Steel

• W-P project to boost hot-strip mill output 14% Nov 09, 2005

  Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp., Wheeling, W.Va., has scheduled a December shutdown to install new equipment it said will boost production at its hot-strip mill by about 14 percent, or 400,000 tons per year.

• W-P posts $21M loss, issues warning on debt Nov 08, 2005

  Lower steel prices and rising raw material costs combined to spill more than $21.1 million worth of red ink on the third-quarter books of Wheeling-Pittsburgh Corp., the holding company that owns Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp. Wheeling, W.Va.

• Lower prices, higher costs shrink Ameristeel's earnings in third qtr. Nov 08, 2005

  Declining steel prices and rising costs for raw materials and energy were the chief forces behind a 56.9-percent decline in third-quarter net income for Gerdau Ameristeel Corp., Tampa, Fla., compared with the same period last year.

• US drilling picks up, Canada slows Nov 08, 2005

  The number of drill rigs running in the United States increased by 16 last week, with the largest gain in Texas (up 11), but Canadian drilling activity fell by three rigs.

• US raw steel production declines marginally Nov 08, 2005

  Raw steel output in the United States totaled 1,960,000 tons last week, down just 0.3 percent from 1,966,000 tons produced the previous week, as mills operated at an average capability utilization rate of 84.8 percent.

• Appeal court upholds rulings in Stelco case Nov 07, 2005

  A Canadian court has removed another barrier in the road to a restructured Stelco Inc.

• EU presses China to change coke export rules Nov 07, 2005

  China is required to change its coke export license system by the end of this year to avoid breaching World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, according to Peter Mandelson, the European Union trade commissioner.

• Timken plans to invest $27 million in roller bearings plant expansion Nov 07, 2005

  Timken Co., Canton, Ohio, is investing $27 million in one of its bearings plants to expand manufacturing of tapered roller bearings, principally for industrial applications.

• US specialty steel imports up as usage slips Nov 07, 2005

  U.S. imports of specialty steel increased 15 percent to 601,113 tons in the first eight months of 2005, according to the Specialty Steel Industry of North America (SSINA).

• Samuel Manu-Tech shuffles execs Nov 04, 2005

  Samuel Manu-Tech Inc., Toronto, said it is reorganizing its executive structure and has named John Morton president and chief operating officer effective Jan. 1, while Mark C. Samuel, the company's current president and chief executive officer, will continue as chief executive.

• Oregon Steel eyeing 4th-qtr. pickup after lull Nov 04, 2005

  Falling slab prices will help Oregon Steel Mills Inc. improve its operating results in the fourth quarter, despite a third-quarter falloff.

• NW Pipe, Lone Star form marketing alliance Nov 04, 2005

  Northwest Pipe Co., Portland, Ore., and Lone Star Steel Co., Dallas, have entered into a strategic marketing alliance.

• Strength in rebar products segment fails to boost Harris Steel's income Nov 04, 2005

  Canadian reinforcing bar fabricator Harris Steel Group Inc., Willowdale, Ontario, said its third-quarter net income slumped 30.6 percent to Canadian $14.7 million ($12.5 million) despite a 31.2-percent increase in sales to C$284.5 million ($241.4 million) compared with the same period last year.

• Yo-ho-ho and a barrel of trade 'fairness' Nov 04, 2005

  A congressman is sponsoring legislation aimed at helping U.S. manufacturers by giving them legal standing in trade disputes involving imports of raw materials they need.

• Canam's Solicor secures first US bonded-steel bridge order Nov 04, 2005

  Canadian construction products company Canam Group Inc., Boucherville, Quebec, said its Solicor USA Inc. subsidiary has received its first U.S. order for a bridge using sandwich-plate system (SPS) technology.

• LME alternates eyed for steel pact Nov 03, 2005

  Steel futures could trade on an exchange other than the London Metal Exchange as contract supporters are eagerly approaching other platforms on which to list the proposed contracts.

• Mittal Steel USA's workers vote narrowly in favor of three-year labor pacts Nov 03, 2005

  United Steelworkers union members at Mittal Steel USA's operations in Indiana and Minnesota have ratified new collective bargaining agreements.

• Alpha upbeat on coal as quarterly income up Nov 03, 2005

  Alpha Natural Resources Inc., which posted a 51.4-percent jump in third-quarter net income to $8.2 million, expects strong pricing and shipments for metallurgical coal going into the fourth quarter.

• Algoma blames earnings dip on lower prices Nov 03, 2005

  Canadian steelmaker Algoma Steel Inc., Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, blamed lower steel prices for a 74.7-percent drop in third-quarter net income to Canadian $30.8 million ($26.2 million) on sales that slipped 16.7 percent to C$446.4 million ($378.8 million) from the same period last year.

• European steelmakers gearing up for tough 2006 auto contract talks Nov 02, 2005

  Annual contract negotiations between European steelmakers and automakers will start in mid-November, with producers expecting tough talks for 2006 contracts.

• Mittal out of Pakistan mill bidding Nov 02, 2005

  Twelve companies have been qualified to bid for a stake in state-owned Pakistan Steel Mills Corp. (PSMC), an official at Pakistan's Ministry of Privatisation and Investment said.

• Three Ryerson Tull execs plan to sell shares Nov 02, 2005

  Three of Ryerson Tull Inc.'s top executives plan to sell portions of their shareholdings in the Chicago-based metals service center giant.

• Castle's earnings, sales climb in third quarter Nov 01, 2005

  Metals and plastics distributor A.M. Castle & Co. has posted third-quarter net income that jumped 69 percent to $10.3 million on a 17.7-percent increase in sales to $234.6 million compared with the same period last year.

• Canam sells stake in buying group Nov 01, 2005

  Construction product fabricator Canam Group Inc., Saint-Georges de Beauce, Quebec, has sold a 55-percent stake in the Steel Plus Network to the buying group's fabricator members for $2.4 million.