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September 9th, 2010
- General
Lagos Nigeria - Stock Exchange suspends cable company over failure to submit reports
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| Nigeria’s stock exchange suspended the listings of 15 companies, including Nigerian Wire & Cable Plc for failing to submit their 2008 earnings statements. The companies were given until Oct. 11 to render their accounts, or face delisting, the Lagos-based bourse said in an e-mailed statement today. A further 28 companies, will be placed on technical suspension from Oct. 4 for failing to submit their 2009 financial statements, the exchange said.
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September 9th, 2010
- General
Paris France - Nexans could spend 800 mln euros on acquisitions
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| French group Nexans, the world's biggest cable maker, wants to further expand in emerging markets and has the means to spend as much as 800 million euros ($1.0 billion) on an acquisition, its chief executive said in a newspaper interview published on Wednesday. Frederic Vincent told La Tribune he would like emerging markets to account for 45 percent of group sales within five years, up from 35 percent now.
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September 8th, 2010
- General
Pune India - Sterlite Technologies wins EEPC and V&D100 Awards 2010
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| Sterlite Technologies Limited ("Sterlite") [BSE: 532374, NSE:STRTECH], a leading global provider of transmission solutions for the power and telecom industries, announced that it has recently won the EEPC Star Performer Silver Shield, in addition to the V&D 100 Award 2010 for the 'Top Telecom Cables Company in India'. Sterlite Technologies was awarded the regional Star Performer Silver Shield in the large enterprises category, by EEPC (Engineering Export Promotion Council, India). Sterlite received this award in recognition of its outstanding contribution to power conductor exports during the year 2007-08. Sterlite has made substantial inroads in developing its global client footprint and market share for power conductors in Africa, Middle East and Europe.
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September 8th, 2010
- General
Shanghai China - Asian steelmakers shares surge as China’s government orders steel output cut.
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| Asian steelmaker shares soared as China intensified a curb on mill output, though analysts warn more work is needed to trim oversupply in the world's top producer. The latest production cuts are focused on China's steelmaking hub of Hebei province where about 30 mills were ordered to cut output by up to 70 percent from September while another 18 were told to close down for up to a month.
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September 7th, 2010
- General
Vienna Austria - Focus on Brazil in CFI latest newsletter.
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| ICF previous newsletter highlighted China¡¯s rise to prominence as a leading consumer market, as well as its leading role as a global producer in the wire and cable industry. In this edition ICF switches focus to South America and look at Brazil, the region¡¯s largest market and producer for wire and cable. Brazil, according to reporting by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) from mid-April, has been courting the other BRIC countries, particularly China, in an effort to become an indispensable source for iron ore, oil and soybeans. Brazil¡¯s export trade to China, according to statistics cited from the Ministry of Development, Industry and Trade grew 20 fold to $20 billion from 2000 through 2009. In fact, last year China supplanted the U.S. as Brazil¡¯s largest trading partner, a position the U.S. had held for the last fifty years. Reading of the news letter is a must for every wire & cable industry executive. To access use this link
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September 6th, 2010
- General
Brantford Ontario - America's Unemployment Nightmare stifles celebrations this Labor Day
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This is the Labor Day holiday in the Americas and we did not intend to publish any news bulletin this Monday.
Traditionally, Labor Day is celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer. The holiday is often regarded as a day of rest and parties. Celebrations traditionally include picnics, barbecues, fireworks displays, water sports, and public art events.
This year the timing couldn't have been more ironic: Just before this Labor Day weekend began, the U.S. Labor Department delivered news that the great American job machine has broken down. It's equally ironic that Wall Street threw a short-term party because the news was only bad, not downright atrocious.
The economy de facto shed another 54,000 jobs in August after losing a similar number in July and 175,000 in June.
Economically sensitive sectors are showing virtually no growth, with only 13,000 jobs added in leisure and hospitality and 19,000 in construction. Manufacturing actually shed 27,000 workers while trade and transport lost 9,000 jobs.
And looking at the big picture the US economy added just 650,000 jobs in the first seven months of 2010, while it lost 8.4 million jobs in the recession that started in December 2007. Not much to celebrate indeed
The "good" news nationally is that while economists were expecting the economy to lose 105,000 jobs in August, it "only" lost 54,000. That's because the real growth came in the private sector as a whole, which added 67,000 during August. That factor should help point the real way to recovery.
It's not enough for government to "create" jobs that don't really help the economy long-term, such as the temporary Census positions that made the numbers look good for a while. Rather, it should concentrate on aiding the private sector in developing the new industries - and jobs - that will help create wealth and expand the economy. Or at least it should get out of the private sector's way.
Whirlpool Corporation today announced plans to build an approximately 1 million square foot manufacturing facility for built-in, premium cooking products in Cleveland, Tennessee. The new operation will support the company's commitment to delivering the world's most innovative cooking products, and the energy efficient, LEED-certified facility will replace an existing, 100-year old manufacturing plant
A 400,000 square foot distribution center is also planned. Whirlpool will invest $120 million in the new facility, and expects to add approximately 130 new jobs to its 1500 Cleveland employees. Construction is slated to begin in the fourth quarter of 2010.
In addition to the announcement of the new cooking facility in Cleveland, Whirlpool cited recent investment in its U.S. operations:
a newƒn $85 million office campus and renovation of some of its facilities in headquarters location in Benton Harbor, Michigan.
Acquisition of the former WC Wood facility in Ottawa, Ohio, adding 190 jobs and bringing total employment in the State of Ohio to approximately 10,000, making it the largest manufacturing center for appliances in the United States.
A $175 million investment in the company's laundry facilities in Ohio, which will produce the most energy and water efficient laundry products ever made.
A $20 million investment in its Amana, Iowa refrigeration plant to drive improved productivity and efficiency;
The announcement of a new $40 million, one million square foot regional distribution center in Wilmer, Texas, which will be energy efficient, LEED certified and help drive increased efficiencies for the organization.
"Whirlpool continues to invest in our US-based manufacturing footprint. We have a strong commitment that this is an excellent place to invest and create value for both our customers and our shareholders. In 2010, a year of continued, significant economic challenge, Whirlpool continues to invest in innovation, our employees, and the infrastructure needed to ensure we continue to lead the industry with truly innovative products that meet the changing needs of consumers," said Jeff M. Fettig, chairman and chief executive officer, Whirlpool Corporation.
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September 4th, 2010
- General
Beijing China - Steel plants working hard 24/7 for nothing
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| China¡¯s steel capacity has reached 700mmt in 2010, but the conflicts between supply and demand still exist. High raw material prices and low product prices are squeezing the profit margins of the steel industry. Meanwhile, to speed up the structural adjustment of exports and cope with the rise of international trade protectionism, the government decides to cancel the export refund for 48 steel products as from 15 July, which means that China¡¯s steel export will face a tough situation. However, the demand of Chinese steel import and export market was strong in H1 2010, according to customs statistics. In Jan-Apr, the export volume of steel products was 13.02mmt, up 98.8% year on year.
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September 4th, 2010
- General
Atlanta, Georgia - Alcan Cable receives qualification to manufacture and sell ACCC ® conductor in North American utility market
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| Alcan Cable, a business of Rio Tinto, announced today it has been granted qualification by CTC Cable ¨C a subsidiary of Composite Technology Corporation - to manufacture ACCC ® conductor. Alcan Cable can now supply product to its existing utility customers in North America as well as to CTC Cable Corporation. The ACCC ® conductor certification was attained by successfully completing qualification tests at Alcan Cable¡¯s Technology Center located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. ACCC ® composite core production will continue at CTC Cable¡¯s certified facilities in Irvine, California.
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September 4th, 2010
- General
Milan Italy - Redaelli Tecna claims wire rope record
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| Italian specialty steel wire rope manufacturer Redaelli Tecna recently claimed a place in the Guinness Book of Records when it loaded out the world¡¯s heaviest steel wire rope from its new dockside facility in Trieste harbour, opened last November. The record-breaking 361t Flexpack rope, a compacted non-rotating steel wire rope for ultra-deepwater applications, had a nominal length of 3000m and a nominal diameter of 160mm. Redaelli¡¯s managing director Maurizio Prete said this Flexpack rope order, entirely designed and manufactured by his company using state-of-theart technology, acknowledged Redaelli¡¯s commitment to innovation and confirmed its competitiveness in design and production. ¡®This is our answer to the offshore industry that is asking always for longer and stronger hightech steel wire ropes for their subsea applications,¡¯ he declared. Prete added that the new Trieste facility provided ¡®a perfect base with high technology capabilities and logistics infrastructure for export cargo handling¡¯. The company has another wire rope factory at Gardone Valtrompia, also in northern Italy.
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September 2nd, 2010
- General
Geneva Switzerland - Trade value still up by about 25% in the first half of 2010
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| The value of world merchandise trade rose around 25% in the first six months of 2010 up strongly from the same period of 2009. This surge in trade growth marks a continuation of the trend begun in the first quarter of the year, according to WTO figures released on 1 September 2010.World merchandise exports increased by about 7% in the second quarter of 2010, in comparison with the first quarter (¡°quarter on quarter¡±) Within that period, available monthly statistics for about 70 economies representing about 90% of world trade show that merchandise trade declined in April and May 2010, then rose again in June.
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September 2nd, 2010
- General
Washington D.C. - New law would put teeth into tariff on wire hangers
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| A new federal law would give the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection more tools to crack down on schemes to evade tariffs on wire hangers and other imported steel products. The legislation, called the Enforcing Orders and Reducing Circumvention and Evasion (ENFORCE) Act of 2010, was introduced last month by Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and is supported by the Coalition for Enforcement of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Orders, a group that includes the hanger manufacturer M&B Metal Products along with other U.S. manufacturers of steel products.
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September 1st, 2010
- General
Washington D.C. - Nashville Wire asks for tariffs on Chinese shelving material, alleging unfair trade
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| A group of American steel companies, including Nashville Wire Products Inc., has appealed the U.S. International Trade Commission’s July decision to not place duties on imported decking wire products from China.Nashville Wire was one of five companies that petitioned the ITC in June 2009 to place duties on Chinese decking, often used in warehouse shelving. The companies alleged that Chinese wire decking was being dumped into the American market below fair market value and with subsidies from the Chinese government. In June 2010, the Commerce Department agreed, finding in its final determination that Chinese wire decking was both dumped and subsidized.
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August 31st, 2010
- General
Brantford Ontario - Daily Wire & Cable News Bulletins resumes
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| We hope our readers in the Northern Hemisphere has had a good summer and enjoyed their annual vacation.
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August 31st, 2010
- General
Brantford Ontario - Why are people using search engines less than they were a year ago?
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| Nielsen released its version of the U.S. search market rankings for July this week. Google is of course on top with 3 out of 5 searches (64.2%). Yahoo came in second with 14.3%, leaving Microsoft in third at 13.6%. Most interesting to note is that the total number of searches in the U.S. over the last year has gone down by 16% from 10.5 billion to 8.8 billion. This is a very interesting stat. I wonder how much of this has to do with increased use of smartphones and mobile apps, taking the place of traditional searches. There are some other good points in the comments. Of course searches will be less. People have found what they are looking for, and the novelty days are over. There are also many more sites out there with specialized information, where your search can go much deeper. www.wireworld.com as you know is one. Have your company got a link. from wireworld.com
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August 31st, 2010
- General
Nairobi Kenya - Cable maker bets on new products to turn around dwindling fortunes
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| East African Cables is betting on aggressive marketing of new products to turn around its fortunes. The firm, which has concentrated on making electricity conductor cables, has expanded its product offering by venturing in importation and distribution of telecommunication and IT networking cables from Korea. The move into data cables is aimed at deflecting competition from cheap copper and aluminum cables imported from China.
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August 28th, 2010
- General
Dundee Scotland - Rautomead casting technologies to present CuMg rod processing at WireChina
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At Wire China 2010, Rautomead will be presenting its full range of continuous casting technologies for processing copper and copper alloys into high-quality rods of 8-30mm diameter. A particular focus of Rautomead's attendance at Wire China will be on continuous casting technology for copper magnesium (CuMg) wire rod production. Large-diameter (30mm) continuous cast CuMg rod is required for the manufacture of catenary (trolley) wire for high-speed trains. The Rautomead RS 3000 graphite furnace technology is able to ensure the consistent quality of large-diameter continuous cast CuMg rod. A number of RS 3000 model casting machines have now been installed in China for the production of CuMg wire rod for processing to contact wire for the construction of high-speed rail lines throughout the country.
At Wire China 2010 Rautomead will be presenting its full range of continuous casting technologies for processing copper and copper alloys into high-quality rods
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August 24th, 2010
- General
Washington D.C. - Soaring US equipment spending could signal hiring ahead
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| Federal Express is snapping up more airplanes. Caterpillar is expanding factory capacity. Cash-rich U.S. corporations are sharply increasing their capital spending this year after scaling back drastically during the economic downturn.The trend has emerged as a bright spot in a recovery that lately has lost momentum and prompted worries that the U.S. could slip back into recession. Many economists believe business investment could help pick up the slack and eventually spark job growth that lifts the economy from its doldrums.
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August 21st, 2010
- General
Irvine California - Composite Technology receives Rural Utilities Service certification of ACCC(R) Conductor
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| Composite Technology Corporation (CTC) is pleased to announce that its subsidiary, CTC Cable Corporation, has achieved Rural Utilities Service (RUS) conditional acceptance of its ACCC(R) Conductor. "Conditional acceptance" means the customer must approve the product for use in its power system, and the conductor must be installed according to CTC Cable Corporation's specifications. This acceptance signifies RUS's recognition to the use of composite core conductor technology by its borrowers as another tool to mitigate their transmission line capacity problems. ACCC(R) conductor also qualifies for FERC incentives worth up to two percent return on equity under SEC. 925 Electric Transmission and Distribution Programs of the EPA Act of 2005 Benton Wilcoxon, Chief Executive Officer of Composite Technology Corporation, commented, "CTC Cable Corporation has supplied over 130 miles of ACCC(R) conductor to innovative Public Power customers in the US since 2005, with several repeat orders from customers. RUS acceptance may facilitate the growth rate in the adoption of ACCC(R) conductor by the Public Power market."
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August 21st, 2010
- General
Brantford Ontario - Industrialized world's Infrastructure is falling apart (This could be good news for some).
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| The basic infrastructure all of us depend on every day such as, highways, public transit rail networks, water pipes pipelines and the power grid is all falling apart. An examination of the vastness of the US infrastructure underscores the issue: There are about 4 million miles of roads, 117,000 miles of rail, 600,000 bridges, 79,000 dams, 26,000 miles of commercially navigable waterways, 11,000 miles of transit lines, 500 train stations, 300 ports, 19,000 airports, 55,000 community drinking water systems, and 30,000 wastewater treatment and collection facilities. Last January a broken water main in Toronto midown knocked out the power in affluent neighborhood. Movie theatres and restaurants closed, and guests at the dark and cold Four Seasons were shipped across the street to the Park Hyatt. ¡°Eight hours of cold feet for the well-heeled,¡± snarked a clever headline in the next day's paper. Be forewarned, though: The next laugh may be on you.
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August 17th, 2010
- General
Brantford Ontario - Copper rises with euro after German GDP data
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| Copper bounced off 2-week lows Friday, after the U.S. dollar slipped against the euro on stronger than expected German economic growth numbers, although worries about the rest of the global economy kept gains in check. The euro EUR= climbed 0.5 percent against the dollar after data showed the German economy grew at its quickest pace in 23 years in the second quarter, boding well for a first estimate of euro zone GDP numbers due later on Friday.
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August 14th, 2010
- General
Independence, Ohio - TPC Wire & Cable Corp. adds NukeTape ® to product line
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| TPC Wire & Cable Corp and United Controls International have entered into exclusive marketing and distribution agreement whereby TPC Wire & Cable Corp becomes the exclusive distributor of UCI's NukeTape ® product effective August 1, 2010. ¡°We are very excited, as this agreement allows us to represent a high quality, nuclear rated product to the nuclear industry. UCI has created a strong brand with NukeTape and we are proud to be able to represent them. NukeTape is a perfect fit for our line of high performance wire, cable and assemblies.¡± NukeTape ® is a silicone rubber extruded splice tape qualified for use in all safety related applications in nuclear facilities. The product was originally considered only for safety related or harsh applications, but nuclear facilities have found the tape to be so cost effective that they use the product throughout the plant wherever ordinary splicing tape or heat shrink would be used. This also allows nuclear facilities to replace many tapes and shrink tube splicing SKU¡¯s with NukeTape ®, as it is rated for use inside or outside the containment area. Product inventories are maintained and sold through a 10CFR50 Appendix B program audited by NUPIC, Nuclear Procurement Issues Committee.
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August 7th, 2010
- General
India - Sterlite Technologies wins 4 awards at Asia's Best Employer Brand Awards 2010
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 Sterlite Technologies Limited ("Sterlite") a leading global provider of transmission solutions for the power and telecom industries, announced that it has won four awards at Asia's Best Employer Brand Awards 2010 held recently in Singapore. An eminent panel of judges from across the APAC region evaluated more than 1300 white papers from 24 countries. Sterlite Technologies received awards for 'Innovation in Recruitment', 'Continuous Innovation in HR Strategy at Work'and 'Innovative Retention Strategy'. Mr. Anuraag Rai (Head - HR, Sterlite Technologies) was also awarded amongst the 'Most Powerful HR Professionals of India'. Says Pravin Agarwal, Wholetime Director - Sterlite Technologies, "People being our key asset, we place a high emphasis in managing changing skill and competency requirements of our business. These awards are a reconfirmation of our employee-friendly, innovative and enabling organizational framework."
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August 7th, 2010
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Washington D.C. - U.S. Importer of Chinese garment hangers arrested and charged with fraud, smuggling and money laundering related to evasion of antidumping duties
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| Members of the Coalition for Enforcement of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Orders, including the U.S. wire garment hangers industry, have been working closely with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to identify instances of illegal evasion of U.S. trade laws. Today, the Coalition is able to announce that an importer of steel wire garment hangers has been arrested and charged with fraud, smuggling, and money laundering in connection with bringing Chinese-made hangers into the United States via a third country and then falsely claiming a country of origin other than China. Conviction of these felonies carries a maximum term of imprisonment between five and 20 years per count, plus substantial monetary fines and the payment of applicable dumping duties.
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August 7th, 2010
- General
Mumbai India - Prakash Industries June quarter PAT jumps 19%
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| Steel manufacturer Prakash Industries today said its profit after tax increased 18.64 per cent to Rs 70 crore for the quarter ended June 30 on robust demand for its products. The company had registered a profit after tax of Rs 59 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal, Prakash Industries said in a statement. Sales in the April-June quarter jumped 27.12 per cent to Rs 464 crore compared to Rs 365 crore in the year-ago period, it added. "The wire rod division witnessed strong volumes and achieved highest-ever production contributing significantly to the bottom line," the company said. Talking about its expansion plans, Prakash Industries said it aims to achieve full integration of its steel operations in the next two years.
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August 7th, 2010
- General
Calcutta, India - IDBI invokes shares pledged as security for loan to Ramsarup
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| IDBI Bank has picked up a 10 per cent stake in Calcutta-based steel maker Ramsarup Industries. The financial institution bought into the company after invoking shares pledged with it. The transaction took place on July 29 when IDBI acquired 35,07,486 shares in Ramsarup, which makes steel wire and TMT bars at four of its plants in Bengal. Pledged shares are collateral for a loan; invoking the shares means the lender transfers the shares to itself when the borrower fails to pay back the loan. When contacted, Ashish Jhunjhunwala, chairman and managing director of Ramsarup, said, ¡°The issue has been sorted out with IDBI.¡± He did not say why the financial institution invoked the shares.
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August 3rd, 2010
- General
Tampa Florida - Custom Cable Industries files for chapter 11 reorganization
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| Custom Cable Industries, Inc., leading connectivity company with national presence and global distribution, today announced that it has filed a voluntary petition under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code to reorganize and implement a balance sheet restructuring. The filing was made in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division. All day to day operations and business of Custom Cable will continue as usual. The Company has the requisite funding in hand to operate in Chapter 11. “Custom Cable is a good company with a poor balance sheet but improving business operations,” says Gregg Stewart, general manager and chief restructuring officer. “This action is being taken to restructure the company’s balance sheet and allow for a fresh capital infusion. Management believes a new owner and the resultant capital infusion would allow the company to continue its trend of positive operating results, allowing it to resume sustainable and profitable growth. We appreciate the support we have received to date from our long time customers and suppliers, and look forward to continuing these valued relationships.”
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August 3rd, 2010
- General
Highland Heights Kentucky - General Cable reports second quarter results
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| General Cable Corporation reported Monday results for the second quarter ended July 2, 2010. Net sales for the second quarter of 2010 were $1,208.6 million, a decrease of $110.6 million, or 8.4%, compared to the second quarter of 2009 on a metal-adjusted basis. Before the impact of unfavorable foreign currency exchange rate changes of $16.3 million, net sales for the second quarter decreased 7.1% compared to the second quarter of 2009. Volume based on metal pounds sold, without the impact of incremental volume from acquired businesses, decreased 8.0% in the second quarter of 2010 compared to 2009, and was up 8.8% compared to the first quarter of 2010. Operating income in the second quarter of 2010 decreased $2.2 million to $59.8 million compared to $62.0 million in the second quarter of 2009. This result includes charges for severance, primarily in Spain, of $11.1 million and unfavorable adjustments to estimated research and development credits in France of $3.1 million. Excluding the impact of these two items, operating margin would have been 6.1% in the second quarter of 2010 as compared to 4.7% in the second quarter of 2009 on a metal adjusted basis. Lower overall demand and lower value added pricing in many of the Company¡¯s end markets were partially offset by the benefit of cost reduction efforts made throughout 2009 and, to a lesser extent, volume growth in certain early cycle businesses.
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July 30th, 2010
- General
London U.K. - Meps forecasts record high iron and steel production in 2011 and 2012
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| MEPS remains quite upbeat about the prospects for global iron and steelmaking this year and next. World steel output is predicted to reach 1395 million tonnes in 2010 - up by 14 percent on the year earlier figure. A further expansion of 3.9 percent is anticipated in 2011. The bounce back in global steel mill activity this year will be strongly influenced by the recovery in industrialised countries of the world. The economic crisis in the West in 2009 resulted in their share of global steel output falling to just 25 percent. This year, the figure will climb to near 28 percent. We should not forget, however, that the emerging and developing nations will contribute around 100 million tonnes (57 percent) of the rise in steel production this year. This amount will increase in the future as the proportion of construction activity in GDP growth drives up apparent consumption of steel per capita in these countries.
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July 30th, 2010
- General
New York City - North American and Japanese steelmakers paint gloomy picture
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| North American and Japanese steel makers painted a vastly more pessimistic outlook for the short-term prospects of the industry than MEPS as global prices have fallen and industrial demand is not recovering from the recession as quickly as expected. The negative outlook from Japan to North America sent steelmakers’ shares tumbling. U.S. Steel Corp complained about slower order rates and AK Steel Holding Corp said it is cutting production capacity to match weak demand from big steel buyers like the automobile and construction industries. “Prices have just collapsed and a lot of people have not recognized that yet,” said analyst Charles Bradford of Affiliated Research Group. Over the past year, steel prices had slowly risen, but in the last couple of months they have slipped back as demand has stalled and raw material costs have risen. Dahlman Rose & Co analyst Tony Rizzuto said the price of U.S. hot-rolled coil steel dropped 3.8 percent in just the last five days. “Too much capacity came back on line too soon,” said Bradford, noting U.S. capacity use rates had risen from about 45 percent last year to an average in the 70 percent range now.
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July 30th, 2010
- General
Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province China - Hebei Iron & Steel raises August Ex-factory prices
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| Hebei Iron and Steel Group raised the August ex-factory prices of its steel wire rods and screw steel by 100 yuan per ton while lowering the ex-factory prices of steel sheets by 100yuan-200 yuan per ton, reports China Business News. Hebei Iron and Steel Group Company Limited was established on June 30, 2008 with the merger of Tangsteel and Hansteel in Hebei province, China. It is expected to produce an annual capacity of 30 million tonnes of steel. It is the largest steel producer in China and the fifth largest in the world According to the report, the ex-factory prices of wire rods and screw steels will hit 4,050 yuan and 4,150 yuan per ton, respectively. The prices of its threaded steel will remain at 4,050 yuan per ton. The ex-factory prices of medium and thick plates will be raised to 4,150 yuan per ton while that of cold-galvanized steel will jump to 5,100 yuan per ton. The ex-factory prices of hot and cold-rolled sheets will hit 4,000 yuan and 5,000 yuan per ton, respectively.
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July 30th, 2010
- General
Abu Dhabi UAE - Emirates Steel output surges 45% in first half
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| Emirates Steel said on Tuesday that its finished products output surged 45.4 per cent in first half while sales recorded 30 per cent growth over corresponding period last year. The Abu Dhabi-based company said production of rebar grew by 26 per cent during the first half of the year, compared to the first six months previous year; while the output of wire rod went up by a significant 283 per cent. In a statement yesterday, the company said exports of steel products more than doubled during the period. “The company sells around 80 per cent of its products to the local markets, while the rest is exported to Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, India, China, the Far East and Pakistan,” the statement said. Emirates Steel is a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Basic Industries Corporation (ADBIC) which is, in turn, wholly-owned by General Holding Company (GHC), an industrial arm of Abu Dhabi government.
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July 30th, 2010
- General
Calcutta, India - Usha Martin plans to tap the Chinese market.as part of growth plan
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| Usha Martin Ltd one of the leading steel wire and wire rope manufacturers globally plans to tap the Chinese market. The senior management of the company will visit China to explore opportunities, chairman Prashant Jhawar said. The company hopes to export 10,000 tonnes of wire and wire ropes to China in the next three years, managing director Rajeev Jhawar said. About 33 per cent of the company’s revenue come from the overseas market. However, the financial crisis in the US and Europe has dented profitability. The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has also impacted sales. Despite these, the company has posted a 30.7 per cent rise in consolidated net profit the first quarter of this fiscal.
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July 30th, 2010
- General
Linz, Austria, - Siemens to provide a double strand wire rod mill for Xuanhua
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| Xuanhua Iron & Steel (Group) Co., China, has contracted with Siemens VAI for the supply of a double strand wire rod mill. The new plant will enable the steelmaker to enter markets for higher quality products. Delivery is scheduled for the first quarter of 2011. This is the second Siemens project for a subsidiary company of the Hebei Iron & Steel Group in recent months. Hebei Iron & Steel Group Co. Ltd. is one of China's leading steelmakers, and produced over 40 million tons in 2009. The new rolling mills will be located in Xuanhua, Hebei Province. The new equipment will enable Xuanhua to produce rods from 5 mm to 25 mm in diameter, and rebar (plain and HRBF) from 6 mm to 16 mm. Products will include standard high carbon and alloy steel, cold heading steel, bearing steel and spring steel. Depending on the product mix, each strand will produce approximately 500,000 to 600,000 tons per year for both domestic and overseas markets. Mill output speed guarantees are 112 meters/second for 5.5 mm to 7.5 mm rod, 105 m/s for 5.0 mm rod and 85 m/s for 6 mm HRBF rebar.
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July 30th, 2010
- General
Taipei Taiwan - Asia Pacific Wire & Cable Corporation's Thailand subsidiary receives several major contracts for telecommunications cable
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Asia Pacific Wire & Cable Corporation Limited (OTC Bulletin Board: AWRCF) ("APWC" or the "Company"), a leading manufacturer of wire and cable products for the telecommunications and electric-power industries in selected Asia-Pacific markets, today announced that one of its Thai subsidiaries, Siam Fiber Optics, Co, Ltd. ("SFO"), has signed several major contracts with local companies and state-owned telecommunication companies for a total value of Baht 592 million (approximately $18.4 million). These contracts include:
A THB 185 million ($5.7 million) contract with Marubeni Thailand Co., Ltd. to deliver 5,650 km of fiber-optic cable over a seven-month period through October 2010;
A THB 121 million ($3.8 million) contract to deliver 2,794 km of
fiber-optic cable to TOT Public Company Limited, a state-owned telecommunications company, which commenced in May 2010 and would run
for four months;
and
Two contracts from Thai Transmission Industry Co., Ltd. to provide
4,130 km ADSS & 4,324 km Dropwires of fiber-optic cables in an effort
to link the telecommunication network for all the domestic universities in Thailand totaling THB 258 million (approximately $8.0 million) over
approximately 14 months, the first of which commenced in January 2010.
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July 30th, 2010
- General
Brantford Ontario - Contradicting economic news
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| If you find that some of the above news items appear to be contradicting note that the Wirenews Bulletin simply reports what we read in the media or get sent to us via news agencies. Our take on the economy is that nobody really knows what the future has in store. It is apparent that China’s economy depends very heavily on what they can export to the United States and Europe. Western unemployment rates remain high and the new jobs created are low paying service sector jobs. Neither the unemployed nor people in low paying jobs have much to spend. Certain sectors of the economies however are buoyant like the automotive industry and this reflects positively on wire and cable companies that service these sectors.
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July 27th, 2010
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Hanoi Vietnam - Vietnam’s Wire exports set to increase
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| Increased global demand for electric wire and cable in the automobile industry was tipped to boost exports in the third quarter of this year, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said. Vietnamese electric wire and cable was sought after because the quality was good and the price competitive, the ministry said. Imports of materials to make electric wire and cable increased sharply in May and the price of the material also increased, which was expected to push up the price of exports. In the first five months, Viet Nam earned US$487.8 million from exporting electric wire and cable, double the same period last year, the ministry said. The two largest importers were Japan ($342 million) and the US ($53 million), both double the same period last year, mainly of electric wire and cable for automobiles, computers and motorbikes. Africa and the Middle East also had potential for exporters, the ministry said. The sector had room for growth and would benefit from support policies, such as reduced export fees and red tape, the ministry said. Producers should use local material to cut production costs and invest in research and production technology to add value to products.
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July 27th, 2010
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Moscow Russia - Russian steelmaking slowly fires up for a rebound.
