HOT SHEET
Metinvest’s steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine.
Metinvest’s steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine.
International relations
Metals community reacts to war
The European Commission adopted a fourth package of restrictive measures against Russia on March 15 in response to its “brutal aggression against Ukraine and its people.” These sanctions place additional economic pressure on the Kremlin and attempt to cripple its ability to finance its invasion of Ukraine. The restrictions were coordinated with international partners, notably the United States.

The agreed-upon measures include an EU import ban on Russian steel products currently under EU safeguard measures, amounting to €3.3 billion in lost export revenue for Russia. Increased import quotas will be distributed among other non-EU countries to compensate.

The EU, together with other World Trade Organization members, agreed March 15 to deny Russian products and services “most favored nation” treatment in EU markets. This follows a similar decision by G7 members enacted March 11. This will suspend the benefits that Russia enjoys as a WTO member.

“The EU stands united in its solidarity with Ukraine and will continue to support Ukraine and its people together with its international partners, including through additional political, financial and humanitarian support,” the commission said in a statement.

arcelor-mittal is deeply concerned about the threat to our employees and to the entire ukrainian population.
Meanwhile, steelmaking operations in Ukraine have been idled by two companies.

ArcelorMittal began to idle its steelmaking operations in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, on March 3, in order to ensure the safety and security of its people and assets.

“ArcelorMittal is deeply concerned about the situation in Ukraine and the threat to our employees and the entire Ukrainian population,” the company stated.

Metinvest Group’s Avdiivka coke plant was hit by heavy shelling March 13 but no casualties were reported.

Based in Mariupol, Ukraine, Metinvest has taken a series of steps to protect people and assets, help the country’s armed forces and territorial defense, and deploy resources toward humanitarian efforts.

“In order to prevent industrial accidents, as soon as hostilities began, we put our enterprises into hot conservation mode,” says CEO Yuriy Ryzhenkov. “First, we shut down both steel plants in Mariupol, then Zaporizhia. When the first missiles hit and the city was bombed, we stopped Zaporizhstal.”

The plants that remain in operation have switched to the production of anti-tank obstacles, known as hedgehogs. As of March 10, Metinvest has produced more than 3,500 anti-tank hedgehogs and more than 2,000 concrete blocks for shelters. The company has supplied at least 50 vehicles to Ukraine’s armed forces and allocated €10 million for the purchase of helmets, armored vests and first-aid kits for the territorial defense forces. 

Further, Metinvest Poland opened a trans-shipment hub, where it is aggregating humanitarian aid coming from various European countries, then forwarding it to a humanitarian center in Zaporizhzhia. Metinvest expects delivery of more than 80 tonnes of food supplies.

Lastly, the company supplied all bomb shelters at Ilyich Steel and Azovstal with water, food and other essential items. Those shelters were opened to city residents, a number of whom have been staying there. As essentials run out, caravans of trucks and buses are forming, being refueled and are poised to drive supplies to aid Mariupol residents once humanitarian corridors are established.

In the U.S., the National Association of Manufacturers denounced Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, voiced support for the economic and financial sanctions implemented against Russia and called for the removal of the Russian Federation from the WTO.

The Aluminum Association condemned Russia’s actions in Ukraine and made donations to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which is providing humanitarian aid in Ukraine, and World Central Kitchen, which is feeding Ukrainian refugees in Poland.

