Purchasing back issues from October 2000:
PURCHASING Magazine.(buyers trim materials purchases)(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Buyers are trimming materials purchases. PURCHASING Magazine's new monthly business survey shows the drop-off most pronounced for steel and ...
Industrial commodity goods.
Oct 05, 2000 ... Good news is that wavering demand for industrial commodity goods seems to be taking the wind out of producers' pricing sails. Our ...
Goldman Sachs report.(effect of oil prices on economy)(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Will soaring oil prices derail the economy? No says a Goldman Sachs report, citing reduced American dependence on oil. Since ...
Commerce Department.
Oct 05, 2000 ... Banks significantly tightened business lending standards over the summer, but so what? Commerce Department data show ...
Kennecott Utah Copper.(U.S. copper markets, imports to play larger role)(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Expect imports to play a bigger role in U.S. copper markets. That alert came from Ron Stevens of Kennecott Utah Copper at the Mega Roundtable held last month in Chicago by the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) ....
Dennis Luma.(most metals e-commerce sites predicted to fail)(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Most metals e-commerce sites will fail due to a lack of transactions. That's the view of Dennis Luma, executive VP of Wabash Alloys, Wabash, Ind., a buyer of scrap aluminum. Luma has tried several sites ...
OSHA.(no personal protective equipment regulation this year, Occupational Safety and Health Administration)(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Forget about OSHA personal protective equipment regulation this year that will specify which items employers have to pay for their worker to use on the job. Final issuance has been delayed as are a number of other regs because of OSHA'S concentration on its controversial ergonomics rule ....
China's economy.(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Look for China's economy to gradually improve, putting slightly increased pressure on a wide variety of industrial markets, from metals to chemicals. Cross domestic product is growing at an 8% clip, the best since 14% in 1992. The public sector still generates more than ...
Reliance Industries.(supplies of polypropylene shoud be in balance for next two years)(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Supplies of polypropylene-which can be highly volatile-should be in balance for the next two years. Slowly rising Asian demand is expected to offset capacity coming from major new plants, such as Reliance Industries' 600,000 metric tons/yr plant in Jamnagar, India. Overall global capacity ...
High-density polyethylene prices.(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Prices of polyethylene are dropping fast. One buyer predicts high-density polyethylene prices will drop 3-4 cents/lb each quarter into the new year. Producers opening new plants are ...
Steel prices.(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Steel prices are expected to firm through next spring and then plateau. Right now demand is growing at about 2.5% a year while capacity is ...
Waupaca Foundry.(new terminology)(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... A leading U.S. foundry is calling on the scrap industry to clean up its basic terminology-even terms like "alloy-free". "There are substantial differences in what different companies mean by ...
The 2001 Chemicals Yellow Pages.(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Looking for chemical suppliers? The 2001 Chemicals Yellow Pages, produced by the editors of PURCHASING Magazine, is hot off the press. The 424-page directory also lists suppliers of packaging, environmental services and transportation services in the CPI. Send a check ...
Ispat Inland Steel.(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Ispat Inland Steel is alerting the scrap industry to potential requirements for its proposed 1.3 million tons/yr electric arc furnance in East Chicago, Ind. The mill will require scrap with tight chemistry specifications, particularly copper, because its output will be flat products. Kevin ...
The Federal Trade Commission.(Covisint)(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... The outlook for Internet trade exchanges is looking up. The Federal Trade Commission voted 4-0 to halt its investigation into potential antitrust violations of ...
SIMS Metal America.(ferrous scrap costs)(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Look for more pressure to develop on international ferrous scrap costs. Japanese mills are cranking up, consuming domestic feedstock. SIMS Metal America predicts exports of scrap from ...
"Telematics".(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Expect auto sales to remain robust next year, although a tad below the record levels of 1999 and 2000. Auto spending accounts for about $1.7 trillion annually or about 17% of the country's ...
R&D and teaching grants.(bio-based products)(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... The federal spigot is still open for bio-based products. Most of the money is aimed at R&D and teaching grants. Efforts to grow plastic in corn plants ...
