Magazine Issue: October 2012

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Cover Story

Columns

• Full of Scrap: Past trends may offer a guide to future scrap pricing

  Recent historical trends might help nervous scrap players overcome their fears of what lies in store at the end of this year and the start of 2013.

• Parting Shots: Time for the steel industry to play offense on automotive

  The valiant, modestly successful partnership between the automotive and steel industries has deferred the day of reckoning—until now.

From the Editor

• Comment: Information technology key to long-term success

  Technology is vital to all metal sectors, but it’s not just breakthroughs in production and processes that are important to the bottom line. Information technology has become just as significant, and an array of hardware, software, systems analysis mechanisms and data-analysis tools are available to help metal companies make better decisions.

Features

• CME launches first US ferrous scrap futures contract

  Facing wildly fluctuating scrap prices, the need to manage price risk is no more evident than in the United States, the world’s largest exporter of the key raw material. To that end, CME Group Inc. on Sept. 10 launched its first-ever U.S. ferrous scrap futures contract.

• IT is what it is

• ERP systems gain momentum with metals industry

  Investing in the right enterprise resource planning (ERP) system can greatly benefit metal companies by allowing them to work more efficiently, effectively and cost consciously in every part of their business—from sales and marketing to finance, products and operations.

• Noranda discovers the promise of unified technology

  Legacy mines and mills are great, but legacy software is not, says one of the top North American integrated producers of primary aluminum products and rolled aluminum coil. Noranda Aluminum understands that competition demands better operations effectiveness.

• 2012 technology review: A look back on the future

  From energy savings to worker safety, inspection systems to material composites, 2012 saw numerous technological ideas and advances help push the metals sector forward to greater efficiency and market share, setting the stage for the next round of improvements.

• Titanium gets a lift from evolving aviation market

  As the world’s airplane manufacturers introduce innovative new carbon-fiber aircraft, some American titanium producers foresee more orders and a brighter outlook for years to come.

• Titanium producers look to diversify downstream

  Major titanium producers are using a variety of strategies—including acquisitions—to approach challenges in the supply chain in order to integrate through sponge, melt and other product forms, as well as control the quality, productivity and delivery of materials.

• After strong 2011 distributors face challenging SBQ market

  Demand was remarkably strong in 2011 and pushed mill lead times and prices up dramatically, but those gains have slowly melted away this year.

• A look at 2d qtr. Ebitda for select steel, natural resource companies

  A comparison of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda)/sales ratios for select steel companies puts OAO Severstal in the top global spot for the past year