Worker measuring sheet of metal
M&A
Ryerson acquires Apogee Steel
Ryerson Holding Corp., Chicago, has acquired the assets of Apogee Steel Fabrication Inc., a sheet metal fabricator based in Mississauga, Ontario. Apogee has been serving customers in Canada and the U.S. for over 30 years. It is a full-line fabrication company providing shearing, punching, forming and laser cutting in addition to welding and hardware assembly services. Relying on a robust quality assurance program, Apogee provides complex fabrication assemblies in carbon and stainless steel and aluminum.
facilities
Cliffs idles Indiana blast furnace
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. will indefinitely idle its Indiana Harbor No. 4 blast furnace by the end of April and employees there will be reassigned to other operations at that plant. The company is able to idle the furnace while continuing all other operations at Indiana Harbor Works due to operational improvements, particularly the addition of significant amounts of HBI to the burden of blast furnaces and the maximization of scrap usage in BOFs. With both Indiana Harbor blast furnaces No.s 3 and 4 now indefinitely idled, going forward, all downstream operations including Riverdale Works will be supplied exclusively by the company’s flagship high-productivity No. 7 blast furnace at Indiana Harbor. Cliffs will be able to make up for the 2.1 million tons of production capacity at the No 4 furnace with capacity from seven other active blast furnaces. The company does not expect any change to full-year 2022 steel shipment volumes as a result of the idling of No. 4.
Mark Dilling Headshot
People
BLM Group welcomes director
BLM Group USA, Novi, Michigan, appointed Mark Dilling as director of service, responsible for the U.S. and Canada. In this position, Dilling will oversee the development, continuous improvement and delivery of customer service—from machine installation, tech support and training to maintenance and repairs.
Manufactured metal products
M&A
Coating companies to merge
AZZ Inc., Fort Worth, Texas, a provider of galvanizing and metal coating solutions, has agreed to acquire DAAM Galvanizing Co. Ltd., a privately held hot-dip galvanizing company based in Edmonton, Alberta. DAAM operates two galvanizing facilities in Edmonton and in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, plus a service depot in Calgary. Upon closing, AZZ intends to operate the new facilities as AZZ Galvanizing–Edmonton and AZZ Galvanizing–Saskatoon, and make further investments in Calgary to extend AZZ’s ability to support customers in Central and Western Canada.
Large trash pile
ENVIRONMENT
Schnitzer Steel launches net zero steel
Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc., Portland, Oregon, manufacturer and exporter of recycled metal products, has launched GRN Steel, a line of net zero carbon products, from its Cascade Steel manufacturing operations in McMinnville, Oregon. In partnership with ACT Commodities, a carbon offset broker, Cascade will source carbon offset projects to address Scope 1 emissions from the manufacturing of GRN Steel. Upon the sale of GRN Steel products, Cascade will retire credits on behalf of a customer in an amount commensurate with the carbon footprint of steel ordered. Scope 2 emissions from Cascade steel manufacturing are minimal because most electricity used to operate the facility is carbon-free hydropower. Cascade addresses Scope 2 emissions by purchasing and retiring Renewable Energy Credits each year that allow the facility to achieve net carbon-free electricity. The launch of GRN Steel also represents an important step toward achieving Schnitzer’s sustainability goal of Net Zero Emissions by 2050.
Ryan Roush Headshot
People
JW Aluminum appoints COO
JW Aluminum, Charleston, South Carolina, promoted Ryan Roush to chief operating officer to lead company operations and commercial functions. As part of the company’s strategic plan, the company is combining its operations and commercial functions under Roush’s direction.
Fagor Arrasate Factory Line
INSTALLATION
Fagor supplies carmaker with press line
Fagor Arrasate, Arrasate, Spain, received an order from automaker VinFast to supply a high-speed full-servo press line for its manufacturing complex in Haiphong, Vietnam. This line is made of five servo presses, totaling a pressing force of 73.000 kN, shared between a servo-driven lead-off press of 25.000 kN and four servo presses of 12.000 kN each. It can work with dies of up 5.000 mm by 2.600 mm in each station.
MakerVerse Team
ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
Siemens Energy, ZEISS launch on-demand 3D printing platform
MakerVerse, Berlin, is a joint venture initiative between Siemens Energy, ZEISS and financial/venture capital investors. The venture is creating a one-stop fulfillment platform that connects industrial clients with a global network of certified AM suppliers for design prototypes and producing on-demand spare parts. MakerVerse covers the full technological service spectrum, starting with core 3D printing/AM technologies in the initial launch phase and later expanding into further relevant on-demand technologies, such as CNC and injection molding. The platform offers instant quoting, automated manufacturability checks, streamlined supplier and quality management, and industrial-level quality assurance. The public launch of the platform is planned for mid-2022.
PEOPLE
Nucor CFO to retire
Jim Frias, CFO, treasurer and executive vice president for Nucor Corp., plans to retire effective June 11. He is being succeeded by Steve Laxton, vice president of business development and strategic planning. Frias and Laxton are working together to create a seamless transition of CFO responsibilities. Frias joined Nucor in 1991 as controller of Nucor Building Systems–Indiana. Over the years, he took on roles with increasing levels of responsibility, serving as controller of Nucor Steel – Indiana and later as corporate controller. He was promoted to vice president in 2006 and has served in his current roles since January 2010. Laxton joined Nucor in 2003 as general manager of business development and was promoted to vice president in 2014.