Fuel surcharges.(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Expect some fuel charges to stick around for the new year, although energy costs will subside in a few months. Fuel surcharges may average ...
Roll Coater of Indianapolis.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Roll Coater of Indianapolis has issued a general price increase of 6% on ...
Special Metals.(price increase on nickel-alloy products)(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Special Metals has announced a 5%-8% price increase on all of its nickel-alloy products, effective for orders placed in October. The New Hartford, N.Y.-based company attributes the price change to ...
WMG Ltd.(nickel price forecasts)(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... The global nickel market is expected to show small supply deficits this year and next which "should ensure reasonable but lower prices," suggests Peter Johnston, executive GM for nickel at WMG Ltd., an Australian producer. "If the market stays in ...
Department of Energy.(predicts diesel fuel prices)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Oct 05, 2000 ... The estimated third-quarter national retail diesel fuel price has risen to $1.48/gallon because of a nationwide shortage of ...
Dennis Higgins of Morgan Stanley Dean Witter.(natural gas price forecast)(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Due to a tightening supply outlook in natural gas, analyst Dennis Higgins of Morgan Stanley Dean Witter has boosted his price outlook for 2000 to an average $3.50/million cubic feet from $3.05/mcf Higgins also has boosted his 2002 forecast to ...
Allegheny Ludlum.(increases flat-rolled titanium prices)(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Allegheny Ludlum is increasing flat-rolled titanium prices. The company says rising costs for materials and energy is the main reason for a 4% ...
J.P. Morgan & Co.(hot-rolled steel sheet prices)(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Sales prices for hot-rolled steel sheet dropped to an average $270/ton in September, compared to a peak of $340 in April, according to PURCHASING's monthly survey of metals buyers. "The spot market has continued to weaken," notes analyst Michelle Galanter at Salomon Smith Barney. "We now ...
Cahners Business Information.(electronic component prices on the rise)(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Electronic component prices have risen 25%, on average, through the first seven months of 2000, compared to year-ago, according to Cahners Business Information analyst Daryl Delano. He suggests the current pricing climate ...
PPG Industries.(prices)(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... PPG Industries wants to raise prices on its line of paints, glass and chemicals products in fourth quarter 2000 to offset rising costs for energy and raw materials. Analysts ...
Union Pacific.(raises rates)(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Union Pacific, the largest U.S. railroad, will raise rates about 3% in fourth quarter 2000 to offset anticipated higher fuel costs and scheduled increases in health and labor costs. The price increases apply to local and interline spot sales, but contract rates will ...
Clive Burstow of Metal Bulletin Research.(cobalt prices)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Uncertainty around cobalt's supply outlook should support higher long-term prices, but the market will remain under downward pressure over the short term, says analyst Clive Burstow of Metal Bulletin Research. Supply growth will occur, but may not be as excessive as first anticipated, he ...
Vanadium pentoxide sales.(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Vanadium pentoxide sales are relatively healthy but prices are low, reflecting excess supply. Daniel Sauter, CEO of natural resources group Xstrata, says inventory ...
Display-Search report.(notebook PC shipments)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Notebook PC shipments will jump 31.5% this year to 24.4 million units, almos a quarter of total expected PC shipments (approximately 100 million in 2000 according Display-Search report. Broken down by panel size, Dell Computer is the ...
OPEC.(Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries agrees to raise October output)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Oct 05, 2000 ... OPEC's president says an energy crisis is imminent if worldwide refining and production capacity does not grow. Al Rodriguez, also Venezuela's oil minister, says the cartel's latest output quota agreement is enough to meet worldwide crude ...
Federal Trade Commission.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Five major automakers won federal approval to set up an online trade exchange, dubbed Covisint, where they expect to conduct nearly all of their $300 billion worth of annual business among themselves and their suppliers. Federal Trade Commission s approval of the ...
Richard Lemmon.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Motor-vehicle sales are slowing so automakers are reducing assembly plans for fourth quarter. They're also reviewing car and truck inventories to make sure there won't be too many vehicles on dealer ...
Palm and Compaq pocket PCs.(personal computers)(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Shortages of memory and display screens coupled with strongerthan-expected demand will keep handheld computer devices scarce through year-end, analysts ...
