Benteler sells engineering unit; focus on steel/tube, autos

Austrian/German tube maker and automotive supplier Benteler is selling its engineering business to international engineering and R&D provider Altran, in order to focus more on its automotive, steel/tube and distribution units, Benteler said in a statement on Tuesday.

“With this sale we will focus on our strategic core business within the fields of automotive, steel/tube and distribution. At the same time, we will continue to invest in innovative products and solutions in order to be the preferred partner for our customers worldwide,” said co-chairman and CFO of Benteler International, Boris Gleissner. The sale is still subject to German Federal Cartel Office approval.

Benteler said earlier this year that it would focus further on cost structures and distribution activities in particular after being hampered by a weak sector for steel tube.

The steel and tube division saw a stark year-on-year drop in its January-June revenue from €512 million last year to €407 million this year. The distribution division, which includes sales of flat products and tubes, increased its revenue by 9.4% y-o-y to €532 million.

“The revenue of the BDI [distribution business] has improved as a result of that from BTI [flat steel distribution unit],” a Benteler spokesperson told Platts this month.

The automotive unit is set to grow further and expand in Eastern Europe. Benteler plans to open its fifth plant in the Czech Republic by the end of 2017. “We consequently follow the approach of serving customers’ demand where it emerges,” the spokesperson said, adding that Eastern Europe continues to be a growing market for the automotive business.

Laura Varriale, PLATTS

EUROMETAL Meeting of Main EU Steel Distributors & SSC

FRANKFURT, SHERATON AIRPORT HOTEL, 01 DECEMBER 2016, 12.00 -17.00 HRS

Dear colleagues,

In 2017, the EU steel market will probably be impacted by incisive EU steel trade policy and by the need to push for further consolidation.

Traditional steel business structures will be in a disruptive mode.

Divestures, closures, mergers, acquisitions, anti-dumping duties, struggling for better margins will shape new market behavior patterns in steel value chains all over Europe.

Next EUROMETAL Meeting of Main EU Steel Distributors & SSC will be a good opportunity to assess together, with outside experts, the significant changes facing steel industry as well as steel distribution and SSC markets.

For this meeting, we propose the following agenda:

• Introducing Presentation by EUROMETAL President Jens Lauber.

• European Flat Steel Market Developments & Outlook by Matt Watkins, Principal Consultant, CRU, London.

• New Challenges in Steel Markets and Their Implications for EU Steel Distribution. A speaker from McKinsey & Company is confirmed.

• Consolidation and Steel Trade Cases Shaping the Future EU Steel Market by Tommaso Sandrini, CEO of San Polo Lamiere, an Italian SSC, and Chairman of ASSOFERMET Acciaio,

• Managing for Prices and Margins. SIMON KUCHER and Partners have confirmed to delegate a speaker to our meeting. SIMON-KUCHER and Partners are a leading consultancy in matters of Sales, Marketing and Pricing Management

• Position of EU Steel Distribution in EU Steel Market and Key EU Steel Distribution Benchmarks in first half of 2016. EUROMETAL will present key findings of latest Research Reports

• Other Topics

The meeting will be convened at Frankfurt-Airport, SHERATON Airport Hotel, on 01 DECEMBER  2016, starting at 13.00 Hrs.

A lunch buffet will be available at the hotel restaurant from 12.00 Hrs. on.

Please confirm your coming by returning the attached registration form to office@eurometal.net.

The meeting will be governed by EUROMETAL’s strict compliance guidelines.

All participants will sign a presence list including and approving recommendations and guidelines regarding compliance matters.

An external compliance lawyer will assist to the meeting and monitor discussions under compliance aspects.

REGISTRATION FORM.docx

With kind regards,

Jens Lauber, EUROMETAL President

Georges Kirps, Director General EUROMETAL

Congresso Nazionale ASSOFERMET FERRAMENTA DAY – Monza 13.11.2016

Ho il piacere di invitarTi ad assistere ai lavori del nostro 

CONGRESSO NAZIONALE ASSOFERMET

FERRAMENTA DAY

che si terrà Domenica 13  novembre 2016 nella suggestiva cornice dell’Autodromo di Monza che ASSOFERMET organizza in collaborazione con IFERR, rivista d’informazione del Settore Ferramenta.

 Nella mattinata, l’analisi delle tematiche del momento più vicine ai Settori Rottami Ferrosi, Acciaio e Metalli, vedrà una serie di approfondimenti e confronti con esperti di mercato e esponenti del mondo dell’economia, della Commissione UE e della politica e culminerà con una Tavola rotonda sul tema:

“Dalla Cina economia di mercato ai nuovi protezionismi: possibili impatti sull’ Unione Europea” 

Sarà un piacere averTi come gradito ospite anche alla colazione di lavoro che sarà servita al termine della sessione mattutina presso il paddock del circuito.

Se fossi interessato a passare un pomeriggio “in pista”, puoi prenotarTi direttamente sul sito Iferr Day 2016, o cliccando qui

Ti allego il programma dell’evento e resto in attesa di una Tua gradita conferma.

Con i più cordiali saluti.

 Roberto Lunardi

Programma – IFERR Day 2016

German stocks stable in August, sales up

Inventories at German stockholders remained stable at 2.4 million metric tons in August compared to the same time last year, while sales went up 3.5% year-on-year to 896,544 mt, according to latest figures from the stockholders’ association Bundesverband Deutscher Stahlhandel (BDS).

In a month-on-month comparison, stocks fell by 2.8% in August, whereas sales grew by 5.2%, indicating an uptick in market activity towards the end of the summer holidays. As reported, stocks in July grew slightly by 0.9% m-o-m, whereas sales fell by 13.6%, reflecting market developments at the beginning of the summer when activity started to slow.

Stocks of long products grew by 8% y-o-y to 858,396 mt, while flat product fell slightly by 0.7% y-o-y to 1.4 million mt. Sales of long products showed a 1% y-o-y decline to 289,820 mt. Sales of flat products went up by 11.3% y-o-y to 828,346 mt.

Laura Varriale, PLATTS

58 EUROPEAN STEEL INDUSTRY CEOS WRITE TO EU HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT

58 of the most senior executives from the European steel industry have addressed EU leaders with a clear message: “Make the right choices to ensure that our sector and its value chains flourish, investment continues, and the jobs of the men and women who work in our sector are sustained.”

This call comes ahead of the European Council summit of 20-21 October 2016, towards the end of a year that has seen the European steel industry under continued pressure. Notably, EU leaders will discuss the modernisation of Europe’s Trade Defence Instruments, which the European steel industry has consistently pushed for.

The Open Letter highlights the steel industry’s challenges, and calls on EU policy makers to develop more effective, faster measures to re-establish fair trade, to align with the US on the Market Economy Status of China, and build an EU ETS that creates no cost burden beyond economic and technological feasibility.

The Open Letter can be found below:

open-letter-58-european-steel-industry-ceos-write-to-eu-heads-of-state-and-government