Supply Chain

• Steel sheet buyers refusing to build stocks Apr 05, 2013

  Steel buyers have become more wary and cautious in recent weeks than they had been during much of the first quarter, particularly when it comes to building inventories, an industry survey shows.

• Correction: Water infrastructure bill heading to Senate Apr 05, 2013

  Due to an editing error, an article posted to AMM’s website April 4 incorrectly stated the amount of the Harbor Maintenance Tax Fund surplus. The surplus is currently more than $7.1 billion and likely to be $8.1 billion by the end of 2013, according the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

• ArcelorMittal, Cliffs appealing EPA ruling Apr 05, 2013

  ArcelorMittal USA LLC and Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. have filed separate but almost identical petitions in an appellate court challenging the EPA's new regulations for taconite ore.

• Ferrochrome prices weaken on dull demand Apr 05, 2013

  Ferrochrome prices have weakened as traders report a notable dearth of spot market demand from consumers.

• Stricter safety rules set for offshore drilling Apr 05, 2013

  Stricter safety rules for offshore drilling have been set by the Interior Department’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement .

• Alcoa licenses new bonding technology for auto materials Apr 05, 2013

  Alcoa Inc. has licensed and commercialized a “breakthrough” bonding technology to automotive surface treatment firm Chemetall GmbH in a move the company says will allow aluminum to be used more widely on mass-produced vehicles.

• No change seen for US drilling outlook Apr 05, 2013

  The outlook for domestic drilling remains tepid, with little to spur short-term optimism, market sources told AMM.

• Greenbrier vows additional sell-offs as net income falls Apr 05, 2013

  Greenbrier Cos. saw its quarterly net income fall sharply, and the rail car manufacturer has vowed to sell off additional assets in order to "liberate" capital.

• Ontario court fines Furukawa $4.9M Apr 04, 2013

  Japan’s Furukawa Electric Co. Ltd. has been fined Canadian $5 million ($4.9 million) by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice for its alleged participation in an international bid-rigging conspiracy.

• Tubelite selects Dallas site for new facility Apr 04, 2013

  Aluminum fabricator and distributor Tubelite Inc. has chosen a location on the southeast side of Dallas for its new regional facility, the company said April 4.

• Caterpillar calls for immigration changes Apr 04, 2013

  The United States needs an immigration policy that will help it stay globally competitive, Caterpillar Inc. chairman and chief executive officer Douglas R. Oberhelman said in a speech before the Illinois Business Immigration Coalition in Chicago.

• CPP appoints Klaus finance chief Apr 04, 2013

  Consolidated Precision Products Corp. (CPP) has appointed Andy Klaus chief financial officer.

• Congressmen push to speed up Keystone OK Apr 04, 2013

  The House Energy and Power subcommittee will hold a hearing April 10 on legislation that would expedite the approval process for TransCanada Corp.’s proposed Keystone XL pipeline.

• Noble brings natural gas wells online Apr 04, 2013

  Noble Energy Inc. has brought online its Tamar natural gas field off the coast of Israel in the Mediterranean Sea.

• Port of Los Angeles ready for newer, larger container ships Apr 04, 2013

  The Port of Los Angeles and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers leaders have marked the completion of a 10-year, $370-million dredging project to deepen the port’s Main Channel, West Basin Channel and East Basin Channel to 53 feet from 45 feet.

• Marubeni-Itochu consolidates steel operations in southern US Apr 04, 2013

  Marubeni-Itochu Steel America Inc. (Misa) has combined three of its metal processing subsidiaries as part of its drive to streamline its operations in the southern United States.

• Water infrastructure bill heading to Senate Apr 04, 2013

  An infrastructure bill that would provide funding for harbor maintenance and port improvement is set to hit the floor of the U.S. Senate in April or May. It will be the first of its kind to do so in six years.

• Obsolete Nucor unit files suit vs. fabricator Apr 03, 2013

  Nucor Wire Products Pennsylvania Inc. has filed a lawsuit against fabricator Rack & More LLC for allegedly failing to pay for wire decking.

• Pickups give automakers March boost Apr 03, 2013

  The top-selling automakers in the United States sold more than 1.25 million vehicles in March, 3.2 percent higher than in March last year, prompting several manufacturers to call it their best March in years.

• Noble to build first LNG plant in Colorado Apr 03, 2013

  Noble Energy Inc. plans to build the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in Colorado, the company said.

• Ark. probing ExxonMobil Pipeline oil spill as new rules set Apr 03, 2013

  Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel has opened an investigation into the "cause and impact" of the recent oil spill from ExxonMobil Pipeline Co.’s Pegasus pipeline near Mayflower, Ark.

• Ohio Star Forge launches expansion Apr 03, 2013

  Ohio Star Forge Co., which makes parts for the automotive, off-highway equipment and bearings industries, among others, plans to double its forging capacity with a $20-million expansion.

• Saracco replacing Pietrzak as ASD executive director Apr 03, 2013

  The Association of Steel Distributors (ASD) has approved Marc Saracco as its new executive director.

• Tier I auto suppliers offering lighter components to OEMs Apr 03, 2013

  Lightweighting has become a governing trend in vehicle design, and Tier I auto suppliers are doing all they can to supply vehicle manufacturers with lightweight solutions.