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| Russia's iron and steel producers have come in for fierce criticism from the government for their pricing policies. Metal consumers, such as car makers, have deferred purchases citing high prices. The crisis pulled the ground from under the steel producers’ feet. The recovery brought revival to the sector, with prices for metals rising. The main steel consuming sectors such as construction, carmaking, Russian railways, and oil and gas companies have reduced their purchasing and postponed projects, accusing steel makers of hiking prices. Evraz currently faces criminal charges for price fixing. It’s a problem that’s drawn the attention at the highest levels of government. The Antimonopoly service is conducting a wide ranging investigation including a number of the major producers. Kirill Chuyko, Senior analyst, chemicals director, UBS securities doubts the accusations over price fixing, pointing out that the cost of steel in Russia follows global tends.
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July 24th, 2010
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Hanoi Vietnam - Poor electrical cable quality shocks experts
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| The quality of most electrical wires made in the country is abysmally low in the absence of clear-cut quality standards, consumer’s ignorance, and producers’ need to cut costs in the highly competitive market. Colonel Tran Thanh Chau, deputy director of the Fire Prevention and Fighting Police Department, said most fires occurring in HCM City in the recent past were related to electricity. Last year there were 193 fires and explosions in city buildings, 60 per cent of them caused by electricity, he said, adding the rate was 90 per cent for all fires in the city. A recent test of electrical cables by the Centre for Studying and Consulting Consumption (CESCON) found just one out of 36 samples of electrical wires and the insulation made by 15 companies meeting all quality and safety standards. It was made by the Viet Nam Electric Wire and Cable Joint Stock Company (CADIVI), which had received certification for quality last May. All the other samples only met some of the quality standards. CADIVI deputy director Nguyen Loc said in the last five years the company set aside VND140 billion (US$7.4 million) just to improve product quality.
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July 24th, 2010
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Hanoi Vietnam - Hanoi Electric wires to run underground by 2010
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| VietNamNet Bridge said that next year Hanoi will focus on installing underground electric wires for five street routes at a cost of VND200 billion (US$12.5 million). The five street routes are Dinh Tien Hoang-Le Thai To, Tran Tien-Hang Khay, Nguyen Thai Hoc-Kim Ma, Van Cao-Tran Duy Hung, Hai Ba Trung and the old apartment block in Giang Vo. Le Van Duc, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Transport and Public Works, said that of the total VND200 billion for this task, VND130 billion ($8.12 million) is state capital and VND70 billion is from private sources. This is the first step of the Hanoi People’s Committee in a big project to turn the outdoor electric wire system into an underground system in the whole inner city, which is scheduled to be completed by 2010.
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July 20th, 2010
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New Britain Connecticut - Manufacturing once again bright spots in many US towns
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| Local entrepreneurs have been the backbone of Connecticut’s economy for more than a century, setting up shop, producing goods, employing people and paying taxes. Although many manufacturers have closed or moved oversees, new generations of entrepreneurs continue to start companies, putting in long hours in their home offices, basements or small workshops, fueled by a desire to work for themselves and use their talents productively. Suburban manufacturing still thrives in little towns like Southington and Plainville in the form of firms with as few as four employees to others with 14 or 15 or upwards of 600. In Southington alone, there are 325 manufacturing firms employing 8,677 people, 23.1 percent of the jobs in town, according to the Connecticut Economic Resource Center.
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July 20th, 2010
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Manchester Maine - CMP buys land for conservation as recompense for environmental impact of transmission lines
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| CMP (Central Maine Power Co ) is buying nearly 4,800 acres to preserve and depositing $1.5 million into a Maine Department of Environmental Protection conservation fund. The land acquisitions are meant to satisfy a legal requirement that CMP offset the environmental impact of the Maine Power Reliability Project, in which CMP will expand some power substations, build some new ones and add 440 miles of new 345,000-volt line to Maine's electrical infrastructure. "The project has certain inescapable impacts from an environmental perspective," CMP spokesman John Carroll said. "We have an extensive compensation and preservation plan that identified some larger, significant parcels." Those impacts include permanently and temporarily filling in wetlands to make way for substation construction and expansion, filling in and changing the paths of some streams, and clearing forested areas for new transmission line corridor, according to documents on file with the DEP.
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July 17th, 2010
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Brantford Ontario - Holiday news schedule
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| During the summer vacation period July 15 to August 31 we will publish our news bulletin twice a week
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July 17th, 2010
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San Diego California - U.S. Forest Service approves SDG&E's Sunrise Powerlink
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| San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has received approval from the Department of Agriculture's United States Forest Service (USFS) to move forward with construction of the approximately $1.9 billion, 120-mile Sunrise Powerlink transmission line from. The new power line is expected to increase the reliability of the power grid and transport renewable energy such as wind, solar and geothermal power, from remote areas in southern California's Imperial Valley to residences and businesses in the San Diego region.
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July 17th, 2010
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Hamburg Germany - Fire incident at the Aurubis works in Hamburg
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| Yesterday at about 5.30 p.m. part of the molten copper in one of the two anode furnaces leaked out for reasons as yet unknown. The 1,200 ºC hot melt caused cable to ignite under the anode furnace. In addition, there was a deflagration. A deflagration of this type occurs when hot melt comes into contact with water. No one was injured during the incident and the environment was not affected. The building was not damaged in any way. The company’s own fire brigade and the professional fire brigade and voluntary fire brigade, which were called in, quickly succeeded in extinguishing the fire. About 120 fire fighters were in action at times. By 9 p.m. most of the fire brigade were able to leave the plant. As a precaution, the site of the fire was kept under surveillance throughout the night.
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July 17th, 2010
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London U.K. - Budget restrains forces UK government to extend timeline for universal 2 Mbps broadband target to 2015
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| UK Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has outlined plans to deliver universal broadband at speeds of 2 Mbps and stimulate private sector investment to deliver the best superfast broadband network in Europe by 2015. He said the government would no longer be able to meet the Universal Service Commitment (USC) of 2 Mbps by 2012, because of insufficient funding. He has set a new target of achieving the USC within the lifetime of this Parliament – expected to end in 2015. The plans were included in a Structural Reform Plan for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. The Department plans to conduct a public consultation (with participation from Ofcom, Ofwat, Ofgem and other regulators) on access to ducts, sewers and poles that can be used to carry fibre optic cable. Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK), the team set up to deliver the Government's broadband objectives, is asking the industry to identify the current barriers to providing basic level broadband to the mainly rural and remote communities that are not currently connected; develop proposals to share existing infrastructure networks as a low-cost way of connecting hard-to-reach communities; explore the use of publicly-owned broadband networks, such as those connecting schools, hospitals and local authorities; and suggest what regulatory changes might be needed to pilot the roll-out of superfast broadband in areas not currently served by the market. The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) issued a statement saying it was 'disappointed and shocked' by the decision to delay the universal broadband coverage commitment. CLA President William Worsley said this setback came at a time when rural Britain was desperately in need of effective and affordable broadband and that it would seriously compromise the ability of the rural economy to succeed in the future.
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July 15th, 2010
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Washington D.C. - Do not hope anything will happen inside the beltway.
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| Washington Post notes that Add another big transmission line to the slew of lines an energy bill must cross before getting through the Senate. Eleven governors from the Northeast have signed a letter to Senate leaders protesting the latest energy bill's plan to promote a giant electric power transmission line to link the windy Great Plains to the Midwest population centers. The governors say that the transmission line, expected to eventually cost $160 billion, would be subsidized by citizens in their states. "In its current form, this legislation would harm regional efforts to promote local renewable energy generation, require our ratepayers to bear an unfair economic burden, unnecessarily usurp states' current authority on resource planning and transmission line certification and siting, and hamper efforts to create clean energy jobs in our states," the governors said in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).
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July 15th, 2010
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Omaha Nebraska - 3 billion wire hangers made in USA once again
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| Part of the former Metz Baking Co. at 2215 Leavenworth St. has been transformed into a manufacturing plant that produces wire clothes hangers. Workers feed heavy bundles of steel rod through wire-forming equipment that produces thin hangers used by industrial laundries, dry cleaners and uniform supply companies. The 20 employees at Great Plains Hanger Co. produce and pack about 250,000 hangers a day in the cavernous building that once housed the bakery founded in 1922 by the late Henry Metz Jr. Tim Rogers, president of Great Plains, said the firm buys raw materials like boxes, paint and steel from local suppliers. “What's nice is everything in here is basically Nebraska,” Rogers said.
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July 14th, 2010
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Floreal Mauritius - Seacom cable repairs to take until 22 July
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| Seacom said that repairs on its faulty undersea cable line between Mumbai and Mombasa will only be finalised by 22 July, having originally gone down on 5 July. The cable connects South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Mozambique to Europe and Asia. Initial reports indicated that the overall repair process could take 6-8 days. The cable firm said in a statement that current investigations indicate that a repeater has failed on segment 9 of the Seacom cable, which is offshore to the north of Mombasa. This unexpected failure affects traffic towards both India and Europe. Traffic within Africa is not affected. The firm said it had continued to work closely with its partners to deploy the best plan possible for the repair operations. As communicated earlier, the exogenous factors such as location, water depth, weather and spare parts needed make this cable outage very difficult to repair and a highly specialised vessel and technical crew is being used to carry out this work. Based on this, the current timeline indicates that the repairs may now only be finalised by 22 July. The group said it would also continue to source and activate additional capacity to meet customer requirements for the duration of the repairs.
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July 14th, 2010
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Tranås Sweden - That speculators take delivery to depress inventory does not seem enough to change downward trend
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| Copper continued to decline on Monday, as the trend was negative after reduced import numbers from China. Chinese imports fell by 17% in June to 328231 tonnes on a monthly basis. On a yearly basis the imports were down by 31% from 475999 tonnes. Markets lack energy to move forward and any brief rise is faced by Chinese importing future. The Monday session was in red and the opening in major exchanges is down on Tuesday. It seems that the market breadth relating to Copper is still weak and decline in inventory levels that is at 7 month lows is not bringing enough push forward. Shanghai Copper benchmark contract is down by 670 yuan to 52880 yuan per tonne. COMEX Copper is down by 1.9 cents and now trade at $ 2.990 after closing at $ 3.009 per lb on 12 July 2010. Copper on MCX closed the trading at Rs 312.75 per kg, down Rs 3, or 1%. The prices are expected to remain in a negative zone today with supports at Rs 310-308 per kg levels. LME warehouse stocks of Copper was down by 1650 tonnes today and now is at 435250 tonnes, levels not seen since November 2009. But it has hardly made a difference in the negative trend of Copper so far.
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July 13th, 2010
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Petaling Jaya Malysia - Wonderful Wire to be de-listed from Bursa Malaysia
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| Bursa Malaysia Securities Bhd says the securities of Wonderful Wire & Cable Bhd, an amended PN17 firm, will be de-listed and removed from the official list of Bursa Securities on Tuesday. It said in a statement that the de-listing was in accordance with the decision of Bursa Securities announced by the company on Dec 4, 2008. “It is noted that the Securities Commission (SC) had vide its letter dated June 30, 2010 disallowed the company’s appeal against the SC’s decision to reject the company’s proposed restructuring scheme,” it said. Further, it added, Wonderful Wire had announced on July 8 that the company would not appeal against Bursa Securities’ decision to de-list it.
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July 12th, 2010
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Shanghai China - 40 degrees Celsius: means a day off in China
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| One of the first lessons Indian CEOs learn on moving to Chinese factory towns is how to manage and retain workers during the summer when the temperature hovers above 33 degrees Celsius, a daytime high not unusual in India. In Jiaxing town near Shanghai, CEO R Premkumar is prepared to juggle production plans and abruptly shutdown his Sundram Fasteners plant for a day — on the local government’s order — if the temperature hits 40 degrees Celsius. The Chinese can survive bone-chilling subzero winters in homes without central heating but the same hardy workers may walk out from assembly lines when the temperature crosses 33 to 35 degrees Celsius. So at 2 pm when the temperature peaks on every summer day, the Chinese workers making nuts and bolts at Sundram Fasteners receive a cooling serving of free moong bean (green gram) soup. “The soup is distributed as a precautionary measure to retain people,’’ Premkumar told the Hindustan Times. “We are lucky that the temperature hasn’t touched 40 degrees Celsius,” adds Premkumar, though a 40-degree-day is almost the norm for his smaller Indian staff from the Chennai-based company.
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July 12th, 2010
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Westbury New York - State awards $90K for nuts and bolts maker
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| Westbury-based John Hassall Inc., a manufacturer of custom metal parts and fasteners, has been awarded a grant of up to $90,000 from the Empire State Development Corporation. The grant will be used to offset the $1.15 million cost of new machinery and employee training in order to keep the company competitive, according to a statement. The company has pledged to retain 74 jobs. The money for Hassall was part of about $30 million in grants awarded statewide by the development corporation on Thursday. For the $30 million, the 28 statewide projects receiving funding pledged, in total, to retain 528 jobs and create 29 new ones.
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July 10th, 2010
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Richmond, Virginia - Virginia Electric Cooperatives receive $120 Million in federal loans
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| Virginia Senator Jim Webb (D-Va) announced today that more than $120 million in federal loans have been granted to Rappahannock Electric Cooperative and A & N Electric Cooperative to build nearly 1000 miles of distribution lines, benefiting thousands of customers in rural Virginia. The funding will be provided through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development’s Electric Loan Program. With these funds, rural areas of northern and central Virginia, the Shenandoah Valley and the Eastern Shore will see 1,000 miles of new distribution lines and upgrades to existing lines. Funding of each loan guarantee recipient is contingent upon the recipient meeting the conditions of the loan agreement.
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July 10th, 2010
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Hays Kansas - State approves 85-mile power line in NW Kansas
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| Kansas regulators have approved the second phase of a massive electric transmission line from the southwestern part of the state into south-central Nebraska. The power line will eventually stretch 225 miles from Spearville, Kan., to Axtell, Neb. Phase I of the project, from Spearville to Hays, was approved last year. The Hays Daily News reports that the Kansas Corporation Commission has now approved Phase II, a 345,000-volt line from Hays to the Nebraska border. The 85-mile line will be built on single steel poles, each 100 to 150 feet tall and spaced about 900 feet apart. Topeka-based ITC Great Plains is building the Kansas stretch of the line. Construction of the second phase is expected to cost nearly $92 million. The Kansas Corporation Commission collected public input at several hearings before issuing its order last week.
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July 9th, 2010
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Kobe Japan - Kobe Steel to add heat treatment furnace at Thai CH Wire plant
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| SteelGuru reported that Kobe Steel adds a heat treatment furnace at Kobe CH Wire (Thailand) to expand the production for automobile. As per report, the capacity will increase by around 30% for heat treatment and by around 20% for wire processing volume by January 2011 when Thai automobile production reaches record level. Kobe Steel tries to expand the production capacity to meet growing demand from transplants of Japanese automakers.
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July 8th, 2010
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Colorado Springs Colorado - Liberty Wire & Cable becomes Liberty AV Solutions
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| Liberty Wire & Cable has officially changed its name to Liberty AV Solutions. The company changed its name to better reflect its new presence as a comprehensive connectivity infrastructure AV solutions provider. “Unveiling Liberty AV Solutions as our new name marks a significant milestone in the history of our company,” said Liberty president, John Dace. “The name Liberty Wire & Cable no longer adequately represented our business, our products, or our position as a leader in connectivity infrastructure AV solutions. The new name embodies our ability and continuing commitment to help our customers find labor savings, as well as one-stop-shop solutions through a unique combination of products and expertise.”
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July 7th, 2010
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Santiago Chile - Endesa Chile Dam Project may offer transmission line to third party
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| Chile’s biggest hydroelectric project, controlled by a unit of Italy’s Enel SpA, may hand over its transmission line to a third party to speed up development and increase profits. The HidroAysen project, owned by Empresa Nacional de Electricidad SA and Colbun SA, held talks with prospective partners that would build and operate the 1,900-kilometer (1,180-mile) line linking the $3.2 billion, 2,750 megawatt dam project to Chile’s central grid, Daniel Fernandez, the project’s chief executive officer, said in an interview. “Endesa and Colbun are not in the business of building transmission lines,” Fernandez said in Santiago yesterday. “We can’t rule out as a business model handing off construction of the transmission line to another entity, company or shareholder.”
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July 6th, 2010
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York Pennsylvania - York Wire and Cable's Wilson to visit White House
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| Robert Wilson, vice president sales for York Wire and Cable, has accepted an invitation to attend an update from President Barack Obama on the National Export Initiative Wednesday. The event is scheduled for just before noon in the White House Rose Garden, according to a news release by York Wire and Cable. The company is based in West Manchester Township and is a supplier of electrical wire and cable.
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July 6th, 2010
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Taipei Taiwan - Wire and cable maker APWCC seeks to manage copper price risks
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| Asia Pacific Wire & Cable Corp. Ltd. (APWCC), one of the region's largest cable suppliers, is locking in copper prices through direct deals with some suppliers after volatility forced it to take a large writedown in late 2008. Taipei-based APWCC has fixed copper prices six months forward with some producers, Frank Tseng, the company's chief financial officer, told AMM. "This gives us some protection, though if copper prices drop sharply we could be exposed to losses." Tseng didn't reveal at what price the company had agreed to buy, although he said he expects copper prices to stay around $6,000 per tonne in the near term.
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July 3rd, 2010
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Brantford Ontario -  We join USA in celebrating the 4th of July
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| Next news bulletin Tuesday July 6
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July 1st, 2010
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Brantford Ontario -  Celebrate Canada Day with us
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| Next news bulletin July 2
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June 30th, 2010
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Hamburg Germany - Kazakhmys to sell German copper plant
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| Kazakhstan-based metals group Kazakhmys PLC is in talks to sell its German copper products unit Mansfelder Kupfer und Messing (MKM), a German newspaper reported on Monday. Talks are underway with several potential investors, MKM chief executive Friedrich Flemming told the daily Mittledeutsche Zeitung. He did not name the interested companies but said they were industrial groups. Kazakhmys had taken over MKM in 2004. The German company produces a range of copper products including copper strips, wire, tubes and bars. Annual output of about 200,000 tonnes goes to a wide range of customers including the construction and engineering industries. No one was immediately available at the company for comment. Flemming told the newspaper the sale was being made as Kazakhmys had made a decision to concentrate on its mining and primary copper production rather than downstream product output. He said MKM was in a healthy commercial state with good order books.
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June 30th, 2010
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Beijing China - Tit for tat China imposes anti-dumping tax on EU screw imports
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| China imposed antidumping duties on some European steel screw products effective Tuesday amid growing trade tension between the sides. The additional tariffs on imports of European carbon steel fasteners range from 6.1 percent to 26 percent for five years, the Commerce Ministry announced. The move follows a preliminary duty imposed last December. "China's fastener industry was hurt substantially and that has a causal effect with the dumping," the ministry said in a statement on its website. China and the European Union, its biggest trade partner, have been involved in a "fastener dispute." China last December asked the World Trade Organization to examine the EU's charges on imports of Chinese steel fasteners. The EU slapped Chinese screw exporters with duties up to 85 percent last January. The two are also involved in disputes from shoes to steel. China is the world's biggest steel producer and has faced complaints it is harming foreign producers by dumping steel in overseas markets.
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June 29th, 2010
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Lagos Nigeria - Revival plan for Ajaokuta Steel ready
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| The Federal Government of Nigeria said it has received the report of the business plan for the re-commissioning of the Ajaokuta Steel Company and the Iron Ore Mining Company from the Interim Management Committee of the two companies. Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Musa Mohammed Sada said this at the weekend during a familiarisation tour to the Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited and the National Iron Ore Mining Company, Itakpe, Kogi State. Sada, who expressed the commitment of Federal Government towards the resuscitation of the problem-ridden steel sector, said the Ministry had received the business plan of the Interim Management Committee of the two companies for the reopening of the two entities. The Minister said that having received the business plan, The Seed Fund of N650 million will be released to the Committee to commence work on the reoperationalisation of the two organisations. According to a statement signed by the Head of Public Relations at the ministry, Mr. Marshal Gundu, the priority area of the plan is to revive the Light section mill, the Wire rod mill, the engineering workshops, the thermal power plant at the steel plant and the Bergeaud Plant at the National Iron Ore Mining Company, Itajpe. Sada said the Ministry has already received the Technical Audit Report on the two companies and is scrutinising it for implementation.
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June 28th, 2010
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Oklahoma City Oklahoma - Texas company asks to be an Oklahoma public utility
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| A Texas company planning a $3.5 billion transmission line project has applied to become a public utility in Oklahoma. The application by Plains and Eastern Clean Line Oklahoma, which is an affiliate of Houston-based Clean Line Energy Partners, with the Oklahoma Corporation Commission is only the second of its kind ever attempted, commission spokesman Matt Skinner said Friday. The company filed a similar application with the Arkansas Public Service Commission in May. Clean Line Energy Partners said the filings are a key part of the development of a project that will include about 800 miles of overhead, high-voltage, direct current transmission lines running from the Oklahoma Panhandle through Arkansas to Tennessee. The lines would be capable of transmitting up to 7,000 megawatts of electricity.
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June 25th, 2010
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Tranås Sweden - There is no News bulletin today due to Midsummer festivities
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 Next News bulletin will be published Monday June 28
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June 24th, 2010
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Beijing China - China cuts commodities export tax rebates
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| China will scrap tax rebates to exporters of dozens of commodities including key steel products, corn starch, rubber products and ethanol, the finance ministry said, while they also face a rise in the yuan. The decision has disappointed local steel mills, which were hoping for more government support as they come up against potentially calamitous margin pressures in the third quarter as well as a further decline in exports as a result of the rising yuan. "Chinese steel exports have already been difficult and have lacked price competitiveness, and we will face a much tougher environment if some taxes aren't rebated," said an export manager with a major steel mill. China will cancel 5 percent rebates on exports of semi-finished copper products such as rods, bars, profiles and wires, and semi-finished nickel products including plates, sheets, strips, foils and tubes.
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June 23rd, 2010
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Richmond, Indiana - Belden joins HDcctv alliance.
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| Setting standards for high-definition CCTV means the cables between devices have to be equipped to handle the content and its packaging. Now wire and cable giant Belden, has joined the HDcctv Alliance, giving those companies a key partner in developing and implementing future interoperability. “Belden is the leader in supplying the worldwide demand for CCTV cabling, and we are delighted they have chosen to participate in crafting the HDcctv standard,” said Todd Rockoff, HDcctv Alliance executive director. “With plans to provide for direct transmission over media such as Category cable and optical fiber in future versions of the HDcctv standard, the Alliance looks forward to significant contributions from Belden.”
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June 23rd, 2010
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Paris France - Nexans rolls out its green drum programme
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| Nexans, the worldwide leader in the cable industry, has further increased the scope of its commitment to sustainable development by implementing its new ‘green drum’ programme. In this initiative, Nexans is working with its wooden cable drum suppliers to become the world’s first cable manufacturer to upgrade to drums holding the PEFCTM (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes) certification.
Nexans has a total population of some 350,000 wooden cable drums in circulation at any one time within the European Union region alone. The drums are designed to be reused a number of times and according to their age and condition, be replaced each year. For all replacements from 2010 onwards, Nexans is deploying only green drums, produced with PEFCTM certified wood and carrying the distinctive PEFCTM logo. The programme relies on the availability of certified wood, and this is why its initial focus is on Europe. “In our quest for sustainable development, we are able to carry out detailed life cycle assessment of Nexans cables from production to end of life. Now, we are taking the process a stage further to include the cable drums,” says Pascal Portevin, Nexans Senior Corporate Executive Vice President. “The green drum initiative is a perfect example of our desire to involve everyone in the business chain in sustainable development – the drum producer, the cable manufacturer, the distributor and the installer.”
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June 22nd, 2010
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Toronto Canada - G20 Summit creates Bonanza for the Canadian fence industry.
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 Once a year the leaders of the 20 largest economies meet to discuss how to cope with bankers who have lost their depositor’s money, by lending it to sovereign states that has squandered it, or financing ill conceived acquisitions. Once prosperous areas of the world like Detroit, are now a waste land of derelict abandoned houses from which the owners have been evicted when the real economy moved east and was replaced by Wall street casino type economies where tenth of a second shareholders reap gigantic rewards and provided GDP growth figures from a gigantic transformation of wealth not earlier seen in the history of mankind. No wonder the leaders that meet behind steel fences need all the protection Canada’s mounted police can muster. An article by Toronto Star provides a vivid description of this year’s G20 spectacle. To read use use this link
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June 21st, 2010
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Beijing China - Yuan exchange rate to be more flexible
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| China is to allow the exchange rate of the yuan to be more flexible, after drawing western criticism for linking it to the US dollar for almost two years. However, the People's Bank of China gave no details about the timing or extent of changes. The yuan has been effectively pegged to the dollar, drawing criticism that China was protecting its exporters. Both the International Monetary Fund and the US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner welcomed the move. The European Commission also approved. The United States has been particularly critical of Beijing, accusing it of keeping its currency artificially weak. The yuan has been held at about 6.83 to the dollar since July 2008. In July 2005, it was revalued by 2.1%. The People's Bank of China said the proposed exchange rate reform had been made possible by the global recovery. But it appeared to rule out a major appreciation, saying there was "no basis for big fluctuations or changes". The BBC says the announcement may be an attempt to preempt criticism of China's currency policies at a summit of the G20 group in Canada on 26 June.
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June 19th, 2010
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Baton Rouge Louisiana - Louisiana utilities warn of blackouts.
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| Seven utilities in south central Louisiana warned Thursday they might be forced to initiate rolling blackouts due to weak transmission service to an area that's experiencing hot temperatures and high air conditioning demand. The affected area, called the "Acadiana load pocket," includes the city of Lafayette and nearby towns. It lies south of Highway 190 between the Atchafalaya Basin and the town of Jennings. "It was a close day for us," said Susan Broussard, spokeswoman for utility Cleco Corp., in Pineville, La., adding that actions taken by customers to reduce electricity use appeared to be providing relief. Temperatures in the area topped 95 degrees Fahrenheit Thursday. Customers aren't out of the woods yet. Correcting the transmission weakness is the purpose of a $200 million program of upgrades that utilities say won't be completed until 2012.
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June 18th, 2010
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Paris France - Nexans opens a new aircraft cable manufacturing plant in Morocco as part of its partnership with Airbus
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 Nexans, a worldwide leader in the cable industry, has opened a new manufacturing plant entirely dedicated to aircraft cables in Mohammedia (Morocco). The plant, which is now in operation, is the result of an agreement signed in 2008 between Nexans and Airbus for the supply of advanced cables for the aircrafts manufactured by Airbus (A320, A350, and A380). This investment of nearly 10 million euros strengthens Nexans’ aeronautical business as well as the core business of its Moroccan subsidiary, which already has strong expertise in the manufacturing of cables for the automotive, building and infrastructure industries. This is Nexans’ third plant dedicated to aircraft cables, along with similar facilities based in France and the United States. Nexans has redeveloped the Mohammedia plant to accommodate a production area of 3,000 m² designed to manufacture 21,000 km of cables per year, with 70 percent to be exported. 47 new job positions have been created and 2,300 hours of training have been delivered to newly hired engineers, technicians and operators.
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June 18th, 2010
- General
Charlotte, North Carolina - DRI production in 2009 totals 64.4 million tons
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| Based on more complete data, 2009 world DRI production reached 64.4 million tons, higher than first reported earlier in the year. Last year’s production was not a record but remained remarkably healthy in light of economic conditions. India, once again, led all nations in DRI production with over 22 million tons, more than one-third of the world total. Of this, 16.2 million tons were made in rotary kilns. The rotary kiln, coal-based method for direct reduction again set records. There are approximately 350 of these furnaces operating within India. Iran was the second largest producer of direct reduced iron, accounting for 8.2 million tons. Iran led the world in natural gas-based DRI production, and Venezuela and Saudi Arabia each also produced in excess of five million tons. Russia was close behind with 4.7 million tons. Rounding out the top ten were Mexico, Egypt, Malaysia, Qatar and Trinidad with 4.2 million, 2.9 million, 2.3 million, 2.1 million and 2.0 million tons respectively.
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June 18th, 2010
- General
Sheffield U.K. - Outokumpu opens new stainless bar and rebar plant in Sheffield
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| A new stainless steel bar and rebar facility is being officially opened today in Sheffield, UK. The plant, an investment of some EUR 10 million, can offer stainless steel rebar in straight lengths or formed components as well as producing cold drawn bar. It said “Significantly, Outokumpu can now serve its UK long products customers from a production route which is completely integrated in Sheffield, in addition to broadening its product offer in the global market place.” Mr Tommy Grahn senior VP Long Products said “I am extremely glad that we have now invested in Sheffield, allowing us to add value to our existing wire rod products in a way which markedly increases our service offering to our customers in Europe and across the globe. One of the most exciting aspects of this new plant is its ability to process our proprietary LDX2101 duplex grade into rebar. This is a product which can really ignite the potential for stainless steel rebar and provide a solution to the serious problem of corrosion in many reinforced concrete structures.”
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June 17th, 2010
- General
Minsk Belarus - BMZ supplies first consignments of wire to China India and Thailand
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| BelTA reported that in May this year, Belarusian Steel Works supplied the first consignment of high pressure hose wire to China, India and Thailand. According to specialists, the operations on the Asian markets despite of the tough competition are the result of the purposeful work conducted by the plant for several years. The decisive factor of the success of the Belarusian wire on the Asian markets is not the price only but the high quality of the product, specialists underscored. The company has set the task not only to stay on those markets but develop new markets. All in all, in 2010 BMZ exported 4289 tonnes of wire.
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June 17th, 2010
- General
Taipei Taiwan - Taiwan's rebar price drops to bottom
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| As scrap price plummeted for a fifth consecutive week, Taiwan’s rebar price is expected to fall to the bottom of NT$18,000/ton. However, some market participants said that the bottom has not emerged yet, since the scrap market remained oversupplied. The rebar price has slumped by 11 percent, compared to NT$20,300/ton five weeks ago. Source: yieh.com
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June 16th, 2010
- General
Arnhem, The Netherlands, - Twaron production back up to speed
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| Teijin Aramid will restart the last spinning line for aramid fibers at its Emmen, the Netherlands plant. Demand for Teijin Aramid’s super-strong Twaron fiber declined sharply in 2009 during the economic crisis. The forecast for production of aramid in 2010 has been adjusted upwards. With the restart of the last spinning line, all spinning lines will be operational and production will be at full capacity. The schedule calls for this spinning line to be operational once more and stable in the last quarter of 2010. A large number of spinning lines were shut down in 2009 in response to declining market demand. Demand for aramid now appears to be recovering faster than had been predicted in the first quarter of this year. Teijin Aramid is responding to this recovery by starting all production lines once more.
