India Rises as 3rd Largest Steel Producing Country

India is the fourth largest steel producer in the world. However, for the first five months of 2015, India jumped to the third spot after China and Japan, respectively, outranking the U.S., which placed fourth.

While large-scale steel plants contribute to the bulk of India’s steel products, the steel re-rolling sector is an equally important player. Moreover, the steel industry is doing well with a growth of more than 8 percent for the 2014-2015 period per Union Minister of Steel and Mines Narendra Singh Tomar.

Image source: ritambanerjee.com

The steel industry in India is already massive with approximately 750 players but is currently being expanded by sourcing new technology and markets thus giving access to much needed long-term economic profit. India’s steel and iron industry is also anticipating mergers and acquisitions in the long run.

Large-scale companies are leading the initiative in research and development and infrastructure to set up good facilities and address problems in the energy efficiency and environmental impact. The Ministry of Steel empowers not only large-scale businesses but also small entrepreneurs to align business interests with environmental protection.

Image source: thehindu.com

The determination, conviction and hard work of all the business owners and project stakeholders in the country’s steel industry have brought outstanding results.

This Chris Keehner Facebook page shares the latest news and updates on the steel and pipe industry.

Choosing Between a Copper or Steel Pipe for Your Home

Plumbing fittings are made from a variety of metals, the most common being copper or steel. Each metal has unique advantages, and homeowners are advised to have at least a basic knowledge of the pros and cons of each.

Steel

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Steel is often considered the most cost-effective among all the different types of pipes as it is one of the most durable metals in the market today, particularly for plumbing. In theory, steel fittings could last a lifetime and are relatively impervious to rust and corrosion. Extreme temperatures do not easily affect steel and the material can withstand large amounts of salt water washing. It is, therefore, an ideal choice for those living in environments surrounded by lots of water. However, steel is not an easy material to work with. It is hard and not malleable. If the steel pipe is to be used for plumbing, it has to be galvanized (which is an additional cost). Furthermore, galvanized steel could potentially introduce minute traces of lead into the water over time.

Copper

Copper is extremely resistant to fire. Since copper fittings do not burn, no toxic gases are released in an event of fire. This material is also highly resistant to bacteria and rot, making it the choice metal for pipes used for drinking purposes. Additionally, copper is a softer metal and is easier to work with. This makes installation and more specified fitting (for more unconventional interior designs, for example) easier. Nevertheless, this makes copper plumbing more expensive than steel. It must also be noted that while copper is resistant to fire, it does not perform so well against extreme cold.

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In practice, most homeowners are encouraged to use different sets of piping depending on what they will be used for.

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REPOST: Steel producers help Europe stocks end higher

After spending much of the morning in negative territory, the pan-European Stoxx 600 index closed around 0.6 percent higher, according to the new regulation from the European Union. This article has the details.

European equities finished higher on Thursday, as new regulation from the European Union helped the continent's steel producers post strong gains.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 index closed around 0.6 percent higher, after spending much of the morning in negative territory. Germany's DAX rallied to close provisionally 2 percent higher, French stocks saw gains of around 1.5 percent at market close, while London's FTSE 100 finished around 0.4 percent higher.

Image Source: cnbc.com

Finland's Outokumpu was at the top of benchmarks, with a rise of 6.7 percent and Arcelormittal saw gains of 5 percent.

Both steel producers were buoyed by the European Union's decision to impose a duty on imports of electrical steel. The anti-dumping levy was implemented Thursday on imports from China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States.
Meanwhile, markets were closed in Austria, Iceland, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland due to public holidays.

In other individual stocks news, shares of Generali closed 3.8 percent higher after the Italian insurer reported a 6 percent rise in first quarter operating profit.

Meanwhile, shares of Eni closed around 1.5 percent higher on reports that the Italian oil and gas group was revisiting trimming its stake in Saipem after putting on hold the plan due to a slide in oil prices, Reuters reported, citing Il Sole 24 Ore.
On the FTSE, one of the best performers was Mondi, climbing 2.7 percent after Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse raised the packaging company's share target price.

