European stainless steel surcharges down for December

Surcharges for 304 grade stainless steel are down 3% and are now in a range of Eur1,333-1,347/mt. Surcharges for CR 316 2-mm coil for December are now averaging Eur2,050/mt down from Eur2,127/mt for November, a reduction of 4%.  Surcharges for 316 grade are now in a range of Eur2,034/mt-2,067/mt. Meanwhile, European surcharges for CR 430 2-mm coil are also lower, down from an average of Eur482/mt for November to an average of Eur459/mt for December.

The surcharge forms a large proportion of the final transaction price for stainless steel. It has come under pressure recently as nickel prices on the London Metal Exchange have continued to fall as the market comes to terms with a weaker global economic outlook.

Nickel was trading at fresh lows at $17,250/mt on Wednesday at 1117 GMT, $11,901 lower than the 2011 high of $29,151/mt in February, when some market participants speculated that nickel could move above $30,000/mt. The Platts weekly dealer molybdenum oxide assessment currently stands at $13.70-14.00/lb. Platts assessed high carbon 52% ferrochrome is at $0.95-$0.99/lb as of Thursday.

Source: PLATTS

Posco to Hit Stainless Steel Output Record

Posco (005490), the world’s biggest maker of stainless steel, will report record production this year, saying it expects to maintain that pace in 2012 supported by demand from emerging markets.
Output of the alloy used in cars and home appliances may reach about 3.16 million metric tons this year, up from about 2.9 million tons in 2010, Suh Young Sea, senior vice president at the Pohang, South Korea-based company, said in an interview in Seoul.
Posco, the world’s third-biggest steelmaker, last month said it will continue expanding in emerging markets, including China and India. Stainless-steel makers in Europe face overcapacity, higher raw-material costs and falling prices.
“We are probably the only stainless-steel maker that’s making profits and running at full capacity under the current situation,” Suh said in the interview on Nov. 25. “We will try to maintain current output levels next year as well. Emerging markets will still likely show some growth and we are planning to increase our share in those markets.”
Global stainless steel output may rise 6.5 percent to 33 million tons this year, Suh said. That compares with U.K.-based industry consultant MEPS (International) Ltd. Nov. 2 forecast of 32.5 million tons. Demand in China and India, the world’s two most populous nations, is rising with disposable income.
Europe’s debt crisis remains a “swing factor” in terms of global demand, Suh said. Posco kept domestic stainless steel prices steady for December for the third straight month.
Target Cut
“It’s very difficult to make any forecasts for next year because there still remain uncertainties about the global economy,” Suh said. “However, we’d like to remain optimistic, pinning hopes on emerging markets such as China, India and Southeast Asia.”
Posco posted a 78 percent decline in third-quarter profit because of foreign-currency losses and weaker demand. The company cut its total planned spending for this year to 6 trillion won from 7.3 trillion won.
Stainless steel output in China, the world’s biggest producer, rose 6 percent to 3.37 million tons in the first nine months from a year earlier, the China Iron and Steel Association said Oct. 21. China’s production may climb 13 percent this year and 11 percent next year, MEPS said.
In terms of raw material sourcing, Posco is looking at “multiple projects” in Indonesia, including the Sulawesi region, to secure supply of nickel, a key ingredient, Suh said, declining to elaborate. The company and its Chinese venture, Zhangjiagang Pohang Stainless Steel Co., will together seek to develop a nickel mine in Indonesia, Posco said in June.
Outperformance
Posco shares have fallen 28 percent this year, compared with a 39 percent drop in the 76 member Bloomberg World Iron and Steel Index.
Posco is the world’s biggest maker of stainless steel based on 2010 output, followed by China’s Taiyuan Iron & Steel Group Co., according to the Korean mill. Posco and its units have the capacity to produce more than 3 million tons of stainless steel a year and the company is building plants and marketing bases in China, Vietnam and Turkey.
The company bought Thainox Stainless Pcl, Thailand’s largest maker of rust-proof steel in October. Thainox has a capacity of 200,000 tons a year.