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June 16th, 2010
- General
Washington D.C. - USITC announces final decisions in AD and CVD reviews on PC strand from China
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| SteelGuru reports that the United States International Trade Commission on June 10th determined that a US industry is materially injured by reason of imports of prestressed concrete steel wire strand from China, which the US Department of Commerce has determined are subsidized and sold in the United States at less than fair value. As a result of the Commission's affirmative determinations, the Department of Commerce will issue antidumping and countervailing duty orders on imports of this product from China. As we reported May 25 US DOC had on May 17th announced its final determinations in the antidumping and countervailing duty investigations of PC strand from China. The US DOC determined AD margins between 42.97% to 193.55% and CVD margins ranging from 8.85% to 45.85%.
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June 15th, 2010
- General
Washington D.C. - Wire-crawling robots could inspect power lines
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(Credit: Electric Power Research Institute)
Robots that look like 1950s UFOs could start shimmying along thousands of miles of power lines in North America in the next few years. The high-wire acrobats would check for cable defects and problems like overgrown trees, eliminating the need for some human inspection, according to researchers at the nonprofit Electric Power Research Institute. The prototype cable crawler is designed to be 140 pounds and 6 feet long, and moves on rollers at an average speed of about 3 mph. It will be able to navigate around pylons by using special cables.
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June 14th, 2010
- General
Highland Heights Kentucky - General Cable announces management change
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| General Cable Corporation is pleased to announce the appointment of Emmanuel Sabonnadiere as Chief Executive Officer and President of the Europe and Mediterranean region and Executive Vice President of General Cable Corporation effective July 1, 2010. Emmanuel will succeed Domingo Goenaga, who will remain with the company as an Executive Vice President and Vice Chairman of our European holding company. He will assist Emmanuel in the transition and will join the boards of a number of other General Cable investments and operating companies around the world, building on Domingo's more than 45 years of leadership and demonstrated results in the wire and cable industry. Emmanuel has a MBA, as well as a PhD in physics and nearly 20 years of senior management experience in energy transmission and distribution with Schneider Electric and Alstom. Emmanuel joined General Cable two years ago as Managing Director of our Silec operations in France and recently became Chairman of the Board of our Algerian business. According to Chief Executive Officer Gregory B. Kenny, "The company continues to leverage European skills in high voltage and undersea cables as well as process and material science know-how across the globe. At the same time, General Cable will continue to look for ways to expand its presence in the Europe and Mediterranean region including Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. Emmanuel is the right person for this job with his strong academic and professional background. We welcome him to the global Operating Committee of General Cable."
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June 12th, 2010
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Geneva Switzerland - Lamy urges more trade finance for developing countries
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| Director-General Pascal Lamy, in his keynote address to the Global Commodities Finance Conference in Geneva on 9 June 2010, warned that lower-income developing countries, particularly in Sub Saharan Africa, continue to face “strong constraints” in trade finance despite the return of liquidity to the bulk of trade markets. He said that concluding the Doha Round would significantly reduce “current distortions in the global commodities markets, particularly those that impact on developing countries”.
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June 12th, 2010
- General
Georgetown South Carolina - Georgetown steel workers vote in favour of new contract
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| Wednesday, union members in Georgetown voted to take lower wages in an effort to reopen the Arcelor-Mittal steel plant. The company suspended operations at the plant last July, saying the recession caused a significant drop in demand for steel. Union president James Sanderson tells us members overwhelmingly voted to take lower wages to make the plant more competitive. Sanderson says he should hear from the plant in the next 30 days about the possibility of it re-opening.
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June 12th, 2010
- General
Beijing China - Speculators run for cover as metal prices dive as many construction projects halts.
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| Zinc smelters in China have idled as much as 8.8% of capacity as prices decline when the Chinese government succeeds to cool the property market. Local researcher and data provider say that about 400,000 tonnes to 500,000 tonnes of the country’s 5.7 million tonnes of annual capacity have been suspended on output cuts and maintenance shutdowns. China is a major consumer of the metal used to galvanize steel The price of copper, used in pipes and wires has slumped 17% this year. Some of the smaller producers have brought forward their planned maintenance to help alleviate cost pressures and reduce the inventories they have on hand. Zinc on the Shanghai Futures Exchange has lost 35% this year, tumbling to as low as CNY 13,900 per tonne while London prices have shed 38% to USD 1,595 per tonne, the worst base metal performer. Stockpiles in warehouses monitored by the Shanghai exchange were 295,454 tonnes last week, the highest level since futures started trading in 2007.
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June 11th, 2010
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Paris France - Alcatel-Lucent signs USD 500 million turnkey deal for ACE cable
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| Alcatel-Lucent announced they had received a turnkey contract valued at over USD 500 million for the new Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) submarine cable. France Telecom-Orange said in a statement that the 20 members of the ACE consortium have signed the agreement for the construction and maintenance of the cable, which will run between Penmarch in France and Cape Town in South Africa. In its planned configuration, the 17,000km, fibre-optic cable will offer an initial 40Gbps capacity and be operational in the first half of 2012. It will connect 23 countries, either directly in the case of coastal countries or indirectly for landlocked countries. This will be the first international submarine cable to land in Mauritania, Gambia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Sao Tome and Principe, and Equatorial Guinea. For Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire and Cameroon, which are already connected to the SAT3-WASC-SAFE cable (also co-owned by France Telecom-Orange), ACE will secure communications traffic while providing the additional capacity necessary for future growth. ACE will also provide the Orange subsidiaries in eastern Africa and Reunion with an alternative for routing telecommunications traffic to Europe via western Africa. The northern segment of the cable will also diversify transmission arteries between France and Portugal. The participants in the ACE consortium, headed by France Telecom-Orange, are Baharicom Development Company, Benin Telecoms, Cable Consortium of Liberia, Orange Cameroun, Companhia Santomense de Telecomunicacoes, Cote d'Ivoire Telecom, Expresso Telecom Group, Gambia Telecommunications Company, International Mauritania Telecom, Office Congolais des Postes et Telecommunication, Orange Guinea, Orange Mali, Orange Niger, PT Comunicacoes, the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, the Gabonese Republic, Sierra Leone Cable, Societe des Telecommunications de Guinee and Sonatel. Alcatel-Lucent will deploy its advance submarine line terminal (1620 Light Manager) working at up to 40Gbps and using phase shift keying-based modulation formats with coherent detection to deal with transmission impairments in an automated manner. Alcatel-Lucent will also supply its branching units and will implement its 1678 Metro Core Connect in the 21 planned landing points.
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June 11th, 2010
- General
Johannesburg South Africa - KPMG report on steel is optimistic and in sharp contrast to analysts such as Meps and major players such as Lakim Mittal Arcelor/Mittal that are more cautious.
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| According to a KPMG International's Global Metals Practice report, the global demand for steel has bounced back strongly with producers now having to find ways to meet the sharp increase in demand. The report said that "As the global steel industry prepares for strong growth in 2010 and beyond, steel producers face the new challenge of meeting a sharp rise in demand for steel products while maintaining profit margins in the face of rising input costs." Early indications of a recovery began in the first quarter of 2009 when capacity utilization began to improve. By the second trimester of 2009, the world steel capacity utilization rate had increased to approximately 75 percent. Total world crude steel production has also shown relatively steady month-on-month increases since April 2009. For full report For full report use this link
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June 9th, 2010
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Norwalk Connecticut - GE Capital provides $75 Million to Insteel Industries, Inc.
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| GE Capital, Corporate Finance today announced it is sole lender for a $75 million asset-based credit facility to Insteel Industries, Inc., a leading manufacturer of steel wire reinforcing products. The loan replaces an existing credit facility from GE and will be used to fund Insteel's working capital, capital expenditure, general corporate and growth requirements. Insteel Industries, Inc. manufactures and markets prestressed concrete strand and welded wire reinforcement sold primarily to manufacturers of concrete products for nonresidential construction applications. Headquartered in Mount Airy, North Carolina, Insteel operates six manufacturing facilities located in Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
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June 9th, 2010
- General
Hamburg Germany - Copper 2010 technical/scientific copper conference opened in Hamburg
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Copper 2010 with more than 600 participants the largest symposium for copper worldwide was opened today in Hamburg. For three days specialists from 35 nations will be able to exchange ideas in a total of about 250 contributions and discussions. The range of topics varies from the preparation of the raw materials to the production and refining processes through to product applications and their customer markets.
The symposium organiser is GDMB Gesellschaft für Bergbau, Metallurgie, Rohstoff- und Umwelttechnik e.V. (Association of Mining, Metallurgie, Raw Materials and Environmental Technology) in collaboration with five other specialist copper associations from copper-mining countries. Up to now this conference has been held in North and Latin America and is being organised this year in Europe for the first time.
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June 8th, 2010
- General
Sault Ste. Marie Ontario - Essar ramps up world expansion
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Essar Group's ambitious drive to increase the production capacity of Essar Steel Ltd., one of its six core businesses, is accelerating. Media reports out of India have Essar Steel commissioning the nearly $3-billion expansion of its flagship facility in western India, Hazira, by the end of this month and then shifting focus to construction of a nearly $5-billion new plant in iron-ore rich southern India. The Hazira expansion, under way for a couple of years, including a newly dredged and enlarged port capable of handling 100,000-tonne vessels, will nearly double plant capacity to 10 million tonnes. The proposed new plant will increase capacity by a further six million tonnes. Media are speculating Essar and four rivals could invest more than $22 billion in developing new plants throughout southern India in the coming years.
As well, Indian media are reporting that the parent company of Essar Steel Algoma in Sault Ste. Marie is preparing to enter the Egyptian steel market through a formal bid for Cairobased Kandil Steel Co.
Essar Steel officials deny any formal bid is forthcoming for Kandil Steel, which has one million tonnes of capacity for hot and cold-rolled sheet and coil, galvanized steel and pipe.
Essar Steel, with interests in India, North America, the Middle East and Asia, has been aggressively building global capacity through acquisition, expansion and partnerships in recent years.
It acquired the then Algoma Steel Inc., with more than two million tonnes of capacity, three years ago for nearly $2 billion. Then it acquired Minnesota Steel and approved former management's more than $1.5-billion vision for iron ore pellet and slab production.
Essar Steel Minnesota has expectations of 6.5-million tonnes of taconite pellet production by mid-to late-2012, then entering higher-value direct reduced iron pellet and slab production by the second half of 2015. That project already is running about a year behind schedule due to the economic challenges in financing the project.
The company is expecting a 1.5-million-tonne slab launch, then ramping it up by a further one million tonnes.
Multi-tonne slabs, which they expect to ship throughout the Great Lakes region, need to go only through reheat furnaces in advance ot entering rolling mills for transformation into coil and plate.
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June 7th, 2010
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Washington D.C. - US sets hefty duties on steel product from China
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| The United States on Friday set final duties ranging up to more than 437 per cent on a steel wire product from China used in storage rack systems, the Commerce Department said. The case, which affects hundreds of millions of dollars of 'wire decking' from China, is one of many complaints of unfair pricing and subsidies that US companies have brought against their Chinese competitors in recent years. China has accused the United States of using its countervailing and anti-dumping duty laws in a protectionist fashion. The United States says the duties are justified to protect vulnerable companies from unfair practices.
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June 4th, 2010
- General
Gothenburg Sweden - Borealis inaugurates LDPE plant aimed at wire and cable market
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| Sweden is a key strategic location for Borealis' on-going enhancement of its capability to provide advanced materials to the growing wire and cable market. Its EUR 400 million investment in the company's Stenungsund site, to be inaugurated in June 2010, will enable Borealis to maximise flexible feedstock and increase total capacity to 700,000 t/y. This makes Borealis' Northern European base a leading world scale polyethylene (PE) facility for infrastructure applications. Borealis' step change technological solutions respond directly to its customers' needs for production, installation and cable-system lifetime improvements. The capacity expansion at Stenungsund, which includes a new 350,000 t/y high-pressure low density Polyethylene (LDPE) plant, and modernisation and streamlining of compounding and related material handling facilities, builds on Borealis' existing Borstar® technology platform. It will secure the continuing, high quality level of its well-known Supercure™ and Visico™ insulation brands for high and medium voltage cables.
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June 4th, 2010
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Gothenburg Sweden - CRU 4th World Wire and Cable Conference starts
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| CRU 4th World Wire and Cable Conference in Sweden in 2010 opened yesterday for 2 days of action pact meetings between the leading executives of the global wire and cable industry. The World Wire and Cable Conference provides delegates from across the sector with updates and insight into the latest movements of the worldwide wire and cable industry from the leaders in the field. More than 200 participants attended the 2010 event, regarded as the key networking venue and source of information on market dynamics and strategy issues. Delegates were treated to a dinner and garden party at the famous Trädgårdsföreningen restaurang. The event was sponsored by Borealis
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June 3rd, 2010
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Toronto Ontario - Surprise Surprise University of Toronto study finds steel industry essential to Canadian economy
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| Steelmaking is an increasingly knowledge-intensive industry, requiring a highly skilled workforce and creating the foundation for a productive modern economy, according to a comprehensive study by industry expert Dr. Peter Warrian of the Munk Centre for International Studies at the University of Toronto. The study, co-sponsored by the United Steelworkers, the Canadian Steel Producers Association and the Canadian Steel Trade and Employment Congress analyzes the history, evolution and future prospects of Canadian steel. "From an employment, value-added and environmental perspective, this is an industry Canadians should want in their future," commented Warrian.
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June 3rd, 2010
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Ottawa Ontario - "Steel Days" promotes Canadian steel industry impact and sustainability
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| Leaders from Canada's steel industry are in Ottawa this week to meet with Cabinet Ministers, Members of Parliament and senior officials to discuss developments in Canada's steel industry, its economic and environmental performance, and how steel will contribute to a more innovative, geren and sustainable future. Running from June 1-3, Steel Days discussions with policymakers will address the steel industry's public policy interests, and priorities for working with governments to improve the investment and future growth prospects of the industry. Canada's steel and steel tubular products industry employs 30,000 Canadians, generating annual shipments of approximately $14 billion, including about $7 billion in exports.
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June 2nd, 2010
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Moscow Russia - Steel product price from CIS in Middle East keep falling
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| SteelGuru reports that the prices for steel products from CIS in Middle East has kept falling in recent weeks. Actually, they have returned to the early March level. In particular, semis with the delivery in June are offered at USD 480 per tonne to USD 490 per ton FOB, wire rod and rebar prices fell to USD 530 per tonne to USD 540 per ton FOB. The Ilyich Steel Works of Mariupol keep decreasing the prices and offers HRC at USD 590 per ton FOB and less. Other Ukrainian and Russian mills offer similar products at USD 620 per tonne to USD 665 per ton FOB. However, the traders are looking for the buyers at USD 600 per ton CFR the Gulf and less. Certainly, the lowest prices are offered by trading companies which try to unload the stockpiles and ports. The manufacturers are also very flexible today. In March to April steel output in Ukraine almost reached 3 million tonnes per month, ie the capacities load exceeded 80%. Obviously, the production volume significantly exceeded the real demand.
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June 1st, 2010
- General
Dallas Texas - High voltage ttransmission lines needed to move wind energy to markets
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| 20,000 attendees at this year’s largest wind energy conference held last week in Dallas, felt anguish on the need for national renewable energy standard (RES). The industry is experiencing a drop in the construction of wind projects (from last year`s record breaking strides). This will bring direct job losses and thin the arrival of new components makers. Industry and its allies are calling for a national RES, as well as streamlined rules for transmission, to support a robust American wind industry that will shield rate payers from fuel price spikes and power plug-in vehicles to offset our oil dependence now running amok in the Gulf. Addressing a packed arena, Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota described a double standard in energy policy: over a century of tax credits have been there for oil and gas development, with awesome success as the result, while the production tax credit for wind has proceeded with a stutter step. The attitude was, in Dorgan’s words, "Real men dig and drill and you dreamers with wind and solar, you get a pat on the head." Instead of capricious approval, Dorgan called for national goals of at least 20 percent renewable energy by 2025. To get out of this humiliation, we need to adopt a pioneering spirit that sees our vast landscapes at home as something to be mapped with new purpose. And that means committing to large-scale renewable power as well as transmission lines, another theme of the conference. The nation needs a stout network of high voltage power lines to connect its rich sun and wind energy resources to population centers. But according to Dorgan, since 2000 our nation has sited up to 11,000 miles of natural gas pipeline but only 668 miles of high voltage transmission. The asymmetry is due to the lack of durable clean energy policies which would firm up commitments on projects -- and then there’s a teeny problem with people not liking transmission lines, even though they are necessary for a sound grid carrying energy of any type.
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May 31st, 2010
- General
Washington D.C. - Due to United States Memorial Day there is no News Bulletin today
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| Next News Bulletin will be published tomorrow Tuesday June 1st.
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May 29th, 2010
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Hartford Connecticut - WCMA names 2010 distinguished career award recipients.
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The Wire & Cable Manufacturers’ Alliance has announced the recipients of its 2010
Distinguished Career Award. The 26th annual Awards Dinner and Investiture Ceremony was recently held in Hartford, Connecticut, at the Connecticut Convention Center. The
recipients were:
Thomas Lascoskie Plant Manager - New Holland, Berk-Tek, a Nexans Company
Mike Murphy Vice President, Sales Isotec and Gepco Brand Products, General Cable
Paul Palmer Chairman (retired), Chromatics, Inc.
Lori Parent Strategic Accounts Manager Wire & Cable, Breen Color Concentrates Inc.
Ron Reed President, Horizon Wire & Cable
Ken Tober Sales Manager Wire & Cable, Daikin America, Inc.
Stanley Trykowski Senior Research Chemist, S & E Specialty Polymers
Janis Webb North American Sales Manager Cabling Solutions, DuPont
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May 28th, 2010
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Brussels Belgium - EU climate change policy back to realism
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| The European steel industry is relieved by today’s decision of the European Commission not to propose a unilateral EU move from -20% to -30% in EU greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 compared to 1990 levels. “Realism regains some ground in Brussels”, commented Gordon Moffat, EUROFER’s director general.
“It would have been absurd to take the economic downturn as justification for more ambitious climate change targets,” Moffat said. “It is already a major achievement that the steel industry was able to keep employment almost stable during the crises while steel production fell by 35% in 2009. To force industry now to keep production below pre-crisis levels would inevitably have severe negative consequences for employment and the European economy as a whole.” Moffat warns that “too stringent measures would only lead to a shift of production or production potential to other regions without any major improvements in CO2 efficiency”.
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May 28th, 2010
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Schaumburg Illinois - Misumi adds new line of 316 stainless steel screws, nuts and washers.
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| Misumi USA, Inc., a subsidiary of Misumi Corporation, part of Misumi Group, Inc. and a leading provider of fixed and configurable mechanical components for machine building and factory automation systems, recently introduced an all-new specialty product family of 316 Stainless Steel Screws, Nuts and Washers. The new 316 Stainless Steel fastening products are manufactured to precise specifications and the anticorrosive properties of the material are far better than those of 304 Stainless Steel. The new screws, nuts and washers are designed for use in the manufacture and assembly of machinery and automated systems installed in settings where sanitation standards are stringent and frequent washdowns are required -- such as in the food, beverage, chemical, medical device and pharmaceutical industries.
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May 27th, 2010
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Kuala Lumpur Malaysia - Sarawak Cable to expand operations develops new power cable and wire products
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| Sarawak Cable Bhd will focus on expanding its electrical cable manufacturing operations in East Malaysia over the next two years. Managing director and chief executive officer Aaron Toh said the company would increase production capacity to cater for market expansion, while developing new and enhanced power cable and wire products to increase rural electrification coverage in East Malaysia. He said the government’s commitment to increase electrical supply coverage in Sabah and Sarawak (currently 77% and 66% respectively) to match Peninsular Malaysia’s 95% coverage by 2012 would augur well for its business. Toh also said the company’s renewable energy business was expected to commence operations in third quarter of this year. He said the company had so far invested RM3.47mil and expected to see significant earnings contribution from the new business in the next two years.
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May 27th, 2010
- General
Madrid Spain - Iberdrola Sells 3 U.S. Gas Companies for $1.3 Billion to finance New England transmission line.
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| Spain’s Iberdrola said Tuesday it agreed to sell three U.S. gas utilities for $1.3 billion to raise funds for construction of a transmission line linking New England and Canada. Connecticut Natural Gas Corp., Southern Connecticut Gas Co. and Berkshire Gas Co. are being sold to UIL Holdings Corporation, the Connecticut-based parent company of United Illuminating Company, the Spanish electricity producer said in a statement.
The three gas utilities serve some 369,000 customers in Connecticut and Massachusetts, distributing approximately 1.6 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually. The deal, which is subject to regulatory approval, “falls in the context of the Group’s non-strategic asset divestment plan,” Iberdrola said. The Spanish energy company, which owns electric utility Central Maine Power, or CMP, plans to construct and upgrade about 500 miles of transmission lines and five new substations in the New England state. The project in Maine is expected to cost $1.4 billion.
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May 27th, 2010
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Sweetwater Texas - Miles of copper wire & cable needed to move wind power
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| A technology revolution is quietly taking place in the U.S. electric utility industry. It's green, it's clean, and it doesn’t involve imported oil. The fuel is free, and there's a limitless supply of it. Not surprising, then, that megawatts flowing from the technology are growing at more than 20% per year. Were talking about wind energy, of course. Thats where copper wire & cable comes in. RES America Construction, Inc., a global wind energy organization headquartered in Kings Langley, England. RES develops, designs, builds, maintains, and, in some cases operates wind farms in the U.K., Europe, North America, the Caribbean, Australia and Asia. King Mountain is their largest U.S. project to date. The company’s current project in Sweetwater illustrate the importance of copper wire & cable. The project will comprise 61 1.5-MW General Electric turbines, for a total capacity of 91.5 MW. Each turbine will be mounted atop a 130-ft mast, with a copper-wound transformer located 41 ft away from its base. For the 575-V power connections alone, this phase of the Sweetwater project will require 47,500 linear feet of 777-kcmil copper cable.
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May 26th, 2010
- General
Arnhem, Netherlands - Start of Business Incubation & Development at Teijin Aramid
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| Teijin Aramid in Arnhem starts a new department, Business Incubation & Development. Teijin hopes this will enable the company to have a quick and flexible answer to the market demand for innovative technologies. The new unit will focus on the development of new markets, with new products and technologies. In April 2010, the Teijin Group finalized an important organizational change into the Aramid Fibers Business Group (AFBG). The AFBG is under the management of Eiso Alberda van Ekenstein, and with that he has become the first non-Japanese member of the Management Board of the Teijin Group. His previous position as CEO and President of Teijin Aramid has been taken over by Gert Frederiks, who until then was the Marketing & Sales Director. Christoph Hahn is appointed Marketing & Sales Director at Teijin Aramid as of April 1st. Before that, Hahn was business manager Heat and Cut Protection.
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May 26th, 2010
- General
London U.K. - China's trade flows increasingly divergent
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| China's appetite for imported metals is starting to look a lot more patchy, judging by the full April trade figures released on Friday. At one end of the bullish-bearish spectrum is copper. The full trade report merely confirmed what was evident from the preliminary figures released on May 10. The country's imports are still booming. Forget about the headline 8-percent drop in refined imports last month. At 309,772 tonnes they were still the
fourth highest on record and cumulative imports over the first four months of this year maintained the frenetic pace of last year's equivalent period. Source Reuters METALS INSIDER-
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May 26th, 2010
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Miami Florida - ICE sues Alcatel-Lucent for damages in US court
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| Costa Rican state telco ICE has filed a lawsuit in a US court for damages against French telecoms equipment supplier Alcatel Lucent relating to a bribery and corruption scandal in an infrastructure contract the French company won in 2001, ICE's US legal representative, law firm Wiand Guerra King, said in a statement. ICE filed the complaint with Florida's Miami-Dade county circuit court, against Alcatel Lucent for violations of civil racketeering and other Florida laws. If successful, the lawsuit will allow ICE to recover three times the amount of its damages, the statement said.
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May 26th, 2010
- General
Paris France - Alcatel-Lucent squeezes 300-Mbit/s from DSL
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| Alcatel-Lucent Sa has announced that its research arm, Bell Labs, has demonstrated transmission speeds of up to 300-Mbit/s over 400 meters of a couple of digital subscriber line pairs. DSL typically makes use of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) to transmit digital information at frequencies above the voice band. Bell Labs conducted a test whereby two copper pairs are linked and data is transmitted over an inferred third line in what is called a "DSL Phantom Mode." Bell Labs achieved downstream transmission speeds of 300-Mbit/s over distances up to 400 meters and speeds of 100-Mbit/s at 1 kilometer. This promises to provide a boost for the installed base of copper and defer, yet again, the need to install fiber to the home.
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May 25th, 2010
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Washington D.C. - US Department of Commerce announces final result on AD of pre-stressed concrete steel wire
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| US Department of Commerce on May 17 announced its affirmative final determinations in the antidumping duty and countervailing duty investigations on imports of prestressed concrete steel wire strand from the People’s Republic of China. In the AD case Commerce determined that Chinese producers/exporters have sold PC Strand in the United States at 42.97 to 193.55%. The mandatory respondent, Xinhua Metal Products Co., Ltd received a final dumping rate of 175.94%. The voluntary respondent Wuxi Jinyang Metal Products Co received a final dumping rate of 42.97%. Also, in this investigation, Fasten Group Import & Export has qualified for a separate rate of 175.94%. All other Chinese producers/exporters will receive a final dumping rate of 193.55%.
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May 25th, 2010
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May 24th, 2010
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Brantford Ontario - Queen Victoria’s Birthday no News Bulletin today
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| Next Bulletin tomorrow May 25th
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May 22nd, 2010
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Tokyo Japan - Japanese April copper cable shipments up 6.5 pct yr/yr but still down 21 pct from April 2008
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Japanese copper wire and cable shipments rose to an estimated 55,800 tonnes in April, up 6.5 percent from a year earlier, an industry body said on Friday. It was down 7.2 percent from 60,145 tonnes in March, and April shipments 21 pct below the 70,794 tonnes in April 2008 the Japanese Electric Wire and Cable Makers' Association data showed.
"Demand for copper wire and cable has bottomed out in some areas, where improvements are seen, but among all industries in Japan, ours still belongs to one of those that is struggling the most," Masao Yoshida, the association's new chairman and president of Furukawa Electric Co Ltd told reporters.
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May 22nd, 2010
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Nashville Tennessee - Ameristeel, Mid-South Wire shut Nashville operations after flooding
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| Gerdau Ameristeel Corp. and Mid-South Wire Co. Inc., which produces low- and medium-carbon steel wire from wire rod, have shut some production in Nashville, Tenn., and transferred business to other plants following the flash flood that hit the area at this month. Tampa, Fla.-based Gerdau Ameristeel shut its rebar fabrication plant in Nashville due to the flooding and moved work to other facilities. "(It) is currently not operational," corporate communications director Philip K. Bell said in a statement. "Work normally performed by the Nashville rebar fabrication facility will be handled by other Gerdau Ameristeel facilities," Bell said, adding that its Knoxville, Tenn., steel mill and rebar fabrication facilities were not affected. The severe flooding had "minimal" impact on operations at its steel mill in Jackson, Tenn., which is operating normally, he said. Mid-South Wire does not expect production in Nashville to resume until early June following the flooding that killed 29 and destroyed homes and businesses in the area, and the company has had to divert production and cover some customers' orders elsewhere.
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May 22nd, 2010
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Shanghai China - China's Shagang cuts steel prices by 6 pct for late May
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| The Jiangsu Shagang Group, China's biggest private steel mill, has slashed steel prices by over 6 percent for late May, market traders said. The mill has cut rebar prices by 250 yuan ($36.62) to 4,050 yuan per tonne for delivery in late May, and wire rod prices have also fallen 300 yuan to 4,300 yuan per tonne. The mill already reduced prices for mid-May by up to 330 yuan per tonne, further hurting fragile market sentiment. "This of course will have a negative impact on the market, but we should not exaggerate this as it was expected that steel mills would drop prices," said a steel analyst in Beijing. The China Iron & Steel Association said in its monthly market report on Monday that steel demand in China would continue to grow in the second quarter and that high production costs will also help to support steel prices. But traders and end-users have been worrying about the impact of government measures aimed at reining in the real estate sector, and spot market steel prices have fallen 11 percent since mid-April. Prices have rebounded slightly late this week, with Shanghai rebar selling at 3,860 yuan per tonne on Friday, up 1.6 percent since Wednesday but still 3.5 percent lower than last week, according to industry consultancy Mysteel. Benchmark rebar contracts at the Shanghai Futures Exchange opened at 4,228 yuan per tonne on Friday after closing at 4,251 yuan on Thursday. ($1=6.827 Yuan) Source Reuters.
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May 21st, 2010
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Washington D.C. - US ITC continue to impose AD duties on stainless wire rod
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| US International Trade Commission said that it continues to impose anti dumping duties on stainless steel wire rod imported from Japan, Italy, South Korea and Taiwan. Although a five years of restriction has been regulated for as a deadline under Uruguay Agreement Act for routine sunset review, unless found material injury and the issue has been re exam by US Commerce Department and ITC. Therefore, ITC has made the final decision to determine for a re examination base on acknowledgments of domestic respondent group for this issue. Source SteelGuru
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May 20th, 2010
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London U.K. - CRU 4th World Wire & Cable Conference introduces Wire & Cable Conference delegates to CRU’s new "Copper Price Risk Management Service"
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| The last 2 years have shown just how volatile copper price movements can be - prices have dropped from almost US $8500 to under $3500 and back to around $7500 again, and such violent swings have punished companies across the entire value chain. Furthermore, low interest rates worldwide have seen an influx of speculators into the traded metals markets, adding volatility and increasing the importance for industry stakeholders to understand more than just the traditional market fundamentals.
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May 20th, 2010
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Berlin Germany - German Chancellor Angela Merkel declares solo war on speculators.
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| Germany declared war on speculators on Wednesday, stunning investors with a ban on naked short selling of certain financial instruments and wrong footing its European partners who said they were not consulted. Chancellor Angela Merkel urged the European Union to speed up financial market supervision and introduce a new tax on them, saying Berlin was ready to act alone on a ban on activities which some leaders blame for much of the euro zone debt crisis.
