Sanjeev Gupta calls for radical change to make the UK steel industry competitive again

Sanjeev Gupta, Executive Chairman of the Liberty House Group, has just posted a video calling for radical change to make the struggling UK steel industry competitive again. The script below gives more information and the video and full script can be accessed on: http://www.libertyhousegroup.com/news/liberty-urges-the-uk-to-embrace-greensteel-vision/

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Hello. My name is Sanjeev Gupta. I run Liberty House Group.


I’d like to address everyone out there who, like me, is concerned about the future of the UK Steel industry.
The current turmoil and uncertainty in our sector presents us with a significant challenge – one that we need to address in order to safe guard its future. But this challenge also provides us with a great opportunity to re-shape our industry so that can make it successful and profitable again.

What we need is new thinking, a fresh approach, an innovative strategy that can provide a much needed change from the current status-quo. My team and I have such a strategy and I’d like to share it with you.
What are the facts? We in Britain invented modern steel making, yet today a staggering 80% of the 21 million tonnes of steel and steel products we consume every year comes from abroad. A century and a half ago we were the first to mass produce mild steel; yet over time as our raw materials diminished other countries have taken the lead.

We should not be surprised by this - it is part of globalisation. It is our responsibility as an industrial nation to constantly re-define our capabilities to keep us current in a highly competitive market.  
Other countries – such as the United States in the 1980s – did take steps to remain competitive.
The Americans looked at all the steel that had already been produced. Buildings, bridges, cars - all ultimately re-cyclable. Then they supplemented their blast furnaces with arc furnaces, and today 70% of their steel consumption comes from recycled materials.
So why has recycling steel never taken root in the United Kingdom? Expensive power? Or lack of investment? Whatever the cause it has left us with over reliance on old technologies which force us to import 100% of our iron ore and coal for our blast furnaces and export the majority of our steel scrap to be re-melted in other countries so that we can buy it back again. What is more UK customers that want to buy UK steel find its price too high and are forced to  rely on imports.
It is clear that today our UK steel sector is in a precarious and unsustainable position with no viable long term future. We have two options - one path continues the status quo leading inevitably to a final demise. The other leads to a new industrial renaissance.
At Liberty, we have already made our choice. We have begun an ambitious process, designed to trigger the revival of UK manufacturing: re-growing UK steel and downstream engineering products, re-invigorating the supply chain, championing the development of new sustainable sources of power, generating tens of thousands of new skilled jobs, and stimulating new sectors in the economy.
Of course the UK will continue to need some blast furnaces. But what we need even more are electric arc furnaces, small mini-mills that can be dotted around the country, next to customers, powered by low cost carbon free electricity. These mini-mills will take in the mountain of scrap steel we produce every year (up to 20 million tonne in the next 2 decades) and turn them into a range of steels and steel products.
Our strategy for achieving it is called GREENSTEEL, and it has three elements.

• The first is to invest in electric arc furnaces alongside blast furnaces, and to begin to tackle the mountain of our own steel that we can recycle.

• The second is to invest in low cost long term renewable power, as close to the steel plants as possible.

• The third is to invest in engineering companies that use this steel and turn it into advanced components for existing and new UK based growth industries.

Liberty has an outstanding track record. In the last year we have revived 7 steel plants and re-employed over 1,500 workers. Our leadership team is composed of many of the industry’s leading executives. We have all the skills and the knowledge to to re-invent this industry.


In our view this is the only comprehensive, proven and sustainable holistic approach that will bring stability and growth to the UK Steel sector.


Thank you for listening.

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blogger@steelonthenet.com

Centro-Metalcut gears up for production on a large Conditioning Grinder

Rockford, IL, May 2, 2016 – Centro-Metalcut, a world-class manufacturer of Abrasive Cutoff Saws and Conditioning Grinders for the steel industry is gearing up for production on a large Conditioning Grinder with some impressive features.

The grinder, a 400HP stationary grinding machine features a 90/45 degree grinding head, electric car drive system.  The machine will have dual grinding cars; a rounds grind car and a slab grind car that allows onboard slab turning more than 20tons (over 40,000lbs), which will allow for increased production capabilities through a reduction in material handling time.  Material load and unload tables will be supplied with the machine as well.

Like all Centro-Metalcut machines, the grinder is a custom-engineered design.  It will include constant load monitoring technology which offers benefits such as constant surface speed while grinding, increased quality of the end product, increased grinding wheel life, fast and compact design, the highest degree of safety, and improved surface finish. 

