to the sale of assets to acquire ArcelorMittal […]
Thyssenkrupp has given up on trying to merge its steel division with Tata Steel’s European division after three years of planning. The two companies announced the termination of the proposed joint steel venture on Friday, saying they could not satisfy European antitrust regulators. Thyssenkrupp also ended its plan to separate its capital goods business—car parts, […]
Primetals Technologies will supply an Arvedi Endless Strip Production line for the U.S. Steel Edgar Thomson Plant in Pennsylvania. The ESP line is the first to be constructed in the United States and has a rated annual capacity of 2.76 million tons of high quality, ultra-thin strip. The ESP line will be able to produce […]
AISTech 2019, presented by the Association for Iron & Steel Technology, boasted more than 8,000 attendees this year. The four-day conference May 6-9 in Pittsburgh included more than 550 technical presentations and nearly 550 domestic and international exhibiting companies. The exhibit floor was a dizzying display of the latest innovations from software and robotics to cranes […]
AISTech 2019, presented by the Association for Iron & Steel Technology, boasted more than 8,000 attendees this year. The four-day conference May 6-9 in Pittsburgh included more than 550 technical presentations and nearly 550 domestic and international exhibiting companies. The exhibit floor was a dizzying display of the latest innovations from software and robotics to cranes […]
Ronald J. O’Malley has been appointed president of the Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST) for 2019–2020. O’Malley succeeds James F. Dudek of United States Steel Corp. O’Malley is the F. Kenneth Iverson Chair Professor in Steelmaking Technologies and director of the Kent D. Peaslee Steel Manufacturing Research Center at the Missouri University of Science […]
U.S. Steel CEO David Burritt urged attendees at AISTech 2019, under way this week in Pittsburgh, to seek innovation for the future while preserving and improving on what worked well in the past. “We must dream big, push hard, while always doing good things,” he said. “All of us recognize that steel is the material […]
The Dodge Momentum Index, a measure of the initial report for nonresidential building projects in planning, slipped 0.5 percent in April to a reading of 144.3. The Index has been shown to lead construction spending for nonresidential buildings by a full year. April’s slide was due to the commercial component falling 1.0 percent, while the […]
U.S. Steel’s first-quarter earnings call was dominated by the news of the steelmaker’s planned $1.2 billion investment at Mon Valley Works to build an endless casting and rolling facility at its Edgar Thomson Plant and a cogeneration facility at its Clairton Plant. CEO David Burritt called the project “transformative” for U.S. Steel, putting the company […]
Global manufacturing activity appeared lackluster in April. The J.P. Morgan Global Manufacturing PMI hovered just above the no change mark at 50.3, down from 50.5 in March, and at its lowest reading since June 2016. “The global manufacturing sector remained subdued at the start of the second quarter, with the PMI barely above the 50.0 […]
U.S. auto sales slipped 2.3 percent in April for a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 16.41 million, according to data by AutoWeek. The April rate was well below the sales rate of 17.42 million in March and 17.25 million in April 2018. Higher vehicle prices and difficulty securing financing may be keeping consumers from dealer […]
The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) said that federal officials can help ensure more metro areas have enough trained workers to carry out needed construction by providing a way for contractors to bring qualified guest workers into the country, coupled with strict safeguards for American jobs and reduced incentives for individuals to enter the […]
Democrat congressional leaders and President Trump agreed on Tuesday to work together towards a $2 trillion infrastructure package, a breakthrough that is supported by the construction and trucking industries. Associated General Contractors of America CEO Stephen E. Sandherr said quick action is needed to pass an infrastructure package that would fund “needed investments to aging and […]
U.S. Steel announced plans to give Mon Valley Works a $1.2 billion upgrade. Expansion plans include a new sustainable endless casting and rolling facility at its Edgar Thomson Plant in Braddock, Pa., and a cogeneration facility at its Clairton Plant in Clairton, Pa. The endless casting and rolling technology combines thin slab casting and hot […]
Note: this article was corrected on 5/3/2019; scrap will be down by $20-$30 per ton-in May, not falling to $230 per ton as previously stated. Ryerson Holding Corp. is expecting a better second half for the steel industry despite some weakening economic data and inventory issues. “Last year was a very unusual time for our […]