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May 20th, 2010
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Lubumbashi Katanga The Democratic Republic of the Congo - Chinese company seeks copper in Congo
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| China Nonferrous Metal Mining Company is looking for copper-cobalt projects in Congo as it seeks to expand in Africa from its current base in Zambia. “We are interested in mining projects in Congo. We are looking for copper and cobalt,” Zhang Keli, executive vice president, told Reuters on Tuesday. The state-owned group has already established a subsidiary in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is focused on trading, he said in an interview. The Chinese is also opening up a new mine in Afghanistan (read more in next issue of Wire & Cable Business Review)
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May 19th, 2010
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Washington D.C. - Commerce Department sets trade duties on Chinese steel wire
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| As predicted by Edwin Basson, vice president of commercial coordination ArcelorMittal at the AWPA Long Products Supply Chain Symposium in Milwaukee the U.S. Commerce Department announced a final decision Monday to impose antidumping and countervailing duties on imports of concrete steel wire from China. Determining that the prestressed concrete steel wire strand is being sold in the U.S. at less than fair value, Commerce plans to impose antidumping duties of between 42.97% and 193.55% on the imports. It also set countervailing duties of 8.85% to 45.85% in retaliation for subsidies of the Chinese wire, which are primarily used in concrete construction. The duties won't go into effect until the U.S. International Trade Commission finds that U.S. producers risk being materially harmed by the imports, with a vote expected by June 28. The case is relatively minor, given that imports of the wire from China dropped to $13 million last year from $178 million the year before. But it serves as a further reminder of trade tensions between the two countries ahead of high-level talks next week.
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May 19th, 2010
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Beijing China - Tit for tat China to resolve EU fastener trade dispute under WTO rules
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| China will conduct consultations with the European Union on the steel fastener trade dispute in line with the rules of the World Trade Organization's disputes settlement system, said an official with the Ministry of Commerce Monday. China's anti-dumping investigation into carbon-steel fastener imports from the EU was based on Chinese regulations and the assessment of the harm to the domestic industry, said the official. The remarks came after the EU filed a complaint Sunday against China at the World Trade Organization over Beijing's decision to impose anti-dumping measures against carbon-steel fastener imports, which included self-tapping screws, bolts and gaskets.
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May 18th, 2010
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Milwaukee Wisconsin - More US trade action looming on Chinese wire products
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| On May 9 and 10, the American Wire Producers Association (AWPA), with the support of ten sponsoring associations, held the inaugural Long Products Supply Chain Symposium in Milwaukee, WI, between the AWPA Annual Meeting and Wire Association International’s Wire Expo. Over 220 people were engaged and involved in this knowledge-packed program that offered information and ideas to Presidents, CEOs, Sales Professionals and Senior Managers of our member companies. From 1:00 pm on Monday to 7:00 pm on Tuesday, including the receptions and commercial meetings surrounding this event, the participants heard about timely issues and had many opportunities to ask questions and discuss among themselves those things which directly impact the success of their own businesses. The U.S. steel and wire drawing industry is expected to ramp up calls for action to curb imports of Chinese downstream, wire-containing products.
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May 18th, 2010
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Canberra Australia - Liberals oppose fiber cable to new homes
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| The federal opposition is set to scupper another element of the government's broadband plan, opposing a bill requiring property developers to install fibre cables in new estates. Developers claim the plan would drive up the cost of new houses in greenfield estates by as much as $3000. The opposition has indicated it will not support legislation that it believes makes housing less affordable. The government's plan would require developers of greenfield estates to bear the cost of fibre installation, despite the equivalent cost for established homes being borne by the government. When he unveiled the legislation in December last year, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said: "It is counterproductive to have our newest homes and businesses connected with old technology, particularly when it will cost more to retrofit them later. We want to ensure that people enjoy the benefits of super-fast broadband services from the day they move into a new home."
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May 18th, 2010
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Georgetown South Carolina - Union hopes of reopening of Georgetown steel mill premature.
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| Last week, NewsChannel 15 reported that local Steelworkers President James Sanderson says the economy is improving and he's confident ArcelorMittal will announce it's reopening the plant "in the near future." As we have earlier reported the company suspended operations at the plant indefinitely last July, saying the recession had caused a significant drop in demand for steel. Following the newscast Arcelor Mittal issued the following statement: "ArcelorMittal has indefinitely ceased operations at the company's Georgetown facility, which will continue unless market conditions appreciably improve or the plant is put on a more competitive footing." At the Long Products Supply Chain Symposium in Milwaukee (see above) H Woltz, Chairman and CEO of Insteel Industries revealed that his plant is operating at 49% of capacity.The ArcelorMittal Georgetown facility like Insteel produces carbon and alloy wire rod and has a total capacity of 750,000 short tons/year.
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May 17th, 2010
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Luxembourg - ArcelorMittal completes $4 billion three-year syndicated loan refinancing.
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| Steelmaker ArcelorMittal has completed a $4 billion three-year syndicated loan refinancing, banking sources said on Wednesday. The financing replaces an existing $4 billion facility agreed in May 2008 and also replaces a dual-tranche $3.1 billion forward start loan, the first tranche of which was due to start this month, the sources said. The new financing, self-arranged by ArcelorMittal, was signed at the end of last week, two of the sources said. ArcelorMittal declined to comment. The deal pays a margin of 123.33 basis points (bps) over LIBOR, reflecting an average of a three-way rating split, two of the sources said. ArcelorMittal is rated BBB by Standard & Poor's, Baa3 by Moody's and BBB by Fitch. The financing also pays utilisation fees of 25 bps if more than a third of the loan is drawn and 50 bps if more than two- thirds is drawn, one of the sources said. There is a commitment fee of 40 percent of the applicable margin. The new deal reduces Arcelor's interest margin and overall cost of funds from at least 250 basis points on last year's forward start facility, sources said previously.
Mandated lead arrangers on the new transaction are BNP Paribas, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Commerzbank, Credit Agricole, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Royal Bank of Canada, Royal Bank of Scotland, Santander and Societe Generale, sources said.
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May 17th, 2010
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Brussels Belgium - EU to impose duty on Chinese wire ropes
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| On May 11, the European Union (EU) has made the anti-circumvention determination on wire ropes and cables originating from China shipped through South Korea, not including eleven South Korea companies. EU will impose an anti-dumping duty of 60.4 percent on Chinese wire ropes and stop the anti-circumvention investigation on China shipped through Malaysia. Final AD announcement is including thirteen South Korea producers, one trading company, two Malaysia producers and three producers from China.
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May 14th, 2010
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Tranås Sweden - Next News Bulletin to be published May 17
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| Due to local holiday there is no News Bulletin today next News Bulletin will be published May 17.
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May 13th, 2010
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Birkeroed Denmark - 13 NKT Photonics succeeds in patent case against Fianium
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| NKT Photonics - with its brand Crystal Fibre - is pleased to have successfully ended its legal dispute with Fianium in the UK (English Patent Infringement Claim No.: HC 09 C 00159). On 29th of April 2010, Fianium was ordered by the English Patents Court not to infringe the Crystal Fibre patents EP 1 340 725 and EP 1 153 324 in any way howsoever. These patents relate to pressure control for producing photonic crystal fibers, also known as micro structured fibers, and to post-processing of such fibers, respectively. Further, Fianium was ordered to pay for past infringements of the patents, and also to pay the legal costs of both parties from February 2009 (the date it was sued) until one year later, February 2010, when an acceptable settlement offer from Fianium was finally made.
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May 13th, 2010
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Shanghai China - Chinese Steelmakers urged to build plants abroad to avoid trade barriers
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| Chinese officials and experts Tuesday suggested the nation's steel producers set up plants abroad to avoid a rising number of international trade barriers. Opening steel mills in regions with abundant raw materials and strong market demand abroad would be easier than exporting steel products, as it would bring tax revenues and employment to the areas, Jia Yinsong, an official with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said at an international trade fair for the steel tube industry in Shanghai. China's steel pipe exporters had been frequent victims of protectionism, said Wang Zhenfu, vice director with the Fair Trade Bureau of Import and Export of the Ministry of Commerce (MOC). Data from the WTO showed China's steel producers were named in 29 trade disputes since 2007, involving products valued at 6 billion U.S. dollars. The most serious, in which the United States imposed in April anti-dumping duties ranging from 30 to 99 percent on Chinese steel pipes imports used in oil and gas wells, had curbed steel tube exports to the U.S. by more than 80 percent, said Wang.
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May 11th, 2010
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New Delhi India - CII and Messe Düsseldorf to jointly organise Wire & Cable India
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| The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the leading industrial apex body engaged in organising international trade fairs and Messe Düsseldorf, the successful organiser of international trade fairs for the wire, cable and tube industries, will henceforth jointly organise Wire & Cable India, the most important trade fair on the Indian sub-continent for this sector. An agreement to this effect was recently signed by Mr Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII, and Mr Hans-Werner Reinhard, Vice President of Messe Düsseldorf, Germany. The organisers believe this move will provide a boost to of wire and cable companies in India and worldwide.
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May 11th, 2010
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Washington D.C. - U.S. Census Bureau releases U.S. Imports for Consumption of Steel Products March 2010
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| The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that preliminary March steel imports were $1.8 billion (1.8 million metric tons) compared to the preliminary February totals of $1.3 billion (1.4 million metric tons). The March change in steel imports based on metric tonnage reflected increases primarily in oil country goods; galvanized hot dipped sheets and strip; and blooms, billets, and slabs. Monthly increases occurred primarily with Canada. The year to date final statistics through February 2010 showed steel imports of 2.9 million metric tons compared to 3.6 million metric tons through February 2009. The largest commodity decrease was in oil country goods and the largest commodity increase was blooms, billets, and slabs. The largest country decrease was with China and the largest country increase was with Canada. Wire Rods imports were 122,538 metric tons in March up from 114,732 metric tons in February Drawn wire imports also increased to 50,168 metric tons in March up from 40,424 tons in February
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May 11th, 2010
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Hamburg Germany - Europe has the largest demand for copper wire rod.
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| European copper product demand is continuing its recovery especially for sales of rod, Aurubis , Europe's biggest copper smelter, said on Monday. "Demand for copper wire rod has picked up in Europe from the prior-year doldrums and the recovery is coming from all sectors," the company said in its May News letter Copper mail. "The enamelled wire industry's increased demand for rod is the result of good sales to producers of white goods," it said. "Demand from the automotive sector is also showing an uptrend." Sales for energy transmission and installation cable also picked up this spring, it said. "The price-related tendency towards substituting copper for aluminium materials was low," it said. "The improved demand is also reflected in the increase in rod production, which has partly returned to the pre-crisis level in Northern Europe." Aurubis had on Friday posted improved half-year profits partly on improved demand. Aurubis CEO Bernd Drouven had told Reuters in April a broad-based recovery in copper product demand was developing. Strong demand was also being seen from Europe's non-ferrous semi-finished products industry including from producers of high-grade strip metal, from mechanical engineering and the automotive sectors, it said. Demand is also stable in the copper tube sector, which traditionally reacts very sensitively to price increases, it added.
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May 10th, 2010
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Kuala Lumpur Malaysia - Sarawak Cable to raise RM 9.1million from IPO to buy equipment.
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| Main Market bound Sarawak Cable Bhd will raise RM9.1 million from its initial public offering to expand its production capacity and invest in new machinery and equipment. According to the prospectus released on Thursday, May 6, it is offering for sale 19 million shares of 50 sen each for its shares to Bumiputera investors approved by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry. It will also issue 13 million new shares at 70 sen each; of which six million shares will be made available to the public while the remaining seven million shares are for eligible directors, employees and business associates. Sarawak Cable manufactures low voltage power cables and wires; and high voltage bare conductors for the power industry. The funds from the IPO will be used to expand its production capacity and invest in machinery and equipment to increase production capacity by 47% from 8,829 tonnes to about 12,963 tonnes. It hopes to list on May 25.
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May 10th, 2010
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Pretoria South Africa - Cable manufacturers raided by Competition Commission
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| The latest raid on offices of electrical cable manufacturers is one of several launched by the Competition Commission in recent years. On Thursday the commission swooped down on the offices of Aberdare Cables, Alvern Cables, the South Ocean Electric Wire Company and Tulisa Cables. The raids came after the commission in March this year initiated an investigation into the companies based on suspicions that they were involved in price-fixing, splitting the market and tender collusion. According to a commission statement the companies supply high-tension wiring to power producers, municipalities and construction companies. They also supply low- and medium-tension wiring for households. The commission has previously raided the offices of steel manufacturers (Iron & Steel Works, Highveld Steel and the Iron & Steel Institute).
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May 8th, 2010
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Taipei Taiwan - CSC may raise wire rod price for July and August
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| SteelGuru reportes that China Steel Corporation might raise its wire rod price by TWD 1,200 to TWD 1,500 per tonne for July and August as the cost of raw material keeps rising. The current international al killed steel wire rod price is about by TWD 27,500 per tonne. China Steel Corporation's price stands at TWD 25,700 per tonne. It is very reasonable for China Steel Corporation to lift its price by TWD 1,500 per tonne.
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May 8th, 2010
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Lunenburg, Massachusetts - Stanley Trykowski, S&E Specialty Polymers, receives WCMA distinguished career award
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| Stanley Trykowski, a senior R&D chemist at plastic compounder S&E Specialty Polymers, received the Wire & Cable Manufacturers Alliance (WCMA) Distinguished Career Award at a ceremony held Saturday, April 24 at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford. Trykowski was honored along with seven other wire and cable industry leaders. Following a nomination process, a selection committee of over 100 prior award recipients voted on the candidates. Winners were picked based on strong character, credibility, and significant commercial or technical contributions over a minimum 25-year industry career.
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May 7th, 2010
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Kansas City, Missouri - WireCo markets debt as liquidity stress falls
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| WireCo WorldGroup Inc., the maker of wire rope and cable structures, is marketing debt as a measure of difficulty for corporate borrowing fell to the lowest level in five years. WireCo WorldGroup plans to sell $275 million of senior notes, the company said in a statement distributed by PR Newswire yesterday. Proceeds will be used to repay debt maturing in 2015 and for general corporate purposes, the company said. Moody’s Investors Service’s Liquidity-Stress Index fell to 4.8 percent in April, the lowest since 2005 and down from a record 20.9 percent in March 2009, the company said in a report. The index falls as the availability of cash in the corporate bond market improves. “Companies have a sizable amount of maturing debt in the next three to five years,” Moody’s analyst John Puchalla said yesterday in a telephone interview. “The better liquidity is, the easier time that companies will have refinancing those maturities.”
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May 7th, 2010
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Baltimore Maryland - Marlin Steel President, Drew Greenblatt, testifies to US Congress, asking for ratification of Free Trade Agreements
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| Marlin Steel Wire has been adding jobs in Baltimore, MD to keep up with soaring foreign demand of wire baskets and wire forms for the buyers around the world. Running four shifts a week, Marlin Wire has been growing and hiring unemployed steel workers and mechanical engineers to handle the quick delivery and highly engineered demands for custom stainless steel wire baskets for the world economy. Opening new markets for Marlin Steel to sell to would accelerate the job growth, so more people are hired to weld wire baskets and bend custom wire forms.
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May 4th, 2010
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Shanghai China - EU chamber says China business climate worsening
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| European Union Chamber of Commerce claimed that growing nationalism and lobbying by local firms is making China more protectionist and hostile towards foreign firms. Mr Joerg Wuttke president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China said that market opening reforms had unmistakably slowed as Beijing gains more economic clout. He added that "The pie is getting bigger and the door is getting narrower. We are losing out on opportunities." He said that China had increasingly taken a 'we don't have to listen to you anymore' attitude toward the rest of the world and said part of the blame lay with growing nationalist sentiment on the Chinese Internet. He added that "When we meet officials they are very worried about the netizens. They really feel they have to be responsive to these interest groups."
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May 4th, 2010
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Sydney Australia - Standards Australia updates AS 3569 for steel wire ropes
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| STANDARDS Australia has released a revised edition of the Australian Standard for Steel Wire Ropes AS 3569, updating terminology, designation and classification systems. According to STANDARDS Australia, AS 3569 is now in line with relevant International Standards, and takes into account current technological developments in the steel wire ropes sector. It is based on the ISO 2408:2004 and ISO 17893:2004 standards. New requirements and terminologies reflect technological developments over the past 20 or 30 years, including new constructions of steel ropes, plastic fillings, compacted strand ropes, and compacted or swaged ropes.
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May 4th, 2010
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Ibadan Nigeria - “Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) Killing Local Companies”
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| The Chief Operations Officer (COO) of the Nigerian Wire and Cable Company (NWC), Ibadan, Oyo State, Chris Idowu, told reporters here yesterday that he has urged the government to put a lid on escalating diesel prices. Failing to do so, Idowu said, could mean that many companies would fail. For full press release follow extended story link below since this editor is not certain he quite understood what was said or what the beef is all about.
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May 3rd, 2010
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Paris France - Alcatel-Lucent squeezes 300 Mbps out of existing copper
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| With the advent of its DSL Phantom Mode technology, Alcatel-Lucent is proving once again that there's still some credence to the late 90s mantra that there's 'gold in that copper line.'
Alcatel-Lucent's Bell Labs conducted a trial of its DSL Phantom Mode technology that enables 300 Mbps DSL speeds over a short span (400 meters) on two copper wire pairs. When carried over a 1 km line it was able to demonstrate 100 Mbps speeds.
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May 1st, 2010
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Tranås Sweden - Next news Bulletin May 3rd
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| Due to the traditional 1st of May Labor Day celebrations there will be no news bulletin this long weekend.
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April 30th, 2010
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Düsseldorf, Germany - Dates for wire 2012 and Tube 2012 in Düsseldorf now fixed: 26 to 30 March 2012
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 Although is is almost 2 years away, the dates are very key to the industry as planning for this event is key. The dates have been set for: 26 to 30 March 2012 will see the two fairs for the wire, cable and tube processing industries held at Düsseldorf Fairgrounds already for the 13th time now. As we look forward to this event, do not forget to check the events page on http://www.wireworld.com/events for all upcoming industry related events throughout the year.
In 2010 69,200 trade visitors came to Düsselorf from over 100 countries to gather information on the latest technologies and applications from the over 2,400 companies exhibiting here.
1,219 exhibitors came to wire to present their current machinery, plants and equipment for the production and processing of wire and cable. New materials and innovative manufacturing technologies for tube and tube processing were presented by the 1,181 companies exhibiting at Tube 2010.
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April 30th, 2010
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Palo Alto California - HP unit aiming for US$400mn in networking contracts during next 2-3 years
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| The Latin America Multicountry (MCA) division of HP expects to bank US$400mn in new networking contracts during the next two to three years, the division's networking business manager for the enterprise business group, Juan Manuel Romero, told BNamericas. Citing information from international tech consultancy IDC, Romero said countries within MCA, which includes all Latin American territories except for Brazil and Mexico, are bursting with US$2.67bn in overall networking business opportunities this year. Geographies with the largest opportunities include Venezuela, Colombia and Chile, which have a potential of US$639mn, US$543mn and US$454mn, respectively. Romero acknowledged that HP is still on the outside looking in regarding the region's total networking opportunities, as the company lacks an offering in such areas as cabling and network cards.
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April 28th, 2010
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Schwabach Germany - Maschinenfabrik Niehoff GmbH & Co. KG customer newspaper “Power & Trends” issue 1/2010 issue is now available
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| The most recent issue of “Power & Trends”, the customer newspaper of the leading wire and cable machinery manufacturer Maschinenfabrik Niehoff, is now on the desk. It contains articles in English and German with a summary in Chinese and Russian. The main theme “Optimum energy and material efficiency in wire & cable production“ was also the motto of Niehoff’s presentation at the wire 2010 trade show. On several pages, Niehoff’s exhibits and their energy-saving features, a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system which simplifies management and logistics for braiding bobbins and NPS spools, the energetically optimized bows for Niehoff double twist bunching machines and Niehoff’s after-sales strategy are described. All items help users of Niehoff machinery to keep running costs down
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April 28th, 2010
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Hanoi Vietnam - Vietnam may restrict steel imports
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| According to a recommendation from the Vietnam Steel Association, Vietnam may restrict imports of steel products that can be manufactured domestically to curb reliance on China, Japan and Russia. Mr Pham Chi Cuong chairman of the association which represents 90% of the country’s steelmakers said that Vietnam is able to make products used in construction, such as wire rods, pipes and metallic coated steel and is developing factories to manufacture other goods. Mr Cuong said that “The government should have measures to limit imports of products such as wire rods, pipes and metallic-coated steel that local factories can produce here already.” He added that “Restricting imports will help the government reduce the trade shortfall, curb inflation and boost local production as well as economic growth.” Mr Cuong said that “If we can supply these products domestically, we’ll be able to save at least USD 700 million from paying foreign sellers this year.” The association said that country’s demand for steel products will increase as much as 15% this year because stalled construction projects are resuming as economic expansion quickens. Limiting overseas purchases of some kinds of steel, Vietnam’s third biggest import, will reduce its exposure to rising costs in countries such as China, where benchmark hot rolled steel prices last week reached an 18 month high. Restricting imports may also help Vietnam to narrow the trade deficit and limit the impact of a weakening dong.
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April 28th, 2010
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Nashua, New Hampshire - Laser heat treating simplified
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ILS Editor-in-Chief David Belforte asked Dr. Vivian Merchant to consider writing a back-to-basics feature on the subject of laser heat treatment because he is uniquely positioned as one of a select group of industrial materials processing professionals who have lengthy background and experience in this field as a process developer, researcher, and practitioner. His response, "Laser Heat Treatment Simplified," describes three processes: laser transformation hardening, laser annealing, and laser surface melting. Each is described in easy-to-understand terms for those who are not metallurgists, but who are charged with improving the wear and fatigue characteristics of metals. We believe the article should be of interest to some of our readers. To view use use this link
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April 27th, 2010
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Brussels Belgium - EU steel production at stake Eurofer says
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| Poorly implemented climate policy, raw materials prices and protectionism jeopardize steel value chain in Europe, Gordon Moffat, director general of EUROFER states. “We have now reached a decisive point as to whether steel production has a future in Europe,” warns Gordon Moffat, director general of EUROFER. “If steelmaking is forced to migrate from Europe, others will follow in its stream, such as huge parts of the automotive and machinery sectors, leading to a massive loss in European jobs and expertise. Keeping industrial activity in Europe is essential not only in itself but also for all the business services that industry requires, from R&D to logistics and marketing, which would also be de-located with our industry.”
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April 27th, 2010
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Littleport England - JDR Cable Systems Ltd to be granted a prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2010.
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JDR Cable Systems Ltd. has been included in the list of companies to be granted a prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2010. This special award is in recognition of the company’s success in International Trade for the period from April 2006 to March 2009. The award was recommended by the Prime Minister and approved by Her Majesty the Queen. Over the past five years JDR has made significant investments in new people, facilities and equipment to manufacture larger and longer subsea umbilicals and power cables for worldwide oil & gas projects. New production facilities at deepwater quayside locations in Sattahip, Thailand, and Hartlepool, England have enabled the company to deliver complex systems to a wide range of overseas projects. Service centres in Houston, Texas, and Bergen, Norway have added to the company’s service capability. The Littleport, UK factory provides complete workover control umbilical and reeler packages to the majority of deepwater oil & gas projects worldwide. The company opened its purpose-built factory in Hartlepool in July 2009 and is already expanding into adjacent buildings and adding larger machinery to serve the growing offshore renewable energy market.
Patrick Phelan, Managing Director of JDR Cable Systems, commented:
“This is a highly prestigious award which places the company amongst the most successful of UK businesses. It is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of management and staff alike and is an achievement of which we are all very proud.”
“Winning the Queen’s Award for Enterprise clearly demonstrates our current pre-eminence within our core market sectors. Through innovation and constant improvement across the various facets of our business, we will continue to build on our market-leading position.”
JDR is a leading provider of custom-designed and manufactured static and dynamic subsea power cables, umbilical systems and marine cables for a broad range of applications throughout the oil and gas sector, offshore renewable energy industry, and seismic and defence markets.
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April 26th, 2010
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Paris France - Nexans anticipate upturn in the second quarter 2010
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| Nexans today announced 2010 first-quarter sales of 1.350 billion euros, 971 million euros at current non-ferrous metal prices*, down 11.1% at constant exchange rates and comparable scope. After four quarters of negative growth in 2009, sales stabilized in the first months of 2010 at a level close to that of the fourth quarter 2009, especially in Europe and North America, while the figure rose by nearly 10% in the MERA (Middle East, Russia and Africa) area. While medium and low voltage Energy infrastructure suffered severely from particularly unfavorable weather conditions in the first quarter, special cables for industry and LAN cables both reported a net upturn compared with the fourth quarter 2009, confirming the positive signs observed at the end of last year. Building remains very weak in a context of declining market prices. Finally, despite the sharp rise in copper prices, the Group’s net debt was 197 million euros on March 31, 2010, compared with 362 million euros on March 31, 2009.
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April 24th, 2010
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Boston Massachusetts - IGI announces new report on the Military & Aerospace fiber optics markets
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| IGIC has produced the only available market research study devoted to Military and Aerospace Fiber Optics in Avionic Systems. The report includes both military and commercial aircraft including fighter aircraft, transport aircraft, UAVs and commercial aircraft. IGIC estimates the total fiber optic market for these two markets at $306 million in 2009, growing to $703 million in 2013. This increase in total market is due to a number of factors including greater acceptance of this new technology driven by the rapid acceptance and developments in the telecommunications field. Other factors include the need to reduce size and weight, the need for higher bandwidth, and the opening of the UAV market. Despite the desire to use more fiber in aircraft, specific military and aerospace requirements present major barriers. These include the unavailability of COTS, lack of hardened components for the military and aerospace environment, available test and maintenance procedures and the availability of low cost, easy to use test and measurement equipment.
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April 24th, 2010
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Seoul South Korea - S.Korea sees $1.3 billion metal investment in 2010
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| Reuters reported earlier this week that South Korea's private and public investments in six major minerals were estimated to reach $1.3 billion this year, up 22 percent from last year, thanks to economic recovery. Asia's fourth-largest economy expected its self-development rate for coal, uranium, iron ore, copper, zinc and nickel to be 27 percent, compared with 25.1 percent last year, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said in a statement on Sunday. "The investment could hit $1.4-$1.5 billion if favourable market conditions allow more investment through mergers and acquisitions," the ministry said, referring to this year's investment outlook. It said the country's self-development rate for strategic metals had increased because of stake acquisitions in new mines, and production increases in existing mines, while the rate for copper had decreased as a result of lower production. The government planned to help raise investments in Africa, and Central and South America, which have rare metal reserves, as risk probability in supply and demand was higher than those for other natural resources, the statement said. In one of the latest major deals, a consortium led by state-run utility Korea Electric Power Corp (KEPCO) said last December it would invest 300 billion won ($270.5 million) to buy a 10 percent stake in a uranium mine in Niger to raise the country's uranium self-development rate.
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April 24th, 2010
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Tokyo Japan - Japan´s Copper Wire, Cable Shipments Rise 13% in March
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| Japan’s copper wire and cable shipments rose 13 percent in March from a year earlier, climbing for the third straight month on revived demand from the auto and electric industries. Shipments, including exports and domestic business, gained to 60,200 metric tons last month, from 53,198 tons a year earlier, the Japanese Electric Wire and Cable Makers’ Association said today in an e-mailed statement. Copper, used in pipes, tubes and wires, has jumped 69 percent in the past year as the global economy recovered from the worst postwar recession, bolstering demand. Japan’s gross domestic product grew at an annual 3.8 percent in the fourth quarter on a renewal of global trade and government stimulus measures. “Demand from the automobile sector and the electric machine and appliance industry has recovered, while the construction sector still remains subdued,” said Nobuyuki Goto, deputy general manager at the association’s research department. Shipments totaled 662,527 tons in the year ended March 31, compared with 759,166 tons the previous year, declining for the third straight year, the data showed. That was the lowest level since the year ended March 1976, when the country produced 659,000 tons.
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April 23rd, 2010
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Paris France - Superconducting medium voltage cable from Nexans conducts record current: 3,200 amperes during load cycle tests
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| Nexans’ superconductor specialists have successfully concluded the Endesa Supercable project while setting a new world record. In December 2009, the single-phase, medium voltage cable (24 kV) carried 3,200 A in laboratory conditions, almost 10 percent more than any installed medium voltage cable worldwide. During ten load cycles of 24 hours the rated current was applied for 8 hours per cycle while the cable was subjected to twice the nominal voltage continuously.
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April 23rd, 2010
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Hannover Germany - Volcanic no fly situation major problem for Hannover fair exhibitors and visitors.
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| Wire2010 visitors may have been inconvenienced by interruptions in air travel, but by enlarge most exhibitors and their exhibits were in Dusseldorf before the Icelandic volcano erupted and most visitors arrived in time for the show. Many exhibitor and visitors alike may have been delayed and had their return schedule changed. Many overseas visitors are still in Europe but this is nothing to what took place in Hannover this week. 3 busses started out from Turkey late Sunday with exhibitors. The first bus was in Prague late Monday evening hoping to make it to the show by Tuesday a press release from the show organizer said. The Chinese and most Asian exhibitors and their exhibits never made it to the show at all and few Asian visitors were to be seen. For those who made it the show was as always well worth visiting. If for no other reason than to note, that automation has now matured and been perfected. And that no technological quantum leap is to be expected. A visit to the energy sector would have told any critical observer that non of the “green” technologies offers a real universal alternative to the affordable energy western civilization has grown accustomed to. Yes fuel cells may offer a possible energy source in remote areas. Wind farms have come of age and 5 MW units are now under construction. On display was a gigantic 75 meter propeller blade but the industry relies heavily on government subsidies to attract investors. Solar cells appear to be a reasonably realistic alternative in areas like Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada where land is cheap and the sun shines 320 days in a year. To provide a “clean” energy source with zero CO2 emission Nuclear Power seems to be the only alternative. It is not a cheap source of energy by any means. The upfront investment is collusive but the fuel cost is negligible and the plants operate regardless of wind and sun.
