Search

The article focuses on usage of the financial database Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software by metal recycling firm SA Recycling designed by risk management software provider Brady Plc. Topics discussed include handling of physical operations with the help of the software; increased ability to move quickly; and views of Mark Sweetman, Chief Financial Officer (CFO ) of scrap metal recycling firm SA Recycling, on the same.

A chart is presented depicting the projected vehicle production from 2002 to 2012 of large automobile manufacturing companies in the U.S. including Chrysler LLC, Ford Motor Co., and General Motors Corp.

The author reflects on the condition of the manufacturing industry in the U.S. He recognizes the conventional approaches used in measuring the health of the manufacturing sector which indicate that it continues to be stable over time, while the number of individuals employed in the industry has declined. However, the author also seeks understanding of the forces that are causing the wide variation in the rate of productivity improvement and delivered in the industry.

The article focuses on steel manufacturing firm Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) that has received the Steel Producer of the Year Award. Topics discussed include investment of the firm in specialization products for development of the firm; increase in production of premium head-hardened rail; and views of Mark Millett, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the firm, on the same.

The article focuses on steel carbon flat-rolled products supplier Jemison Metals that has received the Service Center of the Year Award from AMM Awards for Steel Excellence. Topics discussed include efforts of the firm to improve and better manage its business; development of information technology platforms that helps the firm in analyzing customer trends; and views of Craig Mathiason, executive vice president of the firm, on the same.

A correction to the article "For many in steel, move is to innovation nation" that was published in the June 2016 issue is presented.

The author comments on the challenging state of the metals sector of the U.S. in 2015. Topics covered include the threat posed by the imported steel market to the local steel sector of the country. Also mentioned is the continuous effort of the industry to enhance its productivity and make steel producers more competitive.

The article reports on the production and development of nickel in Brazil. A study by the National Department of Mineral Production indicates that Brazil's nickel production has 47,446 tonnes, compared to its global reserves amounting to 8.3 million tonnes of nickel which shows just a 3.3% of the global output. Votorantim Metais Niquel SA holds the title as the country's leading nickel producer which is producing about 26,000 tonnes of nickel and 1,200 tonnes of cobalt each year.

The article reports on the projections concerning the global production of titanium sponge. It has been observed that the variation in general projections is related with the varying views of capacity growth in China. According to Roskill Information Services Ltd., the most critical factor for the supply of virgin titanium feedstock to the end of the decade could be how much capacity is added in China.

The article offers news briefs related to global metal trade. Tinplate producers are negotiating for 2%-20% increase in tinplate prices. Tata Steel Ltd. will revise its tender offers for steelmaker Corus Group PLC. According to the data from Ward's Automotive Group, the North American production of family vehicles has declined by 5.5%.

The article discusses the problems encountered by manufacturers of steel pipes and tubes in the U.S. that led to the closure of a pipe mill of Wheatland Tube Co. as and caused the reduction of production to others. One problem is the increasing raw materials cost due to unavailability of equipment such as furnaces and casters. Other factor affecting the industry is the competition over products from China that have low price compared to the locally produced steel.

Reports on the global ranking of steel producers. Increase in the number of Chinese producers in the world ranking; Alleviation in industrial productivity; Prevalence of merger and acquisition transactions; Financial performance of the steelmakers.

Reports on the financial problem faced by the French Automotive Castings Inc. in New York. Reduction of its industrial productivity for the final quarter of 2004; Incision of the transplant automotive operations; Provision of new financing with enhanced financial flexibility and increased liquidity. INSET: Too much minivan is proving a maxi-headache for Ford.

Focuses on the concerns of steel distributors in the United States over large domestic steel production and decline in domestic demand. Implications of an increased steel production; Reaction of buyers to an increase in production; Speculations on the improvement in production in 2002.

Reports on the decision of Geneva Steel LLC to suspend steel plate production in January 2002. Impact of the decision on end users and service centers; Action taken by buyers in response to the suspension of production; Changes in the prices on warehouse sizes of commodity steel plates.

Reports on the decline of aluminum prices in the hedge and dealer markets for the week ended May 11, 2001. Rate of decline in aluminum production; Aluminum stocks in the London Metal Exchange warehouses; Price of aluminum as of May 11, 2001.

Reports on the decline in the aluminum production of the United States in June 2000. Production in tonnes per day according to the tally from the Aluminum Association; List of aluminum makers with production cuts for the period; Plans of Alcoa Inc. to restart production of its idle facilities.

Reports on the improved productivity at Atlas Steel Products Co. in Twinsburg, Ohio. Efforts to meet the business requirements for QS9000; Reorganization of the operations area; Training of employees.

