Steel

• U.S. Steel signs deal to stay in Slovakia Mar 26, 2013

  U.S. Steel Corp. and the Slovak government have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) ensuring that the Pittsburgh-based steelmaker will remain the owner of the Košice SRO plant for at least five more years.

• USW local treasurer faces charges of embezzlement Mar 26, 2013

  The treasurer of a United Steelworkers union local has been accused of embezzling union funds.

• EPA forms fracking research panel Mar 26, 2013

  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Science Advisory Board has formed a research advisory panel to review its 2014 draft report on the possible effects of hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," on drinking water.

• Texas toll processor Andes opens Indiana site Mar 26, 2013

  Independent toll processor Andes Coil Processors LLC has opened a new toll-slitting, warehousing and distribution center in Gary, Ind.

• TMK Ipsco opens Edmonton threading and service plant Mar 26, 2013

  TMK Ipsco has opened a new pipe threading and service facility in Edmonton, Alberta, to supply premium connections to Canadian customers.

• Argentine slab imports soar on Siderar furnace stoppage Mar 26, 2013

  Argentina’s slab imports more than doubled last year following a shutdown of the No. 2 blast furnace at Ternium SA subsidiary Siderar SAIC.

• Mexico steel seeks tougher trade rules Mar 26, 2013

  Mexican steel association Canacero has once again called for an update of the country’s trade defense laws to protect investments planned by local steelmakers.

• SOS takes steps to resolve environmental lawsuit: exec Mar 26, 2013

  California structural steel fabricator SOS Steel Co. Inc. is confident it will reach a settlement in a lawsuit filed earlier this month by an San Francisco environmental group, company president Steve Boucher said.

• Cheniere signs LNG export deal with UK’s Centrica Mar 26, 2013

  Cheniere Energy Partners LP has signed a liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply deal with British energy firm Centrica Plc.

• NW Pipe seeks more heat-treating capacity Mar 26, 2013

  Northwest Pipe Co. is looking for more third-party heat-treating capacity in order to move up the value chain in the energy tubulars market, according to its top executive.

• US raw steel production rebounds 1.3% Mar 26, 2013

  U.S. raw steel output totaled an estimated 1,809,000 net tons last week, rebounding 1.3 percent after falling 2.4 percent to 1,785,000 tons the previous week, as mills operated at an average capability utilization rate of 75.5 percent.

• Stainless demand said strong in aero, oil, gas Mar 25, 2013

  The aerospace and oil and gas sectors are the best-performing end markets for the stainless steel industry, while the power generation sector is lagging.

• Bill would help agents spot ‘cheating’: Lipinski Mar 25, 2013

  Rep. Dan Lipinski (D., Ill.) introduced legislation intended to crack down on foreign companies that withhold millions of dollars in customs duties.

• Environmental laws give Cliffs pause: Carrabba Mar 25, 2013

  Federal environmental laws are hurting iron ore miner Cliffs Natural Resources Inc., particularly as uncertainty over new regulations has forced it to take a second look at new U.S. investments, the company’s top executive said.

• Plate outlook improving: ArcelorMittal Mar 25, 2013

  The domestic steel plate market is seeing renewed strength in a number of end-use sectors, but it’s the need to achieve profitability that appears to be behind recent price hike announcements.

• Most operators avoid snowstorm disruptions Mar 25, 2013

  An unusual early spring snowstorm in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic mostly passed steelmakers by, with production and shipping at most sites in the region remaining normal, sources told AMM March 25.

• Supply chain monitoring key in stainless Mar 25, 2013

  Stainless steel companies must maintain strong lines of communication throughout their supply chains, although this can be challenging for mills further upstream, speakers at the Metals Service Center Institute’s Specialty Metals Division Conference said.

• Stainless market ‘mixed’: MSCI delegates Mar 25, 2013

  The stainless steel market is a mixed bag, with some sectors performing well as others languish, delegates told AMM on the sidelines of the Metals Service Center Institute’s Specialty Metals Division Conference.

• ITA issues error notice in review of stainless sinks Mar 25, 2013

  The U.S. Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued a ministerial error notice concerning the final determination in the anti-dumping duty investigation of drawn stainless steel sinks from China.

• SDI price increase makes beam hike unanimous Mar 25, 2013

  A published price hike next month on wide-flange steel beams has become effectively unanimous as Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) has followed other producers with a $25-per-ton boost.

• Outokumpu plans fall start of heat-treat plant Mar 25, 2013

  Outokumpu High Performance Stainless Bar Inc. will start the new $7-million heat-treating facility at its Richburg, S.C., site this fall, the company says, noting that this will mean "shorter and more reliable lead times" for its customers.

• Elizondo re-elected as Canacero’s president Mar 25, 2013

  Alonso Ancira Elizondo has been re-elected as president of Mexican steel association Canacero for the 2013-14 term.

• Elkay welcomes ITC ruling on Chinese stainless sinks Mar 25, 2013

  Elkay Manufacturing Co. has praised the International Trade Commission’s (ITC’s) determination that imports of drawn stainless steel sinks from China are causing material injury to the domestic industry.

• China's steelmaking raw material imports fall Mar 25, 2013

  China’s imports of steelmaking raw materials fell further in February amid a shorter month due to the Chinese New Year holiday.