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Metals News

China partially wins WTO case over Obama-era US tariffs

By: Reuters 22nd March 2018 The US did not fully comply with a 2014 ruling against its anti-subsidy tariffs on a range of Chinese products, a World Trade Organisation compliance panel said in a ruling on Wednesday that either side can appeal within 20 days. The ruling came ahead of the White House's announcement on... →

WTO members say US actions threaten trade body's credibility

By: Reuters 20th March 2018 Nearly 50 countries expressed concern on Tuesday about the "serious threat" to the World Trade Organisation posed by unilateral trade actions, a pointed reference to US import tariffs that have caused a global outcry. Delivering concluding remarks after a two-day informal meeting of the WTO... →

China iron-ore, steel extends losses as lofty China inventories weigh

By: Reuters 20th March 2018 Chinese iron-ore prices fell further on Tuesday, a day after posting their biggest daily drop in almost ten months as high inventories and a weak domestic steel market pressure prices. Near-term inventory risks have dampened the outlook for steel and iron-ore prices short term, Argonaut said in a... →

US govt to accept metals tariffs exclusion requests from Monday

By: Reuters 19th March 2018 The US Commerce Department said it will begin accepting requests on Monday for product exclusions from President Donald Trump's new steel and aluminum import tariffs, but it could take up to 90 days for the agency to make determinations. In a notice published on Saturday on the Federal Register... →

2018 brings renewed optimism for South African stainless steel industry

By: Simone Liedtke 12th March 2018 This year may break the downward trend of reduced consumption in the South African stainless steel industry, says South African Stainless Steel Development Association (Sassda) director John Tarboton. He notes that stainless steel consumption dropped by about 5.6% in 2017, and that the industry... →

South Africa to make tariffs submission as Trump leaves door open for exclusions

By: Terence Creamer 9th March 2018 The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) says it is studying US President Donald Trump’s proclamations to impose a new 10% tariff on aluminium products and a new 25% tariff on steel products from March 23. However, the department also confirmed that it would be making a formal submission to the... →

Photo by Bloomberg
US President Donald Trump

WTO says there is still time to discuss US tariff move

By: Reuters 9th March 2018 World Trade Organization (WTO) members still have time to discuss the US tariffs on steel and aluminium imports signed by President Donald Trump on Thursday, and it is up to them what happens next, WTO spokesperson Dan Pruzin told reporters on Friday. "Certainly there is still time to discuss... →

Mintek to develop technologies to selectively recover PACs

9th March 2018 Geochemical and metallurgical analysis company Mintek is currently conducting a project called Pacman for which the aim is to separate valuable metal and unreacted material from waste during ferrochrome production. The project is run by Mintek’s pyrometallurgy and minerals processing divisions.... →

MARKUS ERWEE Mintek wants to develop technology that could be used by communities around smelters

EU warns Trump of trade war, China raises concerns at WTO

By: Reuters 7th March 2018 Europe and the IMF urged Donald Trump on Wednesday to step back from the brink of a trade war, after the resignation of his economic adviser emboldened those encouraging him to push ahead with tariffs on imported steel and aluminium. The departure of Gary Cohn, seen as a bulwark against Trump's... →

Columbus aims to export competitively, while growing local market consumption

By: Simone Liedtke 6th March 2018 Columbus Stainless is positioned well to export competitively to the international market, while remaining committed to growing domestic demand for stainless steel. With market consumption of about 120 000 t/y of flat production, CEO Lucien Matthews says South Africa is the largest consumer of... →

South African steel, aluminum firms watchful, but not overly anxious, as US tariff hikes loom

By: Terence Creamer 6th March 2018 South African steel and aluminium firms remain watchful and uncertain about the effects that proposed increased US trade protection could have on their businesses. However, the companies also indicate that they will seek to mitigate the risk through export diversification, as well as a continued... →

US President Donald Trump

Deal with excess steel capacity in global forum, OECD says

By: Reuters 6th March 2018 Excess steel capacity should be dealt with in a global forum for the problem to avoid an escalation of trade disputes, OECD chief Angel Gurria said on Tuesday following the Trump administration's plans to introduce import tariffs. Leaders of Group of 20 economic powers set up the Global Forum on... →