The grinder, whose final home will stay in the United States, is set to be complete in late 2016.  Centro-Metalcut plans to have an open house at their facility in Rockford, IL in Fall 2016 for current and potential customers, vendors and employees to see the final machine in action. 

For more information about Stationary Grinders from Centro-Metalcut, visit Centro-Metalcut at AISTech 2016 May 16-18^th, booth #2659, or visit www.centrometalcut.com.

blogger@steelonthenet.com

Stainless steel industry news

We have just launched a new stainless steel industry newsfeed. Visit stainless steel news or for a listing of all our steel industry feeds, please visit http://www.steelonthenet.com/feeds/all_feed_pages.php.

 

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Questions for steel industry planners

Steel is generally thought of as a capital intensive industry. Here are some questions then for your strategic planning department … [which should be working hard to maximise return on capital employed].

- Which type of zinc galvanising line is preferred nowadays, and why?

- What the main technological alternative to tandem mill cold rolling?

- What causes per-tonne plate mill costs to vary up to 5-fold?

- Why do heavy section and rail rolling mills vary by up to 2½ -fold in capital cost per tonne terms?

- Is there a significant capital cost difference between coal-fired and natural gas based DRI plants?

- What is the main determinant of capex costs per tonne in a hot or cold rolling mill?

- How can I reduce my capital costs in electric steelmaking?

- What is the main driver of capex cost per tonne in a seamless tube mill?

- Are capital costs different for commodity and high performance steels – and why?

- Is it common to have partners involved in financing mill construction – do you have any examples?

- For which main elements of a steel plant do capital investment costs generally not vary with steel volume?

Full answers available in MCI’s steel industry capex report, published October / November 2010.

blogger@steelonthenet.com

Steel industry conference line-up

As the holidays come to a close, so a new steel industry conference season line-up is beginning to emerge. Planned events in the coming months include:

9th International Stainless & Special Steel Summit
Tue 7 Sep 2010
Known as the world's leading gathering of high-level executives involved in stainless and special steels and their raw materials throughout the world, the annual conference

13th Central & Eastern European Steel Conference
Mon 13 Sep 2010
Now in its 13th year the Metal Bulletin Events' Central and Eastern European Steel Conference will once again promote dialogue between leading steel producers, purchasers and manufacturers. Meeting in the industry hub of Prague, this established event ...

McCloskey Steelmaking Raw Materials Conference 2010
Tue 28 Sep 2010
McCloskey look forward to seeing you at the Steel Making Raw Materials Conference 2010 in Hong Kong where we will debate the strategies required by producers ...

3rd South African Ferro-alloys Conference
Wed 29 Sep 2010
One of a kind, Metal Bulletin Events' South African Ferro Alloy Conference 2010 will for the 3rd time create the forum to discuss the future of one of the world's most important sources of alloying elements ...

SteelBB World Steel Raw Materials Conference 2010
Thu 30 Sep 2010
2010 is poised to be a landmark year for steel making raw materials - industry specialists from around the world will address SBB's inaugural Steel RMO conference, providing knowledge and insights into this radically changing landscape.

Powder Metallurgy 2010
Sun 10 Oct 2010
The World PM2010 Technical Programme will feature leading powder metallurgy presentations covering all aspects of the Powder Metallurgy Industry, including Metal Injection Moulding, Ferrous and Non-Ferrous components and materials. The parallel World PM2010 Exhibition will contain ...

CRU 4th North American Steel Conference
Mon 1 Nov 2010
The 4th North American Steel Conference will once again bring together consumers, steel mills, fabricators, service centers and financial analysts. The event presents a unique opportunity for delegates to meet and hear from senior-level representatives from companies involved in the North American steel market, both on the user and supplier-side. More than 250 high-level del...

14th Annual Met Coke World Summit
Mon 1 Nov 2010
The 14th annual Met Coke World Summit 2010 conference will feature an unparalleled line up of over 30 speakers to provide you with critical business intelligence needed to succeed in the dynamic coke, coal, and steel sectors. Taking place November 1-3, 2010 at the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh ...

Fabtech 2010
Tue 2 Nov 2010
FABTECH is the largest event in North America dedicated to showcasing a full spectrum of metal forming, fabricating, tube & pipe, welding, and finishing equipment and technology. In 2010, the event returns for the first time in four years to the Southeast! More than 22,000 buyers and sellers from around the world will gather at Georgia's World Congress Center in Atlanta to...

