Steel News

World Crude Steel Production Dips 4.4% in June

22 July 2010 - World crude steel production for the 66 countries reporting to the world steel association stood at an estimated 118.76 million tonnes in June 2010 — a 4.4% decrease from the previous month (May 2010) and an 18.0% increase vs. June 2009.

New Process Boosts Productivity at ThyssenKrupp Acciai Speciali Terni

22 July 2010 - ThyssenKrupp Acciai Speciali Terni is one of only a few stainless steel mills using “S-6-high” rolling technology integrated on strip processing lines. Following installation at the beginning of 2010 and completion of the ramp-up phase, the new two-stand rolling mill is now running at full capacity.

Corus Recruits New Workers in Specialty Steels Business

21 July 2010 - Corus plans to recruit 154 new workers for its South Yorkshire manufacturing operations and to resume apprentice and graduate recruitment. Corus Specialty Steels is looking for 14 apprentices and seven graduates—the first time the business has recruited trainees since the economic downturn.

Tenova I2S Commissions Cluster Mill at Shanghai Qichang Stainless Steel

21 July 2010 - Tenova I2S has commissioned its new ZR23CN-26” 20 Hi Cluster Mill at Shanghai Qichang Stainless Steel in Shanghai, China. The mill produces stainless steels from 3.0 to 0.05 mm thickness with a strip width range of 300 to 660 mm at speeds of 600 meters per minute.

SAIL Orders Long-Product Rolling Mill from Siemens VAI

20 July 2010 - The Steel Authority of India has awarded an order to a consortium led by Siemens VAI Metals Technologies for the construction of a new rolling mill for long products in Durgapur, West Bengal. It is scheduled to produce 1 million tonnes per annum, starting from mid-2012, of structural steels of various sizes and cross-sections.

Mechel Commissions Steel Processing Equipment at Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant

20 July 2010 - Mechel OAO has commissioned the secondary steel processing equipment within the first stage of the arc-furnace meltshop #6 upgrade at Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant. Commissioned equipment includes the ladle furnace No. 2 for steel processing and a vacuum tank degasser for molten metal degassing.

Gerdau Expands Investments in Ouro Branco

20 July 2010 - Gerdau is making a new investment at its steelworks in the city of Ouro Branco (state of Minas Gerais): its first hot-rolled coil mill to be installed in Brazil. A new flat steel rolling mill also will be installed for the production of heavy plates. Joint capacity of these two rolling mills will initially be 1.9 million tonnes/year.

Baosteel Completes First Lot Supply of Heavy Plate for Queensland Pipeline

20 July 2010 - The first lot of 11,500 tonnes of heavy plate for UOE pipe for the Queensland Curtis liquefied natural gas pipeline project recently entered the final pipe-making process at Baosteel. The company will supply 200,000 tonnes of high-grade X70 steel line pipe.

Posco Holds Tech Exchange with Severstal

20 July 2010 - Posco recently held a technical exchange program with Severstal at Posco’s Pohang Works. The companies are building ties that include talks on commodity-related cooperation and a series of joint ventures in the Americas and Eastern Europe.

China Steel, SMS Mevac Extend Partnership with Sixth RH Plant

20 July 2010 - China Steel orders a sixth RH plant from SMS Mevac. The order follows SMS Mevac’s recent installation of a 250-tonne RH Plant scheduled to be started up at China Steel’s Converter Plant No. 2 in the second quarter of 2012.

Kumba to Halt Iron Ore Supply to ArcelorMittal

19 July 2010 - ArcelorMittal and Sishen Iron Ore Co. Ltd. (SIOC), a subsidiary of Kumba Iron Ore Ltd., have failed to conclude an interim price arrangement for the supply of iron ore. SIOC plans to cease supplying iron ore to ArcelorMittal's steel plants within two weeks as a result.

Vale Announces New Strategic Partner at Pecém Steel

19 July 2010 - Posco joins Vale and Dongkuk in the Companhia Siderúrgica do Pecém – CSP project, which is being built at the Pecém Industrial and Port Complex in the state of Ceará, Brazil. The new CSP shareholders participation will be approximately Vale 50%, Dongkuk 30%, and Posco 20%.

Tata Steel Sells Stake in Southern Steel Berhad

19 July 2010 - Tata Steel’s subsidiary NatSteel Holdings Pte. Ltd. has sold its 27.03% stake in Southern Steel Berhad, Malaysia, at a total consideration of around USD 72 million.

IUCN, Rio Tinto Partner for Enhanced Sustainable Development

16 July 2010 - The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Rio Tinto have entered into a formal collaboration agreement. The three-year relationship aims to help Rio Tinto strengthen its sustainable development efforts, environmental management, and delivery of conservation outcomes.

Second Posco-VHPC Factory Starts Processing

16 July 2010 - Posco has opened the second factory of Posco-VHPC; the first opened in March 2008 to provide high-quality steel-processing service in the Vietnamese market. With the new processing center in operation, Posco-VHPC will have 150,000 tonnes of production capability.

Air Products to Supply Nitrogen and Hydrogen to Posco in India

16 July 2010 - INOX Air Products has signed a long-term contract with Posco Maharashtra Steel Private Ltd. (PMSPL) to supply on-site nitrogen and hydrogen gases to its new facility located in Maharashtra, Western India. The plants are expected to come on-stream in late 2011.

Salzgitter Announces Next Executive Board Chairman

15 July 2010 - The Salzgitter AG Supervisory Board unanimously appoints Prof. Dr. Heinz Jörg Fuhrmann as the Chairman of Salzgitter’s Executive Board for the period from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2016.

Rio Tinto Approves Funding for Expansion of Pilbara Operations

15 July 2010 - Rio Tinto has announced US$200 million funding to prepare for the expansion of its iron ore operations in Western Australia. The funding will allow dredging contracts to be issued as part of early works on the expansion of the Cape Lambert port, supporting the Pilbara operations' overall capacity increase to 330 million tonnes a year.

Mechel Reports First-Quarter Financial Results

15 July 2010 - Mechel reported that net revenue in the first quarter of 2010, which ended March 31, increased by 61.1% to $1.9 billion, compared to $1.2 billion in the first quarter of 2009. Operating income rose by 971.2% to $147.6 million, or 7.8% of net revenue.

worldsteel Publishes 2010 World Steel in Figures

14 July 2010 - The World Steel Association has published the 2010 edition of World Steel in Figures, featuring comprehensive information on the production, trade and apparent use of crude steel, pig iron, iron ore and scrap. Top steel producing countries and companies are also highlighted.