U.S. stocks traded higher on Thursday, bouncing from the prior day's muted trade, as investors eyed further dollar declines and calmer bond markets.The Dow Jones Industrial Average quickly added 120 points in the minutes following the open, with Apple leading all blue chips higher.

DS Pipe & Steel Supply LLC is a family-owned wholesale steel distributor. Like this Facebook page for more updates.

REPOST: Rising steel imports spur calls for action in Washington

According to this Hellenic Shipping News article below, the U.S. is already taking steps to thwart the increasing number of foreign steel imports in the country. Learn more about this issue below.

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Steel imports to the United States are increasing and so are calls from the industry for Washington to take action against overseas competitors.

That action may include a possible anti-dumping complaint, according to the Wall Street Journal. The newspaper reported on March 16 that the CEOs of major US steel producers are planning to testify later this month at a hearing in Washington about what they see as a flood of imported steel.

Imported steel into the US continues to rise even as the domestic industry furloughs thousands of employees. The US steel industry is also being hindered by reduced demand due to a slowing of drilling for natural gas and oil from shale projects that have been put on hold as crude prices have collapsed.

In an e-mail statement to China Daily on Tuesday, the American Iron and Steel Institute said that imports surged to an historic record market share last year. “US finished steel imports from all countries increased 36 percent in 2014 and captured 28 percent of the US market last year — the highest import market share in history — compared to only 23 percent in 2013,” AISL said. “Our industry continues to evaluate whether the situation warrants trade case filings.”

The institute said “the very high level of Chinese steel exports in 2014 and 2015 are of great concern” to the US steel industry. AISL said China’s global exports reached a record level of 93.78 million metric tons of steel in 2014, a 51 percent increase over the previous year. “US imports of Chinese steel increased by an even larger 68 percent over the same period and China was the second largest source of steel exports to the United States,” according to the institute.

For the month of January 2015, data from AISL and the US government show other countries are exporting more steel to the US than China.

AISL’s data on imports of finished steel mill products for January shows South Korea, Turkey and Japan with greater exports into the US than China’s 198,000 net tons. According to preliminary data from the Census Bureau’s Imports for Consumption of Steel Products from Selected Countries and Areas, Brazil, Canada and South Korea exported more steel into the US in January than China’s 180,359 metric tons.

Commenting on the steel data from the Census Bureau, Adam Hersh, a senior economist at the Roosevelt Institute and a visiting scholar at the Columbia University Initiative for Policy Dialogue in New York, said in an e-mail to China Daily that he believes it is for final goods.

“Intermediate Chinese steel goods are very often traded through third countries where the goods may or may not undergo some qualitative transformation, for example rolling threads on or heat-treating pipe goods, and then are re-exported. These are pretty minor value-adds, but they obscure the real origin of content in the statistics. The US shouldn’t be concerned about imports as a matter of course; they should be concerned about ensuring an open, level-playing field on which the entire world’s steel producers can compete,” he said.

China has said that it produces too much steel and has been taking steps to address the situation. Steel exports from China, the world’s largest producer, rose to a record in January as the country shipped 10.29 million metric tons of steel products, a 52 percent rise from the same month of the previous year, according to data released by the customs administration in Beijing.

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said last month the bloated steel industry will continue to experience tough times this year despite years of government efforts to address overcapacity in the sector.

Yet, the industry continues to produce more.

“The steel industry is deemed strategic for national security and economic security purposes. Dealing with overcapacity has been a goal in the last two Five-Year Plans, but we have seen very little progress in rationalizing the industry in China,” said Hersh.

He also noted that steel is a major input used in many other areas critical to China’s overall economic growth such as infrastructure, real estate, and a wide range of manufactured goods. Overcapacity keeps steel prices low for these industries that consume steel, helping keep investment and output prices cheaper than they otherwise would be.

The Wall Street Journal report said a hearing in Washington might be a prelude to the launching of an anti-dumping complaint with the International Trade Commission. Dumping is the export of a product at a price that is below the cost of its production.

According to the newspaper, the China Iron and Steel Association have labeled previous efforts to curtail Chinese exports as protectionist measures.

