US and Canadian Service Center Shipments Show Year over Year Growth
02/17/2012 - Shipments from US and Canadian service centers continued to grow on a year-over-year basis in January 2012, according to the latest Metals Activity Report from the Metals Service Center Institute.
Shipments from US and Canadian service centers continued to grow on a year-over-year basis in January 2012, according to the latest Metals Activity Report from the Metals Service Center Institute. In the U.S., steel and aluminum shipments grew at 9.0% and just over 10%, respectively (YOY), while in Canada steel and aluminum shipments were up almost 3.0% and over 16%, respectively (YOY).
The report also shows that steel shipments from U.S. Service Centers totaled 3,723.2 thousand tons in January 2012, representing an increase of 9.0% vs. January 2011. By the end of January, steel product inventories were 8,769.8 thousand tons, an increase of 9.2% over January 2011. At the current shipping rate this represents 2.4 months’ supply in inventory.
January shipments of aluminum products by U.S. Service Centers totaled 133.6 thousand tons, an increase of 10.1% from the same month in 2011. By the end of January, inventories of aluminum products were 374.3 thousand tons, an increase of 6.1% over January a year ago. At the current shipping rate this represents 2.8 months’ supply in inventory.
Canadian Service Centers shipped 560.8 thousand tons of steel products in January 2012, which represents an increase of 2.9% from January 2011. By the end of January, steel product inventories were 1,678.5 thousand tons, an increase of 13.6% from December a year ago. At the current shipping rate, this represents 3.0 months’ supply in inventory.
January shipments of aluminum products by Canadian Service Centers totaled 14.0 thousand tons, representing an increase of 16.3% from the same month in 2011. Inventories of aluminum products were 34.1 thousand tons at the end of January 2012, an increase of 8.2% from January a year ago. At the current shipping rate, this represents 2.4 months’ supply in inventory.
Founded in 1909, the Metals Service Center Institute, based in Rolling Meadows, Ill., has nearly 400 members operating from more than 1,500 locations in the U.S, Canada, Mexico and throughout the world. Together MSCI members constitute the largest single group of metals purchasers in North America, amounting each year to more than 55 million tons of steel, aluminum, and other metals, with about 300,000 manufacturers and fabricators as customers. MSCI’s membership also includes most ferrous and non-ferrous industrial metals producers in North America.
