SSAB Americas has announced the retirements of two long-standing, distinguished members of the company’s senior executive team: Steve Hansen, Vice President and Chief Technical Officer, and Paul Wilson, Senior Advisor to Operations. Wilson’s retirement will be effective Feb. 1, 2019, and Hansen’s retirement will be effective March 1, 2019. Hansen has been with SSAB for […]
United Steelworkers and ArcelorMittal have reached a tentative agreement on a new four-year labor contract after months of negotiating. USW International President Leo Gerard and USW District 1 Director David McCall praised the union’s hard work, dedication and solidarity during the bargaining period. “Through their hard work and sacrifices to improve the productivity and efficiency […]
Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. announced the completed acquisition of toll processor and transportation/logistics company All Metals Holdings, LLC. It is the third acquisition for Reliance in 2018. All Metals includes operating subsidiaries All Metals Processing & Logistics, Inc., and All Metals Transportation and Logistics, Inc. AMPL, headquartered in Spartanburg, S.C., with an additional facility […]
Metals distributor Ryerson Holding Corp. reported a revenue gain of 44.6 percent year-over-year to $1.25 billion for the third quarter of 2018. Revenue was up 18.2 percent compared to the second quarter, driven by an increased average selling price and higher volume shipped. Net income attributable to Ryerson Holding Corp. was $77.5 million for the […]
U.S. Steel earnings were in line with expectations for the third quarter. U.S. Steel reported net earnings of $291 million compared to $214 million in the second quarter and earnings of $147 million in Q3 2017. Net sales rose 14.8 percent year-over-year to $3.7 billion. Adjusted EBITDA of $526 million improved by $169 million compared […]
Global trade protectionism and political uncertainty weighed heavily on manufacturing in October. Manufacturing slowed to its lowest level in almost two years, according to the J.P. Morgan Global Manufacturing PMI. The headline index registered 52.1, down from 52.2 in September. Weaker increases in new business and a contraction of new export orders muted production growth during […]
United Steelworkers and ArcelorMittal have reached a tentative agreement on a new four-year labor contract after months of negotiating. USW International President Leo Gerard and USW District 1 Director David McCall praised the union’s hard work, dedication and solidarity during the bargaining period. “Through their hard work and sacrifices to improve the productivity and efficiency […]
ArcelorMittal Group third-quarter net income dropped by nearly half to $0.9 billion from $1.9 billion in the second quarter and declined 25 percent from $1.2 billion a year ago. EBITDA fell 11.2 percent from the second quarter to $1.7 billion due primarily to lower steel shipments and high inflation rates in Argentina, the company said […]
Manufacturing activity continues to be strong, according to the latest ISM Report on Business, although slowing its pace of growth as it enters the fourth quarter. The October PMI declined 2.1 percentage points from September to register 57.7 percent. Most of the components of the PMI are trending at a slower rate. The new orders […]
Robust demand offset increased vehicle pricing and higher interest rates last month, keeping U.S. auto sales strong in October, although weaker than a year ago. October sales were expected to be impacted by replacement buying due to hurricane damage in the South. There was also one extra selling day in the month. “Many signs in […]
Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. has promoted James D. Hoffman, currently Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, to succeed Gregg J. Mollins as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective Jan. 1. Hoffman joined the Reliance leadership team in 2008 as Senior Vice President Operations and was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating […]
Robust demand in the construction industry is helping to elevate employment levels in the sector. Construction employment increased in 278 out of 358 metro areas between September 2017 and September 2018, declined in 42 and was unchanged in 38, according to a new analysis of federal employment data by the Associated General Contractors of America. […]
Manufacturing activity continued at a healthy clip in October, although slipping on the MNI Chicago Business Barometer. The index dropped 2.0 points to 58.4 in October and plunged 10.7 points year-over-year to its lowest reading since December 2014. The decrease may signal a return to more normal levels after a year of particularly strong performance, […]
Metalforming companies are expecting business conditions to slow slightly during the next three months as new orders decline, according to the October 2018 Precision Metalforming Association survey. Average daily shipping levels also decreased in October with 23 percent of firms forecasting a decrease in orders compared to 15 percent last month. Only 2 percent of […]
The United States has denied initial requests by World Trade Organization members to establish dispute settlement panels over Section 232 tariffs, claiming that once a national security measure is invoked under Article XXI, it cannot be litigated by a WTO panel. The United States may block a request for a dispute panel one time, but […]
