ET reported that Steel Authority of India Limited will set up four steel processing units, one each in Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan and Bihar at an estimated investment of up to INR 600 crore.

Mr Ram Vilas Paswan minister of steel and chemicals and fertilizer said that "We will set up steel processing units in Amethi in UP, Kashmir, Jhunjhuna in Rajasthan and Gaya in Bihar. Investment for each plant will be INR 100 to INR 150 crore. SAIL will invest the entire amount.”

He added that all these units would procure raw material like hot rolled coil from the integrated steel plants of SAIL. Amid rising input cost pressure, SAIL said yesterday that it is securing raw material for its units and has started developing its mining blocks.

Mr S K Roongta chairman of SAIL said that "The company is strengthening raw material security and has already started the process for development of its four million tonne per annum capacity coking coal block with captive washery at Tasra and development of Sitanala coking coal block.”

Mr Roongta said that to maintain steel prices and increase the availability of the alloy in the domestic market it is imperative to set up new production units in the country.

Indian domestic steel prices for long products remained weak on September 11thd 2008.

ILPPI – Indian Long Product Price Index
IFPPI – Indian Flat Product Price Index
INDSPI – Indian Steel Price Index

Long products

Flat products

To know more about these indices please visit
http://steelprices-india.com/spi_services/spi.html

To know the actual price levels on daily basis, please subscribe to service of www.steelprices-india.com

Press Trust of India cited Mr LN Mittal chairman of ArcelorMittal as saying that there was no Indian company on his takeover radar.

Mr Mittal said that “It is very unlikely that we get an M&A opportunity in India as Indian entrepreneurs are doing very well and whatever expansion we are planning in India would be through Greenfield projects. He said that it is very unlikely for us to do an M&A deal in India.”

Mr Mittal said that “Globally, ArcelorMittal has spent USD 21 billion in merger and acquisitions over the past couple of years in steel, iron ore and distribution deals, most of which have been in the US and Mexico.”

He added that ArcelorMittal plans to invest USD 50 billion across the world excluding India, to expand its steel making capacity from 110 million tonnes to 130 million tonnes by 2012. However, this investment would be mostly in brown-field expansion at its existing facilities.

BL reported that metal stocks slid on the bourses as talks of a cut in steel prices gathered momentum. A little before the trading session ended, there was indeed such a development as JSW Steel said it had cut prices by around 5% effective September 1st.

The BSE Metal index slid by 5.48% and was the biggest loser amongst the sectoral indices.

Mr Gaurav Dua Head of Research Sharekhan Limited said that steel prices have been going down globally, leading to negative sentiments here towards the metal stocks.

Analysts said that falling global prices mean that domestic manufacturers will have to match imports in price. At the same time, input costs remain high and this is putting their margins under pressure and impacting profitability.

India is large market for import of steel scrap and this is the directory which is going to help many interested group to know this industry.

Published in September 2008, ' Directory of Scrap Suppliers to India' has been comprehensively researched and prepared, to bring you a fully up to date guide to overseas scrap supplier.

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Content:
This report covers name and product details of 1191 overseas scrap supplier to India in alphabetical as well as location wise order. Look at the information you'll get in the 'Directory of Scrap Supplier to India’

• Company name -1191 entries
• Address-1191 entries
• Email-1074
• Phone number-1140
• Fax number -431 entries

Format:
PDF File
Total no of pages – 545

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Price:
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Mr LN Mittal chairman of ArcelorMittal ruled out reviewing ArcelorMittal's plans for India because of the ongoing Singur crisis and said a single standoff like that does not make the country a less attractive investment destination.

Mr Mittal said that ArcelorMittal has no plan to review its investments in India due to the ongoing tension at Singur, West Bengal over the land acquisition for TATA Motors' Nano car project. Terming Singur as only an isolated case, the steel tycoon said that the political backlash there does not take away India's status as one of the leading investment destinations.

Mr Mittal said that "One case of Singur cannot be an example for the world. One can face this kind of problem in any other country. One particular project can face this kind of opposition from people. But the country as a whole is interested in growing. He said that the Singur crisis does not take away India as an investment destination. We are not going to revisit our plans because of Singur."

He said that "Our projects in Jharkhand and Orissa are facing 50% cost overruns due to delay in mining and other approvals. The total cost of these projects may raise up to USD 30 billion.”

He also urged the Orissa and Jharkhand governments to expedite approvals. He said that "So far we are getting support from both the governments. The issue is how fast we can execute and implement and how fast the governments can execute their portion of responsibilities."

Mr Mittal comments came close on the heels of India Inc's negative reaction on the Singur case including many companies saying they will reconsider investments in West Bengal if the situation does not improve soon.

Press Trust of India reported that ArcelorMittal submitted a detailed project report for its venture in India's Orissa state to the provincial government in July and is trying to secure land and mining permits.

