Steel Market Research Articles

Experimental assessment of link slabs in continuous span applications of press-brake-formed tub girders

The scope of this effort is to evaluate the performance of a link slab transversely connecting press-brake-formed tub girders (PBFTG). Modular PBFTGs were developed by a technical working group within the Steel Market Development Institute’s (a business unit of the American Iron and Steel Institute) Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance, led by the current authors. This working group consists of stakeholders in the steel bridge industry, including mills, fabricators, service centers, industry trade organizations, universities, and bridge owners. A full-scale link slab transversely joining two PBFTGs was fatigue loaded simulating a 75-year fatigue life in a rural environment. Strain and deflection data was recorded and compared throughout the fatigue life to determine the link slab’s effectiveness. Results of this effort show the link slab detail performs adequately throughout its fatigue life.

ФАКТОРИ ІННОВАЦІЙНОГО РОЗВИТКУ ТА ПІДВИЩЕННЯ РІВНЯ КОНКУРЕНТОСПРОМОЖНОСТІ ПРОВІДНИХ ТНК – ВИРОБНИКІВ СТАЛІ

The factors of supply and demand formation in the world steel market were determined, taking into account the principles of the system approach. The author singled out traditional economic factors that shape supply and demand on world markets, as well as factors of technical development of production that affect the volume of deliveries of certain types of products. The analysis showed that steel production is one of the fastest-growing areas of world industry, making a significant contribution to the growth of the gross domestic product in various regions of the world. Preference is given to the strongest materials with innovative properties and a low price. Steel-based materials are more adapted to these conditions, which is confirmed by the growth of their global production. The study also revealed the causes of price instability on the global steel market. At the same time, it was determined that steel prices are due primarily to the growth of its global consumption in the dynamics of the last 10 years, which is connected with the construction boom in Southeast Asia and the development of industry in other countries. It has been proven that in recent years there has been volatility in the rate of growth of the structure of steel exports, which in general made it possible to form factors that influenced the intensity of changes taking place in the steel market. Among them, the author singles out: needs for nanostructured materials, integration of modern digital technologies of neural networks and automation systems in production. An important factor in the competitiveness of steel on the world market is the expansion and introduction of new financial instruments that increase the degree of independence of the metallurgical industry from price fluctuations and other external influences, including new banking and insurance products with state participation. Such a policy will allow attracting foreign investments to the industry, which will significantly strengthen the position of Russian manufacturers on the international market. Factors of competitiveness of steel in the world market were systematized. In particular, among them, the author focused on the growth of domestic consumption of metals in the form of general development and support for the growth of all industries in the country.

Economic aspects of state support of Russian steel industry enterprises in the conditions of external shocks

The metallurgical sector of Russia has been a recipient of state support at the federal and regional levels for many years. The sector receives subsidies from more than 90 programs and indirectly benefits from pricing policies for electricity, natural gas and rail transport. However, the analysis of measures to support the sector under the conditions of Western sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic is of particular relevance. The aim of the work is to determine the role of state support for steel producers in the face of external shocks — the coronavirus pandemic and Western sanctions. The working hypothesis of the study is the assertion that direct and indirect measures related to supporting the sector in the face of sanctions and the negative consequences of coronavirus contribute to reducing the adaptation costs of producers, as well as increasing their competitiveness. The stated goal and the indicated hypothesis determine the structure of the paper. Thus, the author examines the theoretical and practical aspects of the impact of sanctions on the national economy, the Russian steel market, state policy towards the steel industry, as well as direct and indirect measures of state assistance that affect the steel production sector. The research methodology is based on a comprehensive review of indirect and direct mechanisms of state support for the industry. The study resulted in the identification of channels of state influence on the steel market in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and sanctions. The results of the study can be used in the formation of the Russian industrial policy.