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April 22nd, 2010
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Washington D.C. - US factories humming again but unemployment still high
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| U.S. manufacturers were busy in April as factories ramped up production to rebuild inventories though soft labor markets still point to a relatively slow economic recovery. Data released indicated manufacturing may continue leading growth for a while. Mid-Atlantic factory activity highest in four months and New York state manufacturing is at six-month high. With the manufacturing sector accelerating, it's likely the overall economy will continue to grow at an above trend growth for the time being, economist suggests. The handoff from fiscal policy to underlying domestic growth should happen at some point this year. Expansion in manufacturing was highlighted by the New York Federal Reserve's "Empire State" general business conditions index which rose to a six-month high.But there was still plenty of slack in the labor market. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits rose 24,000 to a seasonally adjusted 484,000 last week. A Labor Department official attributed the spike to a backlog in applications from the Easter holiday and saw no unusual economic factors. Labor market sluggishness has raised doubts about the durability of the economy's recovery from its worst downturn in 70 years. Firming domestic demand is reducing some of the skepticism, however.
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April 22nd, 2010
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San Diego California - Robbins Umeda LLP announces investigation of Anixter International Inc.
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| Robbins Umeda LLP has commenced an investigation into possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of the law by certain officers and directors at Anixter International Inc. Anixter distributes communication products, including specialty wire and cable products, fasteners, and small parts in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. The Company was founded in 1957 and is headquartered in Glenview, Illinois. Robbins Umeda LLP's investigation concerns whether the Company's directors and officers caused the Company to issue materially improper statements. Specifically, the investigation concerns whether these directors and officers misled the public about the Company's continuing business prospects despite deteriorating market conditions. It appears that certain of Anixter's officers and directors continued to improperly reassure investors that the Company's gross margins and organic sales growth remained unaffected by the worsening market conditions. These officers and directors may also have failed to disclose to the public that the decrease in demand for information technology projects, the slowdown in sales in Anixter's enterprise cabling business, and declining sales in the Company's Operating End Markets Supply business were causing severe gross margin pressures.
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April 22nd, 2010
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Syracuse, New York - Owl Wire gets $700,000 discount on its electricity bill from Power Authority
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| Owl Wire & Cable Inc. received a $700,000 discount on its annual power bill from the New York Power Authority to retain 172 jobs in Canastota, Rome and Boonville, the authority announced Friday The company manufactures bare and copper wire for the telecom, computer, electronics, welding and mining industries. It spends millions of dollars a year on electricity, according to NYPA. The discount, which began in February, comes through a program intended to help energy-intensive manufacturers who are at risk of closing or moving out of New York. In September, International Wire Group, with operations in Madison and Oneida counties, and Nucor Steel, in Auburn, received discounts through the Industrial Incentive Award program. Owl Wire also receives cheaper power through the authority’s Power for Jobs and Energy Cost Savings Benefits programs. Both programs are due to expire next month.
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April 21st, 2010
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Tokyo Japan - Furukawa outlines Medium term management plan.
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| Furukawa Electric Company Ltd is pleased to announce the following overview of ´´New Frontier 2012´´ a medium term management plan the company has developed for the period 2010 – 2012. Under the new plan the Furukawa Group will take the following action based on its philosophy of ´´Contributing to the realization of a sustainable society through continuous technological innovation, drawing on more than a century of expertise in the development and fabrication of advanced materials´´ and its managements vision of transforming itself into ´´a more profitable innovative and dynamic global presence. For details of the plan use use this link
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April 20th, 2010
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Atlanta Georgia - Alcan Cable announces price increase on aluminum Cable Products effective April 21, 2010
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In a letter to its customers dated April 12 Alcan Cable informs that they will increase prices on the following Aluminum Wire and Cable products effective Wednesday, April 21, 2010:
STABILOY® XHHW and USE will increase 10%
STABILOY® FeederPlex™ will increase 10%
STABILOY® SER and SEU will increase 10%
STABILOY® MC and Jacketed MC will increase 8%
All bare and covered utility products will increase 10%
All quotes and bids will be priced at the new levels beginning Wednesday, April 21, 2010 the company said.
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April 19th, 2010
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Paris France - Nexans completes an offshore cable contract for the conversion of ESPIRITO SANTO FPSO
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| Nexans, the worldwide leader in the cable industry, has completed a 3 million Euro contract for SBM Offshore (Single Buoy Moorings) to manufacture and supply the specialized offshore power, control and instrumentation cables for the conversion of the Espirito Santo FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading) vessel serving the BC-10 deep water field development in the Campos Basin offshore Brazil. Working under a tight delivery schedule, the Nexans factory in Lyon (France) manufactured over 500 kilometers of specialized halogen-free, fire-safe offshore cable for the FPSO conversion project carried out by SBM Offshore in Singapore. The double-hulled Espirito Santo has significant power and heat delivery systems to drive the subsea systems and process crude oil, with a production capacity of 100,000 BOEPD (Barrels of Oil Equivalent Per Day).
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April 17th, 2010
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Tranås Sweden - Is Nexans seriously concerned about climate change or just making hay when the sun shines
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In response to our news item Nexans makes all its business flights CarbonNeutral ® Purchasing carbon offsets will support reforestation project in Tanzania. Winston Sardine in Ontario wrote:
Hi All:
I like to draw your attention to a recent in-depth article by Andrew McKillop titled " ". Is Green Energy Credible
This article clearly points out the numerous flaws & false manipulations of people across the globe re this hysterical & paranoid vision of things to come by the alarmists who have gained control of the politicians & mainstream media in our industrialized countries . I believe however that the tide is beginning to turn as more & more people come to realize the enormity of the costs to " we the average person " who will bear the brunt of the TRILLIONS & TRILLIONS it will take to put a comprehensive & universally acceptable clean/green energy transition plan in place on a global scale !
Editors comment:Wire News aims to remain politically independent and will within reason on controversial issues publish letters to the editor regarding news items published. In our recent issue of our Magazine Wire & Cable Business Review distributed at Wire 2010 this past week the publisher writes:
Concerns about climate change effects our industry, positively for some who can take advantage of the green wave, such as cable makers, connecting the many new wind farms under construction to where the power is needed.
Others like steel producers in Europe are negatively affected by stringent CO2 emission legislation. This since the UN conference on climate change ended in confusion, failing to create the level playing field so many had hoped for.
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April 16th, 2010
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Dusseldorf German - Borealis demonstrates proven track record in HV cable solutions at Wire 2010
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| Wire 2010 visitors can experience first-hand why manufacturers across the globe are choosing advanced insulation, semi-conductive and jacketing materials from Borealis, a leading provider of innovative plastics solutions for the wire and cable industry, to ensure long-term reliability for their high voltage (HV) cables systems. Borealis unveils a number of customer projects from as far afield as Chile and Russia that demonstrate the benefits of its Supercure™, SupercleanTM, and SupersmoothTM crosslinkable polyethylene (XLPE) compounds, and Borstar™ high density PE (HDPE). In combination the materials offer superior cleanliness, consistent electrical performance and protection from environmental factors to assure continuous, high level cable performance and longevity of the power supply network. Superclean insulation is produced using advanced clean-manufacturing techniques to assure it is free from contaminants and therefore minimise the stresses of HV and extra high voltage (EHV) operation. This is complemented by the use of Supersmooth for the semiconductive layers of XPLE cable. The Supersmooth interface reduces the potential transfer of electrical stresses from the conductor cable, lowering the risk of a circuit-break and thereby increasing the reliability of consistent, uninterrupted power flow. Finally, Borealis’ Borstar bimodal HDPE for cable jacketing provides protection from abrasions and significantly reduces the risk of cable failure by stress cracking.
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April 16th, 2010
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Nuremberg Germany - Leoni becoming the most innovative provider of cables for “green” applications
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| Leoni, the leading provider of cables and cable systems to the automotive sector and other industries, is increasingly supplying product for environmentally friendly applications. At the Hanover Trade Show the Company will unveil for the first time products in the area of “green” technologies, displaying them in the form of a value chain. In view of the growing market for environmental technology, Leoni is broadening its range of corresponding wires, cables and cable systems. Whichever green application may be developed and used in the future the Company will provide the electrical connection for it and has set itself the medium-term objective of becoming the most innovative manufacturer of cables for environmentally friendly technologies. Numerous Leoni products are already contributing to protection of the environment. For example, a wiring system made for hybrid, electric and fuel cell-powered vehicles will be on display on stand C77 in hall 13 of the Hanover Trade Show. It involves a special high voltage system that vehicles with alternative drive technologies require in addition to the conventional cable harness. Underpinning these forward-looking wiring systems is Leoni’s Hivocar special cable: it is highly flexible, shielded and rated for up to 600 volts. In Hanover, Leoni will also present a new charging cable for electric vehicles that was developed for use at electric service stations.
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April 16th, 2010
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Dusseldorf Germany - Tenth of thousands of international visitors to wire and Tube 2010 stuck in Germany for now because of Icelandic volcano
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| Frankfurt airport was closed Friday April 16 morning as result of the ash cloud over Europe from the Iceland volcanic eruption. Frankfurt will stay closed for an “undetermined period” says DSF air traffic control in Germany. Other German airports closed include Frankfurt-Hahn, Hamburg, Bremen, Hanover, Muenster/Osnabrueck, Dusseldorf and Cologne. For continuing coverage of airport confusion caused by the ash cloud today, use this link
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April 15th, 2010
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Cairo Egypt - Sewedy Cables sees 2010 profit rise and exports up
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| Egypt's El Sewedy Cables expects net profit to rise 25 percent in 2010 as its loss-making activities recover and sales pick up, it said on Thursday. Net profit is seen climbing to around 800 million Egyptian pounds ($145 million) in 2010, Sewedy executives said in a conference call. "All investments that were losing in 2009, we expect them to be positive this year," said Ahmed El Homosani, investor relations manager. Sales pick-up and growing consumption of about 15 to 20 percent will boost profit in 2010, executives added. Net profit at Sewedy, the largest Arab cable maker by market value, declined 23 percent in 2009 to 633.6 million pounds, hit by lower cable prices, reduced export sales and higher costs. The firm, which has production plants in Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Algeria, Ghana, Zambia, Qatar, and Libya, has around 10 projects that have yet to produce at capacity. "This year will be better than last year since we will have seven to eight projects operating and adding profit to the company," said Ahmed El Sewedy, its chief executive officer. Company executives said they planned to increase exports to markets in the Middle East North Africa region, Spain, Portugal, Eastern Europe and Brazil.
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April 15th, 2010
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Eufaula Alabama - SEA Wire & Cable collaborating with JKM Manufacturing on lean initiative
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| JKM Manufacturing, Inc. is strengthening its strategic partnership with its key suppliers and collaborating on Lean manufacturing initiatives with SEA Wire and Cable, Inc.
"SEA Wire and Cable, Inc. has been a strategic partner and supplier to JKM for many years," JKM CEO Chad B. White said. "We are embarking on new ground. Our collaborating with this key supplier along with our key customers will decrease the time it takes to bid programs. More importantly, it gets mission critical components to our war fighters quicker."
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April 14th, 2010
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Owen Sound - Clair Technologies hiring to meet new demand
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| St. Clair Technologies, which manufactures vehicle wiring harnesses, has hired about 15 employees over the past month and expects to add another 10 or so more in wire harness preparation and assembly positions to bring its total employees to between 80 and 85. "It certainly is looking up. Existing customers we have had are starting to see an increase in business and we are seeing a lot of new business as well," said production manager Ken Williams. "It is two-fold why we are looking for people. It is nice to be adding people." Williams said some of the new business they are seeing from customers is as a result of what he called green technology. St. Clair has recently taken on work in Owen Sound for Tiffin Motorhomes and continues to supply Azure Dynamics, a hybrid commercial vehicle company. About 60% of St. Clair's customers are in North America and the remainder are around the rest of the world, including India and Brazil.
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April 13th, 2010
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Sofia Bulgaria - Bulgaria’s Ex Defense Minister left behind bars for alleged optic cable procurement fraud.
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| but the one in question referred to a public procurement contract of the Defense Ministry for the construction of an optic cable called Strandzha 2, worth BGN 120 M. According to Deputy Chief Prosecutor Boyko Naydenov, the deal was not only detrimental to the state but made no sense at all as the Defense Ministry did not need the optic cable. The investigation of the deal was started at the end of 2009 and has not been taken to court yet. For three full weeks, the police followed the suspects in the bribery scheme, and detected several meetings among them managing to grasp important details about what exactly the investigator had been offered and what he was expected to do in exchange. The police even delayed the special operation for two days because at the last minute the intermediaries started to haggle anew with the unnamed investigator. Eventually, the arrests were made as the investigator was summoned to a law office in order to receive a bribe installment of EUR 20 000. Tencho Popov, former Secretary of the Finance Ministry and activist of the National Movement for Security and Prosperity of the former Tsar and PM Simeon Saxe-Coburg, was busted as he was handing the bribe money to the investigator. Ex Finance Minister Nikolay Tsonev was arrested in the Military Hospital as he was being given a document certifying sickness so that he can skip an interrogation scheduled for the next week. Sofia Appellate Court ruled on Thursday to keep behind bars Tsonev, financial consultant Tencho Popov, and Petar Santirov, claiming that if released on bail the three men could influence the summoned witnesses.
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April 13th, 2010
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Milwaukee Wisconsin - AWPA Long Products supply chain symposium held in conjunction with Wire Expo 2010 and National Electrical Wire Processing Technology Expo
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| The Wire Association International (WAI) will host the 10th anniversary of Wire Expo 2010 and its 80th Annual Convention in Millwaukee, from May 12-13, 2010. Just prior to Wire Expo on May 9-11. The American Wire Producers Association (AWPA) will host its annual meeting and a new Long Products Supply Chain Symposium in Milwaukee. Wire Expo will co-locate with the National Electrical Wire Processing Technology Expo that has previously been held at the venue. Manufacturers and suppliers, or companies that offer services, to the wire and cable industry should exhibit at Wire Expo. Wire Expo is organized by WAI every other year in a different industry hub within the U.S. The event incorporates technical paper presentations, a comprehensive exhibit, networking activities and is the North American wire & cable event for 2010.Either you are going to be in Milwaukee as an Attendee or Exhibitor at Wire Expo., please consider coming a day earlier and joining your customers, suppliers and colleagues at the Symposium. The time will be well worth another night in Milwaukee!
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April 12th, 2010
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Dusseldorf Germany - Wire & Tube 2010 manifests its position as the world’s largest Wire, Cable and Tube event.
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| Exhibitors have been working long into the night to be ready to welcome what is expected to be a record number of visitors to this year’s Wire & Tube 2010 show. By sheer numbers (1,216 companies exhibiting at Wire 2010 and 1,167 exhibitors at Tube 2010) this sold out event is a gigantic manifestation of what the suppliers to these two vibrant industry sectors have to offer. What a difference a year makes. Primed by stimulus spending and improvement in the automobile industry, the steel and cable industries are showing every sign of a buoyant recovery just 12 month after a meltdown that economists have termed the worst recession since the "Dirty Thirties". Expectations among exhibitors are as high as the curiosity among the many producers that have gathered here in Dusseldorf this week to see and learn about new innovations.
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April 12th, 2010
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Nuremberg German - Leoni expands solar portfolio with tinned flat wire
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| Leoni, a leading provider of cables and cable systems for the automotive sector and other industries, has complemented its range of successful products for the solar industry. The new product is a tinned flat copper wire that connects the individual cells and strings inside the photovoltaic modules. Leoni will present its new solar flat wire for the first time at the WIRE 2010 trade fair, which takes place in Düsseldorf this week. The Company's display will be on stand A40 in hall 11.
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April 12th, 2010
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Paris France - Nexans makes all its business flights CarbonNeutral ® Purchasing carbon offsets will support reforestation project in Tanzania
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| Nexans, a leading global supplier of cables and cabling solutions, has further expanded its key focus on introducing sustainable approaches throughout every aspect of its global operations by partnering with The CarbonNeutral ® Company, a world leading provider of carbon reduction solutions, to make all its business flights CarbonNeutral ® from January 2010 onwards. From now on, all CO2 emissions generated during Nexans’ business flights are fully offset by the purchase of high quality carbon offsets from the Uchindile-Mapanda reforestation project in Tanzania..
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April 12th, 2010
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Osceola, Wisconsin - North Wire to hold Basic Cable Sizing and Selection Live Webinar: April 22, 2010 2:00pm ET / 11:00am PT
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| OEMs are pushing engineering teams for the fastest development cycle possible. Component selection errors can cause big delays and reliability issues after the products are in the hands of customers. To help engineers make the best cable decision for their projects, Northwire is teaching a technical course that dives into the key issues that affect cable performance and the final cable solution attached to the project. To register use this link
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April 10th, 2010
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Dubai United Arab Emirates - Ducab focuses on growth in Middle East and Africa
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| Dubai UAE cable manufacturer Ducab yesterday announced global sales of Dh2.4 billion during 2009, a fall of 27 per cent from the previous year as a result of a dip in global copper prices. Ahmad Al Shaikh, chairman of Ducab said earlier that while revenues declined, the profit percentage remains the same as the previous year despite the major drop in copper prices. He said the profit percentage would be 5 per cent going forward. Its current share is 50 per cent of the UAE cable market and it aims to have a 25 per cent share in all GCC countries. "We will focus now on the entire Middle East and Africa regions. There are high-demand markets," Al Shaikh said. During 2009, the company said, it increased its UAE market share by 10 per cent. "The Middle East as a whole remained a strong market for Ducab in 2009," said Andrew Shaw, managing director.
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April 10th, 2010
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Fayetteville Tennessee - Fushi Copperweld earns Energy Project of the Year award
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| The Center for Energy Efficiency (CEE) at Middle Tennessee State University has granted its 2010 award for "Energy Project of the Year" to Fushi Copperweld's wire manufacturing plant in Lincoln County, Tennessee. Sponsored by the Middle Tennessee Chapter of the Association of Energy Engineers, the prestigious award recognizes businesses, individuals, or organizations that demonstrate innovation in their implementation of energy efficiency projects. Fushi Copperweld's American operation was chosen to receive the award for having completed a total retrofit of the lighting grid at its 298,000 square-foot facility last August.
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April 10th, 2010
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Brussels Belgium - EU to probe dumping charge against Indian steel firms
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| The European Commission (EC), the executive body of the European Union, is expected to open anti-subsidy and anti-dumping investigations against imports of stainless steel cold finished (bright) bars from India. Eurofer, the European Confederation of Iron and Steel Industries, confirmed the development. Jean-Louis Moray, director, speciality steels, Eurofer ASBL, said in an e-mail response that the EC was expected to notify the investigations in its official journal this week.
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April 10th, 2010
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Washington D.C. - Copper and Brass Fabricators Council expresses need for regulatory action to address price volatility in copper markets.
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| In a public meeting held today by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC"), Jeffery Burghardt, Vice President of North American Metal Procurement and Global Utilities of Luvata Buffalo, spoke on behalf of the Copper and Brass Fabricators Council ("Council") regarding the unprecedented volatility in prices for copper over the last several years. The CFTC set this public meeting to examine futures and options trading in the precious and base metals markets and focused on trading in gold, silver, and copper. In his remarks, Burghardt noted that the price of copper has risen by more than 100 percent since the end of 2008 even though the quantity of copper stored in warehouses also increased substantially over the same period. Â "By all rights," Burghardt observed, "the greater supply of available copper should have led prices to decline rather than more than double. The Council believes that the explanation for this counterintuitive pricing lies in investment firms' large positions in the markets. What the Council seeks is lower volatility and market prices that reflect over time the real demand/supply situation, not the excesses of speculation."
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April 9th, 2010
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Brantford Ontario - Rising iron ore price gives US steel mills competitive advantage.
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| US steel products are poised to become more attractive on the global market in the wake of the sharp rise in traded iron ore – a development that has enraged makers of the metal elsewhere in the world, analysts say. Steel inputs in the US are in large part isolated from the global market because the US is the only steel-producing country that is a net exporter of the chief ingredients of steel, iron ore, coking coal and scrap. “That gives the US a huge natural cost advantage,” Michael Gambardella, basic materials analyst at JPMorgan suggests. “The iron ore price movements are a benefit for domestic steelmakers.”
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April 8th, 2010
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Baton Rouge, Louisiana, - Albemarle to Increase Price of MAGNIFIN Flame Retardants
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| Albemarle Corporation a global leader in the development, manufacture and marketing of flame retardants, announced today that it will increase the global prices for its MAGNIFIN magnesium hydroxide flame retardants up to 12%, depending on packaging type and grade, on all shipments made after April 1st, 2010 or as contracts allow. Albemarle is a leading manufacturer and marketer of magnesium hydroxide flame retardants for wire & cable, engineering thermoplastics and other polymer applications.
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April 7th, 2010
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New Orleans, Louisiana - Dow Wire & Cable at the IEEE PES Transmission & Distribution Conference and Exposition,
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| Dow Wire & Cable, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, will be participating in the IEEE PES Transmission & Distribution Conference and Exposition, April 19-22, 2010 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, LA. In addition to highlighting its previously announced enhanced TR-XLPE medium voltage system, Dow Wire & Cable also will use this venue to discuss its new family of bio-based plasticizer materials. These new compounds are phthalate- and lead-free, representing a renewable alternative for traditional PVC plasticizers that offers a safer, environmental-friendly option for building wire as well as wire for personal electronics, appliances and transportation applications. Representatives from Dow Wire & Cable will be available for interviews at the conference. To set up a time to meet, please contact Terri Howe at 616-997-6235 or email to thowe@howemktg.net.
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April 7th, 2010
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St. Louis Missouri - Francisco-backed Electrical Components enters bankruptcy
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| Private equity-backed Electrical Components International Inc.filed for bankruptcy to implement a prepackaged-reorganization plan that will cut its $435.7 million debt load in half. Electrical Components, owned by Francisco Partners, said in court papers Tuesday that under the restructuring plan, each holder of a first-lien claim will be entitled to receive its portion of 50 million shares of new common stock - unless the first-lien claim holder elects to receive cash for all or a portion of its new common stock. Francisco Partners formed ECI in 2006 with the assets of Wire Harness Industries Inc., which it acquired from Viasystems Group Inc. for $320 million, including $250 million of debt financing. As of the filing, Francisco Partners owned approximately 98.5% of the preferred stock of the company, and all of the company's common stock, according to a statement by ECI Chief Executive David Webster filed with the bankruptcy court. The firm couldn't be reached for comment.
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April 6th, 2010
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Atlanta Georgia - Furukawa to start exporting fiber optic cables in the short term.
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| Japanese cable supplier Furukawa Industrial plans to start exporting fiber optic cabling from its Argentine plant to other countries in South America In the short term, the company's commercial manager for Argentina Diego Martin The executive was not able to provide more information about the export plan. However, Furukawa Argentina country manager Jose Alcantara previously told BNamericas that exports could be sent to Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. In June, Furukawa opened a fiber optic cabling plant in Buenos Aires province after an estimated investment of US$ 3million. Martin said that the factory - which has a capacity to produce 200,000km of fiber optic cables per year - was currently at one-third of capacity, with production growing gradually.The executive said that the local unit expected to expand its market share by 10% this year. Furukawa Argentina's current market share is approximately 30%. Domestically, telecoms operators are heavily investing to renew and expand their networks, and the company expects investment to increase next year with triple play projects. Furukawa provides telecoms and data communications mainly fiber optic and metal cabling, and also designs, installs and maintains networks. The company deploys optical system trunking networks, conventional access networks, broadband systems and structured cabling
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April 6th, 2010
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Kolkata India - Japanese wire machinery firms looking to set up steel plants in east India
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| SteelGuru said Friday that Kobe Steel has recently opened a subsidiary unit in Kolkata to market its steel production machinery in India. Kobe Steel supplies steel bar rolling mills and wire rod mills, continuous casters, non-ferrous metal rolling mills, hot and cold isostatic presses and metal presses.
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April 2nd, 2010
- General
Brantford Ontario - Happy Easter
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| Next news Bulletin will be posted Tuesday April 6
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March 30th, 2010
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Richmond, Indiana - Belden announces across the board 10% price increase in EMEA
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| Belden has announced that the company is to increase the prices of all its wire and cable products in the EMEA region by 10%. According to Roel Vestjens, General Manager of Belden Wire & Cable Systems EMEA, the increase, which will be effective as of 12 April 2010, is to offset escalating costs, particularly raw materials and energy.
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March 30th, 2010
- General
Shanghai China - Rio Tinto iron ore negotiators fined, jailed and fired
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| A Shanghai court found Australian executive Stern Hu at mining giant Rio Tinto Group guilty of charges he accepted bribes and stole commercial secrets, ordered restitution of the bribes, fined him and sentenced him to a combined 10 years in prison. The Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People's Court also ruled on similar charges against three Chinese-national Rio Tinto employees-Liu Caikui, Wang Yong and Ge Minqiang- sentencing them to between seven and 14 years each. "Receiving bribes is a clear violation of Chinese law and Rio Tinto's code of conduct," says Sam Walsh, head of Rio Tinto's iron ore division, in the statement. "We have been informed of the clear evidence presented in court that showed beyond doubt that the four convicted employees had accepted bribes. By doing this they engaged in deplorable behavior that is totally at odds with our strong ethical culture."
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March 30th, 2010
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Doncaster U.K. - Bridon signs new distribution deal with Cosalt
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| The specialist wire rope manufacturer, Bridon International Ltd has confirmed a partnership deal with Cosalt International, suppliers of safety equipment and inspection services. This will enhance Bridon’s UK land and marine distribution reach, becoming Cosalt’s preferred UK wire rope supplier. The agreement is of considerable importance to Bridon as it will serve to strengthen its market position and expand the company’s service offering into the safety equipment and inspection services sector. This enables Bridon to compliment and add value to Cosalt’s already specialised product range, whilst sharing expert knowledge, contacts and experience. It will also serve to be mutually beneficial for Cosalt, allowing the company to expand its offering in the high-tech marine and industrial wire rope markets, particularly within the specialist crane and hoist application arena.
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March 29th, 2010
- General
Oslo Norway - ABB charters newbuild Aker Connector
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| ABB has agreed to charter the under construction vessel Aker Connector from Aker Solutions for its 2012 and 2013 installation campaigns. Under the contract, Aker Solutions will provide project management, engineering, and offshore execution. The vessel is equipped to install long, heavy power cables and subsea umbilicals and will be ready for operations in 2012. The agreement includes options for further campaigns from 2014 to 2016. ABB and Aker Solutions have also signed a strategic cooperation agreement for power cables (ABB) and installation services (Aker Solutions) on selected projects.
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March 27th, 2010
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Geneva, Switzerland - Trade to expand by 9.5% in 2010 after a dismal 2009, WTO reports
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| After the sharpest decline in more than 70 years, world trade is set to rebound in 2010 by growing at 9.5%, according to WTO economists. “WTO rules and principles have assisted governments in keeping markets open and they now provide a platform from which trade can grow as the global economy improves. We see the light at the end of the tunnel and trade promises to be an important part of the recovery. But we must avoid derailing any economic revival through protectionism,” said Director-General Pascal Lamy. Exports from developed economies are expected to increase by 7.5% in volume terms over the course of the year while shipments from the rest of the world (including developing economies and the Commonwealth of Independent States) should rise by around 11% as the world emerges from recession. For full press release use this link
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March 27th, 2010
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Washington D.C. - LME official says copper short squeeze unlikely
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| A London Metal Exchange official on Thursday assured the top U.S. futures regulator that the exchange, the world's largest copper futures market, has enough metal on hand to prevent a physical short squeeze on the industrial metal. Diarmuid O'Hegarty, London Metal Exchange's deputy chief executive, told a hearing held by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) that sizable warehouse turnover for copper shows the physical metal is amply available in the market. The CFTC is mulling whether to crack down on speculators in markets of finite supply, like energy and metals. "I think that supply is not one of the issues," O'Hegarty said. "We've put a lot of work over the past 100 years to try and learn from the various issues in the market. Over the years, what we've ended up with is, I think, as good as it gets."
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March 27th, 2010
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Christchurch New Zealand - Cable maker to shed 100 jobs in Christchurch
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| About 100 jobs will go at loss-making Christchurch cablemaker General Cable New Zealand, with plans to shut four of its five plants and shift some production to Southeast Asia. The redundancies come after other big job cuts at Christchurch manufacturers late last year, including 275 at the Bridgestone-Firestone tyre factory. Clothing manufacturer Lane Walker Rudkin also cut 263 jobs last year and Deane Apparel axed 30 jobs. The United States-owned General Cable, which employs about 350 people at its Sockburn manufacturing site, announced the "major transformation" yesterday, citing heavy losses incurred in the global economic crisis. General Cable managing director Chris Birkett said jobs would not be cut until 2011, after a $5m investment in the Christchurch plant, which would be reduced in scale and productivity improved. "I think it's great that a multinational wants to invest cash in New Zealand at a time when it's not that common," he said.
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March 26th, 2010
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Scottsburg Indiana - Wire manufacturer to create nearly 135 new jobs
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| Tokusen U.S.A. Inc. plans to establish a wire manufacturing plant in Scottsburg and create up to 134 jobs by 2012. The company says it will invest $24.5 million to purchase and equip a 300,000 square-foot vacant facility in Scott County to manufacture sawing wire, which is used in the solar energy industry. TOKUSEN U.S.A. operates another plant in Arkansas that employs more than 300. Lt. Governor Becky Skillman joined executives of Tokusen U.S.A.., Inc. today to announce the company’s plans to establish a wire manufacturing plant here, creating up to 134 new jobs by 2012. The company, which manufactures a variety of steel wire products, will invest several million dollars to purchase and equip a 300,000 square-foot facility to manufacture sawing wire. The wire will be used to slice silicon ingots for the solar energy industry.
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March 26th, 2010
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Paris France - C/S Nexans Skagerrak ready to put to sea after major conversion and upgrade project
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| Nexans, a global leader in cables and cabling solutions, has further extended the subsea cable laying capabilities of the C/S Nexans Skagerrak, already one of the world’s most advanced cable ships, following the successful completion of a major conversion and upgrading project. It will put to sea shortly from the Cammell Laird Shiprepairers and Shipbuilders Limited dockyard in Birkenhead, England where the 8 million euro, two-month, fast-track contract was carried out. The conversion and upgrade has increased the C/S Nexans Skagerrak’s capability to carry out even larger scale power cable and umbilical installation projects, to meet the changing needs of customers in the subsea interconnector and oil & gas sectors. It has also extended her service life and increased her autonomy while at sea.
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March 26th, 2010
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Augusta Georgia - Paying to stay in the wire & cable business same tactic as Lay-up in Golf.