Mr LN Mittal chairman of ArcelorMittal said that the company expects to submit a similar report for its mill in Jharkhand by end of the year.

Mr Mittal said that the steelmaker has identified how many families would need to be rehabilitated in Orissa and has begun talking to villagers and non governmental organizations about benefits of the venture.

He said that in Jharkhand, the company has secured rights for 65 million tonnes of iron ore, a quantity deemed insufficient for the project and is in talks with the state government for more.

ArcelorMittal has proposed to set 2 mills in India, one in Orissa and another in Jharkhand with a total capacity of 24 million tonnes at an investment of USD 20 billion. It signed an accord for the Jharkhand mill in mid 2005 followed by the one in Orissa.

It is reported that TATA BlueScope Steel has appointed Mr Harish Pathak as MD with effect from August 1st 2008.

Prior to joining TATA BlueScope Steel Mr Pathak was executive in charge (Profit Centre Chief) of the Wires Profit Centre of TATA Steel based in Mumbai.

Project monitor reported that Punjab State Electricity Board has initiated the process for setting up a 4x660 MW thermal power project at Ghaga village in Gidderbaha tehsil of Punjab.

Mr HL Garg director of PSEB said that the project would be implemented on build own operate basis for 25 years. He said that "We have already invited global expression of interest from developers with solid net worth and annual turnover, as the project is estimated to cost INR 13,000 crore. He added that this cost estimate had been arrived at based on the per megawatt cost of about INR 4 crore to INR 5 crore. If the selected developer uses Chinese technology, then the cost may come down to INR 3 crore to INR 3.5 crore per MW."

The official said that the first unit of 660 MW was scheduled for commissioning before March 31, 2013 and the other three units of 660 me each would have to be commissioned in a gap of 4 months each.

According to Mr Garg who is part of the project implementation team, PSEB is currently in the process of acquiring about 2,430 acres of land. The Punjab government has already given water linkage from Bhakra Nangal canal.

The official said that PSEB had applied to the Centre for about 12.8 million tonnes per annum of coal. He said that "We have also applied for a permanent coal block of about 400 million tonnes, so that the developer can run the plant without interruption. He added that before handing over the project to the selected developer, we want to ensure that all the clearances and linkages are in place so that the project progresses smoothly."

The official said that a special purpose vehicle Gidderbaha Power Limited wholly owned by PSEB will be the nodal agency for implementing the project. PFC Consultants is the consultant for the project. After completion of the project, GPL will cease to exist as an SPV. The selected developer who will run the power plants for 25 years is free to sell power to others or to PSEB.

It is reported that two of the largest steel projects in the country ArcelorMittal in Jharkhand and POSCO in Orissa are unlikely to take off before 2010, when they were originally supposed to start production.

This is because both the projects have not been able to acquire any land, either for their plants or for their mining operations.

According to sources involved with the projects, a major cause of delay in land acquisition is due to objections raised by NGOs at public hearings. As things stand now, the projects will only make some progress in the next one year, hence the companies will not be able to stick to their original production targets.

A senior Government official said that “It will take four years from the beginning of ground preparation till the new Greenfield plant commences production. So even if the company begins work today it will be mid 2012 when the production will star.”

Reuters reported that car sales in India fell for the second straight month in August to 94,584 units down by 4.4%YoY from 98,893 in the same month a year earlier.

Car sales in July had fallen an annual 1.7% recording their first decline in three years, with rising borrowing costs and higher prices crimping demand.

The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers in a statement said sales of trucks and buses fell to 34,294 units in August down 6.3% from 36,615 in the year earlier period.

Project monitor reported that state nodal entity for renewable energy Haryana Energy Development Agency is soon likely to sign MoUs with 6 private players to collectively set up 12 MW of grid connected solar power projects in the state. The projects will benefit from the Centre's generation based incentive scheme for megawatt sized grid connected solar power schemes.

The 6 companies identified are RS India Wind Energy, Astonfield Renewable Resources, Epuron Renewable Energy Private Limited, Azur Power India, Omax Autos and Selecto Systems Faridabad.

A senior spokesperson of RS India Wind Energy said that the company had received the letter of intent from Hareda and expected to sign the formal MoU very soon. He said that RS India's 3 MW plant will be the first phase of the eventual target of 5 MW.

As per report, all the 6 projects are scheduled to commission within 18th months of the formal agreement. It is interesting to note that the Centre's incentive scheme has a ceiling of 10 MW per state with the overall cap being 50 MW. Hareda, it is learnt, is seeking relaxation of the rule from the ministry of new and renewable energy to accommodate an additional 2 MW capacity. Omax Autos and Selecto Systems, both based in Haryana have planned to set up their plants of 1 MW each a roof top plants that will not involve additional land acquisition.