Source: bloomberg.com

The Recycling of Stainless Steel

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Choosing Stainless Steel BBQ grills

When the weather begins acquiring warmer, firing up the grill is often a great means to enjoy dinner. Whether you are creating a party or simply grilling out for the family, you certainly need to have a great grill to always appreciate tasty food. Stainless steel bbq grills are one of many many well-known ways nowadays. People appreciate them for their looks, their high quality, and the low maintenance as well. Should you are ready to buy one of these simple grills, here are several tips to help you opt for the right one.
Natural Gas vs. Propane

Initially, as you are think about the stainless steel bbq grills available, you can either obtain one that runs using natural gas or you can obtain one that runs using propane. Needless to say, there can be benefits and negatives to both. Propane is the more well-known option, although it’s more highly-priced in comparison with some other ways. It is very easy to set up and it may sear meats better since it’s more dry. On the other hand, you will search for that natural gas doesn’t cost as much as propane, and it also is cleaner. Weigh the pros and drawbacks to determine that method is better for your grilling needs.
Think About Size

One more word of advice to always keep in mind is to think about the dimensions of the grill as you opt for from all the stainless steel barbeque grills out there. Take into account the area you have intended for a grill. Likewise think about how several individuals you will be cooking for. If you have big parties on a regular basis, you can need to have a grill that’s large. On the other hand, if you simply cook for your family, then a more compact grill may perhaps be excellent.
Take into account the Functions

You will search for that stainless steel barbeque grills include several capabilities nowadays. Just before you create your purchase, you will desire to think about that features you definitely desire. As you add capabilities, the price may go up, hence you are going to spend less if you simply opt for the capabilities you definitely need to have. One well-known feature is a rotisserie, that may turn meat so that it’s cooked equally. A few grills also include smoker boxes, side burners, and even fridges beneath the grill.
These are all essential tips that can help you opt for an excellent grill. Needless to say, it’s also a great concept to meticulously think about the purchase price when you are looking at stainless steel barbeque grills. Know your spending plan and what you can afford to spend. Therefore make certain that you just search for a great grill that meets your needs when staying inside your spending plan. computer disaster troubleshooting

POSCO to sell steel products directly to end users

South Korea’s POSCO has decided to sell its stainless steel products in stock directly to end users and designated steel service centers, in addition to the existing method of e-sales by auction.

POSCO is expected to solve the problems that have arisen over the past 10 years
at auctions in the sales of its stainless steel products, if it introduces such a new sales system. The number of the registered companies that can participate at its auctions is 692 at present, but just 39 of these have purchased about 80 percent of the products put up for auction, whereas end-users have been successful in buying a mere two percent.

Thus, POSCO plans to sell its stainless steel products in stock  directly to end-users so that they will be able to purchase them more easily.

"We will make the utmost efforts to secure the transparency of sales more than  anything else and will get closer to end-users, as we initially intended in our  sales by auction. We plan to enhance the product quality and technical services  to the levels of our ordinary products," said a POSCO official in charge  of marketing of stainless steel products.


Source: ScrapMonster

Japan cuts stainless scrap purchase prices for November shipment

It is reported that Japanese major stainless steel mills cut the purchase prices of nickel based stainless scrap by JPY 5,000 per tonne to JPY 135,000 per tonne for November 2011, reaching the lowest level since February 2010.

Meanwhile, Japan's monthly output of stainless steel has declined to 250,000 to 260,000 tonnes.

Besides, Japanese mills have been receiving less and less profits in exports due to strong Japanese Yen.

In fact, Japanese mills' purchase prices of stainless scrap had ever reached JPY 220,000 per tonne in February 2011; however, the prices have currently dipped by 40% to JPY 130,000 per tonne.