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| On April 5 the 2010 Masters' golf tournament tees off in Augusta, Ga. On every hole players will have to decide how to play their next shots. One of their most frequent decisions: when to aggressively attack a hole and when to "lay up"--that is, purposely hit a shot a little short so as to guarantee a safe position from which to hit the following shot. An executive, at a company that produces wire and cable, told us that his team is often criticized for bidding jobs too low, because they're chastised if they don't bring in enough work. Bidding low is the surest way to get the work. In these instances the cable executive lays up, because he feels he's left with no choice, and the wire and cable man finds that laying up would mean losing potential sales revenue. In business as in golf, there are times when laying up is the right call, but doing it too often likely resigns you to a finish no better than at the middle of the pack. If you continually hit the safe shot, your chances of winning in your career, especially in challenging times, are slight. There are opportunities in the recession for those who can identify the right time to eschew the safe shot in favor of a chance to put some distance between themselves and the competition.
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March 25th, 2010
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Carrollton, Georgia - Southwire’s Proof Positive Copper is Grand Winner at GSU’s 2010 MAX Awards
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 The Marketing Roundtable of Georgia State University voted Southwire Company’s Proof Positive Copper with Trace ID Technology the Grand Winner for the 18th Annual Marketing Awards for Excellence (MAX Awards) announced Friday, February 26th. The MAX Awards, presented by GSU’s Robinson College of Business Department of Marketing and the Atlanta Business Chronicle, honor eight outstanding product innovations developed or launched by Georgia companies in 2009. Southwire Company’s Proof Positive Copper with Trace ID Technology is an identifiable and traceable bare copper product designed to provide proof of ownership to utilities and recyclers struggling with copper stolen from substations and warehouses. “In talking with our customers, we determined that the traceability of stolen copper to prove ownership is the key element needed for prosecution,” says Carol Godfrey, Vice President of Southwire’s Energy Division. “We designed the entire product to meet the needs of utilities, recyclers and prosecutors.”
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March 24th, 2010
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Corning New York - Corning Inc, celebrates 40 years of optical fiber
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| Corning Incorporated Tuesday launched a year-long anniversary celebration of the company’s world-changing invention of low-loss optical fiber. Corning’s 1970 breakthrough made the theoretical promise of fiber-optic technology a reality and revolutionized the communications industry. Corning kicks off the celebration at OFC/NFOEC 2010 in San Diego. In honor of the occasion, the Corning researchers responsible for the discovery—Dr. Robert Maurer, Dr. Peter Schultz, and Dr. Donald Keck—will be in attendance today at Corning’s booth. Corning will also provide its perspective on the current state of the global optical fiber industry during a special panel discussion.
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March 24th, 2010
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Upshire Essex UK - US investment flows to offshore wind power projects.
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| Offshore wind energy isn't cheap. In fact, it can cost twice as much as land-based wind power. Yet, several state and provincial governments vied in 2009 to attract North America's first offshore wind farm. Starting to look beyond the initial cost of offshore wind energy the US is starting to consider its huge long-term benefits. Oddly, many of these states are in the Northeast of the US, where political leaders are wary of raising energy costs. Consumers there pay among the highest electricity rates in the nation, and policymakers are on the lookout for ways to lower costs. So what does offshore wind offer that makes these price-conscious shoppers suddenly willing to ignore the price?
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March 24th, 2010
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Highbridge Somerset U.K. - Tecni-Cable celebrates five successful years in business
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| Tecni-Cable are celebrating this week with the announcement of a major milestone – their first five years in business. The company has grown rapidly and now employs eight full-time members of staff and was recently voted Somerset E-Business of the year. Managing Director, Trevor Heyworth attributes the success of the company to sound e-marketing principles and putting the customer first at all times. “In 2004, I realised that there was a great opportunity to use the internet to sell wire rope products. Setting up the website was initially daunting and it took over five months to receive our first online order, but by continuing to reinvest in new product lines and expanding organically, sales have virtually doubled each year since start-up.
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March 23rd, 2010
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Canastota, New York - More layoffs at Owl Wire and Cable
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| Owl Wire and Cable in Canastota will lay off another wave of employees Monday. President Bob Raite said eight employees will be laid off, reducing the company’s work force to about 54 people. “Business conditions are poor,” Raite said. Raite said cuts were based on seniority of Glass, Molders and Pottery Union members. Union stewards have “super seniority” and are immune from layoffs, he said. Work weeks were previously shortened to four days to accommodate for the reduced needs. Raite said after layoffs go into effect, remaining employees will return to a regular five-day work week. The bare and plated copper wire manufacturer has been forced to layoff employees as a result of reduced demands and as business shifts to other plants. Demand for the company’s products has dwindled, Raite said, adding that some manufacturing has been exported to China. “Building wire market is down to almost nothing,” he said. Appliance and automotive wire markets have also shifted to other markets or dropped significantly in its demand, he said. The company opened in 1954. Raite was unsure how many people were employed at that time. He said a major economic turnaround would have to happen for the company to rehire laid off employees.
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March 23rd, 2010
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Melbourne Australia - Telstra stops copper line installations - Government urged to cover fiber-optic costs
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| Australia’s Telstra has stopped installing copper phone connections because of requirements to use fiber-optic cables. Developers have warned that thousands of new houses will take longer to come onto the market, and will cost up to $3000 more, because of Telstra's decision to stop installing copper phone lines. Telstra has told developers it has stopped installing copper phone connections in greenfields developments because of the federal government has introduced legislation that would force developers to install the cable in homes built after July this year. It is part of the Government's plan for a national broadband network. Stephen Albin of the Urban Development Institute of Australia says the decision last Thursday has caught many developers by surprise and will cause long delays in selling homes, exacerbating the housing shortage.
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March 23rd, 2010
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Shanghai China - Rio Tinto case a litmus test for working with China
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| The outcome of a criminal trial that opens in a Shanghai courtroom Monday will be closely watched by those whose fortunes depend on the political and business climate in the world's third-largest economy. The defendants are four officials of Australian miner Rio Tinto Ltd. who have been detained since July when they were arrested by the Chinese on charges of stealing business secrets. The allegations came during stalled negotiations over the prices Chinese steelmakers would pay to Rio Tinto and other producers for iron ore.
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March 23rd, 2010
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Shangha - Late breaking news Australian Rio Tinto executive reportedly pleads guilty to bribery
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| Australian Rio Tinto executive Stern Hu has reportedly pleaded guilty to bribery charges in a Shanghai court. According to a report on the Bloomberg wire service, Mr Hu has pleaded guilty to accepting bribes. Stern Hu and three of his Chinese colleagues also face charges of offering inducements to Chinese steel companies in order to receive sensitive commercial information. That portion of the trial expected to be held on Tuesday will be heard in secret.
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March 22nd, 2010
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Houston, Texas, U.S.A. - Dow Wire & Cable at IEEE PES T&D
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 Dow Wire & Cable, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, will be participating in the IEEE PES Transmission & Distribution Conference and Exposition, April 19-22, 2010 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, LA. The company will use this venue to present a seminar on its enhanced TR-XLPE medium voltage (MV) system.
“We know that utility engineers are looking to specify cables that exhibit longer life and improved performance in wet underground environments along with the ability to reliably and continuously operate at 105°C,” says Mark Burtch, Global Segment Leader, Medium Voltage for Dow Wire & Cable. “Our enhanced TR-XLPE MV system meets those expectations and is ready for customer trial prior to expected commercialization later this year.”
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March 22nd, 2010
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Brussels Belgium - Bekaert highlights its latest coated book binding wires
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| Bekaert, worldwide technological and market leader in drawn steel wire products and advanced coatings, highlights its latest coated book binding wires at IPEX at the National Exhibition Center in Birmingham from May 18-25, 2010. For the 2010 edition of the fair, Bekaert presents visitors with its traditional range of Metalobind ® Nylobind ® and Tinobind ® wires as well as two completely new products: Bekaert glow-in-the-dark book binding wire and our latest contribution to eco-friendly bookbinding solutions - the Ecobind ®
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March 22nd, 2010
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Washington D.C. - Why is America the worlds biggest importer of steel?
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Ms Michelle Galanter Applebaum of Steel Market Intelligence said that President Obama's State of the Union speech made both manufacturing and steel front page news. Reviving the US export economy was a dominant theme in the speech, but one that struck me as an attempt to change the end result of years of dysfunctional policies without addressing the dysfunctional policies themselves meaning it's destined to fail Ms. Applebaum said.
She continued: While Obama's comments were followed up pretty quickly with specifics from US Commerce Secretary Mr Gary Locke for export financing, expansion of local services in fast growing economies and finally combating unfair foreign barriers to US made products, I believe it’s absurd and even arrogant to expect to be able to export our products into other countries when we can’t even defend our markets here at home.
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March 20th, 2010
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Paris France - Alcan Cable signs distribution agreement with Promethean Devices LLC to sell new transmission line monitoring technology
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| Alcan Cable, part of Alcan Engineered Products - a business unit of Rio Tinto - has entered into a distribution agreement with Promethean Devices, LLC of Fort Mill, South Carolina, to supply Promethean Real-time, Non-contact Transmission Line Monitoring technology to utility companies and entities building transmission lines in North America. The Promethean monitoring technology will enable utilities to safely and reliably push more power through new or existing transmission lines thus relieving congestion of the electrical grid. "We are pleased to offer such a high value product to our customers who experience congestion on the grid and, as a result, must bear the enormous operational costs associated with conventional static line ratings," said Steve Waller, Director of Utility Sales - North America.
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March 19th, 2010
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Brantford Ontario - Steel majors on expansion spree despite low utilization
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Anticipating a strong growth in demand for steel, steelmakers have taken steps to boost their production around the world this week. On Wednesday, the world's largest steelmaker, ArcelorMittal(MT), signed a preliminary agreement with its Turkish partner Dayen to produce 500,000 tons of steel-reinforcing bars annually in Iraq. Construction of the mill will start in the second quarter this year, while production is scheduled to start in the fourth quarter of 2011.
Meanwhile, Asia's biggest steel maker, Posco, announced a $200 million expansion of a Vietnam plant to boost capacity from 85,000 tons to 200,000 tons. Chief Executive Chung Joon Yang is planning a record $8.2 billion capital spending this year.
Leading Russian steel maker Mechel OAO(MTL) announced Monday that it is establishing a representative office in China to manage expansion of the company's business in the country.
At least three U.S. wire rod producers have announced price increases for April on the back of a significant increase in scrap costs this month.
The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported Monday that U.S. Steel producers were running at 70.9% utilization rates. In comparison, utilization rates reported on the same day last year and last month were 40.9% and 68%, respectively. Weekly steel production reached 1.71 million tons, an increase of 1.9% over the previous week.
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March 19th, 2010
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Lisbon New Hampshire - New England wire producer diversifies
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| More than 100 years after it began producing custom cables and wires, a Lisbon fixture is branching out into the medical device field. Last Tuesday, officials at New England Wire Technologies cut the ribbon on its new manufacturing foray, New England Catheter. "We have seen many changes and challenges over the years and the complexity of our wire and cable products have increased to meet the needs of our customers," said Rick Jesseman. Founded in Lisbon in 1898, New England Wire employs about 300 people at its Main Street facility. Company President Rich Johns said that while New England Catheter has been a part of the company for a few years, New England Wire decided to make "a serious effort" in this particular field of medical device manufacturing.
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March 18th, 2010
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Duesseldorf Germany - Duesseldor Germany March 18 Industry looks to wire 2010 full of expectations|
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| Just under four weeks to go until doors open. wire 2010 and Tube 2010, the two No.1 trade fairs for the wire, cable and tube processing industries will be presenting forward-looking technologies, current techniques and latest services in the exhibition halls on the Rhine from 12 to 16 April. For the twelfth time now the International Wire and Cable Trade Fair (wire) and the International Tube and Pipe Trade Fair (Tube) are to be held concurrently at Düsseldorf fairgrounds. The sector has moved out of the trough of 2009 and now looks to Düsseldorf expectantly. Being leaders in their respective fields, both trade fairs have succeeded in increasing their exhibitor numbers over the record year 2008!
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March 18th, 2010
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Paris France - Nexans to present innovative cabling solutions and umbilical cables technologies at OTC
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| Nexans, a global leader in cables and cabling solutions, is using its presence at OTC 2010 to highlight its full range of cabling solutions and its umbilical cables expertise based on innovative technologies that provide reliable solutions for complex oil and gas projects, onshore and offshore, topside and subsea. In the technical session on the morning of Wednesday May 5, Bjørn Roger Slora, Senior Specialist of Nexans in Norway will present a paper on “Qualification of Dynamic Deepwater Power Cable” introducing some new state-of-the-art technology that addresses the implications of subsea processing power distribution on field architecture. He will also be available on the Nexans booth to discuss more in detail this subject after the conference.
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March 18th, 2010
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Sao Paulo Brazil - Eletrobras to invest $5.1 billion in 2010
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| Brazilian state-owned power utility Eletrobras will boost investment by about two-thirds this year mainly for the some of the largest hydropower dam and electricity transmission projects in the nation, the company's chief executive said on Monday. Eletrobras, Latin America's largest power holding utility, plans to increase investment to 9 billion reais ($5.1 billion) this year from 5.4 billion reais in 2009, CEO Jose Antonio Muniz said. Investments would total around 15 billion reais for 2011-2012, excluding new projects in which the company could take part, he added. "To the 15 billion we will have to add something for new projects that could be contemplated," Muniz said at a press conference at an energy-related event in Sao Paulo.
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March 18th, 2010
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Khobar Saudi Arabia - Saudi steel (SABIC ) demand seen rising 8 percent
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| Demand for steel in top oil exporter Saudi Arabia is expected to rise this year by 8 percent with consumption nearing 6.4 million tonnes, Saudi Arabian Basic Industries (SABIC) 2010.SE said on Wednesday. Saudi Arabian authorities in 2008 imposed restrictions on exports of steel and scrap metal due to tight supply in the domestic market. SABIC, which controls the kingdom's biggest steel producer Hadeed, said on its website that total production capacity at local plants run at full tilt is about 7.3 million tonnes. The firm is moving ahead with plans to raise annual capacity of long-steel products to 4 million tonnes by mid-2012, from 3.2 million tonnes currently, it added.
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March 17th, 2010
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Washington D.C. - U.S. Internet speed lags behind now on the fast track to correct
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| To keep pace with the rest of the world, The United States has to think fast. The United States ranks 18th in Internet speeds among industrialized nations, according to CNN, with South Korea and Japan leading the race. South Korea has an average data transfer speed of 14.6 megabits per second and the U.S., a paltry 3.9. These figures might change in the future, and at first glance, it seems for the better. The Federal Communications Commission revealed some details of its broadband plan Monday, according to CNN. It intends to use educational programs and an expansion of infrastructure to give 90 percent of Americans access to high-speed Internet at home by 2020, compared to 65 percent currently. The FCC’s definition of high-speed is greater than 768 kilobits per second.
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March 17th, 2010
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Johannesburg South Africa - UK rope maker hails ruling on SA dumping duty
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| BRIDON International yesterday welcomed Tuesday's judgment by the Constitutional Court that terminated antidumping duties that had been imposed on its products, and said the decision would open the South African market for steel-wire ropes to increased competition. Bridon, said the court's decision confirmed that antidumping duties lapsed on the expiry of the statutorily determined period of five years plus 18 months. The court ruled in favor of the International Trade Administration Commission (Itac) against metals company Scaw SA's challenge to the government's plan to lift antidumping duties on stranded wires, rope and cable, which Scaw manufactures. The court overturned the 2008 decision of the high court in Pretoria, that prevented Itac and the ministers of trade and industry and finance from enacting Itac's recommendation to lift the anti-dumping duties on sales of Bridon's products in the Southern African Customs Union.
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March 16th, 2010
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Essen Germany - Ferrostaal sells first cable recycling plant in the United Arab Emirates
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| Ferrostaal AG is expanding its activities in the field of recycling and environmental technology and is taking advantage of its presence in more than 60 countries to do so. The sale and financing of a cable recycling plant to Gulf Star Metals in Ajman will see the first machines from this sector installed in the United Arab Emirates.
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March 16th, 2010
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Nairobi Kenya - Kenya to tap power from its neighbors after grid connection
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| Kenya’s unstable power grid will soon receive a major boost from a planned power line interconnection with Tanzania and Zambia. The three countries have agreed to link their grids allowing those with deficits, like Kenya, to tap from those with excess energy. “We met early this month and agreed to build the Zambia-Tanzania- Kenya interconnector,” said Anastas Mbawala, director for Tanzania’s Energy Regulatory Authority. The decision comes shortly after President Kibaki and Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi signed a bilateral pact which will see the two countries merge their power grids.
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March 16th, 2010
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Cleveland Ohio - Lincoln Electric’s New Pipeliner ® 80Ni1 MIG Wire
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Lincoln Electric has introduced new Pipeliner ® 80Ni1 MIG (GMAW) wire to its line of Pipeliner ® consumables developed to meet the rigorous demands of the global pipe welding industry. It is designed for semi-automatic or automatic welding of root, hot, fill and cap passes on up to X80 grade pipe and root passes on up to X100 grade pipe. Pipeliner ® 80Ni1 is capable of producing impact properties of 69 – 95 J (51 – 70 ft•lbf) at -50°C (-58°F) to meet the demands of tough pipeline jobs. This new wire increases productivity with enhanced arc characteristics and provides optimal wire placement for narrow groove joint configurations.
All Pipeliner ® products feature ProTech ® foil bag packaging to ensure reliable performance and are manufactured to lot control standards and tested per AWS A5.01, Class S4 Schedule H. Actual certificates of test available at www.lincolnelectric.com.
For more information, visit www.lincolnelectric.com to obtain Bulletin C1.100.4.
The Lincoln Electric Company, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, is the world leader in the design, development and manufacture of arc welding products, robotic arc-welding systems, plasma and oxyfuel cutting equipment and has a leading global position in the brazing and soldering alloys market.
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March 15th, 2010
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Sarajevo Bosnia - Bosnia aluminum producers seek government aid to survive
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| Bosnia's aluminium producers and processors, the country's top exporters, warned on Wednesday that many of them will not be able to survive unless the government helps them get access to more and cheaper funds soon. "The water has risen to our neck and some of us will drown if the government fails to help us," said Predrag Covic, general manager of the Kapis cable plant and head of the aluminium industry association, which groups 12 Bosnian companies. The base metal sector is key in the small Balkan country, impoverished after the 1992-95 war, but the global economic downturn last year has triggered a 25 percent fall in output and halved its exports. The metal sector accounts for about half of the country's overall exports.
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March 15th, 2010
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Carthage Missouri - Leggett & Platt Chief Operating Officer named to Board of Directors of the National Association of Manufacturers
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| Leggett & Platt announced that Karl Glassman, its Chief Operating Officer, has been named to the Board of Directors of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). Mr. Glassman's nomination was approved by the NAM board on March 5, 2010. Glassman joins over 200 industry leaders on the NAM board, including executives from Leggett & Platt peer companies such as Emerson, General Electric, Illinois Tool Works, HARSCO Corporation, and others.
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March 15th, 2010
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Santiago Chile - State Grid of China and Quadra Mining to develop Chile copper mines
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| According to a statement issued State-owned public utility, The State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC), plans to cooperate with Canadian miner Quadra Mining Ltd and jointly develop copper mines in Chile, to secure raw material supplies for electric cables and to expand its investment portfolio with Quadra. State Grid International Development Ltd (SGID), a wholly owned subsidiary of SGCC, will form a 50-50 joint venture with Quadra to develop and operate Quadra's Sierra Gorda project, Franke Mine and other copper assets in Chile. The Sierra Gorda project and Franke Mine are valued at $900 million in assets, said the Quadra statement.
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March 13th, 2010
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Fond du Lac Wisconsin - Perth Ontario based Central Wire brings 50 jobs to former Charter wire Fond du Lac plant
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 As many as 50 new jobs could be created in Fond du Lac as the result of a wire manufacturer's plans to set up operations in a vacant steel plant. ATheCanadian-based company will receive $163,000 in tax credits to buy, equip and begin using a shuttered facility in Fond du Lac - a $3.3 million project expected to create 29 jobs, Gov. Jim Doyle's office announced Wednesday. The tax credits will go to Central Wire Industries Ltd., which manufactures stainless steel wire, nickel-alloy wire and related products used in various markets, such as the auto and aerospace industries.
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March 13th, 2010
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Beijing China - Baosteel raises April wire rod prices by 150-300 yuan/t
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| Xinhua reported that China's top steel producer Baoshan Iron & Steel Co (Baosteel; 600019.SH) has taken the lead to raise manufacturer prices of steel wires for April as steel product market has shown signs of recovery. The prices of the company's most steel wire products went up 150 to 300 yuan/metric ton (tonne). However, Baosteel hasn't yet released its steel plate prices for next month. Industry insiders say that Baosteel's price rise is mainly attributed to cost pressure as well as booming demand from downstream industries Currently, Baosteel's automobile sheet and appliance board products are in short supply on the market. The company has started to restrict production of some silicon steel products in an effort to expand auto sheet production. Steel prices have kept on rising since the beginning of March,, showing a strong trend of market warming.
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March 13th, 2010
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Highbridge Somerset - Wire rope firm bucks the trend
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| UK wire rope specialist Techni-Cable Ltd is celebrating the start of the new decade after recording growth in its business. Managing director Trevor Heyworth established Techni-Cable as a one-man operation in 2005, with marketing manager, Alex Keen, joining in 2007. At the start of 2009, Techni-Cable moved to bigger premises and recruited six new members of staff to become an eight-man operation. Techni-Cable’s products include stainless steel wire rope, stainless steel cable, wire rope fittings and stainless cable components, as well as small diameter stainless and galvanised cable, PVC, nylon and plastic covered wire ropes and assemblies, catenary wire, stainless cable railing balustrading, gym cables and cable grips.
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March 13th, 2010
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Manila Philippines - Steel price hikes loom
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| Higher prices of steel construction materials loom as global steel prices hit record highs due to higher input costs, an industry source yesterday said. Our source warned that the price hikes would cover reinforcing bars, galvanized iron sheets (GI) and other steel-based materials as the country enters the peak season for construction. Based on the monitoring of the Department of Trade and Industry for the week March 1 to 5, the prices of construction materials were: steel wire 1.65 mm (gauge 16), up from P65 to P80, and 1.25 mm (gauge 18), from P70 to P100; corrugated GI sheets (gauge 26), up P1 from a week ago to P51 and; steel bars, P119 to P121 for 10 mm and P168 to P176 for 12 mm.
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March 12th, 2010
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Tokyo Japan - Japan studying monthly Asian deals for wire rod exports
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| Japan's integrated steelmakers are studying whether to seek monthly deals of their wire rod exports to the rest of Asia for April to June 2010 shipments, a break with their normal practice of negotiating quarterly supply contracts. Also, they have an idea of requesting various customers to accept a shorter lead time of one month than the present two months. It is about time for the Japanese steelmakers to start negotiations on their wire rod exports to Asian destinations for April to June 2010 shipments. But they still find themselves in a wait and see position due to uncertain prospects of contract renewal negotiations on their imports of iron ore and coking coal for fiscal 2010.
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March 12th, 2010
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Wellington New Zeeland - Growing demand, high scrap costs see Pacific Steel raise prices
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| Farmers and construction companies will face higher costs after the country's only producer of reinforcing steel and wire puts up its prices next Monday. Pacific Steel Group is raising the price of its reinforcing steel bar and wire rod products by 7 per cent to 9 per cent, due to the rising cost of steel scrap and a weaker kiwi dollar. Pacific Steel, a division of Fletcher Building, supplies largely to the building trade and fencing wire distributors. The company is the country's largest recycler of steel and all its products are made from locally-sourced scrap. But it must still compete with overseas buyers who use the international price for steel. Pacific's general manager Ian Jones said the price was being affected by several factors, including continued demand in China, improved demand in the United States, and rising iron ore prices. The move partially reversed a fall in prices for steel bar and wire rod products last year when commodity prices fell. Wellington-based Steel & Tube said it would be affected by the price hike because it bought and distributed Pacific Steel products. Steel & Tube's chief executive, Dave Taylor, predicted steel prices would trend upwards over the next year and he expected other steel providers would follow suit as the global industry struggled to realign supply with demand.
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March 12th, 2010
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Kuala Lumpur - Southern Cable to host Malaysian executive dinner
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| Southern Cable, Malaysia's leading telecommunication and power cable manufacturer is to host a dinner event for executives and senior management of customers and business partners, designed to build a rapport relationship and to create more business opportunity. Malaysia's leading wire and cable manufacturer for the electrical power and telecommunication industry, Southern Cable has announced to host a dinner event for executive and senior management, in a bid to foster and improve relationships between Southern Cable and its industry partners. Scheduled for tomorrow 13 March 2010, the event is to be held at the glamorous Pavilion Kuala Lumpur and will host over 400 guests from senior management and executive positions. With invites to executives from Penang to Johor, from Sarawak to Sabah, the event is being run in conjunction with experienced corporate events organizer RSVP.com.my.
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March 11th, 2010
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Brantford Ontario - Think tank assesses electricity transmission design
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| Moving huge quantities of electricity over vast distances Underground in superconducting DC cable system would boost efficiency and safety according to the Electric Power Research Institute. The institute describes the design of a superconducting direct current cable system capable of moving thousands of megawatts of electricity between regions in a 252-page report published March 3. The proposal is timely in light of the U.S. government’s focus on upgrading the nation’s outdated electric transmission grids and distribution systems by 2030 with a network of powerful superconducting cables. The move comes in response to increasingly frequent power failures and other power supply-related problems that have plagued the country’s power systems in recent years.
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March 10th, 2010
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Frankfort.Kentucky - Bekaert Shelbyville plant may hire 10
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| Bekaert, plans to add a hot-dip galvanizing line at its 260,000-square-foot plant in Shelbyville. Bekaert Corp.’s Shelbyville plant introduced their potential growth plans at a February 25 meeting of the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority in Frankfort.
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March 10th, 2010
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Bridgeville Pennsylvania - Universal Stainless announces base price increases
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| Universal Stainless & Alloy Products, Inc. Monday announced base price increases of 3% to 5% on all stainless and low alloy grade products manufactured at its Bridgeville and Dunkirk facilities. The increase will be effective for all new orders entered March 15, 2010. Current material and energy surcharges will remain in effect. Chris Zimmer, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, commented, "We are committed to providing our customers high quality steel with industry leading delivery performance and lead times. This price adjustment is necessary to support our ongoing reinvestment into our facilities to better serve our customers."
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March 10th, 2010
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Abuja Nigeria - Jonathan orders reopening of Ajaokuta Steel
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 Two years after the revocation the concession of the Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited and National Iron Ore Company of Nigeria to Global Infrastructures Holdings Limited, Acting President Goodluck Jonathan, has ordered that the plants be reopened. Addressing the media in Abuja on Monday, the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, explained that the reopening of the plant would gulp about N650m, which would be spent on re-operationalising certain aspects of the plants.
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March 9th, 2010
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Brantford Ontario - Stainless steel buying returning but at lower level
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| Moderate growth in metalworking this year could boost supply of stainless steel by as much as 19% to 1.64 million net tons in the U.S., forecast Charles Turack, vice president of sales and marketing for Outokumpu Stainless in New Castle, Indiana. However, this compares with a 26% decline in 2009 to 1.37 million tons-and will keep purchasing well below the 2.27 million ton annual average in 2000-2008. "Stainless steel sales are showing some improvement as funding for maintenance and repair projects in such key markets as chemicals and plastics processing are being released," Turack tells the Toll Processing ‘10 conference in Orlando sponsored by the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association. "However, stainless steel buying by end users continues to be only for what's needed to fabricate against the end-product order books." Still he admits he is somewhat more bullish than a recent Steel Market Research forecast of 10% growth in purchasing by stainless steel buyers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico who cut their invoiced by 23% as a group in 2009.This editor suggests that the slow recovery may have it roots into the extreme prices for nickel some years ago that led manufacturers to redesign and look for material substitutes.
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March 8th, 2010
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Calderdale U.K. - Survival fight for Calderdale's firms but there are some signs of hope
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| Calderdale is reeling after losing nearly 700 jobs from just a handful of firms in the past few months. The deepest recession for decades has left many firms struggling to survive. As earlier reported Carrington Wire recently closed in Elland with the loss of 80 jobs due to low demand for steel wire. Despite this there have also been some glimmers of hope, with some jobs created. Calderdale Council leader Stephen Baines said it was a grim situation and not helped by the planned increase in employer National Insurance contributions. He said it was a tax on jobs and that the Government should do more to help firms. Young people cannot get jobs and it is a desperate state of affairs for the local economy,” he said. And it is not just in Calderdale. The same scenario is playing out across the UK. Millions of people who hoped to see their wages rise have found themselves on pay freezes. Some on short time. Others promised promotion may now have a far longer wait than they would ever have imagined to reach the next level. Then there are the young people about to pile out of university into a contracting jobs market still clogged with last year's graduates and who are forced to seek work that bears no resemblance to the subjects they have excelled in.
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March 6th, 2010
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West Tongling China - Copper demand is ‘Weak’ in China now, Tongling says
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| Copper demand in China, the world’s largest consumer of the metal, is “weak” because of lackluster consumption from the power industry, Tongling Nonferrous Metals Group Co. said.“From what we learned from our customers, copper demand is now weak,” Chairman Wei Jianghong said today in an interview in Beijing. Tongling is the country’s second-largest copper smelter. Demand “isn’t very strong,” Li Yihuang, chairman of bigger rival Jiangxi Copper Co., also said today. Slowing demand in China may indicate stockpiles in the country may continue to climb after reaching the highest level in more than seven years in February. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. last month ended its recommendation to bet on higher copper prices because of concern that economic recovery in developed markets isn’t on “solid footing.” “About 60 percent of copper is used in the power industry, and our sales to wire-and-cable users reflected that demand is rather weak,” Wei said, while attending the National People’s Congress.
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March 5th, 2010
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Mumbai India - Bhushan Steel to set up steel plant in Karnataka for Rs 280 Billion
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| The steel company Bhushan Steel announced today that it would set up a value added steel plant in the south in the state of Karnataka. The steel plant would have a production capacity of 0.6 million tpa . The plant is expected to get a total investment of approximately Rs 280 billion. The company produces angles and wire rods which are needed in the automobile and white goods sector. Bhushan Steel is India’s 3rd largest Secondary steel Producer company. At the moment the company has three manufacturing units which include Uttar Pradesh , Maharashtra and Orissa.