Reports on the decrease in prices of aluminum as of November 1999. Price of aluminum in the London Metal Exchange market; Status of primary aluminum production in October 1999 according to the Aluminum Association; Information on the United States' shipping volume of aluminum in September 1999.

Focuses on the condition of worldwide aluminum output in January through August 1999 period based on the tallies of the International Primary Aluminum Institute. Total overall aluminum production; Aluminum production in August 1999 and August 1998; Production status in eastern Europe.

The article discusses the technological advancement which was brought about by research and has been an important component of success for the steel industry and others in the metals sector. Topics include the important component of this advancement which is a partnership between the public and private sectors to develop the innovations that have kept U.S. steel viable, and the competition it has created for new ideas and innovations among U.S. steel companies.

The article reports on the performance of the U.S. aluminum sector as of August 2012. There has been an increase in U.S. aluminum demand and production that helped the domestic industry overcome global problems. Based on preliminary estimates, total aluminum demand in the U.S. and Canada was at 7.68 billion pounds in the first four months of 2012.

The article reports on the recovery of the galvanizing industry in North America as of April 2012. The biggest North American market for galvanized sheet is automotive, followed by construction, steel service centers, appliances and the electric industry. Galvanized steel production is expected to reach 14 million to 15 million tons in 2012.

The article reports on the impact of the recovery of the U.S. automobile industry on the metal industry throughout 2010 and 2011. Demand for steel, aluminum and other metals was created by the automobile industry's recovery during the period. Compared with 2010, steel production in the U.S. rose 7.9 percent in 2011, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute.

The article focuses on the uptrend of automotive production in 2011. It cites data from the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) which shows automotive output of more than 12 million vehicles in 2011. Automotive industry analysts which include DesRosiers Automotive Consultants Inc. president Dennis DesRosiers and Center for Automotive Research (CAR) executive vice president of research and chief economist Sean McAlinden also remark on the demand for automotive metal.

The article reports how the U.S. metals industry coped with the challenges of summer. The impact of the heat waves, heavy rains, and flooding are discussed in terms of output halt, slow flow of scrap, and work slowdown. Strategies of companies for Hurricane Irene are presented including Gerdau Long Steel North, RG Steel LLC and Evraz Inc.

The article presents an outlook for world alumina market with the rise in production as demand returns in 2011 after the economic downturn. Alcoa Materials Management believes that the current 400 U.S. dollar a tonne spot alumina price is near a four-year high. CRU Analysis, London in England claims that no one thought alumina would reach that level so quickly and thinks that there will be more upside in the next 18-24 months due to the continued demand as aluminum smelter production rises.

This article analyzes the steel production rate in the U.S. Based from figures gathered by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), the rate of steel production in the country is expected to be flat for an extended period of time even if production volume has increased to as high 1,736,000 net tons in January 2011 at an average capability utilization rate of 71.8 percent. However, industry experts believe the trend is still encouraging in view of the increasing demand in the market for ferrous scrap.

The article reports on the increase in production of Venezuelan state-owned primary aluminum producers CVG Industria Venezolana de Aluminio CA (Venalum) and CVG Aluminio del Caroni SA (Alcasa) amid improved power supply following completion of the country's energy-saving plan, according to José Khan, the country's basic industries and mining minister.

The article reports that with the 40 million U.S. dollar manufacturing plant in Thomasville, Alabama, owner Lakeside Steel Corporation's plans to double its production of line pipe and oil country tubular goods.

Several charts are presented that show North American car and light truck production from December 2008 to June 2009, U.S. durable goods manufacturing in millions of dollars, and U.S. machine tool consumption.

The article comments on the move by Canadian Industry Minister Tony Clement to mandate foreign-owned steel companies in the country to live up to the manpower and production commitments they made. Among the companies ordered by Clement to honor their previously stated commitments are U.S. Steel Corp., Vale Inco Ltd., and Xstrata. It is suggested that Clement does not appear to be taking a completely consistent approach to enforcement.

The article reports that Boeing Co.'s suppliers will take time to return to normal production levels despite a two-month strike by 27,000 union members ended because of a labor deal between the airplane maker and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM). Adequate time is said to be needed to sort through inventory and resume production. Boeing's largest supplier, Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc., implemented a three-day work week when the strike began.

The article reports on the assertion of analysts that the settlement of United Auto Workers union's strike against General Motors (GM) Corp. has prevented the effect of a prolonged work stoppage on the economy and metals suppliers in the U.S. The two parties reached an agreement after almost 74,000 workers stopped working in 80 GM facilities. President Charles A. Bradford states that the long-term effect of job guarantees in the contract could keep the productivity of steelmakers.

