Eurobench.com

voda 17 januari 2019 19:56

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NMDC iron ore sales in December fall due to Karnataka mine closure

Lack of contribution from Donimalai mine in Karnataka dragged down state-run NMDC Ltd.’s production and despatches in December. The company recorded its worst fall in monthly production since August and steepest decline in despatches since July last year. That came as its mine in Karnataka, which contributed 17 percent of its total output in the last financial year, remained shut since the first week of November. The shutdown stems from state government’s decision to impose 80 percent premium on the iron ore sales from the mine. NMDC has a full-year despatches target of 37 million tonne. Going by nine-month data, that appears steep. Despatches fell 13.6% on a yearly basis to 22 million tonnes in the nine months ended November compared with 25.6 million tonnes in the year-ago period.

Source : Strategic Research Institute

voda 17 januari 2019 19:58

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Vanadium prices remain strong into 2019

Vanadium was the best performing battery mineral in the last 12 months, based on price increases, with most of global supply going to steel production. Present vanadium supply is largely dominated by coke production in steel markets, with vanadium use in batteries growing from a 1% share in 2015 to 2% in 2017. In that same period, however, vanadium consumption from steel also increased its share from 68% to 76%. More than 90% of vanadium consumption goes towards steel where an addition of 0.2% vanadium increases steel strength up to 100% and reduces weight by up to 30%.

Rising vanadium prices over the last three years have been partially caused by lower global inventory levels as total supply remains under pressure, as well as growing demand in traditional and new markets.

Produced primarily as a by-product, vanadium demand in standard applications such as strengthening steel will continue to grow and will be diversified through potential energy storage applications.

The mineral itself is derived from vanadium-titanium-magnetite deposits, shale-hosted deposits or as secondary products from fossil fuels and uranium.

Near-term growth will be driven by steel production in developing countries as well as higher standards in rebar which will require more vanadium.

CSA Global principal consultant Mr Tony Donaghy said vanadium consumption still had substantial room to grow in Asian steel markets due to further improvements in grade and purity.

Demand for vanadium use in rebar is increasing 6% annually and new Chinese rebar standards have doubled to reach the rest of the world.

Mr Donaghy pointed out that analysts had predicted a significant deficit in vanadium by 2027, based on current projects in the pipeline and expected demand trends. He also noted that a substantial downscaling of fossil fuel reliance in vanadium production was projected by 2050, potentially focusing global production on magnetite and shale-hosted deposits.

Source : Proactive Investors

voda 18 januari 2019 17:12

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NMDC's outdoor pipelines operations for Nagarnar steel plant to be outsourced

The Pioneer reported that NMDC Ltd will be outsourcing operation and maintenance of Outdoor Pipelines package for a period of two years for its steel plant at Nagarnar near Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh. NMDC's Ore Processing Plant at Bacheli will be interconnected by a Slurry Pipeline System between Bacheli and Nagarnar in Chhattisgarh. Notably, NMDC had sought Right of Use (ROU) / Right of Way (ROW) permission earlier for developing a land corridor for its Slurry Pipeline project from Bailadila to Nagarnar in Bastar region of Chhattisgarh

The company which is also in the process of laying a 15 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA) slurry pipeline is executing the project in two phases. The first phase is being executed from Bacheli to Nagarnar in Bastar region of Chhattisgarh at an estimated outlay of INR 4,000 crore; and the second phase will be executed from Nagarnar to Vizag in Andhra Pradesh at an outlay of INR 6,000 crore

Notably, to transport pellet feed concentrate from Bailadila to Vizag via Jagdalpur, the company will have the pipeline laid along the highways with a provision of partial off-take to feed its proposed 3 MTPA Steel plant coming up at Nagarnar.

Source : The Pioneer

voda 18 januari 2019 17:12

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Insteel Industries reports First Quarter 2019 results

Insteel Industries Inc announced financial results for its first quarter ended December 29, 2018. Net earnings for the first quarter of fiscal 2019 decreased to $4.1 million, or $0.21 per share, from $8.1 million, or $0.42 per diluted share, in the same period a year ago. Insteel's first-quarter results for fiscal 2019 were unfavorably impacted by lower shipments and higher unit manufacturing costs on lower production volume relative to the prior year quarter.

