Saturday, July 21, 2007
Mercedes SLC Supercar To Feature Aluminum Construction
Aluminum cars, to reduce weight. Considering how much steel has gone up these days, there might be price as well as weight advantages in the future.
MobileMag
"There are several factors that go into making a fast car and having a powerful engine is just one piece of the puzzle. Mercedes will reportedly tackle another piece -- curb weight -- on their upcoming SLC supercar by building the model out of aluminum. "
MobileMag
"There are several factors that go into making a fast car and having a powerful engine is just one piece of the puzzle. Mercedes will reportedly tackle another piece -- curb weight -- on their upcoming SLC supercar by building the model out of aluminum. "
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Rio Tinto agrees to buy Alcan
More consolidation in the mills, this time aluminum.
Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto Ltd/Plc has agreed to buy Canada's Alcan Inc. for $38.1 billion to create the world's biggest aluminum producer, the two firms said on Thursday.
Rio, the world's second-biggest miner, said it would pay $101 a share in cash, 13 percent above Alcan's closing price in New York on Wednesday and 33 percent above a rival $28.8 billion cash-and-shares bid for Alcan from U.S. group Alcoa Inc.
Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto Ltd/Plc has agreed to buy Canada's Alcan Inc. for $38.1 billion to create the world's biggest aluminum producer, the two firms said on Thursday.
Rio, the world's second-biggest miner, said it would pay $101 a share in cash, 13 percent above Alcan's closing price in New York on Wednesday and 33 percent above a rival $28.8 billion cash-and-shares bid for Alcan from U.S. group Alcoa Inc.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Material Prices
It's been a while since I reported on material pricing.
At the end of May, there were reports of a fall in copper prices.
Well, yes and no.
Copper hit a high of about $3.75 US at the beginning of May, fell to a low of $3.20 in early June, but is as I write is back up to almost $3.60.
Other materials: zinc got up to $1.85 in the early days of May but is down to $1.55 at the moment.
Brass is an alloy of zinc and copper, so the price of brass will be a blend of the copper and zinc prices.
Nickel (the major component at the moment for stainless steel surcharges) has dropped from $24 in early May to a little over $15 now. However, I haven't seen the prices change much yet, probably because the service centers still have stock at the old prices. Hopefully that will change soon.
At the end of May, there were reports of a fall in copper prices.
Well, yes and no.
Copper hit a high of about $3.75 US at the beginning of May, fell to a low of $3.20 in early June, but is as I write is back up to almost $3.60.
Other materials: zinc got up to $1.85 in the early days of May but is down to $1.55 at the moment.
Brass is an alloy of zinc and copper, so the price of brass will be a blend of the copper and zinc prices.
Nickel (the major component at the moment for stainless steel surcharges) has dropped from $24 in early May to a little over $15 now. However, I haven't seen the prices change much yet, probably because the service centers still have stock at the old prices. Hopefully that will change soon.
Metinvest says mulling purchase of Stelco
At the beginning of June, Stelco said they were looking for a buyer.
Late last week, this hit the news, but I didn't get around to reporting it until this week.
Ukraine's Metinvest confirmed on Friday that it is considering acquiring, or investing in, steelmaker Stelco Inc., but said it has made no firm decision.
Metinvest's statement followed a report in the Globe and Mail newspaper, citing unnamed sources, that said officials from Metinvest have toured Stelco facilities in the weeks since the steel company put itself up for sale last month.
Stelco is the only big steelmaker in Canada that is still Canadian-owned.
The Globe's Report on Business, in addition to reporting more or less the same content, had this interesting few paragraphs part way down their article:
Consolidation has swept aside Stelco's neighbour Dofasco Inc., Essar's deal for Algoma closed last month, and shareholders will vote on a $7.7-billion (U.S.) buyout of Ipsco Inc. by Svenskt Steel AB later this month.
Those transactions have helped reduce the number of mid-sized, relatively cheap North American steel assets to three.
They are Stelco, AK Steel Holding Corp. of Middletown, Ohio, and a mill near Baltimore, Md., that Mittal Arcelor, the world's largest steel maker, has been ordered to sell by the U.S. government.
Of course, consolidation of steel suppliers means lack of competition on the supply side, and makes it very hard for small metal stampers to have a say in their own input costs.
Late last week, this hit the news, but I didn't get around to reporting it until this week.
Ukraine's Metinvest confirmed on Friday that it is considering acquiring, or investing in, steelmaker Stelco Inc., but said it has made no firm decision.
Metinvest's statement followed a report in the Globe and Mail newspaper, citing unnamed sources, that said officials from Metinvest have toured Stelco facilities in the weeks since the steel company put itself up for sale last month.
Stelco is the only big steelmaker in Canada that is still Canadian-owned.
The Globe's Report on Business, in addition to reporting more or less the same content, had this interesting few paragraphs part way down their article:
Consolidation has swept aside Stelco's neighbour Dofasco Inc., Essar's deal for Algoma closed last month, and shareholders will vote on a $7.7-billion (U.S.) buyout of Ipsco Inc. by Svenskt Steel AB later this month.
Those transactions have helped reduce the number of mid-sized, relatively cheap North American steel assets to three.
They are Stelco, AK Steel Holding Corp. of Middletown, Ohio, and a mill near Baltimore, Md., that Mittal Arcelor, the world's largest steel maker, has been ordered to sell by the U.S. government.
Of course, consolidation of steel suppliers means lack of competition on the supply side, and makes it very hard for small metal stampers to have a say in their own input costs.
Labels: Dofasco, steel, stelco