The article reports on the increase in the industrial productivity as presented by National Association of Manufacturers' annual Labor Day Report in the U.S. The manufacturing output has risen 5.8 percent for 2006 driven by growth in computer and electronics products, primary metals, and aerospace and electrical equipment production. However, the wages remains low with an increase by only 1.7 percent for manufacturing workers brought upon by the rise in energy cost.

The article reports on the raw steel production worldwide. According to the author, raw steel production summed to 103.8 million tonnes in June 2006, a rise of 12.7% from the same period of 2005 as reported by the International Iron and Steel Institute. World output is headed by China with 36.6 million tonnes in June 2006, while Japan has a 2.5% increase of the same period with 9.7 million tonnes. North America and the European Union has also increased its output by 13.1% and 12.% respectively.

The article reports on the developments of Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The company's president and CEO Keith Busse, spoke during their second-quarter conference that SDI considers to establish new greenfield steel mills and possible mergers and acquisitions as part of their growth in the near future. SDI also competes closely with its rival Nucor in the flat-rolled sector which seeks to increase its production rate by first quarter of 2007, the author inferred.

The article reports on the performance of the machine tool industry in the United States in 2006. The total machine tool consumption is $225.94 million in January. The industry starts the year on a continued momentum within the country's manufacturing economy as companies continue to recognize the benefits of investing in new machine tool technology to improve productivity.

Reports on the production of family vehicles in North America. Estimation on the yearly production of U.S. vehicles and trucks; Canadian car output in the eight-month period; Mexico's year-to-date car output.

Reports on the expansion of the manufacturing sector following the growth of economic activity for the 26th consecutive month in the U.S. Increase in new orders and industrial productivity; Observation of the purchasing managers' index in July; Stability of the business due to high truck and trailer build schedules.

Reports on the negotiations for copper treatment and refining charges in 2006 as miners prepare to push for significant reductions following forecasts of a slowdown in production growth in the U.S. Insistence of the smelters on better price participation; Consideration of copper prices; Prediction of increase in world output from copper mines.

Reports on the agreement of merchant pig iron producers to make larger production cuts as export prices continue to decline in Carajas, Brazil. Occurrence of a string of furnace closures; Consideration of increase prig iron exports from China since the end of 2004; Business loss of pig iron producers due to the current weakness of the dollar.

Reports on the plans of China to double its refined copper output in the next five years through huge capacity expansion. Consideration of the rising demand for copper and metal trading; Increase in profitability for smelters in the past 18 months; Result of the reduction on smelting capacity which has sent treatment and refining charges soaring.

Reports on the value of teamwork between mills and plant makers to achieve productivity of the steel industry, through technological innovations in the U.S. Way to maximize steelmakers' profits by controlling cost; Risks associated with pioneering new processes or equipment; Solution to the shortage of locally source raw materials and increasingly demanding consumers.

Reports on the need for restoring the U.S. health-care system according to Leo Gerard, president of the United Steel Workers Union. Measurement of success through the productivity in union-represented mills; Topic of discussion at the Steel Success Strategies XX conference; Industrial advantages of streamlining labor and management work forces.

Reports on the strategies employed by Bedford Resource Partners Co., a steel manufacturing company, to increase steel production in Canada. Use of historical documents in owning iron ore deposits; Projects done to increase productivity; Engagement in mergers and consolidations.

Looks into the National Emissions Standards for Secondary Aluminum Protection in the U.S. Recruitment of an outside consultant to make one-time calculations as to optimum equipment settings; Amount of money as penalties when committing violations against the standards; Discovery of typographical errors in the document.

Reports on the impact of the continuing problems with electricity supplies on the metal industry in China. Reduction of the output of metal producers and smelters; Closure of the production line of Zhushou Smelter Group Co. Inc.; Shortage of raw materials; Imposition of blackouts by the twenty-one provincial power grids.

The article focuses on modernization plan of Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc. A new electric furnace at Cascade Steel Rolling Mills Inc. designed to raise its productivity by 10 percent is up and running in McMinnville, Oregon. Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc. last year hired investment company Bear Stearns & Co. to explore strategic alternatives for Cascade Steel Rolling Mills Inc. that could include a possible sale or merger, but no decision has been announced yet.

Reports on the continuation of the decrease in production of automobiles in North America as of October 2004. Inclusion of family vehicles; Estimation of declined output of utility vehicles and crossover vehicles; Productivity of the light trucks; Comparison of its sales and production from previous year.