Supply Chain

• Boeing sets cuts; design shift said eyed Apr 19, 2013

  Boeing Co. will reduce engineering employment this year, it said, as its largest white-collar union claims the company is also actively looking to shift aircraft design work to Russia.

• More copper products mills mull price increase Apr 19, 2013

  A planned price increase by GBC Metals LLC, a division of Olin Brass Inc., for light-gauge, narrow-width and specialty finish products has encouraged other domestic mills to consider implementing a similar hike.

• Alupress plans $19.9M aluminum casting plant Apr 19, 2013

  Alupress AG plans to open a $19.9-million aluminum casting plant in Laurens County, S.C., aimed at servicing automotive clients in the region.

• Dan Keaton named Edgen Murray vice president Apr 19, 2013

  Edgen Group Inc. has named Dan Keaton vice president of its Edgen Murray segment’s Americas business, the company said April 18.

• Chicago flooding creates headaches Apr 18, 2013

  Torrential rains in and around Chicago caused highway closures and headaches for some area metals companies toward the end of this week, although most reported minimal lasting impact.

• TK unit shutting three facilities, opening two Apr 18, 2013

  ThyssenKrupp Materials NA Inc.’s Copper & Brass Sales division will close three of its processing and distribution facilities while opening two new ones as part of its latest cost-cutting initiative.

• Hunter Douglas Metals promotes Murphy Apr 17, 2013

  Hunter Douglas Metals Inc. has promoted Mike Murphy to director of transportation.

• Pipe, tube market still subdued, margins thin Apr 17, 2013

  Sentiment remains subdued in the pipe and tube market, with tepid demand and more-than-adequate stock levels leading to pressure on margins.

• USMX ratifies labor deal with ILA Apr 17, 2013

  Members of the U.S. Maritime Alliance Ltd. (USMX) ratified a new six-year master contract with the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) on April 17.

• More mills expected to stop CRU discounting Apr 17, 2013

  ArcelorMittal USA LLC’s announcement that it will cease selling hot-rolled steel priced off a discount to CRU Group’s index could see strong support from other steelmakers, sources said.

• Committee OKs bill to expedite Keystone XL pipeline Apr 17, 2013

  The House Energy and Commerce Committee on April 17 passed legislation that would expedite approval of TransCanada Corp.’s Keystone XL pipeline.

• Stainless steel shipments at 145,600 tons in March Apr 17, 2013

  Distributor shipments of stainless steel products in the United States totaled 145,600 tons in March, down 7.1 percent from 156,700 tons in the same month last year but up 1.8 percent from February’s 143,000 tons, according to Metals Service Center Institute (MSCI) data.

• Auto industry puts vehicles on ‘major diet’ of aluminum Apr 17, 2013

  An all-aluminum vehicle could help trim weight by 40 percent while boosting fuel economy by 18 percent, according to a study commissioned by the Aluminum Association.

• Goncalves recalls 32-year steel career Apr 17, 2013

  Lourenco Goncalves’ retirement from the steel sector brings to an end a career that spanned more than three decades and multiple continents, and witnessed numerous changes in an evolving metals industry.

• Abakan, EWI partner on clad pipe Apr 17, 2013

  Abakan Inc. is partnering with welding and allied technologies organization Edison Welding Institute (EWI) to accelerate the manufacturing scale-up of its CermaClad pipe.

• GM, Ford collaborating on advanced transmissions Apr 17, 2013

  Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co. will jointly develop new-generation nine- and 10-speed automatic transmissions for cars, crossover vehicles, sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and trucks.

• Atlas Pipeline in $1B deal to buy natural gas firm Teak Midstream Apr 17, 2013

  Atlas Pipeline Partners LP has agreed to pay $1 billion to acquire Teak Midstream LLC, a natural gas gathering and processing company with assets in the Eagle Ford shale.

• Ford F-150 utilizes Henkel’s aluminum pretreat process Apr 17, 2013

  Henkel Corp.’s automotive group has introduced a new pretreatment process in North America that will allow more aluminum to be used in cars and trucks, the company said.

• ExxonMobil removes damaged segment of Ark. pipeline Apr 17, 2013

  ExxonMobil Corp. has removed the damaged section of its Pegasus oil pipeline, which spilled 5,000 barrels of oil in central Arkansas last month, the company said.

• Tax deduction repeal would hurt gas industry, ANGA says Apr 16, 2013

  The proposed repeal of a tax deduction on intangible drilling costs could significantly reduce the number of new natural gas wells being drilled, according to America’s Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA), an organization representing 26 natural gas producers.

• March housing starts hold cautionary signs Apr 16, 2013

  March housing data released by the U.S. Census Bureau April 16 show continued growth in residential construction but could foreshadow a slowdown, Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America, told AMM.

• Aluminum service centers see inventories dip Apr 16, 2013

  Aluminum product shipments from U.S. and Canadian service centers increased in March compared with a month earlier while inventories edged lower.

• Maintain duties on Chinese OCTG: USS Apr 16, 2013

  Omitting Chinese OCTG that are heat-treated and finished in third-party countries from countervailing and anti-dumping duties could be "absolutely devastating for the U.S. industry," according to counsel for U.S. Steel Corp.

• Hannah outlines Reliance’s next steps Apr 16, 2013

  The growth of Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. has been based largely on acquisitions, and its biggest purchase to date—that of Metals USA Holding Corp.—creates a company that boasts slightly more than $10 billion in pro forma sales.