Photo by Creamer Media
OECD secretary general Angel Gurria

WTO chief urges States to stop first dominoes of trade war

By: Reuters 6th March 2018 The head of the World Trade Organization (WTO) told member states on Monday they must prevent "the fall of the first dominoes" in a trade war and warned of a real risk of triggering an escalation of global trade barriers and a deep recession. World trade policy is in turmoil because of US... →

Photo by Reuters
WTO director general Roberto Azevedo

China will cut 30Mt of steel, 150Mt of coal this year – NDRC

By: Reuters 5th March 2018 China will cut steel capacity by 30-million tonnes and coal output by 150-million tonnes this year, its top economic planner said on Monday, putting the world's top metal and energy market on track to beat long-term targets. In a work report at the opening of the annual meeting of parliament, the... →

Europe's firm response to stop short of trade war with Trump

By: Reuters 2nd March 2018 The firm response Europe has pledged to planned US tariffs on steel and aluminium imports is likely to stop short of triggering the trade war that open market supporters fear. US President Donald Trump said on Thursday the United States would apply duties of 25% on imported steel and 10% on... →

Trump trade war talk spooks emerging stocks

By: Reuters 2nd March 2018 Emerging market stocks fell to two-week lows on Friday, with steelmakers taking a pounding after President Donald Trump said he would impose hefty tariffs on US imports of steel and aluminium, reviving fears of a trade war. Trump said the duties of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminium would be... →

Mini mills embraced by the steel industry

By: Paige Müller 2nd March 2018 Metallurgic processing plant supplier SMS group states that the South African steel industry is embracing mini mill technology as an alternative to expensive traditional integrated steel plants. SMS group’s latest annual report, published in 2017, indicates that steel producers are looking to... →

MINI MILLS The mills are especially useful in developing countries because they are less energy intensive and require a much smaller upstart capital investment

Development programme encourages economic growth

By: Paige Müller 2nd March 2018 To date, steel service centre and distributor Macsteel’s Usizo development programme has assisted in creating 175 new jobs in the steel sector. The programme was first initiated by Macsteel in May 2015 to assist small, medium-sized and microenterprises (SMMEs) in the steel industry by... →

USIZO DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME The Usizo development programme, spearheaded by Macsteel, has led to an injection of R50-million into the South African economy

Drive specialist launches new product at event

By: Simone Liedtke 2nd March 2018 Drive engineering specialist SEW Eurodrive will launch its ECDriveS at this year's bauma CONEXPO AFRICA expo for the global construction and mining industries. →

NORMAN MALEKA Our aim is to offer complete solutions, as opposed to simply being a component supplier

Progressive partnership forged in steel

By: Paige Müller 2nd March 2018 Despite the constrained local economy, steel supplier and processor Allied Steelrode and fully women-owned industry newcomer BBD Steel Suppliers have found growth potential in a progressive partnership. “The state of the steel industry in South Africa is challenging . . . There is a lot of... →

MONIKA PRETORIUS, ARUN CHADHA AND GWEN MAHUMA Allied Steelrode and BBD Steel Suppliers have formed a lucrative partnership

Long-suffering SA manufacturing sector hoping to reap Ramaphosa dividend

By: Dylan Slater 2nd March 2018 Prior to the Valentine’s Day resignation of now former President Jacob Zuma, popular industry sentiment pointed towards a better year in terms of manufacturing and gross domestic product (GDP) on the back of a recovering commodities market. →

US steel, aluminium execs invited to White House for possible announcement

By: Reuters 1st March 2018 Several top US steel and aluminium executives have been invited to the White House on Thursday for what could be a major trade announcement, according to two people familiar with the meeting. US President Donald Trump has vowed to take steps to crack down on imports of steel and aluminium and has... →

Hulamin delivers strong FY17 sales, sees possible upside to proposed US tariff increases

By: Megan van Wyngaardt 26th February 2018 The proposed aluminium import tariffs that are currently being considered by US President Donald Trump's administration could have a positive impact on South African aluminium products manufacturer Hulamin's operations, CEO Richard Jacob said on Monday. Speaking to Engineering News Online in a... →

Working-at-height training programme incorporates VR tech

By: Nadine James 23rd February 2018 Steel and mining company ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) has incorporated virtual reality (VR) technology into the apprenticeship and training programmes at its Vanderbiljpark plant. The VR training solution, which has been operational since December last year, is currently used to determine... →

SAFETY FIRST The virtual reality technology allows for practical application without placing trainees at risk