ФОРМУВАННЯ МІЖНАРОДНОЇ СТРАТЕГІЇ РОЗВИТКУ РИНКУ СТАЛІ

The article examines the structure of strategic consumers of the metallurgical industry. The most important industries in the structure of consumption of the metallurgical sector are: industrial and civil construction, machine building (mechanical equipment and automobile industry). The integrated types of steel production are identified: based on blast furnace (BF) and basic oxygen furnace (BOF) and electric arc furnace (EAF) steel production technology type. The structural components of the operating cycle of the main types of steel production (iron ore, coal, limestone, scrap, energy), as well as the components of commercial products (main industrial products and related products): steel, sludge, dust, blast furnace gas, converter gas, recovered steam are defined, energy. The cost norms of the material and energy supply sector of the metallurgical sector and the results of metallurgical production in average quantitative terms are substantiated. The trend of global steel production was analyzed and analytical indicators of dynamics were determined (average absolute growth, growth rate, growth rate). In order to ensure further analytical forecasting of industrial product markets, the selection of an approximating curve was made using the method of trend formation. Based on the obtained logarithmic curve, a smoothed estimate of the trend was made and a forecast of world steel production for the period 2023–2027 is formed. The forecast volumes of the metallurgical industry supply markets (iron ore market (iron ore and agglomerate); limestone market, scrap market, energy market), as well as the greening market (recovered steam, converter gas, blast furnace gas) and related products (slag, dust) are determined for the period 2022–2027 The forecast indicators of the growth of markets for industrial products of the metallurgical sector are substantiated. The main principles of the international strategy for the development of the steel market are determined: efficiency and sustainability of development, designing the product life cycle, stimulating the reuse of industrial products; maximum use of scrap, acceleration of decarbonization processes and transition to green steel production, effective and efficient processing of by-products. Proposed areas of the international steel development strategy: ensuring sustainable growth; promoting the development of security markets; development of effective use of related products.

Identifying Potential Supply Chain Bottlenecks Within the Ammunition Manufacturing Process for the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle

The U.S. Army is developing the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) to replace the Bradley Fighting Vehicle (BFV). The OMFV is slated to replace the BFV’s 25mm caliber gun with a 30mm or 50mm caliber gun. This analysis seeks to help inform the OMFV program's decision on round size by evaluating the supply chain aspects of each round. From stakeholder analysis, the primary supply chain concern is related to the casing material, with the 30 mm round using aluminum and the 50 mm round using steel. The manufacturing process for each round type was modeled in ProModel, including the supply chain issues related to steel and aluminum. The results indicated that both types of rounds are bottlenecked by steel limitations, since both rounds use steel projectiles. The study also indicated a larger variability in round cost for 50 mm rounds given the volatility of the steel market.

Leading Russian companies on the world steel market

Metallurgical industry, is the 3rd most important branch of heavy industry in Russia and refers to the basic branch of the economy. In particular, ferrous metallurgy is a strategically important unit in the metallurgical complex and plays a critical role in shaping the sustainable development of the state as a whole, along with such industries as the oil and gas industry. Russian ferrous metallurgy market, is a leader in production efficiency, as well as production with the lowest CO2 emissions, which is one of the main competitive advantages of the industry, especially with the introduction of carbon duties and the global trend to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The steel industry has a great demand from a large number of consumers: machine building, metalworking, construction, railway production, aircraft industry, shipbuilding and many others.

The possibility of using jet metal heating

The international metallurgical World Steel Association has published new data that reviewing the situation in the global steel market. According to the published data for 2021 the production of steel on the world market decreased by 1 % (to 1.83 billion tons). The reduction in steel production on the world stage is the result of sharp fluctuations in market conditions associated with the pandemic. If it is necessary to urgently increase the volume of rolled metal production, the issues of uniformity of metal heating before rolling, stamping and forging, as well as improving the thermal operation of devices for heating the surface of slabs (which will simplify the design of heating devices, reduce the cost of heating and construction), are still relevant. One way to improve the heating process and increase the production of rolled metal is to use jet heating. This paper shows the results of modeling metal heating with nitrogen jets.

