MEsteel.com April 2005 - Newsletter

This April 2005 - M.E.Steel Newsletter is Sponsored by :

                          " Hardware & Tools 2005, "
             Dubai World Trade Centre, 15 – 17 May 2005.
The Trade event for hand tools, power tools and hardware products.


In MEsteel's April 2005 News Letter:

- Steel News
- New Members on MEsteel
- Steel Figures for April 2005
- Steel Market Overview
- Steel Events & Discounts for MEsteel members
- MEsteel, Your Most Efficient Presence on the Internet
 

Steel News

Full stories + many other Steel related articles on MEsteel news
 

Middle East Steel News
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

UAE: Gulf Steel Produced 160,000 tonnes in 2004

Iran: Bids expected for upgrade Steel meltshop - Khouzestan Steel

Saudi Arabia: Steel pipes supply and storage tanks jobs tendered for SWCC

Iran: TME to boost cooperation with world metal exchange markets

Iran: Iran exports Steel Beams to Iraq

Iran: Tata eyes 3mn tonne Hormozgan steel plant,

Iran: Mobarakeh Steel Plant to produce electrical steel soon  

Saudi Arabia: Zamil Steel Q1 profits continue to rise to USD 5.8 M

Saudi Arabia: Danieli & Sund Birsta to supply for Hadeed's wire rod mill

Pakistan: Steel prices down as supply goes up

UAE: New Robotic Welding Line Installed at Galvacoat.

Iran: Iran’s iron ore output hits 21m tons

Qatar: Qasco and Essar Global India sign MOU to build 4 million ton steel plant

Qatar: Dolphin Gas project selects Parker tubes

Saudi Arabia: Dywidag bags civil works and steel contract for Al Rajhi steel

Libya: Bids in to build Zueitina gas steel - pipeline

Oman: Bechtel wins contract for $2b Aluminium smelter in Oman
 

Global Steel News
>>>>>>>>>>>

Global Stainless Steel Oversupply Could Last To The End Of This Year

China: China expected to export more steel

India: Ruchi Group to open new plant to produce CR, GI & Galvalume products

China: Baoshan 1,800mm cold-rolling mill started

Bulgaria: Ispat Industries buys 71% of Kremikovtzi

Global Steel Production To Rise 5 Percent This Year

Mittal Steel Profits up Q1-2005, but faces higher costs

Korea, South: Korean shipbuilders suffer from increased steel prices

Poland: Mittal Steel to buy Polish Steel plate mill Huta Czestochowa

India: Jindal Steel & Power completes expansion before schedule

Inform the world about YOUR new products or projects.
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85 New MEsteel Members

Use MEsteel to Expand your Business!

85 new steel related companies, joined MEsteel in March 2005,
totaling 2.865 active MEsteel members to do business with.

See what each company does, buys and sells,
and contact the ones of interest to you in 1 click! (for members only)

China
DALIAN FIELD MANUFACTURING CO. LTD
JIAOCHENG YIWANG FERROALLOY CO. LTD.
TUBETECH CORPORATATION LTD

Cyprus
GIRCOTIS & ACHILLEOS LTD

Egypt
MF
EGYPTIAN INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES
MILLING HOUSE
E J S W
INTEX
PRIMA CLASSE EGYPT
MISR - HONG KONG INVESTEMENT
H SHAFEIA FOR CONSTRUCTION SUPLIES

Greece
ASCO INDUSTRIAL GRATINGS FENCES SA

India
VNS INDUSTRIES PVT. LTD.
HB ESMECH PVT. LTD.

Iran
SCGCO
INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPENT GROUP
ABBEY COMPANY
FARIHAN HOUSING SOCIETY
PARSA TRADING COMPANY
APADANA SAZE CO.(APSA CO)

Iraq
ALGHYUM CONSTRUCTION COMPANY
AZIZ KAREEM ENGINEERING

Japan
BAIKO-TAKARA-JAPAN

Jordan
COMATEC ENGINEERING EST.
ISSA HADDADIN & PART. CO.