Aluminum Association.(report indicates lower aluminum production)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Oct 05, 2000 ... At 295,582 tonnes, U.S. primary aluminum production fell to a 57month low in August. Latest tally from the Aluminum Association reflects pot line shutdowns attributed to high power costs in the Pacific Northwest ....
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).(Methanex and the U.S. ban of methanol in gasoline)(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... A North American trade tribunal will hear Methanex's $970-million claim for business it could lose when the U.S. bans methyl tertiary butyl ether as a gasoline additive in Califomia and several other states in 2002. Methanex of Vancouver, B.C., ...
TRANSACTION PRICES.
Oct 05, 2000 ... <Pre> TRANSACTION PRICES Latest price [*] FERROUS METALS (truckload quantities, FOB producing mills) Hot-rolled steel sheet ...
TRANSACTION PRICE FORECASTS.
Oct 05, 2000 ... <Pre> TRANSACTION PRICE FORECASTS 19992000 Quarterly averagesQ1Q2Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3 Q4 FORECAST STEEL (dollars/ton) Hot-rolled sheet252 268 283 303 327 ...
What constitutes a Medal winner?
Oct 05, 2000 ... In the last issue we announced the 17th winner of the PURCHASING Magazine Medal of Professional Excellence Award-Harley-Davidson. The biker kings join a prestigious group (see list) of companies that have recognized the importance of supply chain management and contributed to the ...
Quest for total cost of ownership continues.(Statistical Data Included)
Oct 05, 2000; ... The quest to make total-cost-of-ownership calculations a solid part of the purchasing process is still proving elusive. Purchasing managers say their companies aren't using the proper tools. They don't have accurate calculation systems or their companies don't even believe in ...
Buyers blame summer, election year for moderate slowdown.(Industry Overview)(Statistical Data Included)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Buyers blame summer vacations and the uncertainty associated with an election year for a moderate summer slowdown. The diffusion index for business conditions in September rose four points from August's mark of 49, but the numbers still represent little if any growth on a ...
Bush, Gore show remarkable similarities on economic policies.(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000; ... In the heat of presidential campaigns, the candidates' stands on issues tend to blur due to attacks and counterattacks. And in the case of what George W. Bush and Al Gore would do to help keep the American economy going, the debate doesn't capture the full range of their programs, but ...
Regulators, trade groups offer free EHS tools on Web sites.(environmental, health and safety)(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... The World Wide Web is becoming the communication media of choice for both regulatory agencies and trade organizations interested in helping businesses comply with environmental, health and safety (EHS) rules and adopt pollution-prevention strategies. Some recent offerings are described ...
Automotive suppliers lose profitability.
Oct 05, 2000; ... Automotive suppliers are losing money, sinking into debt, and watching their stocks fall to the bottom of the low-valuation heap. This is happening despite revenue growth in the industry and a still booming economy. So say the findings of a recent report by the ...
New solutions to making EDI really work in purchasing.(electronic data interchange)(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000; ... One irony in the celebration of e-procurement is the re-emergence of electronic data interchange (EDI). Where only a few years ago EDI was first hailed as a great new tool for automating the purchasing process and then put down as being too complicated to work in the average company, it is ...
Producers call for calcium chloride price hikes.(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Price increases, led by Dow Chemical Co., based in Midland, Mich., are on the table for $ 10/ton on its Dowflake [R] flakegrade material and $20/ton for liquid concentrations and material sold to the oil and gas industry. The increases are slated to take effect in mid-September. ...
E-commerce to boost purchasing card.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Oct 05, 2000; ... The Internet and e-commerce are creating both opportunities and challenges to purchasing cards. Most participants at the third annual Purchasing Card Conference, held recently in Las Vegas, believe that use of purchasing cards will grow with the rapid development of e-procurement. But some ...
New decade, same old story: Friction abounds.(in the global steel market)
Oct 05, 2000; ... Trade is important in steel. Directly or indirectly, buyers worldwide source enough steel from sources outside their national boundaries that steel exports account for 40% of total shipments. Yet, steel probably is the most contentious of trade spheres. Domestic suppliers universally ...