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March 5th, 2010
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Tokyo Japan - Furukawa sees revenues of US$169mn in 2009, expects 33% boost this year
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| The Brazilian unit of Japanese cable supplier Furukawa Industrial billed approximately 300mn reais (US$169mn) in 2009, down 24% compared to the previous year, the president of the Brazil unit Foad Shaikhzadeh told BNamericas. Sales in the Brazilian market accounted for 80% last year while the remainder were exports. The company's main export markets are Latin American countries, Shaikhzadeh said, with the Southern Cone accounting for approximately 60% of Furukawa Brasil's total exports. The company also expects to increase exports to the Central American market, following the opening of a distribution center in Panama in February last year. Shaikhzadeh added that the company's exports could grow to account for 23% of the company's total revenues this year.
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March 4th, 2010
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Richmond Indiana - Reel company expand creates new jobs
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| A Richmond, Indiana company has announced expansions that will create 16 new full-time jobs and a combined investment of $1.6 million. Reel Options, a division of Vandor Corporation, will purchase new equipment that will allow the company to expand its product line. The Board of Directors for the EDC of Wayne County approved EDIT applications for the company in their regular board meeting. Vandor will receive $15,640 to put toward the purchase of new machinery. Reel Options, a division of Vandor Corporation, is purchasing new machinery to add a new product line creating 16 new full-time jobs with an investment of $975,000. The Reel Options brand was developed by Vandor in 2000 to provide packaging reels injection molded from reprocessed plastic. The new machinery will allow the company to produce plywood reels and utility spools. The company serves the electrical conductor, wire and cable and cordage and hose industries. Vandor Corporation specializes in custom chipboard and corrugated fiberboard components for the funeral industry. They currently employ 65 people. “Richmond and Wayne County is fortunate that in the current economic climate we have companies finding opportunities to create investment and jobs,” says Richmond Mayor Sally Hutton. Hutton continues, “It just proves how important our existing businesses are to our community and we’re thankful they made the choice to expand their companies in Richmond.”
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March 4th, 2010
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Montreal Quebec - Toronto company proposes 2000 MW power line between Quebec and New York
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| A Toronto company financed by U.S. investment firm Blackstone hopes to build a 2,000-megawatt power line between Montreal's south shore and New York City for US$3.8-billion. The 570-kilometre line proposed by Transmission Developers would largely be buried under Lake Champlain and the Hudson River in order to minimize environmental impacts. Several projects using overhead power lines in the Northeast United States have failed in recent years under the weight of opposition from residents. The Quebec portion would cost between US$400 million and $500 million and be built by Hydro-Quebec TransEnergie, which would recover its investment by charging users of the line, Transmission Developers president Donald Jessome said in an interview Tuesday.
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March 3rd, 2010
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Brantford Ontario - “Happy days are here again”
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| There have been some good news lately. Malaysia we read is booming. Australia’s central bank raised interest rates to combat possible inflation and Australia’s resource sector is digging and shipping its resources to Asian customers. In North America and Europe unemployment is still a concern as employers are reluctant to increase the work force. Canada is in a state of post Olympic euphoria having seen its athletes pocketing more gold medals than any other nation firmly entrenching the country’s position as the world’s leading Hockey Nation. Wire & Tube 2010 is shaping up to be a record event. Currencies, or rather the value there of, is a concern as sovereign debt load and the prospect, that austerity measures may kill the prosperity before we had a chance to enjoy it. But on the balance tomorrow looks better than yesterday.
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March 3rd, 2010
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Highland Heights Kentucky - General Cable expands its transportation and industrial harnesses business in Europe
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| General Cable Corporation a global leader in ignition wire harness technology, reported today that it has acquired Beru SAS, a wholly-owned subsidiary of BorgWarner France SAS, located in La Ferte Mace, France. The business will operate as General Cable Automotive Europe (GCAE) going forward. GCAE is a premier manufacturer of ignition wire harnesses sold into the European automotive OEM market as well as the aftermarket.
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March 2nd, 2010
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Portarlington Ireland - SIAC Butler’s Steel letting 55 staff go from its Laois facility
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| Construction and engineering group SIAC is letting go 55 workers from its structural steel business. SIAC Butler’s Steel in Portarlington, Co Laois, is cutting its workforce by almost half as a result of the construction slump. The company manufactures and supplies steel girders and other components used in building. It will cut its workforce from 123 to 68 as a result of the redundancies. The company told its staff the news earlier this week. The nature of its business means that SIAC Butler’s Steel depends mainly on big building and engineering projects, either publicly-funded or commercial. The virtual shutting off of credit means that there is little or no commercial activity either in Ireland or in Britain, to where it began exporting over the last decade. Over recent months the company agreed new terms with its workers that allowed it to cut shift allowances and other extra payments. SIAC bought Butler’s Steel out of receivership in 1996, and grew the business as the Irish construction industry boomed. The firm pursued its own contracts as well as supplying structural steel used on projects where its parent was the main contractor. During that period it expanded into Britain with a number of purchases, including a company in Gloucester, which gave it a foothold in the midlands and north of England. SIAC is one of the biggest construction and civil engineering groups in Ireland.
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March 2nd, 2010
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Ho Chi Min City Vietnam - Residents urge to shut down Thep Viet Company on pollution
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| Thanh Nien News reported that dozens of people have gathered in front of a steel plant in the southern province of Ba Ria Vung Tau demanding that it be shut down for pollution violations. As per report, the demonstrators also tried to prevent trucks carrying materials from entering the plant of Thep Viet Company at Phu My Industrial Park. They came to the plant carrying a sign that read 'Thep Viet Plant causes pollution and needs to be shut down. Save us.' Following the gathering, the authorities came to the plant for inspections. Thep Viet Company explained that strong winds blew dust from the plant into the residents’ houses. The company promised to solve the problem soon. The residents, however, did not agree. They asked authorities to close the plant or relocate them to other areas unaffected by the pollution. They said the plant had affected their lives for three years. Although its managers promised to eliminate the noise and air pollution by the end of last year, the situation had yet to improve.Local authorities have yet to make a decision on the case. In a separate release in February it was reported that Tenova Melt Shops had been chosen by Pomina and Thep Viet Steel Group to supply a new melt shop unit with a Consteel ® EAF. The melt shop is scheduled to be put in operation at the end of 2011 in Phu My Industrial Zone, near Ho Chi Minh City.
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March 1st, 2010
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Carteret New Jersey - Wire & cable distributor Graybar Electric Corp. comes to Carteret.
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| Carteret Mayor Dan Reiman and the Economic Development Office have announced that Graybar Electric Co., a Fortune 500 Company, has become the latest business to locate to Carteret, and now occupies the IPORT-12 facilities at N.J. Turnpike Interchange 12. Graybar Electric occupies 136,000 of the 200,000 sq. ft. comprising the property’s first structure, and provides distribution of wire and cable and other electrical products to service providers throughout the region. According to company representatives, three other distribution centers in Parsippany, Long Island, and Hauppauge, were relocated and consolidated within the Carteret facility. The facility is managed and operated by a staff of 45 employees. Graybar Electric is an employee-owned company (formerly Western Electric), and operates a network of 250 distribution centers throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico as well as authorized agents around the world. Graybar Electric Company, Inc. is engaged internationally in the distribution of electrical, telecommunications and networking products and integrated supply services primarily to contractors, industrial plants, telephone companies, power utilities and commercial users.
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March 1st, 2010
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Wellington New Zeeland - Pacific Steel announces price increases
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| Farmers and construction companies will face higher costs after New Zealand's only producer of reinforcing steel and wire puts up its prices next Monday. Pacific Steel Group is raising the price of its reinforcing steel bar and wire rod products by 7 per cent to 9 per cent, due to the rising cost of steel scrap and a weaker New Zealand dollar. Pacific Steel, a division of Fletcher Building, supplies largely to the building trade and fencing wire distributors. The firm is the country's largest recycler of steel and all its products are made from locally sourced scrap. But it must still compete with overseas buyers who use the international price for steel. Pacific general manager Ian Jones said the price was being affected by several factors, including continued demand in China, improved demand in the United States, and rising iron ore prices. The move partially reversed a fall in prices for steel bar and wire rod products last year when commodity prices fell. Wellington-based Steel & Tube said it would be affected by the price rise because it bought and distributed Pacific Steel products. Steel & Tube's chief executive, Dave Taylor, predicted steel prices would trend upwards in the next year and he expected other steel providers would follow suit as the industry struggled to realign supply with demand. "I actually think there will be tremendous volatility over the next 12 months in some of the steel prices."
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March 1st, 2010
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Washington D.C. - Hanger tariff not working, group says (see also news item 16 Aug 2008 US Department of Commerce makes final determination in AD case of steel wire hangers from China)
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| Tariffs on wire hangers and other steel products imported from China are being circumvented, resulting in multi-billion dollar losses to the U.S. treasury and harming domestic makers, according to a coalition of U.S. manufacturers. Two years ago, after imported hangers from China had come to dominate the U.S. market, the Department of Commerce agreed with the lone remaining domestic manufacturer that the Chinese hangers were being sold at less than fair market value in this country and placed tariffs ranging from 33 percent to 221 percent on hangers made by companies in China. The immediate affect was an uptick for the domestic industry, but that didn’t last long. “We started hearing from our distributors that their customers were buying hangers in boxes with labels that said ‘Made in Korea’ or ‘Made in Vietnam,’ said Milton M. Magnus III, owner of M&B Hangers in Leeds, AL.His company is one of six members of the Coalition for Enforcement of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Orders. “If you pulled the label off, the printing on the box read ‘Made in China.’ They were shipping through companies in these countries that were supposed to be the manufacturer, but, in fact, were not,” Magnus said. “Then they got more sophisticated, simply printing new boxes that read ‘Made in Korea’ or ‘Made in Vietnam,’ doing away with the re-labeling.”
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February 27th, 2010
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Carrollton Georgia - Southwire cuts jobs at Watkinsville as firm hit by building slump.
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| Southwire’s copper wire manufacturing plant in Watkinsville will cut its work force by nearly half to compensate for the continued slump in the building industry, a company spokesman said Thursday. Southwire's Watkinsville facility will eliminate 18 of the remaining 38 jobs at the Barnett Shoals Road plant, said Gary Leftwich, director of corporate communications for the electric wire and cable manufacturer. Business is down, particularly in the residential and commercial wiring divisions of the Carrollton-based company, so Southwire is having to make adjustments, Leftwich said.
"As the economy continues to suffer, we're restructuring our business to match the current and projected market trend over the next few years," he said. The facility will cut the 18 jobs during the next few months as the plant fills current orders for copper wire, Leftwich said. "There's no hard deadline," he said. The company eliminated more than 80 jobs in the Watkinsville plant early last year in reaction to a serious decline in the construction business, Leftwich said.
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February 27th, 2010
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Brantford Ontario - How do you run a company where ownership changes in milliseconds.
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| They used to be named day-traders but now there is a new breed of traders that buy and sell again within milliseconds On any given day, electronic upstart Infinium may trade more shares of TSX heavyweights than any of the big-bank investment dealers. Is this creative disruption of market tradition—or just plain destruction? "Look," says Sergei Tchetvertnykh, pointing at a flashing spreadsheet on his desktop's screen. "I just made $82,000 in one second." The co-CEO of the Toronto-based electronic trading firm Infinium Group isn’t exaggerating. A second is now a very long time in financial markets, thanks to computer algorithms. Traders can gather and interpret market data, and buy or sell securities in response, in milliseconds (thousandths of a second) or even microseconds (millionths of a second). Not every second is that successful, of course, and there can be many reversals over a few hours. On a typical day, Infinium, with offices in Toronto, San Francisco, London and Barbados, executes between 500,000 and one million trades of stocks, options, currencies and other financial instruments worldwide. Measured by volume of shares, it is often the largest single trader of major companies listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange—more active, in other words, than any of the otherwise dominant investment dealers owned by Canada’s Big Five banks.
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February 26th, 2010
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Taipei Taiwan - China Steel raises prices
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| China Steel Corp, Taiwan’s biggest steelmaker, announced yesterday that it was raising domestic prices on all its steel products for April and May deliveries by an average of NT$612 (US$19.07) per tonne, or 2.9 percent. The increase was the company’s second hike this year after it increased prices by an average of NT$1,011 per tonne, or 4.92 percent, for next month’s shipments. The company said in an e-mailed statement that the hike was to reflect the market’s rising demand amid a stable recovery in the global economy. Global demand for steel is expected to increase 9.2 percent to 1.206 billion tonnes this year, China Steel said, citing the World Steel Association’s forecast. The Kaohsiung-based company is likely to raise prices for June delivery when it makes the announcement next month analysts say.
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February 26th, 2010
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Brantford Ontario - Scary Steel mills targeted by terrorists.
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| All Africa reports that a few weeks ago in the city of Dar es Salaam, a man approached scrap metal buyers with what he thought was another version of ordinary scraps. The would-be buyers observed the pawpaw-shaped tool and realized it was not an ordinary piece of scrap, it was a bomb. The scrap metals dealers would have alerted the police, but for fear of potential problems with the coercive forces, they decided to send away the seller with his material. The man having realized that he won't get any buyer for his 'scrap', he decided to abandon it by the roadside. Anti-mining experts from the Tanzania People's Defence Forces (TPDF) were rushed in to investigate the incident. It was them who confirmed that the 122 millimeter-long metal was a bomb capable of causing extensive damage if explodes. Surveys show that recycled (scrap metal) trade in the country has grown tremendously in the last five to six years
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February 26th, 2010
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Laxå Sweden - ESAB AristoRod High Efficiency MIG Wires now available in new expanded package sizes
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| ESAB AristoRod wires feature a uniquely engineered surfact for trouble-free feeding and better quality welds. These popular wires are now available in larger package sizes for high production applications. The equipment supplier for the take-ups and spoolers is Lämneå Bruk AB a family owned company in Sweden, who manufactures machines and equipment for the wire industry. Lämneå Bruk AB has a long tradition in the wire drawing industry, more than 200 years. ESAB Welding & Cutting Products’ AristoRod MIG welding wires are designed to be a dependable, high efficiency wire for production applications. AristoRod features a uniquely engineered surface for consistent trouble-free feeding, low contact tip wear, excellent arc start properties, extremely low spatter and an exceptionally stable arc. These properties translate into less downtime and superior weld appearance with minimal post-weld cleaning. AristoRod is now available in three package sizes to suit a variety of applications: a precision-wound 40 lb. spool, a 550-lb. Marathon Pac and a 900-lb. Marathon Pac with ESAB’s endless drum technology that provides a continuous supply of welding wire to high-production weld cells without halting production to change out empty packages. All packages are available for .035, .045 and .052 diameter wires.
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February 25th, 2010
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Beijing China - Fact or fiction? "Warning: China is Short Copper,"
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| China completed the largest copper restocking in its history in 2009. That is a fact But according to UBS Securities analysts Tom Price, Julien Garran and Peter Hickson, it is not nearly enough. In a note that they appropriately title "Warning: China is Short Copper," the analysts suggested that most of the copper that China imported last year has already been converted into semi-manufactured products. By the end of the year, they estimate that China was working through pre-existing stockpiles as well. That is pretty remarkable, considering that the country imported about 3.2 million tonnes of copper as the government implemented a massive fiscal-stimulus program. "Basically, China is short of intermediate and refined copper products," the analysts wrote. "Even a modest demand-growth scenario for 2010 will require a robust restocking event, almost regardless of the constraints on trade posed by China's tightening credit markets."
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February 25th, 2010
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St. Louis, Missouri - Belden appoints new operations head for Europe, Middle East and Africa
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| Belden Inc has announced the appointment of Christoph Gusenleitner to executive vice president of operations and global connectivity for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Belden is a market leader in industrial wired and wireless networking and connectivity solutions, with operations worldwide.
Gusenleitner comes from Bain & Company Germany, Inc. (Munich, Germany) where he was a Partner within the industrial goods and services practice. Prior to this he held key management positions with the global industrial manufacturer Danaher, including vice president of its BU Instruments and Equipment business, president of Danaher Dental Equipment EMEA and General Manager of KaVo Dental GmbH in Germany. He was responsible for leading three global business units and 18 sales offices and regions in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa with total sales of approximately $520 million.
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February 24th, 2010
- General
Eatontown, New Jersey - IWCS Call for Papers
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| The International Wire and Cable Symposium, Inc has issued a “Call for Papers”, for its 59th annual Conference and Symposium. The IWCS has expanded the topics in its program to include connectivity products and systems, as well as key application areas for wire and cable, and connectivity products. Abstracts that address “Green” power applications, such as wind farm and solar, are sought, as well as abstracts covering specialty data applications in automotive and aerospace applications. These topics represent an expansion of the program content for the IWCS event as more interest has been expressed for “end to end” solutions for the transmission of signals and data. Abstracts are due by the end of April, with the Symposium Committee reviewing all submittals within May. Authors of accepted abstracts will be notified in early June, with the final papers requested for the end of August. The Call for Papers may be downloaded from the IWCS website, www.iwcs.org . The program from the 2009 Conference may also be found on the website for further information. The 59th IWCS Conference will take place in Providence, RI, November 7 through 10, 2010.
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February 23rd, 2010
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Bloomfield Hills Michigan - TriMas' Monogram Aerospace Fasteners receives Silver Boeing Performance Excellence Award
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| TriMas Corporation a diversified global manufacturer of engineered and applied products today announced that its Monogram Aerospace Fasteners business has received a 2009 Boeing Performance Excellence Award. The Boeing Company issues the award annually to recognize suppliers who have achieved superior performance. Monogram maintained a minimum Silver composite performance rating for each month of the 12-month performance period, from October 1, 2008 through September 30, 2009."We are proud of the entire Monogram team for the hard work and dedication exhibited in 2009," commented Brian McGuire, President of Monogram Aerospace Fasteners. "We are committed to operational excellence, superior product quality and services, and complete customer satisfaction. It is truly a pleasure to accept this special recognition from Boeing, as we strive to maintain the highest quality standards in the industry by focusing on continuous improvement." Monogram supplies many types of titanium screws to Boeing, which are used in the 787 Dreamliner commercial passenger jet, as well as in Boeing's existing aircraft programs. In addition, Monogram supplies a new, one-sided installation bolt to Boeing for use on the Dreamliner.
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February 22nd, 2010
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Washington D.C. - US demand for independently compounded resins to grow 2.9% pa in 2013
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| US demand for independently compounded resins is forecast to grow 2.9% pa to 7.6 billion lbs in 2013 as per Reportlinker. Total value, including additives, fillers and other production costs, will reach US$14.6 billion. Further thermoplastic inroads at the expense of metal, wood and glass will necessitate higher performance characteristics and a more competitive cost structure. Value gains will be stimulated by a shift in the product mix toward higher performance specifications, yet restrained by moderating resin prices. Independently compounded polyvinyl chloride (PVC), engineering thermoplastics, polypropylene and polyethylene will account for 78% of all independently compounded thermoplastics in 2013. Thermoplastic elastomers will exhibit the fastest gains, driven by the direct replacement of natural and synthetic rubber, plastics and metals in a variety of applications, as well as design trends featuring soft-touch surfaces.
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February 22nd, 2010
- General
Johannesburg South Africa - Invention set to halt billions worth of underground power cable theft
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| Cable thieves, who directly cost the South African economy a reported R5.5-billion a year, are about to be stopped in their tracks thanks to the local design, development and production of an economic, easily applied cable theft protection system now being brought to market. Transnet, Telkom, Eskom and the Gauteng Municipality each reported losing amounts varying between R863-million and R900-million a year to cable theft. Most municipalities in South Africa experience serious cable theft problems.
In a move that will make it nigh impossible to steal long lengths of underground cable, leading power cable manufacturer Aberdare Cables has a partnership, sole distribution and intellectual property agreement with the product developer, Bert Gruber and the inventor, Alan Goldring, to distribute the Cable Guard product in South Africa and sub-Saharan countries where Aberdare is represented and has distribution networks.
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February 20th, 2010
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Berlin Germany - IG Metall reaches wage pact for German industry
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| Germany’s biggest labor union IG Metall has reached an agreement with employers that provides job guarantees as well as a pay increase for millions of workers at companies such as ThyssenKrupp AG and Daimler AG. The contract, which traditionally serves as a model for workers in other German industries, was forged as companies struggle to grow after the worst recession since at least World War II. In recently concluded talks, IG Metall and the Gesamtmetall employers’ federation agreed a one time payment of EUR 320 for this year and a 2.7% pay raise in 2011. The IG Metall pay deal applies to the pilot region of North Rhine-Westphalia and requires the approval of IG Metall’s national executive. Mr Berthold Huber chairman of IG Metall in an e mailed statement said that “The contract will secure a real increase in pay and shows that the parties achieved a fair distribution of burdens.” IG Metall went into talks this month putting job security for its 2.26 million members above pay, omitting for the first time to set a concrete wage claim. Negotiators reached a provisional agreement on February 16 to maintain payrolls through June 2012, partly by extending the use of short-term work.
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February 20th, 2010
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Hartsville South Carolina - Sonoco announces hefty price increases for nailed wood, plywood reels
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| Sonoco will increase prices for nailed wood reels by 19 percent and plywood reels by 11 percent effective on shipments as of March 1, 2010, according to James Harrell, vice president and general manager, Industrial Carriers Division, North America. Sonoco is one of the largest domestic suppliers of nailed wood, plywood, recycled wood, polyfiber, molded plastic and steel reels for the wire and cable industry. "Since the start of the fourth quarter of 2009, random dimension lumber prices have increased by approximately 38 percent, while Southern Yellow Pine plywood increased by 17 percent," said Harrell. "Given that lumber and plywood account for a significant amount of the cost of our reels, it is vital that we address this extraordinary raw material inflation."
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February 19th, 2010
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Changshu Jiangsu China - Pangang Group chooses Danieli TMB wire rod rolling technology at 2 locations.
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The TMB-Twin Module Block system is the ultimate Danieli technological step in achieving ultra-high finishing speeds in wire rod production with higher plant efficiency, better material yield, stricter product tolerances and lower production costs. Two plants fitted with TMB technology were started up at the end of 2009 at the Pangang Group in the PRC respectively at
1. Changcheng Special Steels Co Ltd - 450,000 tonnes per year special steel wire rod mill for production of engineering and stainless steel grades. The new production outlet is equipped with the latest generation Danieli technology including a four pass TMB high-speed finishing block designed to produce 5.5mm to 20 mm diameter quality wire rod, at guaranteed rolling speeds of up to 95 mps into 2.0 tonnes coils, with very strict end-product size tolerances.
2. Chenghdu Iron & Steels - 500,000 tonnes per year wire rod mill for production of carbon, welding, CHQ, and spring steel qualities wire rod coils. The mill features a four-pass TMB Twin Module Block high-speed finishing block designed to produce 5mm to 22 mm diameter quality wire rod, at guaranteed rolling speeds of up to 100 mps into 2.3 tonnes coils, with very strict end product size tolerances. Both the new wire rod mills are also equipped with the latest generation Danieli DSC water cooling system and the oil film bearing type loop layer with associated auxiliaries.
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February 17th, 2010
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Luxembourg - ArcelorMittal weary of increasing steel capacity in China and India
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| Global steel giant ArcelorMittal has said that its business is exposed to the risk of steel production increases in countries such as India and China, among other growing economies. ArcelorMittal in a regulatory filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission said that “The industry is currently characterized by a substantial increase in production capacity in the developing world, particularly in China, but also in India and other emerging markets. Over the short to medium term, ArcelorMittal is exposed to the risk of steel production increases in China and other markets outstripping increases in real demand, which may weigh on price recovery.” Source SteelGuru
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February 16th, 2010
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Mumbai India - Bids invited for Raichur-Solapur power transmission
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| State-run power lender Rural Electrification Corp plans to invite tarrif-based bids for a Raichur-Solapur power transmission project in March, a senior official said on Monday. The transmission line involves a 765 kV, single circuit line of 230-kilometres length, Guljit Kapur, director-technical told reporters on the sidelines of a conference. The project is likely to be alloted after six months from the completion of the bidding, he said.
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February 16th, 2010
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Luxembourg - Acquisitions to drive growth of ArcelorMittal
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| Global steel giant ArcelorMittal has said that it is likely to continue to expand its base by acquiring companies worldwide even though it maintains that inorganic growth route could harm its financials.
ArcelorMittal in a regulatory filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission said “ArcelorMittal has grown through acquisitions and will likely continue to do so. Failure to manage external growth and difficulties in integrating acquired companies could harm ArcelorMittal’s future results of operations, financial conditions and prospects.” The company, however, said it is also banking on organic route for capacity expansion, which also suffers from operational risks. It said “Its growth strategy includes Greenfield and Brownfield projects that are inherently subject to completion and financing risks, which, if realized, could adversely affect ArcelorMittal’s results of operations and financial condition.” It added that “As a part of its growth strategy, the company plans to expand its steel making capacity and raw material self sufficiency through a combination of Brownfield growth, Greenfield projects and acquisition opportunities, mainly in entering markets such as India, Africa and Brazil.” Source SteelGuru
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February 16th, 2010
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Hartselle Alabama - Cerro recall announcement
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| Cerro Wire LLC warns of 14-3 NM-B cable, incorrectly marked on its jacket as 12-3 NM-B cable, but otherwise correctly colored, white or off-white, and packaged in 250' shrink-wrapped coils as 14-3 NM-B cable. Â The wire meets all specifications for 14-3 NM-B cable, but if used as 12-3 NM-B cable in a 20 amp circuit, it could overload and cause a fire. Â The jacket is marked: "TYPE NM-B 12/3 WITH GROUND PLASTIC 600 VOLTS CIRTEX-U (UL) R/G. FEB 27 2006 14:47" Â The wire was made in February of 2006 in Utah and distributed in the Western and/or Southwestern United States. There has been one report of the wire being used incorrectly. Â If you have, find or installed any of this wire in 20 amp service, stop that usage and contact immediately the Director of Quality, Cerro Wire at 1-256-773-2522 1- 256-773-2522 X312 for return and replacement directions.
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February 15th, 2010
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Hamburg Germany - Copper market hit ceeling Aurubis AG News Letter Kupfermail suggests
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| What some contemporaries had already suspected beforehand has in fact now happened: commodity prices cannot always just go upwards. The two weeks since the beginning of February have seen significant price declines on the raw material markets. The copper price fell to below US$ 7,000/t, after being at almost US$ 7,400/t on average in January, and reached a low of US$ 6,242 on 5 February. Thus, copper lost about 19 % of its value compared with the January high of US$ 7,685/t. This development was initially triggered when the Chinese Central Bank raised the minimum reserve ratio and the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) instructed the main banks in the country to restrict lending as of mid January. This was interpreted as a sign of a turnaround in China’s up to then expansive monetary policy, with the resultant dampening impact on economic growth and demand for raw materials. The spreading financial problems in the EU emanating from Greece also exacerbated the nervousness about the sustainability of the economic recovery. As a consequence, the euro came under pressure against the U.S. dollar, which in addition caused the interest of funds in dollar-based copper commitments to diminish. A growing aversion to risks was the result, which caused limited withdrawals from raw materials and therefore also from copper commitments. This was however done in an orderly manner and was not accompanied by panic reactions.
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February 13th, 2010
- General
Johannesburg South Africa - ArcelorMittal SA will not bid for Scaw, but interested in some assets
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| South Africa's largest steel producer ArcelorMittal South Africa would not participate in a bid for Anglo American's steel unit, Scaw Metals, unless the mining giant decided to sell the company's assets off piecemeal. Anglo announced that Scaw was no longer core to its business in October last year, adding that it would seek to dispose of it, along with Tarmac, Copebrás, Catalão and its portfolio of zinc assets.
However, it has refused to provide further details about how it intended running the Scaw disposal process, or whether it had received expressions of interest. Anglo's media relations manager Dr Pranill Ramchander would only confirm that preparatory work was under way on the disposal. "It would not be appropriate to comment on parties that may have expressed an interest in any of the businesses for divestment, nor on potential value for those businesses. "However, we do believe these businesses to be attractive assets and we expect them to generate strong interest from potential bidders," he said in response to questions posed to it.
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February 13th, 2010
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Harare Zimbabwe - ArcelorMittal SA (Formerly Iscor) has not received word if Zisco bid accepted.
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| Meanwhile, Africa's largest steel producer had still not received word from the Zimbabwean authorities about the status of its bid for the debt-laden Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company (Zisco). The South African company had initially anticipated receiving clarity by the end of December 2009, but none had been forthcoming. However, ArcelorMittal South Africa CEO Nonkululeko Nyembezi-Heita indicated that it remained interested in the bid and that a "successful" outcome would affect the way it approached its future long-products growth strategy. She also believed that the Zimbabwean authorities would be "flexible" in enforcing proposed indigenisation rules, which would require foreign companies to "localise or indigenise" 51% or their interest in all business sectors in Zimbabwe over the next five years. The authorities, she said, were aware that such a requirement would be a "huge obstacle" to foreign direct investment and they would, thus, seek to balance the need to attract investors and foreign capital with a desire to foster local ownership.
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February 13th, 2010
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Dubai UAE - Ducab showcases latest technology and unveils new products at Middle East Electricity Exhibition
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| Ducab, the leading manufacturer of high quality power cables in the Middle East and winner of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Business Excellence Award for their achievements in the manufacturing sector, is showcasing its latest technologies in cable manufacturing at this year’s Middle East Electricity Exhibition (MEEE) held at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre from February 9-11. Items on the company’s agenda include the display of state-of-the-art products produced in the Special Cables Unit, the launch of a new range of Ducab Connect products, and a series of joint seminars in cooperation with Dow Wire & Cable and FM Sudafix. Senior staff including Ducab’s Managing Director and General Managers will be at the event to connect with stakeholders as the entire range of Energy and Instrumentation Cables, Copper and Connect accessories are on display.
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February 12th, 2010
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Lima Peru - Peru becomes world’s second largest copper producer.
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| Peru has become world’s second largest producer of copper with a total output of 1.273 million metric tonnes in 2009, the National Association of Mining, Oil and Energy said. Peru has taken over the second position from the US, which produced 1.19 million tonnes of copper last year, Xinhua reported Tuesday, quoting the association. Chile ranked third with 5.41 million tonnes of copper production in 2009. Amid the contraction in demand of metals caused by the global financial crisis, investment in Peru’s mining sector last year was $2.18 billion while the energy sector attracted $4.88 billion. Peru’s mining exports in 2009 reached $16.01 billion, which represented 60 percent of the total exports of the country, according to the association. Peru is also the world’s largest producer of silver, second in zinc, third in tin, fourth in lead and sixth in gold production.