Kazakhstan
A&R GROUP

Kuwait
AL-KAZEMI INTERNATIONAL GEN.TRADING & CONTG. GROUP CO. W.L.L

Lebanon
SIMCO MARITIME & CHARTERING SARL

Libya
METAL WORKS CO

Morocco
ELECAM

Pakistan
SOR INTERNATIONAL
TARGET AGENCIES
RAJA SHAKEEL TRADERS
ARROGANT INTERNATIONAL
AL-RIAZ AGENCIES (PVT) LTD ,
AHMAD INDUSTRIES

Saudi Arabia
RADWA GULF CONTRACTING EST.,
ARCOMA
ABDULLAH IBRAHIM AL-ABDULLATIF EST.,
SAUDI PUMP FACTORY
UNITED BUILDING MATERIALS FACTORY
M.Y.WALI TRADING EST
KANOOZ INDUSTRIAL SERVICES
AL KUHAIMI METAL INDUSTRIES LIMITED

Spain
REJILLAS ELECTROSOLDADAS, S.A.

Taiwan
HOOK SOON CORP.

Tunisia
TUNISIE TRANSFORMATEURS SA

Turkey
YMS METAL INDUSTRY INC.
AKIN ROLLING MILL COMPANY
SOZER STEEL WORKS
EXIMPORT A.S.
ODELYA IRON AND STEEL TRADING INDUSTRY AND TRANSPORTATION LTD. CO.
REM ENGINEERING, CONSTRUCTION & TRADE CO. LTD.
FEROX METAL
VATAN INVESTMENT FOREIGN TRADE
EROL GIRAY LTD
EREGLI IRON AND STEEL WORKS COMPANY
MGE METAL CO. INC.
BATI MACHINERY & DIES
EFESAN SANAYI VE TICARET A.S
ZONTAS AS
SERE ITH IHR VE MUM AS

U.A.E.
SPARK MARINE SERVICES
UNITED METAL WORK
AL ZERWA TRADING CO LLC.
SADAN GENERAL TRADING LLC
METAL LAND WORLD
OMNI OIL TECHNOLOGIES
H&M DESIGN
CHANDER TRADING CO. LLC
HERITAGE BUILDING MATERIALS L.L.C
GULF INTERNATIONAL TRADING
COSTAIN ABU DHABI CO W.L.L.
UNIVERSAL TRADING HOUSE
HORIZON POINT COMMERCILA INTERMEDIARY
SHANGHAI SHANGSHANG STAINLESS STEEL TUBE CO.,LIT
RALSON GLOBAL LIMITED
PRECISION STEEL FABRICATION

United States
CASEY EQUIPMENT
LINTERN CORPORATION WORLDWIDE
INTERNATIONAL METAL SALES, INC.
KINGS BRASS & IRON WORKS INC.

Yemen
PLATINUM GENERAL TRADING LIMITED PRIVATE COMPANY
 

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Steel Figures for March  2005

World crude steel production was 92.9 million metric tonnes (mmt) in March. 6.5% higher than for March 2004.

China produced 27.5 mmt of crude steel in March, up 24.1% on March 2004.
Total production for the Asian region was 46.0 mmt, a rise of 15.2% more than March 2004.
Asian crude steel production is 131.1 mmt for the first quarter of 2005, a rise of 13.8% compared to 2004.

Production in the 25 European Union countries stands at 16.4 mmt in March.
Total production in the EU-25 for the first quarter of 2005 is 48.0 mmt, 0.3% lower than for the same period in 2004.

In North America production stands at 11.0 mmt at the end of March, a fall of 3.1% compared to the same month last year.
First quarter 2005 production is 32.4 mmt, a rise of 0.3% compared to the first three months of 2004.

Production for Middle East countries was as follows.                             

(source: IISI )

Steel Market Overview
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HR coils prices have fallen over the past month by about 50 US$/t.
Ukrainian origin HRC are now offered around 525 US$/t CFR Gulf Ports.
Plate prices remained stable around 610 US$/T CFR.
Long products decreased slightly.

Asian Market overview :

In the flat products category, speculative purchasing appears to have halted in China.
In Japan, the arrival of offshore tonnage is starting to impact on the general market.
Contract business is strong in South Korea but the distribution sector remains sluggish.
The picture in Taiwan is similar.
The Average Flat Products Price for Asia is down in April - mainly due to exchange rate movements.
The difficulties in the distribution sector across much of the region has prompted us to downrate our forecast for the next twelve months.
The slight upturn anticipated over the next few months due to higher costs may not materialise.
We now anticipate a reasonably stable period up to the Autumn - followed by a small but steady price reduction to the end of the review period (assuming no major currency shifts).
Light long product prices fell in April in China.
Japanese construction activity is beginning to show positive signs.
South Korean demand is badly affected by declining business investment.
Taiwanese activity is slow but some increases have been obtained to recover higher costs.
The Average Asian Long Products Price fell in April.
We have downrated our forecast due to the poor state of the market.
However, we still predict a modest upturn in price in the near term for seasonal reasons, mainly in the rebar category, prior to a decline in the Winter months into 2006.