Sheets of metal stacked
M&A
NIM Group acquires Plateplus
NIM Group, Norfolk, Nebraska, a network of steel service centers, has acquired the Windsor, Colorado, plant of Plateplus Inc., which stocks hot-rolled steel coil, sheet, and plate. The acquisition expands NIM Group’s product lines and processing capabilities. NIM Group now has 17 locations stretching from New Jersey to Washington with daily deliveries to customers in 30 states.
PEOPLE
Tube supplier picks new VP
Tony Brummel has joined National Tube Supply as vice president of operations. He will manage operations and logistics for all NTS locations in North America. NTS also hired Jim Conley as purchasing manager. Conley will manage MRP process review and inventory optimization. Separately, NTS hired Shaun Reiff as territory manager. He has more than 15 years of sales experience in the steel industry, most recently served as a sales representative for Liberty Packaging. Reiff’s sales territory includes South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas.
Atlantic Logistics Building
PHILANTHROPY
Logistics firm supports charity
Atlantic Logistics, Jacksonville, Florida, chose the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Jacksonville as its beneficiary from its Service 365 program, donating $2,910 to assist with its mission. “Giving back to the community is one of our core values as a company,” said Atlantic Logistics’ CEO Robert Hooper Jr. “We are blessed to have the means to help worthy causes in Northeast Florida like Ronald McDonald House. Ronald McDonald House Charities step in and comfort families enduring difficult times. Their service to Jacksonville is something we want to support.”
Randy Glick Headshot
PEOPLE
Alro Steel names CEO
Randy Glick was elected by Alro Steel’s board of directors to become chairman and CEO, succeeding his father, Al Glick, who died in February. Randy Glick joined the company in 1981 and has held various roles, including inside sales, administration management and general manager. He has served as executive vice president since 2016.
wieland sign
M&A
Weiland acquires heat exchanger specialist
Wieland, Ulm, Germany, has acquired Provides, Latina, Italy, a company that designs and builds heat exchangers in Italy, China and the United States. Using Wieland’s expertise in copper alloys and the technologies of Provides’ team, products in the field of refrigeration and air conditioning technology will be jointly developed in the future. Provides creates energy-efficient, sustainable technologies in producing tube bundles, heat exchangers and air conditioning systems worldwide. This supports Wieland’s internationalization and sustainability strategy. Provides already purchases tubes from Wieland. The merged company will further develop more efficient systems and more compact designs to achieve a reduction in the refrigerants required, which in turn leads to material reduction and lower emissions.
TRADE SHOWS
SMU event draws scores of participants
Port Tampa Bay and Steel Market Update attracted a near-record-level of participants at its Tampa Steel Conference, held in February. The event featured industry experts, economists and global strategists from Cleveland-Cliffs, Steel Manufacturers Association, The Kemmsies Group, Majestic Steel USA, Steel Warehouse and many more. The 34th Annual Tampa Steel Conference will be held Feb. 5-7, 2023.
DeShazo equipment in use
M&A
DeShazo acquires machinery builder
DeShazo, Bessemer, Alabama, a manufacturer of industrial equipment for the material handling and automation industries, has purchased Integrated Machinery Solutions (IMS), Azle, Texas, an engineering consulting firm and custom machinery builder. Adding the IMS business unit will enable DeShazo to respond more rapidly to service requests, more effectively route parts requests, and gain efficiencies in the repair cycle. DeShazo has over 25,000 overhead cranes in service worldwide.
PEOPLE
Olympic Steel names flat rolled leader
Olympic Steel Inc. promoted David J. Gea to president of carbon flat rolled. The carbon flat-rolled business segment represents about 50 percent of the company’s revenue mix. Gea joined Olympic Steel in 2002 and has progressed through roles of increasing commercial and leadership responsibility, including most recently working as regional vice president for the carbon flat rolled business in the Southeast.
Megan Black headshot
PEOPLE
MC Machinery adds marketing assistant
Megan Black has joined MC Machinery Systems, Elk Grove Village, Illinois, as creative marketing assistant. Black has several years of marketing and graphic design experience.
PEOPLE
Aerospace firm hires engineers
Columbia Manufacturing Inc., supplier of precision metal components for turbine engines, hired Dan Lam as engineering manager. Lam has over 35 years of aerospace experience, including 14 years at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft. He will support the company’s New Part Introduction (NPI) process. Leo Ostrawski was hired as senior manufacturing engineer. He has over 15 years of aerospace engineering experience in production engines as well as overhaul and repair.
PEOPLE
SAF makes staffing moves
SAF, Atlanta, promoted one longtime employee and hired four new people. Jermaine Johnson was promoted to inside sales representative based at SAF’s Atlanta headquarters. Nick Tomei was appointed project manager for SAF’s perimeter systems division. Stephanie Spiwak joins SAF as inside sales representative, based in Atlanta. Amelia MacDonald was hired for a dual role as an administrative assistant and inside sales representative. Brent Highley is the first inside salesperson at SAF’s new Texas location, which opened last September.
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