Interlake Steamship Company has partnered with Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding to build the first U.S.-flagged Great Lakes bulk carrier in more than 35 years. “It’s being built with a lot of steel from Great Lakes steel mills to carry the products that help to do just that,” said Interlake Steamship President Mark Barker in remarks to […]
The World Trade Organization ruled during a dispute settlement between the Ukraine and Russia that trade restrictions imposed on the grounds of national security are reviewable by the WTO–a decision that could have ramifications for the use of national security measures under Section 232 in the United States. The ruling states that the provision for […]
U.S. Steel Mon Valley is not producing pig iron due to an accident at their #1 Blast Furnace and the reline of the remaining furnace. According to U.S. Steel spokeswoman Meghan Cox, there was an issue with the top charging equipment in Blast Furnace #1 at the Edgar Thomson Plant. Sources told SMU that a […]
A new national poll shows that voters want infrastructure to be the top priority for Congress and the president, says the Alliance for American Manufacturing. In the AAM national survey conducted by the Mellman Group and Public Opinion Strategies, 80 percent of 1,200 likely voters in the 2020 general election chose repairing roads, bridges, water […]
A long-term feud between Boeing in the U.S. and Airbus in Europe is coming to a head. Tuesday the U.S. threatened to impose $11.2 billion of retaliatory tariffs on European goods in response to the continued subsidization of the Airbus manufacturer. “This case has been in litigation for 14 years, and the time has come […]
Residents near U.S. Steel’s Mon Valley Works are in an uproar over plans to allow New Mexico-based Merrion Oil & Gas to drill for natural gas in the Edgar Thomson Plant. U.S. Steel has leased 10 acres of land at the plant in Braddock, Pa., to Merrion Oil to construct three fracking wells that will […]
Barbara R. Smith, president and chief executive officer of Commercial Metals Company, will be named AIST Steelmaker of the Year at AISTech 2019 — The Iron & Steel Technology Conference and Exposition. One of AIST’s highest honors, the Steelmaker of the Year Award is given to an industry leader who has had significant impact on […]
U.S. Steel has completed repairs to the desulfurizing equipment for the coke ovens at the Clairton Plant in Pennsylvania following a fire in December. A Christmas Eve blaze caused significant damage to the gas processing equipment, releasing sulfur dioxide emissions at nearly five times the allowed amount. Said the company in a statement April 4: […]
Union Partners has expanded its portfolio once again with the acquisition of National Metalwares, L.P., an Aurora, Ill., manufacturer and fabricator of OEM steel tubing, tubular products and welded assemblies. National Metalwares uses robotically automated and flexible manufacturing cells to meet customer demands. As a highly vertically integrated company, NMLP produces its products in-house with […]
President Trump’s now aborted threat this week to close the Mexican border over immigration prompted a coalition of industries to express their concerns about border trade. In a letter sent to National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow and Director of the Office of Management and Budget Mick Mulvaney, the coalition discussed the need for all […]
The U.S. manufacturing sector lost 6,000 jobs in March primarily due to employment losses in the auto industry. In February, the sector gained 1,000 jobs, but was far below the average of 22,000 jobs gained per month in the prior 12 months. Alliance for American Manufacturing President Scott Paul said of the latest employment figures: […]
The construction industry added 16,000 jobs in March and 246,000 jobs in the past 12 months, according to an analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. “Construction employment rebounded in March, indicating that the dip in February was probably related to extreme weather conditions and not the beginning of a […]
The Dodge Momentum Index rose a slim 0.5 percent in March to 145.5. The Momentum Index, issued by Dodge Data & Analytics, is a monthly measure of the initial report for nonresidential building projects in planning, which have been shown to lead construction spending for nonresidential buildings by a full year. Institutional planning fell 3.0 […]
The U.S. International Trade Commission announced its final antidumping and countervailing duty injury determinations in the investigations concerning imports of large-diameter welded pipe from Canada, Greece, Korea and Turkey. Commerce will issue: antidumping duty orders on imports of LDW carbon and alloy steel line pipe from Canada, Greece, Korea, and Turkey; a countervailing duty order […]
Rising trade tensions took a toll on global economic growth in 2018 and will create strong headwinds in 2019 and 2020, says a new report by the World Trade Organization. Global trade grew 4.6 percent in 2017 generating optimism that an upward momentum was beginning. Data from 2018, however, showed trade underperforming, with growth of […]