(Sourced from www.yieh.com)

Arinox to invest in high precision stainless steel strip production

Genoa based high precision stainless flat steel manufacturer Arinox, a subsidiary of Arvedi Group, announced that the company will invest some dozens million euro in high precision stainless steel strip production during 2011-2015 period, although some sources report that the amount is likely to be around EUR 50 million. Arinox is the only company in Italy that is capable to produce high precision stainless steel strip.

The investments will be aimed at enhancing production capacity from actual 40,000 tonnes to 60,000 tonnes due to the installment of a new stainless steel strip bright annealing line, a new table rolling mill for width up to 1,270 mm and a new slitter.

Mr Massimiliano Secco CEO of Arinox said that the plants will enable the company to become more competitive in terms of production costs, innovative in terms of finished steel quality, environmentally and occupationally friendly.

The development of the five year industrial plan, indeed, will bring major advantages in the field of high value added alloys manufacturing (e.g. nickel titanium alloys, which are actually produced only outside Italy in thin flat products), while increasing the workforce of the company.

(Sourced from SteelOrbis)
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Columbus Stainless sees SA stainless steel demand rebounding

It is reported that stainless steel supplier Columbus Stainless expects the total South African domestic market for stainless steel flat product to reach around 150000 tonnes in 2011.

The company will supply about 80% to 85% of the total, with the balance to come from imports. Almost half of this flat product is converted into fabricated products for export in the automotive, tank and engineering industries. Columbus states that while this might sound positive, it shows that there has been no growth in manufacturing in the general domestic market and, as a result, no growth in employment in this sector. These export driven manufacturers are extremely automated and do not necessarily create significant employment. The key issue is the decline and closure of a number of manufacturers of consumer ware goods such as cutlery, hollowware, catering equipment and sinks. The stainless steel manufacturer says this sector of the industry has been decimated by a flood of imports from the East, particularly China. Following a particularly challenging period of demand in global stainless steel markets, it has been encouraging to see the strong performance of the South African stainless steel industry in 2010-11. As a result of the global economic crisis in 2008, consumption of stainless steel in South Africa declined dramatically in 2009 by some 30% over 2008. This was primarily due to the decline in manufacturing of stainless steel fabricated products, such as catalytic converters, ISO certified tank containers and capital equipment used in the mining and processing industries. So, while the recovery of the market back to the levels of 2007 and 2008 indicates growth, the real challenge is that the South African stainless steel market remains under threat. 


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Global stainless steel at all-time high of 35 million tonnes in 2011

Global stainless steel at all-time high of 35 million tonnes in 2011 Global stainless crude steel production in the ten months of 2011 reached an all-time high .

The highest stainless steel production year-on-year growth was 18% in China . The Europe and Africa region increased stainless steel production by 6.4% . The Americas has a increase of stainless steel production of 6.9% .

 AlbanianMinerals President and CEO MrSahit_Muja said " I expect stainless steel production to hit 40 million tons in 2012 ". According to AlbanianMinerals CEO the stainless steel industry has left the global crisis behind as production reached a new record of 32.2 million tonnes in 2010 . The surprisingly high volume results from a stronger than expected production China and India .

The low prices of chrome ore has led to a severe shortage of global chromite production in 2011. Such supply condition may drive up prices of ferrochrome and chrome ore in 2012. Also chrome ore shortage in China is expected as Zimbabwe has banned the export of chrome ore. The steel ministry in India has demanded a complete ban on chrome ore exports.
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Source: WSJ groups

Outokumpu completes 5 years of its operations in India

Outokumpu, which has completed its five years of operations in India, announced that it will further mainly focus on high end application segment in India including the applications in the growing energy sector by supplying its premium grade steel to upcoming challenges in power projects which include nuclear, renewable and fossil energy as well as applications in Oil and gas, chemical processing industries, coastal bridges and desalination plants where human safety and process efficiency elements play a key role.
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  Source: Steel Guru