Research on the Impact of Output Adjustment Strategy and Carbon Trading Policy on the Response, Stability and Complexity of Steel Market under the Dynamic Game

With the increasingly competitive environment in the steel market and the proposed dual carbon goals, the government will need to consider many factors, such as the realization of energy conservation and emission reduction targets, the production game between enterprises, and the adjustment of production strategies of enterprises. Therefore, this research constructs a repeated dynamic game model including carbon trading policy and other mixed reduction policies, introduces a bounded rationality output adjustment strategy, and studies the response, stability, and complexity of different scenarios in the steel industry. The results are as follows: (1) With the gradual increase in emission reduction targets, the output adjustment policies that enterprises can implement will show an increasing trend under the single carbon trading policy. (2) Under the mixed emission reduction policy, the output adjustment policies that affect enterprises with larger outputs will show an increasing trend when targets continue to increase. (3) Smaller-output enterprises will be restricted and affected by more factors, such as emission reduction targets and larger output enterprises. (4) The influence of carbon trading benchmarks on market stability region is not obvious. In summary, enterprises should comprehensively consider emission reduction policies, output adjustment policies, carbon trading benchmarks, and other factors to ensure that the enterprises and the entire market will not fall into an imbalanced state.

Research on the Impact of Output Adjustment Strategy and Carbon Tax Policy on the Stability of the Steel Market

China’s steel industry has not yet implemented a carbon tax policy, and its benefits and impacts are still in the theoretical research stage. In addition, enterprises have an insufficient ability to respond to changes in production and sales, which seriously affects the market’s stability. The government should simultaneously start from multiple perspectives, such as energy conservation, emission reduction, dynamic adjustments, and business decisions. Therefore, this research constructs a repeated dynamic game model including carbon tax policy and other mixed reduction policies, and studies the stability and related indicators of the market. The results are as follows: (1) the output adjustment policies that enterprises can implement will show an increasing trend under the single carbon tax policy. (2) The output adjustment policies that enterprises with larger output will also show an increasing trend under the mixed emission reduction policy when emission reduction targets continue to increase. (3) Smaller-output enterprises need to be more cautious in formulating their production plans, and their output adjustment policies will be restricted and affected by more factors. In summary, enterprises should comprehensively consider emission reduction policies, output adjustment policies and other enterprises’ output changes, to ensure that the steel market will not fall into an imbalanced state.

A hybrid approach for improving the flexibility of production scheduling in flat steel industry

Nowadays the steel market is becoming ever more competitive for European steelworks, especially as far as flat steel products are concerned. As such competition determines the price products, profit can be increased only by lowering production and commercial costs. Production yield can be significantly increased through an appropriate scheduling of the semi-manufactured products among the available sub-processes, to ensure that customers’ orders are timely completed, resources are optimally exploited, and delays are minimized. Therefore, an ever-increasing attention is paid toward production optimization through efficient scheduling strategies in the scientific and industrial communities. This paper proposes a hybrid approach to improve the flexibility of production scheduling in steelworks producing flat steel products. Such approach combines three methods holding different scopes and modelling different aspects: an auction-based multi-agent system is applied to face production uncertainties, multi-objective mixed-integer linear programming is used for global optimal scheduling of resources under steady conditions, while a continuous flow model copes with long-term production scheduling. According to the obtained simulation results, the integration and combination of these three approaches allow scheduling production in a flexible way by providing the capability to adapt to different production conditions.

