As an indication that steel demand is not expected to recover too strongly in 2010, steel producer Arcelor Mittal are to cut  a further 10,000 jobs.  Employees in the US and Europe are expected to be most effected by the cuts with growth in these markets forecast to be limited in 2010.

Following output increases in the third Quarter of 2009, analysts predict that europe's major stainless steel producing mills will reduce output in Q1 2010 by upto 20%.  The move is expected due to the less than optimistic market outlook for 2010 and recent sharp fall in demand.  EU steel prices are also expected to fall early in 2010, as in comparison to Asia prices they remain expensive and there is the prospect of losing market share to Asian imports without price corrections.

Following the continued drop in nickel prices, stainless steel round bar alloy surcharges are set to fall in December, as they did also in November.

Nickel prices fall 8% in month of November with  weak stainless steel demand expected to keep prices subdued in near future.

Net income for Q3 was $0.9 billion or $0.60 per share. Sales stood at $16.2 billion, up in comparision on Q2 at $15.2 billion, however, this was a significant drop on the same quarter in 2008 which saw sales at $35.2 billion.  Despite the y-o-y drop in figures, Arcelor Mittal anticipate a strong increase in steel demand over the coming months to come on the back of the technical recovery as we see the end of de-stocking.  Although the steel market is volatile at present and difficult to forecast, AM foresee a steady sales recovery over the next 6 months.

India's leading steel makers including Essar and Ispat have witnessed upto 30% growth in sales volume in October 2009, compared to the same period last year, this is predominantly due to strong demand from the automobile and construction industries. 

For our users convenience we are now including Nickel prices, Brent Oil prices, and currency exchange rates prominently displayed on our home page.  These are updated on a daily basis, saving you from visiting multiple sites, all the information is here in one place. 

Should you have any requirement for stainless steel pipe and pipefittings, EA offer two excellent suppliers in our directory.  United Stainless and S&N Stainless are very well respected suppliers, carrying extensive pipe and pipefitting stocks in stainless steel 304/304L, 316/316L, 321.  S & N Stainless also stock duplex, super duplex and 6Mo stainless.  Give these suppliers a try next time you have a pipe or fitting requirement in these grades of stainless.  You can find them, and many more suppliers of a whole host of products in our supplier directory

Specialist fabricator, Langfields Ltd, based in Manchester have signed up to Engineering Alloys directory. Established in 1908, they have a reputation for reliability and excellence. Specialising in nickel alloy fabrication and titanium fabrication for the Pharmaceutical, Chemical, Offshore, Marine, Defence and Nuclear industries, their web site can be found at www.langfields.com

Ms Lisa Lloyd and Dr Clayton Thomas of Lloyd Thomas Consultancy will be contributing to the Engineering Alloys forum, sharing their 30 years experience in metallurgy and engineering with our users.  I would like to see more users taking advantage of the Forum on our site, and I am hopeful that the presence and availability of such expertise will encourage users to look to engineering-alloys.com for advice and answers.

The subsidiary of India's Tata Steel, Corus' Teeside slab plant have secured sufficient orders to enable it to operate to the end of 2009, following the uncertainty in May resulting from early loss of supply contracts with major clients.

Our regular users will be aware of the careers area of our page, where we aim to provide employment opportunities in sectors such as aerospace, automotive, precision engineering, chemical process and oil and gas.  Three new fantastic roles have been added today:-

Quality Engineer in the Aerospace Industry

General Manager for FPSO's

Manufacturing & Operations Manager in Chemical Processing

Details of all three roles are available on the careers page, which will now be updated every Friday with great new roles which I am sure will capture the imagination of our users.

If you are recruiting and would like to add your roles to our site then please contact us on 0845 30 34 777, or e-mail info@engineering-alloys.com 

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development says that its latest assessment of composite leading indicators (CLIs) shows stronger signs that the world economy is recovering.

The OECD’s CLIs are considered to give a signal of future economic performance, and hence demand for steel, as Steel Business Briefing has previously reported.

“Clear signals of recovery” are now visible in all the seven major OECD economies – particularly France and Italy – as well as in China, India and Russia, the organisation says.

CLIs for July 2009 increased in the USA, Japan, Canada, Germany and other European countries. For the OECD area as a whole, July’s reading was up by 1.5 point from June but remained 1.9 point lower than July 2008.

July 2009 CLIs for France, Italy and the UK were higher than the same month last year, indicating growing prospects for economic expansion.

China’s July CLI was 1.5 point higher than June but 0.7 lower than a year ago. The signs for Brazil are also more encouraging, although its July CLI remained almost 10 points down on the same month last year.

Steel Business Briefing, 16th September 2009

Please add your comments and thoughts.

From previous success stories originating from exhibiting or simply visiting the Offshore Europe exhibition at Aberdeen, I felt it would be highly beneficial to visit this year following the launch of engineering-alloys.com.  It was a good opportunity to spread the word about the site, get feedback from all levels and sectors of the industries we are targeting and also to enlist suppliers to help make the directory as comprehensive as possible.

My first impression of the show this year was that it was even bigger in terms of visitors than my last visit in 2007, which was confirmed by local press.  Secondly, there was an air of optimism about the next 12 months, with most exhibitors I spoke to optimistic about market conditions and growth returning.  Concerns still lingered regarding availability of finance to end users and the impact this would have on the market but this appeared to be the only thing dampening the optimism.

I was suprised to see that the number of material suppliers and stockists exhibiting was considerably smaller than previous years.  It was clear that most felt there was as much benefit to be gained by simply visiting as opposed to exhibiting and the costs involved.  However, I saw many a familiar face and thank those I spoke to for their time.  Feedback on engineering-alloys.com was very positive and the interest levels far higher than I could have hoped for.  Overall, it was worth the visit, the 14 hour return trip, the £7.00 sandwich and the parking ticket!

Please share your exhibition experiences and thoughts with us by commenting below.

Adam Dudley

See the news article "Stainless plate volumes may recover in Q4 - Jacquet Metals"

How does your company foresee the next few months? Do you share the sentiments expressed by Jacquet Metals.

Let us know by adding your comments here.