Category: Latest Updates

Der Vorstand berichtet über die Entwicklung des Geschäftsvolumens per Dezember 2019 wie folgt: 

Das Jubiläumsjahr 2019 verewigt sich als eines der erfolgreichsten und eindrucksvollsten Geschäftsjahre in der Firmengeschichte. Neben den Feierlichkeiten rund um das 100-jährige Bestehen war das Jahr geprägt von der beeindruckenden Entwicklung des Geschäftsvolumens. So endet das Geschäftsjahr 2019 mit einem Gesamtgeschäftsvolumen von 3.327,8 Mio. EUR. Damit wird der Spitzenwert aus dem Vorjahr noch einmal deutlich um +9,4% übertroffen und erneut die 3 Mrd. EUR Grenze überschritten. Auch das Lagergeschäft erzielt mit 173,4 Mio. EUR einen neuen Rekordwert und übertrifft die bisherige Bestmarke aus dem Jahr 2018 um starke +6,1%. Trotz einer Eintrübung der konjunkturellen Rahmenbedingungen in der zweiten Hälfte des abgelaufenen Geschäftsjahres bleibt NORDWEST dem eingeschlagenen Wachstumskurs treu. Allerdings gehen wir auch für das Geschäftsjahr 2020 von herausfordernden konjunkturellen Rahmenbedingungen aus, die sich auf die Geschäftsentwicklung auswirken werden. 

Nicht nur das Geschäftsvolumen entwickelt sich hervorragend, sondern auch die Anzahl der angeschlossenen Fachhandelspartner konnte im abgelaufenen Jahr um 39 auf nunmehr 1.091 gesteigert werden. Dies bestätigt die enge und vertrauensvolle Zusammenarbeit zwischen NORDWEST und ihren Partnern. Die erste Eröffnung eines FachWerk-Standortes, die neu gegründete Haustechnik-Genossenschaft Hategro, der erfolgreiche Ausbau des Konzeptes Fachhandelspartner 4.0+ sowie die Erweiterung des Exklusivmarkensortimentes sind nur einige von vielen Konzepten, um diese Zusammenarbeit auch für die Zukunft weiter zu intensivieren und zu stärken. 

Entwicklung des Geschäftsvolumens mit Blick auf die Geschäftsbereiche: 

Im Geschäftsjahr 2019 können alle Geschäftsbereiche ihr Geschäftsvolumen im Vergleich zum Vorjahr steigern und dabei die Rekordwerte aus dem Vorjahr übertreffen. So erzielt der Kerngeschäftsbereich Bau-Handwerk-Industrie in 2019 ein Geschäftsvolumen von 1.161,1 Mio. EUR und übertrifft damit die im Vorjahr aufgestellte Bestmarke um weitere +3,9%. 

Auch der Geschäftsbereich Stahl setzt sein Wachstum weiter fort. Grundlage für die deutliche Ausweitung des Geschäftsvolumens auf den neuen Rekordwert von 1.226,3 Mio. EUR und damit einem Anstieg um nahezu +3% gegenüber dem Vorjahr bildet dabei die deutliche Ausweitung der abgesetzten Tonnage. Und auch der Geschäftsbereich TeamFaktor/Services übertrifft mit einem Geschäftsvolumen von 725,5 Mio. EUR (+32,6%) den im Vorjahr aufgestellten Spitzenwert noch einmal deutlich. Hervorragend ist auch die Entwicklung im Geschäftsbereich Haustechnik mit einem Anstieg des Geschäftsvolumens um +17,4% auf 214,9 Mio. EUR. Grundlage dieser Entwicklung ist die strategische Neuausrichtung des Bereiches und die damit verbundene Akquirierung neuer Fachhandelspartner. 

Quelle und Vorschaufoto: NORDWEST Handel AG

The Spanish automotive sector saw its production and exports to strategic markets slightly increase year-on-year in 2019, Kallanish learns from monthly data issued by Asociación Nacional de Fabricantes de Automóviles y Camiones (Anfac).

“The increase in demand in the European market during the last month of last year gave a boost to Spanish manufacturers which ended 2019 showing improved performance,” Anfac says. “The new models and light commercial vehicles registered the highest growth rate on-year (12.3%). These together with the heavy commercial vehicles (7.7%) offset the falls in the other segments,” the association adds.