Frameworks of the Maturity Model for Industry 4.0 with Assessment of Maturity Levels on the Example of the Segment of Steel Enterprises in Poland

The aim of the article is to present the author’s concept of steel market enterprises’ maturity for functioning in Industry 4.0. The model is based on the assessment of key technologies or pillars of the new industrial concept. The proposed assessment includes five levels of investment maturity under the conditions of the fourth industrial revolution (a five-point assessment scale was used to measure the degree of maturity of developed enterprises by implemented projects of smart manufacturing (SM). The maturity assessment proposal is based on direct research. The research was carried out in the segment of enterprises from the Polish steel sector. The tool used for the research was a questionnaire survey. The research was carried out with 79 selected steel enterprises in Poland for the pilot study. On the basis of the research, it was established that the segment of enterprises in the Polish steel market are at the third level of maturity in the five-level scale of the model, where level 1 is the “preliminary” level, and 5 represents the optimal maturity level. Within particular pillars of Industry 4.0, according to all respondents, the biggest changes in terms of implementing the industrial concept took place in connection with the use of Internet and mobile technologies in the process of customer service, including EDI, an e-invoicing system. The second position belonged to investments in production automation with the use of individual machines (installation of sensors on devices and sensors for collecting data on the state of the machine). In addition, similar and relatively higher answers were given by respondents to questions about the development and compatibility of IT systems for production support, such as CAx, MRP, MES. The remaining technological pillars, such as data processing from machines, installations of real-time data; network and chain integration (end -to -end engineering); production automation with the use of interoperating machines (production nests); expansion of databases (Big Data) and visualisation of processes together with their optimisation using IoT were found to be initiated as activities in very large and large enterprises. The lowest rated scope of investment changes concerned the block chain in the steel sector. The research of investment of enterprises can be used to assess the maturity of enterprises in this segment of industry in Poland.

Dynamic strategic planning: A hybrid approach based on logarithmic regression, system dynamics, Game Theory and Fuzzy Inference System (Case study Steel Industry)

In this paper we propose a hybrid approach for Dynamic Strategic Planning in the steel industry. We have assumed demand, supply and price as main sub-systems. The interactions among the sub-systems are analyzed through multiple logarithmic regression analysis supported by historical data-base. We use three static and four dynamic scenarios using the leader-follower and coalition game theory paradigm to simulate using system dynamic. The generated simulated data, i.e., initial parameters as inputs, and independent variables as outputs, are used to mine the fuzzy rules of a fuzzy inference system (FIS) to estimate the future behavior of the system. The FIS is used to conduct the most probable cases in the market. The most likely strategy on the basis of long-term behavior of the market, i.e., the average case, is determined. Implementation of the average strategy which comes from the dynamic nature of the parameters, variables, casual loops, system dynamics, game theory, and fuzzy inference system in long-term is reliable. Short-term noises cannot put meaningful impact on the results, as all of them are considered in the procedure of proposed dynamic strategic planning. The whole framework has been applied on a real case study in the steel market.

Long-term factors and trends of the Ukrainian steel industry development

The paper deals with the study of long-term factors and trends of the Ukrainian steel industry development in the context of the influence of global industry trends. Its relevance is explained by the importance of the industry in the global and Ukrainian economy and the need to take into account modern economic, technological, social and climate challenges and opportunities for its future development. It was defined that leading factors of the world steel industry development in the long run are the demand for steel products, the implementation of latest technologies and the strengthening of a state industrial policy. Their influence will manifest in the increase of steel products consumption due to population growth, the priority implementation of smart technologies to improve the efficiency of steel manufacturing and strengthening of a state support for the industry, in particular – through protectionist measures. The main long-term trends of steel industry development on a global scale, due to the action of these factors, are the change in the geographical and product structure of the world steel market towards the leadership of the Asian region and the use of high-strength steels; increasing the environmental friendliness of the industry in order to achieve climate neutrality as a result of the implementation of breakthrough technologies; an increase of GDP steel intensity due to rise of steel production, which demonstrates a rather strong position of the steel industry in the economy. The study showed a slight decrease in the role of such traditional factors of the steel industry development as prices for steel products, investments and raw materials due to the increasing importance of means and directions for using resources instead of their ordinary availability. It was established that the main factors of the Ukrainian steel industry development in the long run, which are basically identical to the world ones due to its excessive export orientation, are changes in the global steel market, the development of latest technologies and the improvement in the competitive environment. And long-term trends are changes of steel products demand, increasing the environmental friendliness of the industry and reducing the GDP steel intensity. The influence of these factors and trends is largely negative and may lead to decrease of the role of steel industry in the economy due to the country's significant lag in terms of the introduction of latest technologies against the backdrop of increased competition in the foreign market, the lack of an effective industrial policy in the conditions of underdevelopment of the domestic steel market, a possible decrease in demand for steel products in the context of a declining population and a decrease in metal production. The improvement of the situation will contribute by the enhancement of the competitive environment through the elaboration of a long-term strategy for the industry development in the form of a separate regulatory act, the activation of the national market, the development of fundamental and industry science for the elaboration of advanced technologies of Industry 4.0 and the support of state authorities in promoting steel products to foreign markets.