Japanese reject stainless angle complaint.(product dumping complaint by Slater Steel)(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Japanese and other foreign steel-makers deny that their exports of stainless steel angles have harmed U.S. producers. In a specialty steel market where year-to-date consumption has risen by 18% over 1999 volume, the Japanese find it hard to see injury for a product line where imports ...
Four dropped from rebar suit.(steel concrete reinforcing bars)(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... The International Trade Commission has made a preliminary ruling that Belarus, China, Indonesia, Latvia and South Korea appear to be selling steel concrete reinforcing bars in the U.S. at prices below fair value. However, the trade agency cleared Austria, Japan, Russia and Venezuela of the ...
Trade bills advance in Congress after five-year dry spell.(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... While labor unions increasingly argue that free trade adds up to lost jobs and sweatshops, the U.S. Congress has been signaling a readiness to back global commerce for the first time in years. Recent measures--ranging from a limited trade opening to Africa to progress on easing a ...
E-commerce is busting out all over.(metals industry electronic commerce firms)
Oct 05, 2000; ... E-commerce firms continue to germinate in the metals marketplace. The latest is WorldWidePM, an Internet marketplace planned for powder metals. Another site under development is Ecopper.com, the Internet's first North American electronic portal for just copper commerce. Not to be outdone, ...
'Where's the beef?' for e-steel portals.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Oct 05, 2000; ... B2B steel e-commerce Web sites have established a graduated pricing schedule that averages 50 basis points based on dollar volume of material sold. This level is a significant discount to traditional commissions charged by brokers to move secondary material. A 50 basis point e-commerce ...
E-scrap becomes a reality.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Oct 05, 2000 ... The $20 billion recycling industry is being turned on its ear by the rapid emergence of Internet trading sites, says Robin K. Wiener, president of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) in Washington, the industry's international trade association. "While no one can precisely ...
Asian steel alliance may prompt EU consolidations.(Pohang Iron & Steel Co. and Nippon Steel Corp. alliance may force change in European steel industry)(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... The decision of Pohang Iron & Steel Co. and Nippon Steel Corp. to forge closer links has thrown the spotlight on the European steel industry, where analysts expect further consolidation as competition intensifies and prices fall. The world's two largest steelmakers plan to ...
EMJ (Earle M. Jorgensen Co.).(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... The EMJ (Earle M. Jorgensen Co.) service center chain has moved its Toronto plant into a new location with ...
Marmon/Keystone Canada Inc.(spins off fastener division as Specialty Bolt & Stud Inc.)(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Steel service center Marmon/Keystone Canada Inc. of Burlington, Ont., has spun off its fastener division within the Marmon Group of companies and it now is operating ...
Ford Motor Co.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Ford Motor Co. has opened a new aluminum casting plant in Brook Park, Ohio, outside Cleveland, which will build aluminum engine blocks for the automakers new global inline four-cylinder engine family. The new 2.3-liter 14 engine ...
Almetals Co.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Almetals Co., a Wixom, Mich.,-based supplier of processed cold-rolled and stainless steel sheet, aluminum, clad and coated metals has ...
Mill Steel Co.
Oct 05, 2000 ... Grand Rapids, Mich.,-based Mill Steel Co. has acquired the Louisville, Ky., ...
Ipsco Inc.(Brief Article)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Canadian-American steelmaker Ipsco Inc. has combined its North American field sales into one administrative group handling hot-rolled sheet in coil, discrete (cut) plate, and cut-to-length sheet and plate. Dan Miksta, vice president and general sales ...
Alcatel USA.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Oct 05, 2000 ... Alcatel USA in Piano, Texas, is planning to build a 250,000-tonne-per-year copper rod mill in the southeastern U.S. that could be operating by 2003. The mill would be Alcatel's first in the U.S. Its parent company in France already owns four rod mills--a 250,000-tonne/year ...
Citation Corp.
Oct 05, 2000 ... Citation Corp. is installing an 800-ton casting machine at its Southern Aluminum facility in Bay Minette, Ala, The Birmingham-based ...