What could you do with 42 hours? That is how long the average commuter sits in traffic each year due to the deteriorating state of our nation’s roads and bridges, says the American Trucking Association. ATA has launched a new media and advocacy campaign that highlights the personal toll our failing infrastructure has on our […]
The Canadian International Trade Tribunal recommended on Wednesday that five of seven provisional steel safeguards, imposed by the government following the imposition of Section 232 tariffs by the U.S., be removed. A CITT inquiry concerning the importation into Canada of heavy plate, concrete reinforcing bar, energy tubular products, hot-rolled sheet, pre-painted steel, stainless steel wire, […]
Durable goods orders fell 1.6 percent in February, according to the latest Department of Commerce report. Core capital goods orders, which exclude defense and aircraft and are considered a measure of business investment, slipped 0.1 percent after a revised increase of 0.9 percent in January. Orders and shipments for primary metals and fabricated metal products […]
Major U.S. automakers reported weaker sales in March, in line with analysts’ forecasts. Cox Automotive expects auto sales volume for the month to drop 7 percent year-over-year to 1.547 million. The seasonally adjusted annual rate is forecast at 16.5 million vehicles. “The year has started relatively soft for new-vehicle sales,” notes Jonathan Smoke, chief economist […]
Construction spending increased 1.0 percent in February following a 2.5 percent gain in January, reported the Associated General Contractors of America in its latest analysis of government data. Construction spending totaled $1.32 trillion in February, up 1.0 percent from the January rate and a gain of 1.1 percent compared to February 2018. Public construction accounted […]
Global manufacturing had another weak month in March. The J.P. Morgan Global Manufacturing PMI was unchanged from February at 50.6. with components of the index either flat or seeing only slight changes. Output and new export orders inched downward. Prices were relatively stable in March with no change on the input prices index and output […]
The March ISM manufacturing PMI bounced back from a two-year low recorded in February. The Index rose to 55.3 from 54.2 supported by gains in new orders and employment, said Timothy Fiore, chairman of the Institute of Supply Management business survey committee. Indexes for new orders and production rose 1.9 and 1.0 percentage points to […]
The latest survey of metalforming companies by the Precision Metalforming Association revealed uncertainty about business activity during the next three months. A survey of 110 firms, in the March 2019 PMA Business Conditions Report, showed 37 percent expect improving business conditions during the period, 49 percent anticipate no change, and 14 percent expect business activity […]
A pullback in production and orders caused the Chicago Business Barometer to fall six points in March to a reading of 64.7. The barometer averaged 60.0 in the first quarter of 2019, a 3.5 percent drop from Q4 2018 and a decline of 3.3 percent compared to Q1 2018. “Although the barometer has comfortably remained above […]
Sales of new single-family homes were at an 11-month high in February. Sales rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 667,000, a 4.9 percent gain from January and a 0.6 percent increase from February 2018, the Commerce Department said on Friday. “This is a welcome bounce back for new home sales…and adds another hill […]
Former Nucor Chairman and CEO Dan DiMicco received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Charlotte Business Journal on Thursday night at the publication’s Most Admired CEO Awards program. The CEO Awards recognize established local leaders who have a strong vision for their companies, have shown commitment to culture in the workplace and have made significant […]
Nucor has announced that it will build a new steel plate mill in Brandenburg, Ky. The $1.35 billion mill will be capable of producing 1.2 million tons of steel plate products per year. The mill is scheduled to be operational in 2022, pending permit and regulatory approvals. The plant will have the ability to produce 97 […]
Nucor has announced that it will build a new steel plate mill in Brandenburg, Ky. The $1.35 billion mill will be capable of producing 1.2 million tons of steel plate products per year. The mill is scheduled to be operational in 2022, pending permit and regulatory approvals. The plant will have the ability to produce 97 […]
March 23 marked the one-year anniversary of the Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum. The Coalition of American Metal Manufacturers and Users had the following comments for the Trump Administration: “The Coalition of American Metal Manufacturers and Users urges the Trump Administration to terminate the Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs. At their one-year […]
Much attention has been given to opponents of the Section 232 tariffs, but there are those who support keeping the tariffs even after a new North American trade agreement is approved. The American Line Pipe Producers Association, makers of large-diameter welded pipe, urged the administration to continue the tariffs on LDWP imports from Canada and […]