Supply Chain

• Lightweighting is priority for GM: Akerson Jun 07, 2013

  General Motors Co. has made a commitment to innovation that will "move us to the forefront of safety, connectivity and clean technology," the company’s top executive told shareholders.

• Mississippi River reopening to traffic after flood Jun 07, 2013

  The U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have begun taking steps to get Mississippi River traffic moving again as floodwaters began to recede.

• Wayne Bassett to retire from top exec role at Samuel, Son Jun 06, 2013

  Wayne K. Bassett, president and chief executive officer of Samuel, Son & Co. Ltd., will retire later this summer following a 40-year career with the service center chain, the company said.

• Timet gives boost to PCC’s backlog Jun 06, 2013

  Precision Castparts Corp.’s (PCC’s) acquisition of Titanium Metals Corp. (Timet) was a key factor in its 15.3-percent increase in backlog in fiscal 2013, according to documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

• US manufacturing activity improves: Fed Jun 06, 2013

  American manufacturing, drilling and mining activity has improved in spots in the second quarter vs. the first three months of this year, but steel shipments have faltered due to lower demand, customer inventory reductions and weak pricing.

• Andron Stainless files lawsuit vs. Oden seeking $87,664 Jun 06, 2013

  Andron Stainless Corp. has filed a lawsuit against equipment manufacturer Oden Corp. alleging that it hasn’t paid for nearly $88,000 worth of products it purchased.

• Commercial Vehicle Group moves to diversify, consolidate Jun 06, 2013

  Commercial Vehicle Group Inc. aims to secure half of its revenue from outside North America within five years as part of an effort to diversify its geography and end markets.

• Linamar inks deal to acquire German camshaft business Jun 05, 2013

  Automotive camshaft supplier Linamar Corp. has signed an agreement with German automotive supplier Muhr und Bender KG (Mubea) and its subsidiary Mubea Motorkomponenten GmbH (MMKG) to acquire MMKG’s camshaft manufacturing and distribution business.

• Alro Steel opens new branch in Pa. Jun 05, 2013

  Service center chain Alro Steel Corp. has opened a new branch in Imperial, Pa.

• Mississippi River shippers face flooding delays Jun 05, 2013

  Flooding has forced several lock closures along the upper Mississippi River, stranding some barges carrying steel and steelmaking materials below St. Louis, according to government and industry sources.

• Canam Group completes purchase of joist assets Jun 05, 2013

  Structural steel designer and fabricator Canam Group Inc. has completed its purchase of Quincy Joist Co.’s steel joist fabrication assets, including all equipment and inventory, in Buckeye, Ariz.

• Airbus runs new XWB engine in advance of maiden flight Jun 05, 2013

  The engines for the new Airbus A350 XWB have taken their first run as the aircraft gears up for its maiden flight this year.

• Pickups drive May rise in auto sales Jun 04, 2013

  The top-selling automakers in the United States sold nearly 1.25 million vehicles in May, a 7.8-percent improvement from a year earlier and a robust 12.3 percent higher than April’s total, an AMM analysis shows.

• Triple-S Steel acquires General Steel Jun 04, 2013

  Triple-S Steel Holdings Inc., Houston, has acquired service center General Steel Inc. of Macon, Ga.

• Kinder Morgan sets $107M pipeline expansion Jun 04, 2013

  Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP is expanding its crude and condensate pipeline system into the Eagle Ford shale in Texas to the tune of $107 million, the Houston-based company said June 3.

• Boeing unions skeptical of realignment Jun 03, 2013

  Boeing Co.’s major white- and blue-collar unions have both greeted the company’s realignment of its commercial aircraft engineering operations with wariness.

• US manufacturing sector shrinks in May Jun 03, 2013

  U.S. manufacturing activity contracted in May for the first time since November, according to the Institute for Supply Management (ISM).

• GKN Sinter Metals plans $10-million expansion Jun 03, 2013

  GKN Sinter Metals plans to spend $10 million to expand its production facility in Gallipolis, Ohio.

• Pieridae signs LNG supply agreement with Germany's E.ON Jun 03, 2013

  Pieridae Energy (Canada) Ltd. has signed an agreement to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) to a subsidiary of Germany’s E.ON SE, an anchor deal that will allow Pieridae to proceed with its proposed LNG export facility on Canada’s east coast.

• Olympic's Sol Siegal dies at 88 Jun 03, 2013

  Sol Siegal, 88, founder and chairman emeritus of Olympic Steel Inc., died May 23, the steel processor and distributor said.

• Samuel adding cut-to-length line, leveler at Alberta plant Jun 03, 2013

  Samuel, Son & Co. Ltd.’s service center in Nisku, Alberta, is installing a continuous cut-to-length line and a Herr-Voss leveling system to process sheet and plate up to ⅜ inch thick and 96 inches wide.

• Judge dismisses $3M in USS injury claims May 31, 2013

  Power Piping Co. has been found not liable for nearly $3 million in compensation sought by Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel Corp. following a 2010 explosion at its coke plant in Clairton, Pa.

• Boeing shifts aircraft engineering operations May 31, 2013

  Boeing Co. is realigning its commercial aircraft engineering operations, which some outsiders say could heighten competition between its legacy Pacific Northwest operations and its newer South Carolina plants.

• Bay Bridge opening date still uncertain: MTC May 31, 2013

  A decision on whether to open the beleaguered eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge by Labor Day has been pushed back as engineers and transportation officials continue to tackle steel-related issues.