MSC Smart Steel® from Material Sciences Corporation (MSC) is one of 35 finalists for the 2019 Automotive News PACE Awards. The prestigious PACE program honors automotive suppliers for advanced levels of technical achievement, superior innovation and business excellence. “MSC Smart Steel is a new multilayer steel laminate engineered as a direct substitute for low carbon […]
Olympic Steel Inc. announced the promotion of Andrew Wolfort to the position of Regional Vice President. Wolfort joined Olympic Steel in 2007 as an Inside Sales Representative for the company’s Chicago location and was then promoted to Outside Sales Representative. In 2010, he relocated to Olympic Steel’s Bettendorf, Iowa, facility where he was promoted to […]
The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Indices showed annual home price gains dipped below 6.0 percent for the first time this year posting at 5.8 percent, indicating price gains may be weakening. After seasonal adjustment, the National Index rose just 0.6 percent month-over-month. The 20-city Composite eased downward 0.4 percent from July to register a 5.5 percent […]
Section 232 tariffs are coming under fire by representatives of Mexico and Canada, who say there will be no signing of the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) on trade in North America until the tariffs are lifted. “We need to solve that issue before the signing takes place,” said Juan Carlos Baker, Mexico undersecretary for foreign […]
AK Steel reported its best third quarter in 10 years with net income of $67.2 million and a 39 percent year-over-year jump in adjusted EBITDA to $160.8 million. Steady shipment levels and higher steel selling prices and shipments more than offset higher costs for certain raw materials, transportation and supplies, including graphite electrodes, said the […]
Reliance Steel & Aluminum reported its second highest quarterly net sales in the company’s history. Third-quarter net sales jumped 21.4 percent year-over-year to $2.97 billion, down just 0.5 percent from the record set in the second quarter at $2.99 billion. Reliance net income for the quarter of $148.2 million was impacted by a $36.8 million […]
Contentious issues continue to stymie negotiations between United Steelworkers and ArcelorMittal. Although progress has been made toward a new labor agreement, USW officials say the union remains at odds with the company over a number of proposals including those regarding profit sharing and pensions. “Our union is dedicated to seeing this process through to the […]
Architecture firms report that billings slowed in September, but new projects are expected in the coming months. The AIA Architecture Billings Index score was 51.1 last month, down from 54.2 in August. “Similar to the strong conditions we’ve seen nationally, architecture firms located in the Midwest and Southern regions of the country continued to report […]
Joint partners ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. have been approved by creditors to acquire Essar Steel India Limited (ESIL) for an upfront payment of 42,000 crore rupees and investment of 8,000 crore rupees to improve operations (about $5.7 billion and $1.1 billion in U.S. dollars). ESIL, an integrated flat steel producer, is […]
Trade measures by the U.S. are causing concern for the European steel market, according to a new report by the European Union steel association EUROFER. Steel imports are growing faster than domestic shipments by EU mills, according to the Economic and Steel Market Outlook 2018-2019. “Growth is stabilizing in EU steel markets, in line with […]
Sales of new homes fell in September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 553,000, the lowest level since December 2016. Sales dropped 5.5 percent from the previous month and 13.2 percent from September 2017, according to the latest report from the Commerce Department. “Home price gains and rising interest rates are slowing down the […]
New orders rose 0.8 percent in September primarily due to an increase in defense spending. Defense aircraft and parts orders soared 119.1 percent for the largest gain for the sector in more three years. Stripping out the defense category, orders fell 0.6 percent for the month. Core capital goods, manufactured goods excluding defense and aircraft, […]
The United Steelworkers and ArcelorMittal USA still have not signed a collective bargaining agreement despite the USW coming to terms with U.S. Steel and Cleveland Cliffs. Union members at ArcelorMittal USA have been working under an extended contract since Sept. 1. The following statement was issued by John Brett, president and CEO, ArcelorMittal USA: On Friday, […]
Ford Motor Co. is calling on the administration to resolve steel and aluminum disputes that will cost the company more than a billion dollars in annual profits this year and next. The Section 232 tariffs have pushed U.S. steel prices well above those of foreign competitors and higher than Ford was expecting. “U.S. steel costs […]
ArcelorMittal Dofasco will receive up to $38 million from the Canadian government towards a $156 million modernization project at its Hamilton facility. The money is part of a C$250 million (U.S. $191 million) fund set up to provide support to steel, aluminum and manufacturing companies impacted by tariffs resulting from the Section 232 measures imposed […]