During 2019, Spain’s automotive production totalled 2,822,360 vehicles, up by just 0.1% y-o-y. Production in December alone increased by 21.2% compared to the same month of 2018 to 177,427 units. Spanish exports amounted to 2,310,070 units, just 0.2% more to shipments abroad in 2018, Anfac adds.

Spain saw growth in vehicle exports to its main European trading destinations. Shipments to Germany increased by 12.5%, while these to the UK and Italy and rose by 13.6% and by 1.7% y-o-y in 2019, respectively. Exports to France remained unchanged on-year. The four countries took 64.8% of total Spanish exports during last year, the association confirms.

The country saw its shipments also increase to Japan, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Israel and Morocco.

The coil price in north-western European countries has continued its surge in January, mainly on the back of enforcement by the mills.

Ex-works transaction prices for hot-rolled coil of over €450/tonne ($496/t) are not uncommon any more.  “I hear of hikes on a daily basis,“ one manager tells Kallanish. Most buyers however are not witnessing the overall market demand that would support output and prices in the long run (see separate article), so many are debating whether the tipping point is near.

“The demand these days is not any better than it was in November, but the mills keep turning the wheel,“ another manager says. “This can easily lead to an imbalance, which then could lead to a U-turn [… in pricing],“ he adds.

Despite this implied threat, some mills are continuing to ask for higher prices. The target of €500/t for HRC last week was topped by a major mill when asking for €520/t for a smaller order of less than 50 tonnes, the manager notes. The price was not accepted by his customer, he says.

For cold-rolled and hot dip-galvanized coil, the rule-of thumb of a €100/t premium over HRC continues to apply with no visible change in trend. “After all, mills are pushing prices across the full range,“ one source notes.

While merchant bar prices remain stable in Italy compared to the previous week, demand was particularly low last week, distributors tell Kallanish, describing the market of the past ten days.

Contract prices have increased in transactions month-on-month by €20/tonne ($22/t) on average in line with costlier scrap. Merchant bar is being sold at €70-80/t base ex-works or €90-95/t delivered in the north of the country. Including an average €420/t for extras, transaction prices for domestic material are at €490-500/t ex-works, sources say. However, large buyers and purchasing groups are buying cheaper material from other European countries.

Domestic merchant bar prices are seen decreasing slightly in February due to lower demand and, consequently, orders. Scrap prices in Italy are also seen declining in February, Kallanish hears.

The management team at the ex-Ilva assets, appointed by Luxembourg-based steelmaker ArcelorMittal, has been changed today, sources said.

Market participants interpret the move as a step closer to the company’s exit of the Italian market, as employees appointed by ArcelorMittal after it took control of Ilva in 2018 are stepping down to return to other operations.

But a spokesperson for the company said it “remains in negotiations with the Italian government and is focused on finding a solution for a sustainable future for steelmaking in Taranto.”

The government and ArcelorMittal were previously required to reach an agreement by the end of January, but sources say this is increasingly unlikely to happen. The deadline is now being pushed to 7 February, but a meeting scheduled between the Italian Prime Minister and ArcelorMittal owner Lakshmi Mittal at the 24-25 January World Economic Forum in Davos was cancelled.

Expectations are that the producer will go through with its plan to leave the investment in Italy, which market participants speculate would see output at Ilva plummet, as the government regains control over operations.

By Lora Stoyanova

thyssenkrupp Materials Services has purchased the data model for materials and anonymised product data from Mapudo GmbH to enhance its e-commerce activities, Kallanish notes.

Mapudo is a former online marketplace for steel products which was founded in 2014 and had partnered up for example with steel companies Dillinger Hütte and Saarstahl. The Düsseldorf-based company announced its closure in early summer of 2019 (see Kallanish 8 July 2019).

According to tk Materials, the data it has acquired contains product descriptions, such as quality characteristics and specifics, which allow the materials to be better identified and mapped in its online shops and portals. They facilitate a better search and selection of individual products, it says. “Mapudo has laid an important foundation in recent years,” says Volker Hewing, head of the IT Foundation responsible for master data management at tk Materials.

“There are no standards for metallic materials, such as EAN codes, which are not specific to any particular trader or producer,” Niklas Friederichsen, the co-founder of Mapudo explains. “Accordingly, materials must be identified by their properties. At Mapudo, we have created a multi-layered product typology that enables efficient and consistent comparison of materials and at the same time enrichment of product data.”