Solar systems company dismisses takeover rumour

By: Dylan Slater 23rd February 2018 Solar photovoltaic (PV) mounting systems company Schletter South Africa is seeing positive growth in line with industry developments, with high hopes of renewed interest and demand in 2018. →

EU warns it will retaliate if hit by US trade curbs

By: Reuters 22nd February 2018 The European Commission said on Tuesday it had expressed its concern to Washington about possible measures to curb imports of steel and aluminium and warned that it was ready to react if its industry was hit. "We have made it clear to the US administration at the highest level that we would be... →

Seifsa worried about potential impact of proposed US steel import tariff increases

By: Megan van Wyngaardt 20th February 2018 The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) has warned that the difficulties facing the local steel industry would continue to worsen in the year ahead if the US Department of Commerce's recommendation for a tariff of at least 53% on all steel imports from 12... →

Commission recommends tribunal approve Southern Palace Group's Genrec buy

By: Simone Liedtke 19th February 2018 The Competition Commission has recommended to the Competition Tribunal that Southern Palace Group's (SPG's) proposed acquisition of steel fabrication and manufacturing business Genrec Engineering, from construction and engineering company Murray and Roberts, be approved without conditions. SPG,... →

Japan's steel industry urges Trump to make careful trade decision

By: Reuters 19th February 2018 Japan's steel industry said on Monday the US Commerce Department proposal to President Donald Trump to impose curbs on steel imports violate the principles of free trade, calling for Washington to make a careful and appropriate decision. The US Commerce Department recommended on Friday that Trump... →

Tribunal approves amendment to payment terms of AMSA’s R1.5bn settlement agreement

By: Creamer Media Reporter 15th February 2018 The Competition Tribunal has approved a variation agreement allowing ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) to pay the first R300-million instalment of its R1.5-billion fine in three tranches. In late 2016, AMSA concluded a settlement agreement with the Competition Commission in terms of which it... →

Any US tariffs could spark trade war, cut growth, Germany says

By: Reuters 15th February 2018 The German chamber of commerce said on Wednesday that US import tariffs on steel could trigger a trade war with major trading partners, which analysts say could cut growth in Europe's largest economy by up to one percentage point. US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he was considering a... →

Sasol Chemicals completes alumina capacity expansion project in Germany

By: Megan van Wyngaardt 14th February 2018 Sasol Chemicals' inorganics and catalyst division has completed a 15 000 t/y expansion of alumina capacity at its Brunsbuettel site, in Germany, enabling the company to meet growing global demand. The expansion involved debottlenecking the alumina slurry feed capacity by installing an additional... →

TFR transports record chrome volumes from mines to ports

By: Schalk Burger 14th February 2018 State-owned Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) has transported a record 5.77-million tons of chrome by rail from mines to the ports in the first 47 weeks of the current financial year. This exceeds the 5.75-million tons of chrome transported by rail in the prior financial year. →

China urges US to rein in 'trade remedy measures' for steel

By: Reuters 13th February 2018 China has expressed concerns over excessive protectionism in the steel sector by the United States, and urged it to show restraint in using trade remedy measures, an official with Chinese Ministry of Commerce (Mofcom) said on Tuesday. Wang Hejun, the head of Mofcom's Trade Remedy and... →

Entries for Seifsa Awards for Excellence now open

By: Anine Kilian 12th February 2018 The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) has invited manufacturers operating in the metals and engineering sector to submit their entries for the 2018 Seifsa Awards for Excellence. Entries are open to all companies in the sector, including those which are not... →

India's Tata Steel Q3 profit surges on volume growth

By: Reuters 9th February 2018 India's Tata Steel on Friday posted a five-fold rise in third-quarter profit, boosted by strong volume growth in India and increasing steel prices. "Global steel prices have been buoyant with improved trade position in China along with cost push from raw materials," Chief Executive Officer T V... →

Multistage line a first for South Africa, to reduce scrap rate in automotive industry

By: Jessica Oosthuizen 9th February 2018 Steel supplier and processing company Allied Steelrode will later this year test the prototype model of a custom-built, multistage slitting and blanking line. Once the full-scale line has been built and commissioned it will achieve average scrap rate reductions of between 5% and 25% and improve... →

WARNE RIPPON The new multi-stage slitting and blanking line will be a first for South Africa

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