Supply Chain

• NanoSteel appoints Parsons auto chief Dec 12, 2012

  NanoSteel Co. has named Craig Parsons president of its automotive business as the company moves toward commercial production of its new advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) sheet.

• China's steel distribution set for change Dec 12, 2012

  The steel price crash in China that rattled global steel markets earlier this year exposed just how turbulent China’s markets can become when the country’s growth slows and the government doesn’t step in with a credit and investment boost.

• Iron, steel deficit shrinks in October Dec 12, 2012

  The U.S. trade deficit for iron and steel mill products fell 15.2 percent month on month to $608 million in October on a $27-million rise in exports and an $82-million drop in imports.

• Right-to-work bill passes in Michigan Dec 11, 2012

  Despite vociferous opposition from labor and the White House, unions apparently have lost a legislative battle in the blue-collar heartland of Michigan.

• ILA may strike at East Coast, Gulf ports Dec 11, 2012

  With a longshoremen’s union contract set to expire Dec. 29, talk of a potential work stoppage along the East and Gulf coasts is heating up.

• Metal firms declaring early dividends to avoid tax raise Dec 11, 2012

  A steel wire manufacturer and a steel processor have each moved up dividend payments, part of a trend among publicly held companies to allow shareholders to avoid a possible tax increase next year, according to an equities research firm.

• Spectra to acquire pipeline system in $1.49-billion deal Dec 11, 2012

  Spectra Energy Corp. has signed a deal to acquire the 1,717-mile Express-Platte Pipeline System for $1.49 billion.

• Daimler Trucks launching $120M expansion in Mich. Dec 11, 2012

  Daimler Trucks North America LLC is investing $120 million to expand production at its Detroit Diesel Corp. subsidiary’s headquarters in Redford, Mich.

• Edgen subsidiary buys UK energy valve distributor HSP Dec 11, 2012

  Edgen Group Inc. subsidiary Edgen Murray Europe Ltd. has bought Britain-based HSP Group Ltd. as it looks to expand its valve and actuation product sales and services to energy companies around the globe.

• Awards for Steel Excellence nomination process begins Dec 11, 2012

  A call for nominations has been issued for AMM’s fourth annual Awards for Steel Excellence.

• Bri-Chem inks new credit facility Dec 11, 2012

  Bri-Chem Corp. has secured a Canadian $10-million ($10.1-million) credit facility from Canadian private equity firm Fulcrum Capital Partners Inc.

• American Axle expects backlog to rise 4% Dec 10, 2012

  American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. says it has a backlog of new and incremental business launching from 2013 through 2015 that it values at $1.25 billion in future annual sales.

• Metals employment falls in November Dec 10, 2012

  Employment at U.S. metal producers and metal fabrication shops declined last month, although the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics report shows employment within the two sectors has grown incrementally since last year.

• Opel to close assembly plant in Germany Dec 10, 2012

  Adam Opel AG management notified employees at its Bochum, Germany, auto plant that manufacturing will cease at the end of the current Zafira production cycle in 2016.

• ITA makes determinations in Vietnamese steel wire garment hangers probe Dec 10, 2012

  The Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued a preliminary determination in a countervailing duty investigation that critical circumstances exist for some imports of steel wire garment hangers from Vietnam in 2011, although critical circumstances do not exist for mandatory respondent Hamico Co. The petitioners are Innovative Fabrication LLC/Indy Hanger, M&B Metal Products Co. Inc. and U.S. Hanger Co. LLC.

• Auto suppliers worry over EU, invest in America Dec 10, 2012

  The persistent financial woes of some European nations have begun to move the needle on how automotive suppliers are planning their investments over the next couple of years.

• Voestalpine buys Sturdell as part of NA expansion push Dec 10, 2012

  Böhler-Uddeholm Canada Ltd., a subsidiary of Linz, Austria-based Voestalpine Group, has acquired tool and mold steel distributor and processor Sturdell Industries Inc. for an undisclosed sum.

• Wanxiang beats JCI for A123 assets Dec 10, 2012

  Wanxiang America Corp. will acquire nearly all the assets of battery manufacturer A123 Systems Inc. for $256.6 million, with Johnson Controls Inc. (JCI) declining to match Wanxiang’s bid.

• New owner to grow Aluminum Shapes Dec 07, 2012

  Global Aluminum (USA) Inc.’s acquisition of Aluminum Shapes LLC and Signature Aluminum Canada Inc. will give the operations access to increased capital and liquidity for long-term investment, a company executive told AMM.

• Two fabricators file bankruptcy on same day Dec 07, 2012

  Two southern steel fabricators have filed for bankruptcy over the past week, according to court records.

• Enbridge slates $6.2 billion for crude pipeline projects Dec 07, 2012

  Enbridge Inc. plans to invest $6.2 billion to bring new sources of crude oil to refinery markets in the Midwest, Ontario and Quebec.

• Boeing, union talks put on hold until 2013 Dec 06, 2012

  Boeing Co. and its largest white-collar union have temporarily called off their negotiations on a new contract.

• ADF posts loss, warns of short-term troubles Dec 06, 2012

  ADF Group Inc. logged a third-quarter net loss because of completion of work at the World Trade Center, an unfavorable production mix and fabrication delays.

• Penn Stainless installs new cutters Dec 06, 2012

  Distributor Penn Stainless Products Inc. has added two Koike Aronson plasma cutting systems that enable precision cutting of up to 6.25-inch thick stainless steel plate.