Effect of hot rolling parameters on recovery mechanism in 436 (17%Cr, Nb-Mo) ferritic stainless steel

Ferritic stainless steel (FSS) grades are widely used for applications that require high strength and corrosion resistance. Their cost and versatility in the steel market have attracted a lot of interest from both industry and academic research. Despite their desirable properties, these steels grades experience surface defects as a result of microstructural evolution that evolves due to softening mechanism. The current study simulated the roughing hot rolling processes of AISI 436 (17%Cr, Nb-Mo) FSS to study the effects of inter-pass time and strain on the precipitation behaviour and the softening mechanisms in 436 FSS. The softening mechanisms and the resulting microstructures were investigated using SEM-EBSD technique. The results revealed Particle Stimulated Nucleation of new grains during the simulated roughing rolling which promoted recrystallisation due to strain accumulation. Stored deformation energy was found to increase with an increase in interpass time and strain.

Leveraging advances in automation to benefit the construction industry in the structural steel sector

The global structural steel market was reported to be valued at $96 Billion in 2018, and according to some projections, it will amount to about $140 Billion by 2025. This means that the structural steel industry is expected to have a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of about 5.4% over this six-year period. Consequently, this sector is set to perform better than the construction industry as a whole, which is projected to have a CAGR of 4.2% over approximately the same period. This projection represents good news for the structural steel industry but it also magnifies some of the challenges that the industry has been facing or has faced in the past. For example, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that overall employment of ironworkers will see an 11% growth from 2018 to 2028, which is much faster than the average growth for all occupations. On the other side of the equation, the industry is facing some challenges that may make it difficult for it to meet the projected demand. For example, there is a very well documented shortage in the construction labor force, and this shortage is already causing problems and driving construction costs upward. Moreover, there is an expectation of increased accountability towards the environment while dealing with generally larger and more complex projects. In this paper, the authors propose that increased automation may be the most effective way to solve the labor shortage problem in the steel construction sector. An overview of advancements in related automation technology is first presented, followed by an analysis of the areas of the industry that may benefit from an increased use or the introduction of automation. The authors conclude by presenting a set of recommendations for adding more automation in the production, servicing, fabrication, and erection of structural steel.

Prediction and Analysis of Seasonal Dynamic Metal Consumption using Aggregated LightGBM - A Case Study

The steel industry is regarded to be one of the industries that serve many small and large industries. Hence, for a major metal forming industry, understanding the market behavior of the steel consumption and forming is very crucial. Supply and demand lie among the most important features in stimulating the steel market. A critical problem currently facing the industry is finding the optimal inventory. This helps in preventing redundant excess inventory reducing additional cash flow as well as an inventory shortage that leads to an unstable functioning. In most cases, supply and demand have complex functions. Hence finding the optimal inventory requires accurate modeling and forecasting of steel consumption. This paper forecasts the monthly consumption of steel for a prominent metal forming industry in southeast Asia using an aggregated LightGBM method. The model is fed the daily consumption of 35 unique steel for 5 years, from 2014 to 2019 along with multiple critical temporal features. Finally, the predictions of consumption per day are aggregated to a month, which allows the model to get an in-depth analysis of the behavior of each steel consumption.

