Magazine Issue: March 2012

• Download PDF version

Cover Story

Columns

• Parting Shots: ‘Mission not accomplished’ for Obama’s Jobs Council

  An unemployment rate of more than 8 percent is threatening the President’s re-election.  Solution: appoint a Jobs Council that offends no one.

From the Editor

• AMM COMMENT: Steel Hall of Fame honorees named

  Sometimes, the greatest heat in steelmaking doesn’t come from the plant floor. Pressures to perform in competition with other companies and for the corporate bottom line can raise the temperatures in which executives must work every day.

Features

• 'Unseasonable' weather aids metals sector shipments

  The lack of a ‘normal’ winter, let alone a severe one, has had an impact on the metals sector, affecting prices and the movement of goods.

• Distributors rewarded for staying nimble during downturn

  Since the start of the global economic crisis, service centers have used inventory control, credit management, expansion via acquisition, and the implementation of new efficiencies and practices to weather the ongoing storm.  It looks to be finally paying off.

• AMM Hall of Fame: Honoring steel’s greats

  AMM is establishing a Steel Hall of Fame to celebrate the achievements of some of the industry’s most valuable players.  The inaugural class recognizes the contributions of eight outstanding inductees from five countries whose work spanned more than 150 years.

• Aluminum industry sees gains in commercial vehicle lightweighting

  The amount of aluminum in heavier commercial vehicles is not only increasing, but also spreading across market segments and application types.  Such greater use is due to cost and fuel benefits that lightweight aluminum manufacturers claim to offer.

• JW Aluminum finds a strategy that delivers

  The new era at JW Aluminum began when Wellspring Capital acquired the company and implemented a series of changes, including a strategy that involved bringing together employees to show them how their actions could affect the bottom line.

• Aluminum industry '12 outlook positive amid mixed signals

  Optimism is fighting back against some pessimistic concerns about the aluminum industry, as expected increases in prices and demand—slight as they may be early in the year—have industry players looking for something to hang on to as the economy slowly rebuilds.