ANKIROS 2010
Thu 11 Nov 2010
A four-day marathon of opportunity highlights the products and technologies associated with the whole supply chain of Eurasia's foundry and iron-steel production and processing industry at the 10th International Iron-Steel & Foundry Technology, Machinery and Products Trade Fair

26th International Ferro-alloys Conference
Sun 14 Nov 2010
Looking for new business in ferro-alloys? Metal Bulletin Events invite you to the 26th International Ferro-alloys Conference. The conference is the major fixture in the ferro-alloys calendar and represents a not-to-be-missed educational and networking opportunity

CRU 13th World Stainless Steel Conference
Tue 16 Nov 2010
What will you learn by attending the 13th World Stainless Steel conference in Paris? You will understand how the relationship between stocks and orders differs regionally; hear the latest trade data for stainless steel products; analyse the outlook in the seaborne stainless steel scrap market ...

Metalex 2010
Wed 24 Nov 2010
Located in the heart of ASEAN, the magnet of global foreign investment, METALEX sets future industrial trends in terms of policies, investment, and commercial developments; and has become the industrial icon that all industry professionals must participate in ....

8th Steel Success Strategies Conference
Mon 29 Nov 2010
It's been a turbulent time in world steel markets and the downturn has resulted in a number of new paradigms in global steel. Steel mills and producers, suppliers of raw materials, semi-finished products, end products, technology manufacturers, financiers, investors and service suppliers from Latin America, Canada, USA, Europe, Africa, India, China and Japan: The A-Z of the ...

14th Middle East Iron and Steel Conference
Mon 13 Dec 2010
Acknowledged as the largest and most important event on the regions calendar, Metal Bulletin Events' 14th Middle East Iron and Steel Conference will bring together leading steel producers, government officials, miners, traders and end-users ...

Full details of all leading steel sector conferences may always be found on our steel industry conferences page and on the Steelonthenet.com event list page.

blogger@steelonthenet.com

Steel intelligence - straight from your desktop

The Steelonthenet.com marketing team have set up a free toolbar for download by visitors to http://www.steelonthenet.com. If you are interested in accessing our steel news, event listings, and other steel data whilst browsing any other website please visit http://steelonthenet.ourtoolbar.com/ for further information. Alternatively, you may go to http://steelonthenet.ourtoolbar.com/exe to download the toolbar directly. There is no cost, and an uninstaller is also provided in case you change you mind.

Be better informed … with compliments of www.steelonthenet.com

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Steel company 'diagnostics' service

Are you interested in an independent view of what ArcelorMittal might be doing in the next 5 years? Or in the probable future evolution path for Nippon Steel in Japan? Or in possible medium-term steel sector disposals by BlueScope Steel?

Steel experts MCI have put together a list of scenarios [which we think, are quite possible corporate trajectories] for more than 40 of the world's largest steel companies. This list is available for free, for all our site visitors to see, as part of a new 'Steel diagnostics' service. To see the full list and for further info about MCI's new service, please visit http://www.steelonthenet.com/swot.html.

Dr Andrzej M Kotas
Chief Executive
www.steelonthenet.com

Balance of the sexes ... iron and steel, mining and metals

We have just done a count of the male : female ratio amongst senior executives in the industry worldwide. Our full list of international iron and steel / mining and metals-related executives (including Chairpersons, Presidents, CEOs, MDs, FDs, other Board members, Partners etc) comes to a total of ~350 people. For full list [which we do not pretend is exhaustive] please see www.steelonthenet.com/whoswho.html. From this list, the female total comes to just eight. That is ~2.3% of the total.

In alphabetical order the women on this list include Galina Aglyamova (CFO of NLMK, Russia), Vicki Avril (President of IPSCOs operations in Canada), Cynthia Carroll (CEO of Anglo American), Becky Hites (Managing Partner at World Steel Dynamics), Ms Elisabeth Nilsson (MD at Jernkontoret, Sweden), Xie Qihua (Chairwoman of Baosteel Group, China), Ms Barbara R Smith (CFO at Gerdau Ameristeel) and Anne Tremblay (Secretary General, International Manganese Institute).

Not much balance of the sexes in iron and steel / mining and metals then. Rather, a very male dominated industry still - in case there was any doubt.

blogger@steelonthenet.com