Net sales increased 6.5% to $104.1 million from $97.7 million in the prior year quarter driven by a 28.7% increase in average selling prices that offset a 17.2% decrease in shipments. Shipments for the current year quarter were adversely impacted by the unusually wet weather in many regions of the country and construction project delays together with an increase in low-priced import competition. On a sequential basis, shipments decreased 14.5% from the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018 while average selling prices increased 0.4%. Gross margin narrowed 140 basis points to 10.5% from 11.9% in the prior year quarter due to the reduction in shipments and higher manufacturing costs.

Outlook

"Looking ahead to the remainder of fiscal 2019, we expect improved market conditions driven by continued growth in the construction sector and the weather-related deferral of business from the first quarter. We should also benefit from lower manufacturing costs at our facilities through higher operating volumes and increasing contributions from our process improvement initiatives. Our second quarter results, however, will reflect the usual seasonal slowdown in construction activity.

"The growth outlook for our engineered structural mesh ("ESM") product line remains positive. We believe the continued tightness in the job market will spur increased interest in the use of ESM as a replacement for conventional rebar for many cast-in-place applications where it can allow contractors to realize a meaningful reduction in installation labor and compress project timelines.

"We continue to be actively engaged with the Administration regarding the detrimental impact of the Section 232 tariff program on downstream consumers of steel. Domestic prices for hot-rolled steel wire rod, our primary raw material, remain substantially higher than global market levels, providing foreign producers of welded wire reinforcement and PC strand with a significant cost advantage as they aggressively seek to expand their presence in the U.S. market. The resulting pricing pressure has compressed margins in those portions of our business that are susceptible to import competition, particularly for our PC strand product line. We remain hopeful that the Administration will be amenable to a solution that places domestic producers on equal footing with foreign competitors."

Source : Strategic Research Institute

voda 18 januari 2019 17:13

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Nanjing orders upgrade for continuous caster from SMS Concast

Nanjing Iron and Steel Group Co Ltd, a leading Chinese steel producer with approximately ten million tons of steel produced per annum, has awarded SMS Concast AG an order to upgrade the four strands of continuous caster CCM4 at its Nanjing plant No. 2. The targets of the project are to improve product quality and productivity and also to increase flexibility in the processing of a vast steel grade portfolio and to reach an annual production of more than 800,000 tons of blooms. The four-strand continuous casting machine with nominal radius of 12 meters will cast two bloom section sizes, namely 250 x 300 and 320 x 420 millimeters. The product mix will include a large proportion of high-carbon grades like bearing and spring steels and the full range of steel grades to serve the automotive industry. This product portfolio will allow greater production flexibility and responsiveness to the market demand.

The casting machine will be equipped with the latest technological design to make this caster one of the most modern installations worldwide. Features, like dynamic mechanical soft reduction (DMSR) shall improve the inner quality of the blooms by means of soft and hard reduction modules designed to reach the necessary reduction ratios for an accurate control of core porosity and segregation.

The complete control of the soft/hard reduction (DMSR) system is delegated to the COOL real-time solidification model. This online simulation tool is a proprietary system developed by SMS Concast. It dynamically calculates the temperature profile along the entire strand and defines the roll gap and the reduction forces in the respective modules of the straightening unit. The spray cooling is also dynamically readjusted in accordance with the calculated cooling profile.

In addition to the DMSR system, the modernization project includes other technological and digital solutions such as CONFLOW tundish stopper mechanism for a precise control of the steel flow to the mold, INVEX® mold tube technology with the latest mold cooling features and a hydraulic tandem oscillation system allowing several oscillation parameters. The electromagnetic mold and final stirrers (CONSTIR M-EMS and F-EMS) together with the SMS Concast CONSTIR-MWS tool (modulated wave stirring) optimize stirring efficiency with an energy saving of 30 percent and more. The list of technological packages is rounded up by air-mist spray cooling and a bloom deburring technology. The installation of a robot-type slide gate manipulator will be also foreseen to increase safety and unmanned operation on the casting floor.

