Supply Chain

• Boeing lifting build rate of 787 Dreamliner Oct 27, 2011

  Boeing Co. has begun to ramp up the build rate of its 787 Dreamliner as it also looks to start a second assembly line for the new airliner in 2012.

• Coal mart growing cautious: Teck exec Oct 27, 2011

  Caution is gripping the metallurgical coal market, with prices heading south as steelmakers cut back inventories on reduced production schedules and concerns about a general economic malaise that’s settling into the market, according to one industry executive.

• ATI enjoys strong titanium demand Oct 27, 2011

  Allegheny Technologies Inc. (ATI) has seen improved titanium shipments and prices in both aerospace and non-aerospace markets, the company said in its third-quarter earnings statement.

• Eurocopter starts work on Mexican facility Oct 27, 2011

  Global helicopter maker Eurocopter Group has laid the cornerstone for a $100-million manufacturing plant in Querétaro, central Mexico.

• Peabody appoints Macarthur leadership team Oct 26, 2011

  Peabody Energy Corp. is moving on quickly without ArcelorMittal SA in its planned takeover of Macarthur Coal Ltd., appointing a leadership team within 24 hours after ArcelorMittal backed out of the joint-venture bid.

• Mexico stifling growth of manufacturing: Canacero Oct 26, 2011

  The head of Mexico’s steel association claims the government isn’t doing enough to stimulate manufacturing.

• USS Keetac expansion awarded water permit Oct 26, 2011

  U.S. Steel Corp.’s proposed Keetac iron ore expansion project received approval for its water permits in a unanimous vote by the Citizens’ Board of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, according to a webcast of the hearing.

• Sun River looks to develop Raton Basin met coal mine Oct 26, 2011

  Sun River Energy Inc. plans to develop a metallurgical coal mine at the Raton Basin in Colfax County, N.M.

• Shiloh credit rating upgraded by Moody’s Oct 26, 2011

  Shiloh Industries Inc.’s improved cost structure, lower breakeven levels and business growth has landed it an upgraded credit rating by Moody’s Investors Service.

• Carpenter earnings climb on strong market demand Oct 25, 2011

  Carpenter Technology Corp.’s fiscal first-quarter net income tripled to $23.8 million on sales that gained 17.7 percent from a year earlier to $414.1 million as the company’s focus on higher-value products shielded it from a general downturn in commodity products.

• Caterpillar bullish on 2012 prospects Oct 25, 2011

  Caterpillar Inc. expects to log a strong finish to 2011 in terms of orders and backlogs, and that renewed demand strength is forecast to push into the New Year.

• Carpenter targets April '14 forge ramp-up Oct 25, 2011

  Carpenter Technology Corp. is targeting an April 2014 start-up of the radial forge that will equip its $500-million premium alloy expansion in Alabama, a top company executive said Tuesday.

• S&P forecasts stability in oil, gas sector Oct 25, 2011

  The U.S. oil and gas sector has been issued a solid "report card" by Standard & Poor’s (S&P) analysts, indicating its credit quality should be relatively stable going into 2012 despite a tepid economy and an increasing risk of recession.

• Precoat acquires Roll Coater to build business base Oct 25, 2011

  St. Louis-based coil coater Precoat Metals has acquired Indianapolis-based Roll Coater Inc. in an effort to build out its customer base.

• Airbus assembling shell parts for new A350 plane Oct 25, 2011

  Airbus SAS has reached two more milestones on production of its new A350 XWB (extra-wide body) airliner.

• Bombardier to produce jets’ aft fuselages at Mexico site Oct 25, 2011

  Bombardier Aerospace will build the aft fuselages of its new Global 7000 and Global 8000 business jets in Querétaro, central Mexico, the company said.

• GM adding Sonic assembly to Mexico site Oct 24, 2011

  General Motors Co. said it will start assembling the four-cylinder Chevrolet Sonic for Mexico and Central and South America at its Ramos Arizpe complex in northern Mexico in 2012.

• Marmon opens value-added site Oct 24, 2011

  Marmon/Keystone LLC has opened a new Southeast regional value-added processing facility at its service center in Charlotte, N.C.

• Ranger Steel launches specialty plate division Oct 24, 2011

  Ranger Steel Services LP has launched a new specialty plate division aimed at supplying normalized steel to consumers with high-pressure demands in the Southeast and on the Gulf Coast.

• Grupo Reco opens $25.5M bus plant Oct 24, 2011

  Grupo Reco SA de CV, an independent Mexican manufacturer of bus bodies and interior components, has opened a $25.5-million plant on the northern outskirts of Mexico City.

• US, Canadian drilling slows Oct 24, 2011

  The number of drill rigs running in the United States fell by 10 last week, led by Oklahoma (down seven), and Canadian drilling activity fell by 15 rigs compared with the previous week.

• Goncalves shrugs off overcapacity worries Oct 21, 2011

  Metals USA Holding Corp.’s top executive continues to shrug off overcapacity concerns in the domestic flat-rolled steel market, maintaining that steelmakers will have to come up with a different explanation for their shareholders as to why prices look poised to dip below costs.

• Metals USA earnings jump to $16.7M Oct 21, 2011

  National service center chain Metals USA Holdings Corp. posted net income of $16.7 million in the third quarter, a nearly three-fold increase from the same period last year, on sales that climbed 42.6 percent to $492.3 million.

• Nucor might consider iron ore mining venture Oct 21, 2011

  Nucor Corp. could consider expanding upstream into iron ore mining if the opportunity presents itself as part of its push for more low-cost raw materials ownership, the company’s top executives said.