Prediction and Analysis of Wuxi Stainless Steel Market Price Based on ARIMA-BP Neural Network Combination Model

Prediction and Analysis of Wuxi Stainless Steel Market Price Based on ARIMA-BP Neural Network Combination Model

How will tramp elements affect future steel recycling in Europe? – A dynamic material flow model for steel in the EU-28 for the period 1910 to 2050

Global steel production has undergone massive growth since WWII. In recent decades, however, affluent regions such as the US and the EU-28 have been experiencing a saturation of the steel market. Stagnant steel production volumes and increased post-consumer scrap volumes are the consequence. The increasing shares of post-consumer scrap provide the opportunity to increase the scrap rate (share of utilized scrap) in crude steel production. However, steel recycling has a major limiting factor: the content of specific tramp elements.In the present study, a dynamic material flow model for steel is used to compare available scrap with crude steel demand on a quantitative and qualitative level (tramp element content of Cu, Ni, Mo, Cr and Sn). The results show that post-consumer scrap increases from 80 Mt/yr (65% of all scrap available) in 2020 to more than 100 Mt/yr (75% of all scrap available) in 2050. Based on the model, the development of the yearly surplus of low purity scrap (for which there is a higher supply than demand) was assessed via material pinch analysis. The low purity scrap surplus rises further, from today's 20 Mt/yr (2020) to 43 Mt/yr in 2050. Assuming that the current handling of scrap continues, the maximal scrap rate is shown to lie at around 55%, while the potential scrap rate (without quality constraints) could reach 75%. The dilution of low purity scrap with high purity resources would allow the utilization of all scrap until 2040 if the current collection scheme remains in place.

Analysis of the steel industry in Russia

This article presents an analysis of the steel industry in Russia. The external factors of the steel market have been studied. The results of the activities of steel enterprises for 2019 with the subsequent calculation of the market share of each participant, – have been investigated. The calculation of the main indicators of the market structure in the form of the Herfindahl-Hirschman formulas and the concentration coefficient for the three largest sellers has been carried out. The dynamics of revenue and steel production in Russia by the main producers in the industry market have been estimated, as well as changes in the level of use of average annual production capacity for a number of products have been evaluated. The structure of the country’s exports and the influence of the products of the steel industry in it, as well as the factors of its internal and external demand, – have been analysed. Factors and trends of the industry development have been considered.

Strategy for Growing the Business of Representative Office Company in Iron and Steel Industry

Iron and steel industry is among the essential strategic groups of the national industry since iron and steel products are not only raw materials for metal-based manufacture industries but also as pillars of development in infrastructure. The development of the iron and steel industry requires comprehensive handling; in the mastering of processing technology and the resources added value. The iron and steel industry is the “Backbone” in supporting the development of the national economy. Therefore, the Government’s role becomes crucial in developing the national iron and steel industry. Initially, the Indonesian steel industry was the largest in ASEAN, however over time, the position of Indonesian declines and no longer the largest. DAN is one of the three top manufacturers of plants and machines for the steel-making industry in the world. The unavailability of adequate government protection to domestic producers made imported steel products streamed heavily in all upstream and downstream sectors. This situation made the steel producer cannot grow and become stagnant in income; it cannot compete in costs; therefore, cannot invest and innovate effectively. The unavailability of the significant investment made DAN business in Indonesia become tough to grow. The purpose of the research is to develop a business strategy for DAN representative office to grow its business in Indonesia and choose a value proposition to the Indonesian market. To achieve the research objective, data collection in the method of interviews into Indonesia iron and steel industry stakeholders, along with a direct survey questionnaire into the experts to understanding industry situation and stakeholders' perspective of DAN overall performance. The various analysis framework, named PESTEL, Five Forces Porter, SWOT, were utilized to understand Indonesia iron and steel market, and company internal advantages and disadvantages in responding to it. The result of strategies is implemented with sequences: costing evaluation, financing support, human resources, partnership development, and investment.