Steel

• PAV nixes plan to go public after Republic sale Oct 17, 2005

  PAV Republic Inc., Fairlawn, Ohio, has withdrawn its plan to go public.

• O'Neal Steel names Taft to replace Begin at helm of Metalwest division Oct 17, 2005

  Service center company O'Neal Steel Inc., Birmingham, Ala., has appointed Terry Taft as president of its Metalwest subsidiary in Brighton, Colo., replacing Brad Begin, who is leaving the company at the end of this year to form a venture capital firm for non-service center investments.

• AISI taps SteelFacts to bring more value to its industry data reporting Oct 17, 2005

  The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), Washington, is going to a new format to provide data to the steel industry.

• Automakers defy contract hikes in steel talks Oct 14, 2005

  European automakers are resisting demands for steep price increases in the current round of talks for annual and multi-annual contracts with steelmakers, which one steel observer characterized as the industry's "big battlefield."

• Baffinland completes drilling at iron ore deposit Oct 14, 2005

  Baffinland Iron Mines Corp., Toronto, has completed advanced drilling at its Mary River iron ore deposit on Baffin Island in northern Canada's Nunavut Territory, putting it on track to ship 10 million tonnes of iron ore to European markets annually within the next five years.

• Concast gets Brazil contract for ladle furnace Oct 14, 2005

  Concast AG, Zurich, and subsidiary Concast Metalurgia Ltd., Sao Paolo, Brazil, have been awarded a contract from Gerdau Acominas SA to supply a new 230-ton ladle furnace and auxiliary equipment for the steelmaker's operations in Ouro Branco in Brazil's Minas Gerais state.

• SMS Demag upgrade of China plant complete Oct 14, 2005

  SMS Demag AG, Düsseldorf, Germany, has completed the modernization of a two-strand compact strip process (CSP) facility at Baotou Iron & Steel Group Co. Ltd., Baotou, China. The first strand was back in operation nine days after the revamp, SMS Demag said, noting that 10 ladles were cast without problems.

• Buying slowdown sinks iron ore offering prices Oct 14, 2005

  Offering prices for spot iron ore have fallen in the past week as demand remains slow. Indian-origin iron ore fines with a 63.5-percent iron content were offered at $65 to $70 a tonne, c.f.r. China, but no confirmed deals were reported.

• AISI taps Ellis to lead lateral design standards Oct 14, 2005

  The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), Washington, said its Committee on Framing Standards has appointed Jeff R. Ellis, branch engineer at Dublin, Calif.,-based Simpson Strong-Tie Co. Inc., as chairman of the Lateral Design Task Group.

• Record trade deficit spurs renewed call to China Free the yuan! Oct 14, 2005

  The record bilateral trade deficit with China, pegged at $18.5 billion in August, has prompted renewed calls for China to end alleged currency manipulation and allow the yuan to float, as other major currencies do.

• Outsourcing issue dogs new NAM head Oct 14, 2005

  The election of James G. Berges as chairman of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) has drawn mixed reviews.

• Timken steel tube facility in Ohio prepares for final stage of closure Oct 13, 2005

  Timken Co., Canton, Ohio, is finalizing plans to close one of its Ohio steel plants.

• Tardy reporting lands W.Va. steelmaker $45,000 EPA fine Oct 13, 2005

  Steel of West Virginia Inc. is paying what amounts to a "late fee" to settle a dispute with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

• Idled steel sites awarded $8M for redevelopment Oct 13, 2005

  Two brownfield sites near Pittsburgh idled by the steel industry's collapse more than 20 years ago have moved a step closer to redevelopment with the award of $8 million in federal loans and grants.

• North Star BlueScope taps Italy's More for EF lime injection system Oct 13, 2005

  North Star BlueScope Steel LLC, Delta, Ohio, has placed an order for a pneumatic lime transportation/injection system with More Srl of Gemona del Friuli, Italy.

• AISI's joint cold-form structures course scheduled for St. Louis Oct 13, 2005

  The American Iron and Steel Institute, Washington, is teaming up with the Wei-Wen Yu Center for Cold-Formed Steel Structures at the University of Missouri-Rolla to co-sponsor a short course on cold-formed steel structures.

• New Millennium completes ore project drilling Oct 12, 2005

  New Millennium Capital Corp., 80-percent owner of the Canadian $2.5-billion ($2.1-billiion) LabMag iron ore project in eastern Canada, has completed drilling on the property and is preparing to ship concentrates and pellets from a 300-tonne bulk sample to potential customers for testing.

• Specialty steel demand gives ATI rosier view Oct 12, 2005

  Firm demand for specialty steel products has prompted Allegheny Technologies Inc. (ATI), Pittsburgh, to brighten its third-quarter earnings outlook.

• More steelmakers helping hurricane victims Oct 12, 2005

  Employees at U.S. steelmakers continue to step in to aid the Gulf Coast victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Workers at Nucor Corp., Charlotte, N.C., have donated $260,000 to the American Red Cross, bringing the company's total contributions-including shipments of emergency supplies-to more than $1.6 million, and AK Steel Corp., Middletown, Ohio, has provided $50,000 toward relief efforts.

• Chinese iron ore imports climb 31.7 percent Oct 12, 2005

  Chinese iron ore imports rose almost 31.7 percent to 200 million tonnes during the first nine months of 2005 compared with a 32.9-percent gain in the first eight months, according to the latest Chinese Customs data.

• Pine Valley project targets boost in coking coal Oct 12, 2005

  Pine Valley Mining Corp., Vancouver, British Columbia, plans to start up new facilities that will increase its output of coking coal.

• Great Lakes iron ore shipments mirror steel cuts Oct 12, 2005

  Mirroring a steel industry that has reduced output since last year, iron ore shipments on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway also have dropped, according to the latest data from the Lake Carriers' Association, Cleveland.

• STI extends unsecured credit line Oct 12, 2005

  Steel processor Steel Technologies Inc. (STI), Louisville, Ky., has amended and extended a $135-million unsecured revolving credit facility to October 2010 from September 2009.

• Techint-SEMF venture eyes inroads in Australia materials handling mart Oct 12, 2005

  Two international companies have joined forces to form a new operation to aid mining operations in Australia.