The electrical and automation system has the prime purpose of automatically controlling the operation of the caster (no-man casting). At the same time, the Level 2 computer system tracks and records all parameters relevant to bloom quality and provides a detailed cast report for each bloom. This preventive software module includes automatic sample cutting, slice by slice identification, computerized bloom tracking, a heat extraction mode, optimized residual length calculation and equipment life time recording.

In order to minimize shutdown times, particular attention was paid to project planning and delivery schedule in order to achieve quick implementation. The modernization is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2019.

Source : Strategic Research Institute

voda 18 januari 2019 17:13

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APEAL appoints Mr Tony Waie of Tata Steel Europe as new president

cers of steel for packaging, has appointed Tony Waite, Sales Director Packaging at Tata Steel Europe, as the association’s new President. Mr Waite was elected unanimously by the Board and General Assembly of APEAL and succeeds Stéphane Tondo of ArcelorMittal. He officially takes over the role of President from January. Mr Waite’s nomination is in line with the biennial rotating presidency of APEAL, defined by the association’s statutes.

Tony Waite has been Sales Director for Tata Steel Europe’s Packaging sector since January 2015. He joined Tata Steel in 1999 and is looking forward to his 20th year in the company and the industry this year. He has held a number of commercial roles within the organisation looking after Original Equipment Manufacturers from Industrial Packaging, Radiators, Domestic Appliances and Automotive tiers. Prior to his current role, he was Regional Head for EIMEA based out of Dubai where he looked after Tata Steel operations in the region and was responsible for all the sales of products into the region from both the European and Indian operations. He holds a BSc in Technology and Management, as well as an MBA from the University of Warwick in the U.K.

Source : Strategic Research Institute

voda 18 januari 2019 17:14

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Sirjan to launch first steel ingot production unit

MNA reported that a lawmaker said a new steel ingot production unit will be launched in the city of Sirjan, the central province of Kerman, in early February. Addressing a business forum in Kerman on Thursday, Shahbaz Hassanpour, a parliamentarian representing the city of Sirjan, said the new unit will be inaugurated by First Vice-President Es’hagh Jahangiri during Fajr Down, a 10-day period (Feb 1-11), marking the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Kerman province owns one of the world’s biggest iron ore reserves. According to Hassanpour, the mineral-rich province produces over 50 million tons of iron ore, 17 million tons of pellet, and 10 million tons of steel per annum.

Source : MNA

voda 18 januari 2019 17:14

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We have done everything to protect Serbia steel mill - Serbian PM

Tanjug reported that we have political guarantees Serbia will not be adversely impacted by steel export quotas as that is also what the Stabilisation and Association Agreement says, Serbian PM Ana Brnabic. Adding that she was not concerned over the Smederevo steel mill and measures to be introduced by the European Commission, she noted that "This is not about the EU fighting against Serbia or China.”

Speaking to reporters, she said she had held a working meeting with EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malstrom in Strasbourg. She said that "I have talked about this with EC President Jean-Claude Juncker, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn.”

She noted that "The team working on this is the most serious team and it has produced analyses that we have presented to the EC, and we also have independent studies that analyze our industry relative to the measures proposed. We have done everything to protect Serbia and our steel mill.”

Source : Tanjug

voda 18 januari 2019 17:15

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US Steel seeks to intervene in lawsuits over Minntac tailings permit

Timber Jay reported that US Steel Corporation is seeking to intervene in a pair of lawsuits that challenge the company’s new permit for water discharge from the Minntac tailings basin north of Virginia.

Permit is being appealed by the group Water Legacy, which contends the permit issued by the state’s Pollution Control Agency last month is a violation of the federal Clean Water Act. Paula Maccabee, legal counsel for Water Legacy, said “US Steel, given the impact the twin lawsuits could have on the company’s operations, is likely to be granted the right to intervene in the case, and will likely do so on the side of its regulator. They have a right to do so, and we don’t intend to challenge it.”

