March brought the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic shutdown in almost every state created an entirely new world for manufacturers.

With a mission to “give the customer what they need when they need it,” Dennis Leebow opened Majestic Steel USA’s operations in 1979. Now the company's next generation, represented by his son and current CEO Todd Leebow, plans an expansion. 

"We are not yet looking at a glut of seaborne iron ore. But risks are escalating, and the balance is tilting towards a bigger hit to iron ore demand than supply."

An analysis from Wood Mackenzie aluminum associate Xinlin Chen.

“Unstable,” “unpredictable,” and “slow” are words that both steel producers and steel-using manufacturers (steel “consumers”) are using to describe steel market conditions heading into 2020.

Paul Nathanson, executive director for the Coalition of American Metal Manufacturers and Users, explains why the Section 232 steel tariffs were a futile effort to save domestic steel.

To say that the aluminium market has returned to ‘normality’ would be something of an understatement. The market remains far from ordinary and predictable.

Domestic steel production utilization dips below 80 percent for the first time in nearly a year. 

There is always a debate as to whether the time for a market bottom is now. These debates typically hinge on supply, demand, other factors. As the mills see it, the ancient proverb “there is no time like the present” sums up the situation perfectly. 

The Coalition of American Metal Manufacturers and Users (CAMMU), issues a statement on the one year anniversary of the full implementation of the Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.