Association News

Federal agencies will prioritize the purchase of key low-carbon construction materials, the White House announced, the latest action in its Federal Buy Clean initiative. The move drew praise from carbon steel groups, including the American Institute of Steel Construction and the American Iron and Steel Institute.

Steel activity increased in the United States and Canada in August, while aluminum shipments dipped, the Metals Service Center Institute reported in its latest Metals Activity Report.

A last-minute deal between United States-based railroad companies and their unions averted a costly strike that would have threatened the entire industrial supply chain. The agreement was applauded by a number of trade groups, including the American Trucking Associations and the National Association of Manufacturers.

Federal agencies will prioritize the purchase of key low-carbon construction materials, the White House announced, the latest action in its Federal Buy Clean initiative. The move drew praise from carbon steel groups, including the American Institute of Steel Construction and the American Iron and Steel Institute.

Demand for aluminum in the United States and Canada was up 6.6 percent for the first half of the year, the Aluminum Association reported in its latest Aluminum Situation report. Aluminum demand – representing domestic shipments from producers plus imports – in the U.S. and Canada totaled 14.1 billion pounds through June.

Economic activity in the manufacturing sector grew in August, with the overall economy achieving a 27th consecutive month of growth, say the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report on Business. The August PMI registered 52.8 percent, level with the July figure.

Metalforming companies anticipate little change in economic activity over the next three months, according to the latest report from the Precision Metalforming Association. Prepared monthly, the report provides an economic indicator for the next three months of manufacturing by sampling 112 metalforming companies in the U.S. and Canada.

World crude steel production for the 64 countries reporting to the World Steel Association totaled 149.3 million tons in July, a 6.5 percent decrease compared to July 2021. For the year to date, global production was down 5.4 percent to 1.1 billion tons.

Shipments of steel and aluminum in the United States and Canada declined in July, the Metals Service Center Institute reported in its latest Metals Activity Report.

Shipments from U.S. steel mills totaled 7.6 million tons in June, a 5.3 percent decrease compared with the same month in 2021, the American Iron and Steel Institute reported. Shipments were also down 3.8 percent compared with the prior month.