The second lawsuit, filed Dec 31 by the Fond du Lac Band of Ojibwe, argues similarly to the case filed by Water Legacy, contending that the provisions of the newly-issued Minntac permit fail to comply with federal laws and rules. As with Water Legacy, the tribe takes particular issue with the MPCA’s decision not to classify Minntac’s tailings basin as a point source of pollution. Their attorney said “Therefore, the MPCA reasoned, it need not include in the permit certain adjacent, impacted surface waters or groundwater because they would only be considered receiving waters if the tailings basin were a ‘point source.”

The two challenges to the MPCA’s discharge permit will be heard by the state’s Court of Appeals, where the two cases are likely to be combined.

According to the EPA, the basin’s various seeps and discharge points were discharging a combined 4.3 million gallons of polluted water into the two river systems. The Sand River is a tributary of the Pike River, which flows into Lake Vermilion.

Minntac is the state’s largest taconite mine and processing plant and employs about 1,800 workers. Its massive tailings basin contains billions of gallons of water that is known to contain high concentrations of sulfate, total suspended solids, bicarbonates, and other pollutants. Critics contend that discharges from the basin have decimated once-abundant wild rice crops in some receiving waters, including Sandy and Little Sandy lakes, as well as the Dark and Sand rivers.

Source : Timber Jay

voda 18 januari 2019 19:01

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Metso to deliver iron pellet ore plant to Tata Steel Kalinganagar

Metso has won a significant order to deliver a large-scale iron ore pellet plant and related engineering services to Tata Steel for the expansion of the Kalinganagar operation located in Odisha state in India. The order has been booked in Metso's 4th quarter 2018 orders received. The new pellet plant will be equipped with capability to utilize a dual fuel burner and a burner management system that will enable the use of iron ore feed from different sources, optimizing the overall cost of production, including the fuel type and consumption.

Victor Tapia, President, Metso's Mining Equipment business area, said "Metso and Tata Steel have a history of more than 25 years of successful cooperation. We take this much-valued partnership and the confidence in our know-how as clear indicators that we have been able to meet their business needs in a fast-changing business environment. In line with our value proposition, we will assist Tata Steel in minimizing fuel consumption and reducing their carbon footprint in pellet production.”

This order is Metso's first iron ore pellet plant solution for Tata Steel. In summer 2018, Metso reported its largest-ever pellet plant delivery to JSW Steel.

Source : Strategic Research Institute

voda 18 januari 2019 19:02

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Use of steel slag on gravel roads suspended in Iowa county

Desmoines Register reported that an eastern Iowa county has stopped using slag as the gravel on its roads, at least temporarily, because a state toxicologist reported that the steel manufacturing byproduct could be harmful, especially to children. Muscatine County supervisors voted to suspend the use of slag while they wait for further testing on it. The move comes after Iowa Public Health Department toxicologist Stuart Schmitz issued a report that said slag contains metals at levels that can be harmful.

According to a US Department of Health report “Children exposed to high levels of manganese, which is in slag, could develop learning disabilities and adverse behavioral changes. Slag dust is also dangerous for adults who are exposed to high concentrations of the material, though adults would have to work an entire workday, most days of the year, to be harmed.”

County Supervisor Nathan Mather said “The material hasn't been used on roads since June, said. Simply put, we suspended the use of slag out of an abundance of caution while more information is gathered.”

Glenn Hundertmark is the North American environmental manager at Harsco, the industrial company that provides the county with slag. He said there aren't health or environmental risks tied with the material.

Source : Desmoines Register

Bijlage:

voda 18 januari 2019 19:04

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TUBACEX and MIDHANI signs MoU to expand and grow in Indian energy growth Plan

TUBACEX and the Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited have signed a MoU for development of diverse key projects in the region. This agreement would allow the joint development of advanced materials for the energy sector, contemplating technological alliances and the promotion of local manufacturing capacities. Both companies are committed to evaluating the operational, technical and economic feasibility of different projects in India, strengthening their presence in a key market with great growth potential in the coming years.