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February 11th, 2010
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Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Cable firms eye regional growth
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| The Middle East as a developing region is helping to boost global growth in electricity consumption, which is good news for cable makers. This was the message from Dow Wire & Cable global marketing director Jon Penrice at Middle East Electricity. “Although the global recession has resulted in a dip in electricity consumption, particularly in the West, we foresee consistent growth in the developing economies of China, India, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East,” said Penrice. “These are all markets that will grow at plus 5% on average. So that is going to put tremendous pressure on infrastructure. "The infrastructure is not there to be able to accommodate that kind of electricity growth today. That 5% consistent growth is going to require 5%, 10%, 15% growth in infrastructure." Dow Wire & Cable has entered into a collaborative partnership with local cable manufacturer Ducab.“The trick in terms of delivering long-term reliability is two companies working very closely together. We are fortunate to have a partner like Ducab, with whom we have been working for 12 years now. The development of that partnership and technical collaboration has been truly exceptional. That is what really lies at the heart of quality.”
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February 11th, 2010
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Jamshedpur India - ISWP targets 2000 tpm welding electrode output in 5 years
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| Indiaäs Steel & Wire Products (ISWP), which recently introduced welding electrodes in the marketplace and has since been producing around 250 tonne per month (tpm), plans to reach a 500-tonne per month (tpm) output during the next financial year (2010-11) and to have electrode-making capacity in excess of 2,000 tonne per month (tpm) in the next five years. Welding electrodes being price-sensitive items, players in the unorganized sector are said to be frequently using flux material which do not conform to national/global standards and which thus cause health problems in welders who frequently inhale the poisonous gases emanating from such cheaper varieties of electrodes.
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February 10th, 2010
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St. Paul Minnesota - Minnesota Wire recovering, hiring again
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| With the latest hiring, the company now employs 300 people at plants in Minnesota and Wisconsin. That's an all-time high for the 40-year-old company. With the latest hiring, the company now employs 300 people at plants in Minnesota and Wisconsin. That's an all-time high for the 40-year-old company. It is no secret that “The Great Recession " battered Minnesota's manufacturers. More than 33,000 jobs were lost in the manufacturing sector in 2009, helping push Minnesota's unemployment rate to 8 percent.
With that dire picture, it should come as no surprise that even modest signs of a manufacturer's hiring would bring much needed hope for a looming recovery. That's exactly the case at the St. Paul headquarters of Minnesota Wire. "Certainly, we have historic growth going on right now," says Paul Wagner. Wagner is Chief Executive Officer of the 40-year-old family-owned business. He has reason to be optimistic. With some $9.5 million dollars in recent orders, Minnesota Wire is hiring again. The company has added 125 new jobs in just the past six weeks. While most of the newly hired are for temporary positions with the company's Eau Claire, Wis. manufacturing plant, it could change. If the current trend of new business continues, many of those jobs could become permanent.
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February 9th, 2010
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Kuala Lumpur Malaysia - Slower growth for Penang industrial product makers
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| Some companies in the industrial product manufacturing sector in Penang are experiencing slower pace of growth in the first quarter, while consumer product manufacturers have been raising their output in the same period. Fastener manufacturer Chin Well Holdings Bhd is facing difficulties in increasing output due to a shortage of workers, competition from China and a smaller volume of orders, while industrial valve maker Unimech Group Bhd expects orders in the first quarter to be slow moving. Firms in the consumer product manufacturing sector, however, are expanding, taking advantage of an improving domestic economy and the implementation of Asean Free Trade Area (Afta) on Jan 1, 2010, allowing more than 1,900 items to move freely in the region.
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February 8th, 2010
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Brantford Ontario -  Wire 2010 just 2 month away
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| Are you exhibiting at Wire 2010? – Have you got all your ducks in line for this major event? Checkout your listing on wireworld's exhibitor preview
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February 6th, 2010
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Corning New York - Innovation will drive future Corning suggests
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| Martin J. Curran, senior vice president and general manager, Corning Optical Fiber, says that worldwide demand for optical fiber solutions grew significantly despite the recession. Fiber demand grew by more than 17% in 2009, driven by continued investment in the China broadband infrastructure, which itself improved by more than 70% year over year. As the China 3G network build slows this year, Corning expects that worldwide optical fiber demand will level off and be even with or down about 5% compared to last year’s strong performance. “However, looking forward, we believe that innovation will drive future growth opportunities,” Curran will say. While overall fiber-to-the-home installations have been slower than anticipated, Corning expects international government fiber network investments to create new market opportunities. “We also expect the data center market to grow significantly over time, driven by video-based content creation,” he will explain.
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February 4th, 2010
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Mönchengladbach Germany - SMS group increases investment in times of crisis
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| As a result of the global financial and economic crisis, the order intake of the SMS group in 2009 will take a dive to less than half of the previous year’s result (2008: EUR 5.15 billion). So far, capacity utilization has hardly been affected, because the company is still working its way through a high stock of orders from the boom years. That also explains why sales in 2009 are set to match the previous year’s level of EUR 3.6 billion. However, short-time work has already started in some areas, and it looks likely to spread in the course of next year. “We’ll use the crisis to boost our technological development and efficiency,” Dr. Heinrich Weiss, Chairman of the SMS group stated. “Our investment programs will go ahead as planned, with budgets increased anti-cyclically so we can make the most of low purchase prices. Next to our headquarters in Hilchenbach, Germany, our family-owned company, founded over 130 years ago, is building one of Europe’s most modern heavy machinery construction shops. Going green is just one reason our technological development will focus on resource-saving machine and plant construction strategies. That, in turn, means our customers will benefit from increased competitiveness”.
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February 4th, 2010
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Santa Ana California - Calmont Wire and Cable, Inc. reignites brand identity
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| Calmont Wire and Cable, Inc., a custom wire and custom cable manufacturer for a broad range of industries, announces the re-launch of the Calmont brand. Calmont’s new brand identity captures the “essence” of Calmont Wire and Cable's capabilities, mission, and vision: innovation. The opportunity in 2010 to reignite the Calmont Wire and Cable brand further supports the company’s mission and new business strategy. “We are revamping our brand image to be consistent with what we deliver to our customers,” said Bobbe Monteleone, President of Calmont Wire and Cable. Based in Santa Ana, CA, Calmont Wire and Cable, Inc., was founded in 1958 by Bill Chilcote. One of its early successes was developing extrusion technology to produce the first Hula Hoops for Wham-O. Currently, Calmont designs and manufactures custom wire and cable for medical, aerospace, military, robotics, test & measurement and other precision applications. With the re-launch of brand identity and to portray the innovative and unique culture at the company, Calmont also has a new positioning statement: Discover. Design. Deliver. “We feel this statement really conveys to our customers what we do for them everyday at Calmont,” said Gordon Dunn, Calmont’s VP of Sales and Marketing.
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February 4th, 2010
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Atlanta, Georgia - Superior Essex selects EKA for its risk management operations in North America, Europe and Asia
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| Eka Software, the leading provider of commodity trading and risk management software, announced today that Superior Essex has selected Eka for its risk management activities for its operations across North America and Europe. In the face of its growing global presence and the sheer complexity of managing operations on such a large scale, Superior felt the compelling need for a robust risk management platform - functionally rich, technologically advanced yet intuitive and easy to use. After a very thorough evaluation process that demanded very high functional and technical standards, they selected Eka.
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February 3rd, 2010
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Brussels Belgium - EU quota utilization levels of Russia and Kazakhstan
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| European Union (EU) advised that Russia utilized five percent of its new steel quota of 3,184,445 tonne allocated to it for the current year, while Kazakhstan utilized zero percent of its allocated EU quota of 205,000 tonne. According to the latest figures, Russia exported a total of 159,241 tonne of steel products to the EU in the first month of the current year. Specifically, Russia used 10.88 percent of its hot rolled coil quota (118,299 of the allotted 1,087,397 tonne), 1.78 percent of its plate quota (5,132 of the allotted 288,922 tonne), 5.37 percent of its other flat products quota (33,560 of the allotted 625,122 tonne), 0.05 percent of its alloyed CR and coated sheet quota (60 of the allotted 115.569 tonne), and 0.41 percent of its long products quota (excluding beams and wire rod) (2,190 of the allotted 532,667 tonne).On the other hand, during the first month of the current year Kazakhstan did not supply any steel products to the EU. As SteelOrbis previously reported, within the framework of the agreement signed between the EU and Russia on October 26, 2007 regarding the trade of certain steel products, the renewed quota allocated to Russia for 2010 increased by 2.5 percent compared to 2009, to 3,184,445 tonne.
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February 3rd, 2010
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Shijazhuang Hebei - Songding Steel starts production at No. 1 wire rod line
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| Hebei Province-based Chinese steelmaker Songding Steel has commenced production operations at its No. 1 high-speed wire rod production line, which has a designed annual capacity of 350,000 mt. The construction of the new line started on August 11, 2009 and lasted for nearly five and a half months. Meanwhile, the construction of the company's No. 2 high speed wire rod line, with a planned annual capacity of 450,000 mt, is still continuing. This second line is expected to be put into production in March this year. As more rod mills come on stream competition gets tougher as mills try to fill their order books prices fall.
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February 2nd, 2010
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Washington D.C. - US steel wire manufacturers report evidence of antidumping duty evasion schemes
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| Evidence that certain companies are deliberately evading the antidumping duties to which they are subject will be presented to members of Congress, the US Department of Commerce, and US Customs and Border Protection by a coalition of US manufacturers of steel wire products. The Coalition for Enforcement of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Orders accuse certain foreign manufacturers of such evasive schemes as falsely designating a third country as the country of origin for shipments, modifying products in third countries to avoid duties, or displaying false country of origin labels on products.
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February 1st, 2010
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Caracas Venezuela - Cabelum aluminum supply down by 70 percent
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| The aluminum supply at Venezuelan cable producer Cabelum has dropped some 70% because of two production lines that were shut down at aluminum reducer Alcasa and the 360 cells that were stopped at aluminum reducer Venalum. "Under normal conditions the company receives 1,800t/m of aluminum and now this has fallen to around 600t/m," a Cabelum official told BNamericas. The government's goal is to provide each transforming company with only the aluminum needed to operate at minimum capacity, "and by doing so avoid closures," the official added. The situation, which has lowered production levels, is a result of the energy rationing plan that was implemented by President Hugo Chávez. Cabelum has installed capacity to transform 2,000t/m of aluminum. In November Cabelum started the second phase of an expansion project worth US$11.6mn which includes the installation of drawn wire and cabling machinery that will increase production to 30,000t/y. With the increased production, the company could start exporting to markets like Chile, Brazil and Bolivia, the official said. Cabelum, Alcasa and Venalum are all state controlled.
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February 1st, 2010
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Taipei Taiwan - Quintain Steel to contract roll wire rod for China Steel Corporation
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| China Steel Corporation (CSC) has authorized Quintain Steel as a sub contractor manufacture wire rod from billets provided by CSC. The first shipment of steel billet to Quintain Steel was made on January 27th 2010. Quintain Steel will start its test run with the first 300 tonne soon.. CSC said it will ink the official contract with Quintain Steel for the wire rod rolling business if things going well. It may be noted that Quintain Steel is not the only manufacturer who helps CSC for wire rod rolling business; in earlier time, Yieh Hsing Enterprise has also been authorized to roll for CSC's billet. As we reported January 29 Taiwan's Quintain Steel announced they will raise its wire rod prices by TWD 1,000 per tonne for February. The price rise is higher than the expectation from the market.
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January 30th, 2010
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Wilmington Delaware - Verizon Expects to Cut 13,000 Jobs in 2010
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| Land lines are not what they used to be, and telecommunications workers are feeling the pain. For the past two years, Verizon has been divesting legacy telephone-based services and moving toward a wireless and Internet-only business while finding smaller companies to take on its debt. As part of its Jan. 26 earnings announcement, Verizon said it expects to lay off 13,000 more employees to help alleviate diminishing revenues. While revenues are better in its wireless division, legacy land-line revenues continue to decline as more and more customers are dropping land lines, going solely wireless or finding Internet-based telephone services such as Vonage or Skype or the competing voice-over-IP products from cable companies.
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January 30th, 2010
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Hamburg Germany/Pirdop Bulgaria - Aurubis Bulgaria wins German Economy prize
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| The prize of the German/Bulgarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DBIHK) in the category „Large-scale enterprise” for 2009 has been awarded to Aurubis Bulgaria, the second-largest production site in the Aurubis Group. Yesterday, 28 January, the German Economy prize was awarded as part of the traditional New Year reception of DBIHK in Sofia. The prize winner was chosen again in three categories for the sixth time. The trophies are given to firms and institutes for projects or activities that develop business contacts between Germany and Bulgaria.
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January 30th, 2010
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Taipei Taiwan - Wire and Cable losers in ECFA agreement
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| Some Taiwanese media have recently widely cited a study done by the Chung Hua Institution for Economic Research (CHIER) , a local research institute, as saying that the local electronic and electrical industries will suffer the most from signing a cross-Taiwan Strait economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with a loss of annual production value estimated at around NT$250 billion, or 7 percent.. Arthur Chiao, chairman of the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (TEEMA), said the China trade pact will have a large impact on the electric wire and cable industries, which rely heavily on domestic demand.
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January 29th, 2010
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Irvine California - Composite Technology announces ACCC conductor project in Indonesia
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| Composite Technology Corporation is pleased to announce an order for ACCC® core for its subsidiary CTC Cable Corporation from one of its two stranding sources in Indonesia, PT KMI Wire and Cable Tbk. This project represents the third ACCC® conductor project that will be installed in Indonesia. Installation is scheduled for March 2010. The Lahat-Bukit Asam Transmission Line project consists of the reconductoring of a critical 150kV line, which forms the backbone for transferring energy from South Sumatera Province to Bengkulu Province. ACCC® Lisbon conductor will replace the existing ACSR Hawk to provide increased capacity. PLN Sumatera Grid considered ACCR as well as double bundled ACSR, but selected ACCC® Lisbon conductor due to its high temperature, reduced sag characteristics and its ability to upgrade capacity in a shortened construction period.
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January 29th, 2010
- General
Muttenz Switzerland - Clariant develops anti-termite masterbatch for PVC
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| A new range of masterbatches for PVC wire and cable applications are more effective at repelling termites than oils, says developer Clariant. “Anti-termite masterbatches can be added during the wire-jacketing process simply by dosing them into the stream of natural material at the extruder feedthroat,” says spokesperson Davor Horvat. “It is not necessary to maintain a stock of oil-treated PVC along with the untreated compound, so inventory costs are reduced.” Oil-based treatments also migrate from the finished product (causing loss of effectiveness), are hazardous and messy to handle, and cannot be introduced directly into the extrusion process, he adds. The masterbatches are part of the Clariant CESA-antimicro brand and incorporate an EPA-registered pesticide.
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January 29th, 2010
- General
Taipei Taiwan - Quintain Steel to raise wire rod prices for February
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| Taiwan's Quintain Steel has announced to raise its wire rod prices by TWD 1,000 per tonne for February.
The price rise is higher than the expectation from the market. However, the company said the rise is not high in considering of the current demand this month. Al killed steel and rimmed steel wire rod prices have soared to around TWD 25,500 per tonne and TWD 23,500 per tonne respectively. Killed steel wire rod was increased to TWD 22,500 per tonne. Source yieh.com via SteelGuru
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January 28th, 2010
- General
Washinton D.C. - IMF updates 2010 forecast recovery stronger than anticipated.
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| The global recovery is off to a stronger start than anticipated earlier but is proceeding at different speeds in the various regions. Following the deepest global downturn in recent history, economic growth solidified and broadened to advanced economies in the second half of 2009. In 2010, world output is expected to rise by 4 percent. This represents an upward revision of ¾ percentage point from the October 2009 World Economic Outlook. In most advanced economies, the recovery is expected to remain sluggish by past standards, whereas in many emerging and developing economies, activity is expected to be relatively vigorous, largely driven by buoyant internal demand. Policies need to foster a rebalancing of global demand, remaining supportive where recoveries are not yet well sustained.
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January 28th, 2010
- General
Chisinau (Kishinev ) Moldova - Moldavian Metallurgical Plant sees decreased 2009 output results.
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| In 2009, Moldavian Metallurgical Plant (MMZ) decreased its rolled steel products output by 46.1 percent year on year from 818,000 mt to 440,900 mt. Meanwhile its output of bars decreased by 48.4 percent from 429,800 mt to 221,800 mt, while its wire rod output went down by 44.4 percent from 385,200 mt to 214,200 mt, both compared to 2008. MMZ's 2009 steel production (cast billets) decreased by 51.9 percent year on year from 884,900 mt to 425,900
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January 28th, 2010
- General
Washington D.C. - US DOC extends time limit for final determination on PC from China
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The US Department of Commerce (DOC) has decided to postpone its final determination and extend provisional measures taken in the preliminary affirmative determination in its AD investigation (AD) investigation of prestressed concrete steel wire (PC) strand from China. The DOC announced in the Federal Register on Wednesday, January, 13, that respondents Xinhua Metal Products Co., Ltd. and Wuxi Jinyang Metal Products Co., Ltd. requested the extension and the DOC agreed to it, postponing its final determination from March 2010 until May 7, 2010. Suspension of liquidation will also be extended accordingly. As previously reported, the DOC issued the following preliminary AD margins for the two companies in December 2009:
(1) Wuxi Jinyang Metal Products Co., Ltd. - 37.72 percent
(2) Xinhua Metal Products Co., Ltd. - 151.44 percent
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January 28th, 2010
- General
Abu Dhabi UAE - Emirates Steel to consolidate its debt financing in 2010
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| Emirates Steel is finalizing plans to consolidate its debt financing and intends to launch the first major project finance transaction for the year in the GCC in Q1 2010. Emirates Steel is looking to raise US$ 1.5 billion through limited recourse financing to cover the financing needs of its Phase 1 and Phase 2 expansion projects. Emirates Steel is wholly-owned by Abu Dhabi's state-owned General Holding Corporation (GHC) through Abu Dhabi Basic Industries Corporation (ADBIC). In Q4 2009, Emirates Steel successfully extended its US$ 700 million Bridge Loan Facility. The extension was significantly over-subscribed and added a number of additional banks to the company's lending group.
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January 27th, 2010
- General
Washington D.C. - US DOC extends time limit for AD review on stainless steel bar from Brazil
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| The US Department of Commerce (DOC) has decided to extend the time limit for the preliminary results of the antidumping (AD) duty administrative review on stainless steel bar from Brazil. According to a statement issued in the Federal Register on January 26, the DOC has extended the deadline for the preliminary results for the review from January 29, 2010 until March 1, 2010. The review, which covers the period from February 1, 2008, through January 31, 2009, concerns Villares Metals S.A. The product is currently classified under subheadings 7222.10.0005, 7222.10.0050, 7222.20.0005, 7222.20.0045, 7222.20.0075, and 7222.30.0000 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS). The final results are to be issued no later than 120 days after the publication of the preliminary results.
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January 27th, 2010
- General
Washington D.C. - US DOC issues preliminary results of AD review on certain steel nails from China
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| US Department of Commerce (DOC) has announced the preliminary results of its administrative review of the antidumping (AD) order against certain steel nails from China. Following the review, which covers the period from January 23, 2008 through January 31, 2009 the DOC found that Qingdao Denarius Manufacture Co. sold subject merchandise at less than normal value. The DOC has calculated a preliminary dumping margin of 38.13 percent for the company. Steel nails subject to the proceeding are currently classified under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) subheadings 7317.00.55, 7317.00.65 and 7317.00.75. The DOC intends to issue the final results in mid-April.
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January 27th, 2010
- General
Sosnowiec.Poland - ArcelorMittal proud of Polish accomplishment
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| While the privatization of Poland’s shipbuilding industry continues to cause headaches, the privatization of the steel industry has been described by analysts as a success. Much of the credit goes to Arcelor Mittal, which five years ago launched an investment and modernization program of steel mills in the south of the country. The following remarks were offered to ‘Polish Market’ by Arcelor Mittal President Sanjay Samadar. This is the story of one of the significant modernization operations in a five-year span in the steel business perhaps anywhere in the world. We are proud to say that it happened in Poland. We acquired the company following its privatization in 2004. We set up a very clear vision and mission to modernize the company, to bring it out of a bankruptcy situation, and to give Polish steel a new identity not just in Europe, but also in the world. I genuinely believe that we have achieved that.
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January 27th, 2010
- General
Zwevegem Belgium - Belgium’s Bekaert inaugurates Russian steel cord plant in Lipetsk
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| The Belgium-headquartered steel cord and wire manufacturer Bekaert has announced that on January 20, 2010, it officially inaugurated its new steel cord production plant located in Lipetsk Special Economic Zone in Russia. Mr. Dmitry Medvedev, President of the Russian Federation, visited the new Bekaert steel cord plant at the Lipetsk Special Economic Zone (SEZ), where he was hosted by Mr. Bert DeGraeve, Chief Executive Officer of Bekaert. The President was accompanied by three Deputy
Prime Ministers of the Russian Federation: Mr. Ivanov, Mr. Sechin and Mr. Sobyanin (also Chief of Government Staff), as well as by Mr. Surkov and Mr. Abramov of the Presidential
Administration, Mr. Poltavchenko, Presidential Representative in the Central Federal District, and Mr. Korolev, Governor of the Lipetsk province.
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January 26th, 2010
- General
Seoul South Korea - POSCO Special Steel hikes stainless wire rod price from February.
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| POSCO Special Steel said it would lift 300 series of wire rod price starting from Feb. by 200,000 Won per ton, which is equal to 1190.4 yuan per ton, but the prices of 200 and 400 series would be unchanged and bar price will be also left unchanged. The company explained that the price of raw material such as nickel, ferrochrome hiked, so it decided to advance the price of 300 series wire rod
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January 25th, 2010
- General
Dana point California - Mercury Cable & Energy announces exclusive North American supply and distribution agreement with General Cable
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| Mercury Cable & Energy (“Mercury”), the leading developer of High Voltage Composite Reinforced Conductors (“HVCRC”) for electrical transmission lines, is pleased to announce that it has signed an exclusive three year agreement with General Cable Industries, Inc. (“General Cable”). Under the terms of the agreement, General Cable has the exclusive right to purchase Mercury’s HVCRC product line in The United States and Canada and in consideration for exclusive status agrees to make Mercury Cable and Energy their exclusive supplier of composite core material. Additional details will be announced in the second quarter 2010. “We are pleased to expand our relationship with General Cable,” said Todd Harris, President of Mercury. “As a leading Global Wire and Cable manufacturer, General Cable is an ideal fit for the introduction of Mercury’s HVCRC products into these markets.”
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January 25th, 2010
- General
Altona Pennsylvania - IndustryWeek recognize General Cableäs Altona facility for being one of 2009's 10 best manufacturing plants in North America.
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| General Cable of Altoona employees' drive for excellence will be saluted Tuesday as IndustryWeek officials recognize the local facility for being one of 2009's 10 best manufacturing plants in North America. It is the second time the Altoona plant has received the award. It also made the list in 2003. General Cable, which produces ignition wire sets, and its plant in Piedras Negras, Mexico, which manufactures original equipment manufacturer wire harnesses, were selected by Penton Media's IndustryWeek magazine as winners in the magazine's 2009 Best Plants Competition. The award program, which started 20 years ago, is an annual salute to outstanding manufacturing facilities on the leading edge of efforts to increase competitiveness, enhance customer satisfaction and create stimulating and rewarding work environments. "This plant has met the toughest challenges of manufacturing excellence - continuing to achieve high levels of excellence. As anyone engaged in continuous improvement can attest, pursuing excellence is one challenge, and maintaining it is quite another," Jill Jusko, IndustryWeek senior editor, said in a statement. General Cable employees are proud of the award, said Ken Smith, plant manager
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January 23rd, 2010
- General
Bartonville Illinois - Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signs legislation to help Keystone
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| A bill signed by Gov. Pat Quinn on Thursday means more than a tax break for a Bartonville company - it translates to keeping jobs and boosting morale. Quinn signed Senate Bill 328 into law at Keystone Steel & Wire, which will extend the company's utility tax exemption. Keystone, though still located in the required enterprise zone, had no longer qualified for the exemption on energy use because it crossed below the threshold requirement of 1,000 jobs because of the slumping economy. "It's helpful for us, in the recessionary environment we find ourselves in, to have this relief," said Keystone President David Cheek. "If we assume that this recovery is going to get some legs and economy recovery will continue, we'll have the demand there for our products and able to have people back to work."
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January 22nd, 2010
- General
Bangkok/Beijing - Concern over US protectionism in Asia
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| US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made much last year of the new administration’s return to Asia and re-engagement with the region. But after a year in power, the region’s main worry about Obama was that his administration would revert to protectionist policies in its bid to get the US economy back on its feet and provide jobs for fellow Americans. US trade policy towards China has become increasingly protectionist in recent months. On Jan 5, the US commerce department announced a hike in duties from 43 percent to 289 percent on imports of Chinese steel wire decking valued at some $300 million. That followed US anti-dumping duties on imports of Chinese steel pipes in late December, which Chinese industry officials claimed could cost the country up to $2.8 billion.
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January 20th, 2010
- General
Garland Texas - State Judge reverses Texas PUC order awarding billions In transmission projects
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| Texas State District Judge Stephen Yelenosky has reversed a Texas Public Utility Commission (PUC) order that would have awarded billions dollars for transmission projects. The city of Garland had alleged that the PUC failed to properly consider the needs of electric customers when it awarded the wind-related projects last year and failed to consider low-cost public power entities like Garland. As a consequence of this ruling, further transmission-line development relating to the Competitive Renewable Energy Zone (CREZ) process must be suspended until the PUC properly weighs the costs and benefits to electric customers.
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January 19th, 2010
- General
Beijing China - Baosteel increases February manufacturer prices
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| Baoshan Iron & Steel Co (Baosteel), the nation's largest steel mill, significantly raised its February manufacturer prices, the China Daily reported Thursday. Major steel wire product prices went up 300 yuan (44 U.S. dollars) per ton on average. Revised prices on major steel sheets, announced this week, are expected to increase 200 to 300 yuan per ton, said the newspaper. Manufacturer prices of Baosteel products range from 3,000 yuan to 6,000 yuan per ton. The price surge on raw materials, such as iron ore and coal, led to the latest price adjustment, the newspaper quoted Hu Kai, an analyst at Umetal.com as saying. The price of iron ore hit a 16-month high of 135 U.S. dollars per ton, soaring nearly 120 percent from April 2009's low, the newspaper quoted Hu as saying. This month, manufacturer prices of Baosteel's products increased 300 yuan to 500 yuan per ton month over month, which was the first rise since September. A price increase by the Shanghai-based steel giant triggered sweeping price hikes among domestic smelters, according to the newspaper.
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January 19th, 2010
- General
Elland West Yorkshire - Last-ditch bid to find a buyer for steel wire producer.
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 Last-ditch attempts to find a buyer for troubled steel firm Carrington Wire and save over 80 jobs are continuing. In November a 30-day consultation period was announced to determine the fate of the business at Lowfields, Elland. But, with two potential buyers still interested hope remains a deal will be struck. Martin Rutter, of the Community Union, said his trade union was doing what it could to save the company. "We have another meeting next week but we are no further forward than before Christmas," he said. "The shopfloor workers we represent are now getting twitchy the longer this goes on and are looking at potentially bad news. "I do not see that, having spoken to the company which is still pursuing potential buyers and there is still hope one will do the business. "But, the company can't just limp on like this. Customers will stop placing orders, but while there are talks there is hope." The company supplies the construction and motor industries but the market for steel wire has contracted. Russia's biggest steel firm Severstal, which employs 92,000 in 10 countries, took over the firm in 2006 but since then has made scores of redundancies at the Elland plant.
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January 18th, 2010
- General
Brantford Ontario - US industrial copper & brass demand likely to recover somewhat..
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| Consumption of copper and brass products in the U.S. dropped by at least 20% (maybe more) in 2009 as manufacturing of wiring, plumbing and refrigeration goods, architectural materials and contractors' products all were crushed by the recession. Looking at 2010, "the near-term outlook is uncertain," according to a market update by copper cathode producer Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold. The International Copper Study Group expects world copper demand to be off 1.5–2% when 2009 statistics are tabulated, "given the severity of the declines in industrial production." The drop-off in U.S. demand will be even steeper because 40% of North American demand comes from automotive original equipment manufacturers and about 30% comes from construction—two industries that were hammered by the recession.
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January 18th, 2010
- General
Hamburg Germany - Investors support high inventory Aurubis AG Copper Mail No. 69
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| Copper was firm at the turn of the year 2009/10. After the copper price initially held up well at clearly over US$ 6,800/t, it climbed to more than US$ 7,000/t in the last week of December and reached a high of US$ 7,346/t on 31 December 2009. This was 153 % higher than the prior-year closing price of US$ 2,902/t. An average copper price of US$ 5,164/t can be calculated for 2009, which clearly joins the high values of the second half decade. Two points are of particular note: firstly the copper price performed well in 2009 despite the impact of the global economic and financial crisis. On the other hand the recent rise in copper inventories in the warehouses of the metal exchanges has not had any effect on the price, which was mainly due to the strong inflow of investor funds in the commodity investment category. Nothing is currently indicating that this inflow could come to an end at short notice, which was also reflected in the statement made by a representative of the Standard Bank at the beginning of December to the effect that commodity investments are still significantly underrepresented in many portfolios and there is still some catching up to do. This also means that the copper market will receive further support from this side.
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January 18th, 2010
- General
Nuremberg, Germany - Siemens employs flexible hybrid cable by Leoni for transmitting data in new x-ray systems
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| Leoni, a leading provider of cable systems to the automotive sector and other industries, is equipping
a new generation of Siemens x-ray machines with an innovative data transmission cable. This hybrid cable, consisting of copper conductors, fiber optic cable and cooling hoses, transmits the high resolution pictures of the flat image detectors. Thanks to its flexible structure, it supports the C-arm’s high degree of mobility around the patient and simultaneously enables excellent data throughput. Leoni’s new hybrid cable transmits the high-resolution digital images from Trixell flat detectors on modern x-ray machines.
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| January 16th, 2010
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