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Steel is in: Current trends in steel buildings

Steel buildings are becoming more popular in the world of construction. Builders are starting to use their own modern techniques to make their projects more durable and aesthetically pleasing. Residential communities and industrial sectors choose and invest in steel materials because they see the numerous environmental and economical benefits of doing so.

Image Source: jlmsteel.com

Sustainable and eco-friendly structures

Most industrial buildings pollute the environment with chemical emissions. To prevent further damage and reduce pollution, the steel industry is moving towards sustainable technology, erecting buildings and structures that are energy efficient, weatherproof (local climate must be considered), and can conserve waste. The steel used in construction can be recycled as well.

Pre-engineered kits

Pre-engineered kits are ready-made structures that combine built-up sections, hot-rolled sections and cold-formed elements that provide the basic skeleton of a building, with basic panels for roofing and wall cladding. These kits are very versatile - they can be fitted with structural accessories and are perfect for low-rise buildings. Because they are pre-built, they save a lot of time and money that could’ve gone to assembling and building. Plus, they are lightweight and totally weatherproof.

Image Source: capitalsteelbuildings.wordpress.com

Conserving energy

Architects and builders use insulated metal panels (IMPs) or cold-formed steel (CFS) to control heat transmission throughout the structure. These things, compared to most construction materials, do not require too much foam for insulation to reduce of eliminate thermal bridging, thus increasing energy, cost, and time efficiency.

Image Source: metalconstructionnews.com

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An overview of specialty processes for metal fabrication

When manufacturers use metal for constructing machines and infrastructures, the maker is often required to process the raw material through metal fabrication. Considered a “value added process” for production, various industries today rely on fabrication techniques such as sawing, filing, and hammering to reform the metal piece into a different structure and shape.

There are many ways in which metal fabrication takes place. In order to meet customer needs, many manufacturers have developed processes which focus on:

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Casting: The American Foundry Society defines casting as a process by which a liquid material is poured into a mold (containing a hollow cavity of the desired shape) and then allowed to solidify. It is often used for making complex shapes that are otherwise hard or expensive to form using other methods. Casting is widely used. In fact, 90 percent of all manufactured goods contain some metal castings.

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Extrusion: Commonly used for producing cylindrical items, such as wiring and pipes, extrusion is a process used to create objects of a fixed cross-sectional profile, where the material is drawn through a die.

Image Source: perforatedsheetmetal.org

Punching: This method is used for metals to create decorative indentions or other features. A machine is used to create holes and designs.

Image Source: ccctc.edu

Welding. Used for “joining” materials, welding is the act of fusing two metal pieces together—often through pressured heat.

These are just four of the most common metal fabrication processes popular in the market today. Due to rising complexity of customer needs, many manufacturing companies have started developing customized metal fabrication services intended for each type of customers. 



Hence, for those who are looking for a metal fabrication company, it is important to choose one that has the experience and resources for your business’ value-added service.


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Steel: A key driver in the world’s economy

Image Source: bloomberg.com

Due to its high tensile and affordability, steel has easily become one of the world’s most valued commodities. Its broad applications—from machine tools to household instruments—have steeled the material as an all important product in nearly all industries.

In Europe, for example, steel has remained a competitive and indispensable industry that services a wide range of fields such as mechanics, shipbuilding, automotive, appliances, packaging, construction, and transportation. According to recent data, the European commission estimates the worth of the EU steel sector at €150 billion, with a production of roughly 200 million tons of steel annually.

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In other parts of the world, steel production has remained strong and productive. China, which is the biggest steel producing country in the world, accounted for nearly 50 percent of the world steel production in 2013. This, according to experts, is due to the country’s rapid modernization, construction, and increasing investments in infrastructure and manufacturing industries.

Other countries with significant steel production are Japan, United States, and India.

Today, steel has become a strategic industry essential to the growth and stability of some of the world’s most powerful countries. It has helped nations build the face of the planet through various infrastructure technologies and material innovations. Not only has it helped improve our treasures, but it also has become a fundamental part of society and people’s modern way of life.

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