More specifically, the nuclear energy sector in this region is in a state of growth and requires investments in large-scale energy infrastructures over the next decade, requiring local technology. To respond to this situation, TUBACEX acquired the Indian company Prakash Steelage in 2015 with the aim of improving its proximity to the region by offering competitive products and a more personalized service. Since then, an investment plan aimed at preparing the company on a technological level has been undertaken, with significant effects on the quality of the products and an increase in their productive capacity.

The alliance between TUBACEX and MIDHANI, specialized in the manufacture of special steels and super-alloys, would enable another step to be taken in moving closer to highly demanding technical projects, which require materials exposed to extreme conditions. The experience of both companies in the manufacture of this type of materials, would allow the development of new technologies and solutions focused on increasing energy efficiency and competitiveness to continue advancing. Besides, the potential alliance would expand the commercial scope of TUBACEX in the region through the MIDHANI sales platform, reinforcing the work of its sales office, Tubacex India. On the other hand, the Indian company will be able to take advantage of the positioning of TUBACEX in other markets, extending the commercial offer of the Spanish company.

Jesús Esmorís, TUBACEX Group CEO, has positively evaluated that this strategic tieup as an opportunity to boost the positioning of TUBACEX in key multi-annual projects as well as in a target market with huge growth potential. He said "India has prospects of becoming a world leader in the development of nuclear energy and our commitment is based on our ability to develop advanced materials that respond to the challenges facing the industry in terms of safety, quality and energy efficiency.”

Source : Strategic Research Institute

voda 18 januari 2019 19:05

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British Steel driving innovation with the Materials Processing Institute

British Steel is continuing to drive innovation in partnership with the Materials Processing Institute. The company has worked with the Institute since 2016 when we engaged in a partnership program to support the development of new and advanced steel grades, improve production processes and create plant efficiencies. And on a visit to the Institute, British Steel Technical Director Mr Chris Vaughan was given a comprehensive tour of facilities, and an update on each of the research projects being undertaken on behalf of British Steel. The projects include process improvement for all the major ironmaking plants, BOS steelmaking and all Continuous Casting machines. Mr Chris said that “British Steel has a long standing relationship with the Materials Processing Institute which has assisted in the development and enhancement of our iron and steelmaking products and manufacturing processes.

He added that “We look forward to continuing to work in partnership to meet the future challenges of the UK steel sector, and to complement our R&D team’s efforts to drive sustainability through innovation.”

Mr Chris McDonald, Chief Executive of the Materials Processing Institute, said that “The Institute is celebrating 75 years as a leading steel research centre, built on our extensive research capabilities, expertise and longstanding global partnerships with market leading steel companies. Through our partnership programs, we integrate with clients to deliver a comprehensive, long-term plan of research and innovation projects. We initially adopted this approach for our UK clients, but are increasingly developing a portfolio of international clients benefiting from the program. It was a pleasure to update Chris on our ongoing projects to deliver improvements to British Steel, as well as discuss future research priorities and opportunities.”

Source : Strategic Research Institute

voda 18 januari 2019 19:06

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MMK chairman statement in connection with the decision of the President of the Russian Federation

Statement from the Chairman of the Board of Directors of PJSC Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works Mr Victor Rashnikov in connection with the decision of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin regarding relocating residents of the building affected by the tragedy in Magnitogorsk.

In the first hours after the terrible tragedy that occurred in Magnitogorsk on 31 December 2018, MMK joined the search and rescue operation and recovery efforts. More than a hundred of our employees worked around the clock at the scene of the accident along with our specialised equipment. In addition, to date, MMK has donated around 100 million rubles to the victims, as well as to the dedicated fundraising account opened by the government of the Chelyabinsk Region, to provide targeted and timely support and to solve urgent needs.