Stainless Steel

Oversupply continues to characterise many flat rolled stainless steel markets around the world. Global output of crude stainless in 2004 was around 7.5 percent higher than the year earlier figure. The increase in supply was so far out of line with consumption that it was followed by the inevitable price weakness.
Taking the largest volume stainless product, cold rolled 304, and excluding alloy surcharge, European prices in period one averaged 3.5 percent less than in the final trimester 2004. Prices dropped by roughly €100 per tonne from December levels. In the USA over-supply has been less apparent because of stronger underlying consumption growth. The decline in price has been less marked in spite of the increase in production at Acerinox’s melt shop. But in Asia there have been some steep falls. Cold rolled 304 prices in China are reported to have lost the equivalent of $US300 per tonne since early March.
Over-supply will continue to affect the market for a little while yet. Additional capacity is entering the scene. Outokumpu is ramping-up its newly expanded melting shop and cold rolling facilities at the Tornio works in Finland. The company has acknowledged that the weakness in the European market means it is directing greater volumes of stainless into Asia instead. European mills are also selling into Russia where local stainless production has been reduced drastically owing to lack of profitability. Chinese stainless output will rise this year, notably with the start-up of new capacity at Baoshan and Taiyuan. China is increasing its imports of stainless scrap from the USA by 20 percent.
Global stainless production so far this year is growing more slowly than the unsustainable pace seen in 2004. In the European Union, output in January-February was about 4 percent ahead, year on year – a figure that is not excessive given that the comparable period was hit by strikes. Our projection for world stainless steelmaking in 2005 is a 3.7 percent increase over last year’s 24.4 million tonnes. Assuming consumption rises at its usual 5-6 percent, we can envisage balance being restored before 2006.

Source MEPS

Check monthly Middle East price indications per product type,
latest news on steel prices and price graphs on

Steel Events coming up    

May 15 - 17, 2005,
"Hardware Tools 2005"

Dubai World Trade Centre.
THE  MIDDLE EAST'S LARGEST AND MOST SUCCESSFUL EVENT FOR HAND TOOLS, POWER TOOLS AND HARDWARE.
More than 260 exhibitors will participate at the sixth edition of the event,
The only show of its kind in the region dedicated to the construction, building equipment, supplies and the DIY industry
Note:  " Participating MEsteel members enjoy 10% discount. "

May 8 - 10 Abu Dhabi
5th Annual Oil and Gas Pipelines in the Middle East
A unique opportunity for pipeline operators and specialists from across the world to meet and discuss current and future industry developments.

May 9 -12 Libya Build Expo 2005 Tripoli, Libya
The 2nd International Building & Construction Expo Libya

May 16 - 19
SEAISI 2005
South East Asia Iron & Steel Institute 2005 - Conference & Exhibition.
Theme: Integrated Solution from Raw Materials to Final Products for Growth in the Steel Industry

May17 - 20
The Middle East Metal Market
Ferrous and non-ferrous scrap • Iron and ferro-alloys • semi-finished products • flat and long products

June 2 - 3
Asian Stainless & Special Steel Conference
The only place to stay ahead of all the changes in the entire Asian stainless & special steel industry

June 6-8
ARAB TUBES 2005
What is the world trend in steel tubes and pipes market? What are the challenges it is facing? Will this industry maintain its leading role in the sector?
 

June 6 - 8
3rd Russian Steel Conference
Moscow Metals Summit - World Steel and Raw Materials.

Find details on these and many other steel events
or post your events
 

MEsteel Works for our members

- End of March, MEsteel sponsored and exhibited at The Middle East Metal & Metallurgy Exhibition (MEM 2005)
 in Dubai giving extra exposure to MEsteel members.

- This month MEsteel will have a stand at "Hardware Tools 2005"

- 61,866 Unique Visitors visited the MEsteel website in March 2005,
good for totally 178,273 visits.

MEsteel's Members get Top Exposure and Advertising on all major search engines
such as Google, Yahoo, MSN

" MEsteel = Your Company's Best and Most Economical Presence on the Internet ! "

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Any suggestions,  how to make MEsteel a better steel market place for you?
E-mail your suggestions to info@mesteel.com