This morning in metals news: the United States Trade Representative released its annually mandated report covering the WTO rules compliance of China and Russia; U.S. Steel officially closed on its acquisition of the remaining equity of Big River Steel; and the Pilbara Ports Authority earlier this month reported shipping data for December. USTR releases annual […]
Category: Logistics
This Morning in Metals: U.S. steel capacity utilization rate rises to 75.4%
This morning in metals news: U.S. steel capacity utilization reached 75.4% for the week ending Jan. 9; General Motors announced the launch of BrightDrop; and Rusal America announced a new line of aluminum additive manufacturing powders. Volatility is the name of the game. Do you have a steel buying strategy that can handle the ups […]
U.K.’s electric vehicle supply chain needs an electrifying jolt
Automotive producers the world over are facing challenges, but the U.K. automotive industry is arguably in the most challenging environment of all. Become part of the MetalMiner LinkedIn group and stay connected to trends we’re watching and interesting metal facts. U.K. automotive sector faces headwinds Over the last year, COVID-19 restrictions have closed showrooms. Furthermore, […]
Could the pandemic achieve what President Trump’s trade war failed to do?
Could the coronavirus pandemic bring about more reshoring in the U.S.? The question is not just of interest in the U.S. By many measures, Europe has been hit as severely by the pandemic. If anything, Europe is even more reliant on global supply chains than the U.S. The political philosophy that underpinned the Trump administration’s […]
Week in Review: Organic molecules and machinability; gold prices; allocation market for steel
Before we head into the penultimate weekend of 2020, let’s take a look back at the week that was and some of the metals storylines here on MetalMiner, including: research findings related to organic molecules’ impact on machinability; gold prices; and the arrival of an allocation market for steel-buying organizations, as explained by MetalMiner CEO […]
Ongoing trouble on the high seas: container shortages, port congestion continue
The shortage of containers in Asia, which we reported in detail last month, has been ongoing, as has the continuation of port congestion across the U.K. and Northern Europe. Combined, these problems are having a profound impact on sea freight services. Sign up today for Gunpowder, MetalMiner’s free, biweekly e-newsletter featuring news, analysis and more. […]
Week in Review: Tata Steel looks to sell European assets; steel capacity rises; Nucor signs power purchase agreement
Before we head into the weekend, let’s take a look back at the week that was and some of the metals storylines here on MetalMiner, including Tata Steel and its attempt to spin off its European assets, the U.S.’s rising steel capacity utilization rate, China’s economic recovery and its impact on metals prices, and much […]
Problem on the high seas: container markets see skyrocketing rates
The disconnect in recovery between Asia and North America/Europe is having an unprecedented impact on the transpacific and Asia-Europe container markets. The world’s shipping industry had a near-death experience in the early part of the year as China went into lockdown. To its credit and to consumers’ detriment, the industry has since got a grip […]
The case for globalization is on shakier ground
The widely, if not universally, held belief that globalization is a win-win panacea for growth has never looked shakier. While President Donald Trump has led the charge on calling out the failings of unfettered engagement with China and all that entails in terms of loss of manufacturing capability and sharing of hard-won technology, he is […]
Import costs continue their relentless rise as U.S.-Asia trade surges
We have written in previous posts about volatility this year in the logistics market adding to buyers’ delivery and import cost uncertainty. At other times, we have also written about the decoupling of U.S.-China trade or supply chains. Events in recent months, however, suggest the two combined are likely to continue to create significant cost […]