Source : Strategic Research Institute

voda 18 januari 2019 19:07

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EU safeguards quota to hit Turkish rebar mills - Report

Reuters quoted some sources as saying that the European Commission’s move to extend its steel import restrictions threatens to force Turkish mills, already buckling under the weight of US tariffs, to cut production further or in some cases close down. A London based Turkish steel trader told Reuters that “Our export markets have disappeared, the local market hardly exists, we’ve got lots of capacity and no market.”

Turkish Steel Exporters’ Association (CIB) head Adnan Aslan said “EU quotas for Turkish rebar are extremely low and will be exceeded in the first one or two months. Local demand is also extremely poor.”

International Rebar Producers and Exports Association said “Traditional export destinations for Turkish mills are closing one after the other. Most probably, the EU quotas will be filled immediately, so EU producers will have a relatively good year.”

Major Turkish mills such as Cebitas and Ekinciler said they had, before the EU announcement, already slashed output while Koc Metalurji said it had stopped output for about a month. However, Erdemir, Turkey’s largest producer, said it was producing as normal.

The Commission said on Wednesday it will extend and beef up its existing safeguard steel import caps until July 2021 to counter concerns that European Union markets are being flooded with steel no longer being exported to the United States. For Turkey’s vast steel sector, the fourth largest contributor to the country’s economy, the caps could prove particularly painful as the EU has given it additional country-specific quotas. Under the safeguards, Turkey has a tariff-free quota for rebar, a construction steel that makes up most of its steel exports, of around 300,000 tonnes for the first nine months of the respective quota periods, down 60 percent from its 2018 exports. Country-specific restrictions do not apply in the last three months of the quota periods and Turkey could make up some sales then, but its annual export levels will still be sharply lower.

Jefferies estimates EU caps on rebar from all countries combined should reduce its total rebar imports by at least 28 percent a year, adding producers such as ArcelorMittal and CMC should benefit most from EU caps on long products like rebar.

Source : Reuters

voda 18 januari 2019 19:11

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Locals invite Dutch PM Rutte to see Tata Steel pollution for himself

Dutch News reported that the inhabitants of the seaside village of Wijk aan Zee have taken out a full page advert in the Volkskrant calling on prime minister Mark Rutte to take action to stop the pollution from companies Tata Steel and Harsco in nearby IJmuiden. In the ad, action group IJmondig claims there is a serious environmental problem and our local and regional authorities are incapable of protecting us from one of the two biggest CO2 producers in the country. The ad said that “We are finding black graphite dust on our sleeping childrens’ duvets. A rainbow of chemical substances can be found on our sinks, window sills, dining tables and cars. Sometimes it’s white silicone fixative, often graphite and sometimes a brown substance or a grey sticky one.”

The graphite comes from Harsco Metals, which processes slag, a residual by-product of steel on the Tata site. In October last year Tata and Harsco announced they would be working together to solve the problem but said ‘it would take time because of design and permit procedures’.

Among the health problems cited by the group are lung problems, headaches, dizziness and nausea and lack of concentration. Tata Steel was given a subsidy of EUR 35 million by the Dutch government to build a new type of smelter with lower CO2 emissions but, IJmondig points out, it will take a long time to develop and will also be built first at a Tata site in India.

Source : Dutch News

Bijlage:

voda 18 januari 2019 19:12

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Severstal Izhora Pipe Mill to supply pipes for Poland–Slovakia Gas Interconnection

Izhora Pipe Mill is to produce and supply over 11 thousand tons of large diameter pipes for the Poland–Slovakia Gas Interconnection project, which will become part of the EU energy infrastructure priority corridor North–South gas interconnections in Central Eastern and South Eastern Europe (NSI East Gas). IPM will supply the customer, Eustream, with pipes with a diameter of 1016mm and length of 18m, made of grade L485ME steel. Metal plates for the products will be produced at Severstal’s Plate mill 5000 (located in Kolpino, St. Petersburg, at the same production site as Izhora Pipe Mill).

A multimodal transportation system comprising road, sea and rail will be used to deliver the products to the customer, improving the flexibility and efficiency of the delivery at every step in the supply chain.

Developed in partnership with BT SVAP to customer specifications, the pipes have an external multifunctional protective coating based on a composite mixture [comprising] polymeric materials, nanocomponents and cement in a galvanized steel shell.