German steel stocks reached their lowest level in almost 20 years in December, according to from German stockholder association BDS.

Flat steel stocks at stockholders in Germany dropped 13% year on year to 1.18 million mt in December, while long steel inventory levels were 2.1% lower at 792,692 mt. Stocks were last lower in 2000.

Whereas December is usually a month of destocking in Germany, data showed stocks declining steadily month by month since May.

Following persistent price drops over the course of last year, buyers were hesitant to commit to large volumes as demand was also subdued in key customer markets.

Sales volumes for longs were down 0.1% to 170,183 mt, with flat steel sales 4.4 lower to 311,041 mt.

Those low stock numbers suggested buyers will have to restock, and sources said there has been an increase in inquiries, albeit not as much as hoped.

Prices for both long and flat products have risen since the beginning of January. A German source said the higher price still need to be accepted across the entire supply chain.
— Laura Varriale

Three explosions disrupted production this week on Tuesday and Wednesday at blast furnace number 2 at the Taranto plant of former Italian steelmaker Ilva, now ArcelorMittal Italia.

The explosions happened during the shutdown of blast furnace no.1 but did not cause any fatalities, Kallanish learns from union sources in Taranto.

Last year BF no.2 was ordered to be closed down by a tribunal in Taranto, but the appeal court finally withdrew the shutdown request. The first order by the authorities to shut down the furnace was passed in early July 2019 and followed a fatal accident that happened in 2015 (see Kallanish passim). Since then, the issue has been central to the ongoing negotiations between ArcelorMittal and Italian authorities regarding the future of the integrated steelmaker.

Tuesday’s explosion took place while ArcelorMittal Italia was carrying out the shutdown procedure on BF no.1 in order to idle steel shop no.1 in Taranto from 23 January to 31 March. The producer decided on the idling due to the weak steel market. Output from steel shop no.1 was supposed to be temporarily moved to steel shop no.2, which was to run at full capacity.

The explosions, however, have caused extensive damage to the equipment and BF no.1 will for the time being remain in operation, guaranteeing production, the union source comments.

According to local press reports, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is to meet with the Mittal family at the world economic forum in Davos to continue negotiating on the future of Ilva.

China’s Jingye Steel expects to complete the purchase of British Steel by the end of February, Kallanish learns from a source close to the deal. The company’s senior leadership aims to spend the New Year at the end of this week with the British Steel team in Scunthorpe.

Jingye Steel executives were touring British Steel’s facilities, including those in France and the Netherlands, this week to finalise the nuts and bolts of a deal. That includes concluding an agreement with the unions on Tuesday, Kallanish understands. The only agreement outstanding is one with the French government. The company expects to finalise the French government’s approval shortly, the source says.

Jingye Chairman Li Ganpo is expected to arrive in Scunthorpe on Thursday in time to celebrate the Chinese New Year at the plant. Jingye has had a large team of around 80, including around 40 engineers, based in Scunthorpe conducting due diligence and developing investment plans for the plants for over a month. Due diligence has covered all British Steel facilities, including sales offices as well as production facilities. This week, Jingye also began placing orders for specific equipment that it intends to order to begin upgrading the plants, the source says, without revealing the equipment purchased.

Jingye became the frontrunner to buy British Steel after an agreement with Turkey’s Ataer went cold in late 2019. Jingye will be buying the company from the UK Official receiver after British Steel went into bankruptcy proceedings in 2019.

Shipments by Brazilian independent flat steel distributors and service centers in 2019 increased 9.6% over 2018 to 3.39 million mt, according to the most recent data from Inda, Brazil’s flat products distributors association.

In December, shipments reached 253,200 mt, up 34.2% on year.

Domestic purchases of steel in 2019 amounted to 3.17 million mt, an increase of 1.4% from full-year 2018. In December, purchases amounted to 291,200 mt, a growth of 47.9% from December 2018.

Flat steel imports totaled 1.09 million mt in 2019, down 8.9% from 2018. In December, flats imports dropped 43.3% on year to 53,760 mt.

Flat product inventories amounted to 800,200 mt at the end of December, up 5% from the end of November, while the inventory-turnover average closed December at 3.2 months of supply, the Inda data showed.

“Galvanized and hot-dip galvanized steel stocks are even lower, at 1 and 0.8 month, respectively,” said Inda President Carlos Loureiro, citing a shortage of these products in the market.

— Jose Guerra