Mr Alexander Semenov, Director of sales to energy companies at Severstal Management, commented that “IPM has successfully passed a multistage prequalification, having confirmed the product’s compliance with international quality standards and won the supply tender. For us, this is an important step in expanding our order book and an opportunity to enter promising new markets.”

The Company plans to begin shipping products in the first quarter of 2019.

Source : Strategic Research Institute

voda 18 januari 2019 19:13

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Final steel safeguard measures welcome but effectiveness could be hampered - EUROFER

Eurofer said that with imports surging by 12% in 2018, the need for an effective defence mechanism is essential, though elements of the final measures are not ideal. Axel Eggert, Director General of EUROFER, said “EU steel imports rose by an unprecedented 12% in 2018. For every three tonnes of steel blocked by the US’ section 232 tariffs, two tonnes have been shipped to the open EU market. It was important that final safeguard measures be approved by the member states; these will now be implemented by 4 February 2019. While we welcome this endorsement, we are nevertheless worried that the form of the final measures may undermine their intended safeguarding function. It is therefore vital that the Commission closely monitors EU steel demand development and adjusts the generous increase of the tariff-free import quota accordingly in July 2019, if necessary.”

Mr Eggert said “The final measures include an immediate ‘relaxation’, increasing the size of the quota by 5% (calculated on the base years of 2015-2017) – with a further 5% relaxation in July 2019 and another 5% in July 2020, subject to review. This is despite the fact that steel demand is expected to increase by only 1% in 2019. This means that the rise in the quota may be multiple times larger than the increase in the size of the market, leaving EU producers to fight over a shrinking market share. Imports already account for around a quarter of the market, up from less than a fifth historically.”

The final measures give country-specific quotas to the main steel exporters to the EU. The remaining ‘residual’ quota for other countries will be quarterly. However, countries with their own quota are free to consume the residual quota once they have used up their own. The final safeguard measure also continues to exempt some developing countries because their import share was below 3%, despite exceeding this threshold during 2018. This is, for instance, the case for Indonesia, whose share of the stainless hot rolled flat steel product segment reached 9.5% in 2018. It is essential that such countries lose their exemption in upcoming revisions.

Mr Eggert concluded “So, while we reiterate our welcome for the final measures, and the overwhelming backing they have received from member states, we caution that steel demand must be monitored closely in the coming periods if this mechanism is to prove effective in the long run.”

Source : Strategic Research Institute

voda 18 januari 2019 19:13

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Fastmarkets MB completes Kogi Iron Limited market study

Kogi Iron Limited and its Nigerian subsidiary KCM Mining provide an update on its ongoing studies to build a steelmaking facility and produce steel billet for sale to the domestic Nigerian and regional markets. In August 2018 the Company advised the market that it had retained Fastmarkets MB to provide a comprehensive a market feasibility study that would be of a bankable standard and would form part of the ongoing Agbaja Cast Steel Project DFS. In conducting this study Fastmarkets was required to give a detailed analysis of the steel industry in Nigeria and West Africa, including:
• Steelmaking raw material costs and substitutes
• Competitor and customer analysis
• Existing and future market demand for Kogi cast steel billet products
• Recommend an appropriate product mix and plant size
• Price forecasts

The objective of the Fastmarkets study titled Kogi Iron Market Feasibility was to confirm the overall level of potential market demand for the Cast Steel Product that Kogi intends to produce from the Agbaja Cast Steel Project. The information from the study will be fed into the DFS which will amongst other things determine the sizing of the Agbaja Cast Steel Project's processing facility.

Fastmarkets confirmed that based on bulk sample process work undertaken by Mintek/Tenova for Kogi, the Agbaja iron ore produced a high quality steel product having minimal impurities with the following metallurgical properties:
• 99.61% Fe (iron)
• 0.0939% C (carbon)
• 0.003% Mn (manganese)
• 0.015% Si (silicon)
• 0.0194% P (phosphorus)
• <0.0632 % S (sulfur)

An extensive review of Nigerian and regional steel demand was undertaken by Fastmarkets including Fastmarkets' analysts travelling to Nigeria to interview potential customers and steel market participants. A summary of their key findings is provided below.

Economic & Market Outlook Highlights
The study evaluated a number of growth scenarios for Nigeria based on the following macro-economic forecasts:
• Economic growth in Nigeria is accelerating after the 2016-18 recession.
• Implementation of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan 2017-2020 should accelerate after elections in early 2019.
• Economic growth is expected to recover to 2.8% in 2019 and 4-4.5% in medium term in line with historic levels1
• Construction growth rates (the major market for long products made from billet) will rise at 5-7% per annum in the medium term.
• Billet demand expected to return to previous levels of 2.3m tonnes by 2022-23 and rise to 2.9m tonnes by 2030.
• Risks to economic growth include a downturn in Chinese demand and a shift to a more generalised protectionist environment (led by the USA).
Billet Pricing Forecast
Based on the above scenario analysis Fastmarkets were able to reach the following conclusions on long term pricing of steel products in Nigeria:
• Fastmarkets forecasts a long-term average billet price over the period from 2019 to 2030 of USD 476/tonne with a range of USD 428/tonne to USD 513/tonne ex-works Lokoja, Nigeria.

This is based on:
o a long-term international price of USD 441/tonne fob Black Sea (compared to 2018 average price of USD 489/tonne) and a 5% billet import tariff (expected to be imposed from 2019). o Nigerian demand outlook.
o Balance between forecast Nigerian supply and demand.
This is conservative compared to current prices of:
o Lagos local rebar USD 468/tonne and CARES rebar (International quality) US$620/tonne. o Abuja local rebar USD 509/tonne, and CARES rebar USD 708/tonne; and o Port Harcourt local rebar USD 468/tonne and CARES rebar USD 675/tonne.
CARES is a United Kingdom based standards organization that provides impartial quality control review of rebar product. Kogi believes its billet will be of a quality which will assist future offtake partners in reaching CARES quality criteria.
Market Billet Demand and Kogi

Fastmarkets were then able to examine the potential billet market available for Kogi:
• Based solely on forecast market demand for steel billets Fastmarkets considers the Nigerian market has a capacity to handle additional new billet production of up to 1.5m tpy. The DFS will include a determination of the optimum sizing of the plant to be built by Kogi.
• Fastmarkets also recommended export markets in Cameroon and Ghana be considered with forecast market capacity of 100-250,000 tpy.
• The bulk of sales will be to domestic steelmakers as a more profitable option than ferrous scrap.
• If technically possible, Fastmarkets recommended the sale of Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) as an option, notably during the start-up phase or if billet demand is below the base case scenario.

In the longer term, Fastmarkets forecast that if Nigeria were to reach per capita consumption of 21kg in 2030 (still less than the 2017 average of 28kg), billet demand could be ~4.5m tpy. Given the low levels of current per capita demand and the potential for upside growth in steel demand, Fastmarkets recommended that planning of the Agbaja Project take into account a potential Phase II to cater for additional output.

Source : Strategic Research Institute

voda 18 januari 2019 19:15

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Siam Yamato Steel goes digital together with Danieli Telerobotlabs

Siam Yamato Steel Thailand, one of the most important steel producer in Far East, specialized in high quality finished long products, has chosen Danieli, and in particular Danieli Telerobotlabs as main partner in the migration process to robotics, taking a fundamental step towards Industry 4.0. The 2 robotized solutions have been implemented in the SYS Rayong steel plants, both on the 2 Meltshop areas, on the Electric Arc Furnaces, as a complete technological solution to reach the so called “no-man operations” with Q-Robot.

Danieli Telerobotlabs enables people to be relocated to healthier environments. It easily deals with repetitive and labor intensive tasks which are closely related to poor process quality.

Q-Robot systems are specifically designed for use in harsh environments with severe pollution.

All the robotized systems have successfully entered in operation on January 2019.

Source : Strategic Research Institute

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