Reliance Industries Limited and Moser Baer were amongst the 20 odd expressions of interest that Hareda had received for solar power projects in the state. More solar projects totaling some 25 MW are likely to be taken up in the state in the subsequent phase.
Meanwhile, Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission has finalized a total tariff of INR 15.75 per KWH for grid connected solar power projects commissioned up to December 31st 2009 and of INR 15.15 per KWH for projects commissioned after that date but before March 31st 2010.

One can have an idea about the importance of the construction industry in India from the fact that it is the second largest contributor to the GDP after agriculture. The industry provides employment to more than 3% of the population. Its market size is around USD 55 billion and is growing at around 7% to 8% per annually, faster than the GDP growth. As the Construction sector is growing faster than the country’s project GDP growth, there exist a tremendous potential for development in the related area.

“Directory of Construction Companies in India” is one of the top sources of information available on a construction companies in India. It is one of the most comprehensive and accurate directory of construction companies in India that ever published. This powerful directory is your connection to the entire construction companies in India.

Published in August 2008, “Directory of Construction Companies in India” has been comprehensively researched and prepared, to bring you a fully up to date guide to Indian Construction companies.

Whether you are a product manager, in charge of marketing, raw material seller, in equipment business or simply interested to remain in touch with the latest developments in the construction companies in India, this directory will save you time and effort in finding the information you need. This report will enable you to profile construction companies in India, build new business prospects, generate new customers, discover who your competitors are and make vital contacts. You would save the time, money and effort of doing your own research. This directory has been especially compiled to assist with market research, strategic planning, as well as contacting prospective clients or suppliers. It is also an indispensable guide to India’s construction sector.

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This report covers name and product details of 1000 Construction Companies in India in alphabetical as well as location wise order. Look at the information you'll get in the 'Directory of Construction Companies in India’
1. Company name -1000 entries
2. Address-1000 entries
3. Phone number-951
4. Fax number -652 entries
5. Mobile number-349
6. Email -749 entries
7. URL – 593

Format - PDF File (Total no of pages – 545), delivery by Email on receipt of payment of USD 950 or equivalent in INR. Additional charges would be levied for delivery of file on a CD or in printed form

How to order
Ordering the report is simple. You can order your copy to reports@steelguru.com

According to a press release, National Ship Design & Research Centre is holding a 1 day workshop on the impact of ban on TBT paints on the shipping industry.

The seminar, to be held at the NSDRC conference hall at Gandhigram will be inaugurated by Prof B Satyanarayana vice chancellor of Andhra University.

The objective of the seminar is to disseminate information regarding the TBT paints and their impact and the alternatives available to the shipping industry.

ET reported that Hyundai Motor will develop its low cost car in India with critical support in terms of design and technical analysis from its research facility in Hyderabad.

Hyundai Motor India new car would help it take on TATA Nano and micro car offerings from other global companies like GM, Toyota, Renault Bajaj, Fiat and Volkswagen. The new car is expected to be much cheaper than Santro and will be priced around USD 4,000 to USD 5,000. Although the car is primarily for India a certain portion of that supply will also go to Malaysian and other Asian markets.

To beef up its operations, the company has decided to make India its sole small car manufacturing hub and shifted its small car R&D to its Hyderabad centre. The final product will be jointly researched and developed by the Hyderabad centre and Hyundai’s global R&D headquarters at Ulsan in Korea.

Mr HS Lheem MD & CEO of Hyundai Motor India said that “We are planning a petrol car which will be a notch above the Nano segment. It will be price competitive and exclusively target the Indian market, but may be followed by a global launch later. He said that by the time this car will be launched in India, the demand for small cars will double to about 2 million units per year.”

BL reported that the row over construction of a rail line to the Gangavaram port is still unresolved, even though the port authorities and the State Government have agreed to share the cost of constructing a flyover at Balacheruvu road to facilitate the free flow of traffic.

All the unions in the Visakhapatnam steel plant have objected to the construction of a rail line to the port without first building the flyover as it will become difficult for the workers to go to the work spot especially when they are changing shifts.

An earlier attempt to construct the rail line at the trouble spot was foiled by the workers. The workers of the steel plant held a demonstration earlier this month and served an ultimatum to the management over the issue.

Subsequently, discussions were held between the district administration, the Gangavaram port authorities and the steel plant officials. It was agreed that a flyover be built with the cost being shared by the Gangavaram port and the State Government, but it now appears that there has been a problem over the width of the bridge.

The Gangavaram port officials now contend that they have agreed to construct a bridge with a width of 7.5 meters within 6 to 9 months and to take subsequent steps for the purpose. The steel plant officials, however, want a bridge with a width of 10.5 meters a proposal not acceptable to the Gangavaram port officials. The officials argue that the additional cost for increasing the width should be borne by the steel plant. The issue is yet to be sorted out.

BL cited Mr L Mansingh chairman of Petroleum & Natural Gas Regulatory Board as saying that it would encourage purchase of gas in spot market to augment supplies in India and favors a roll back of subsidy in LPG.

Mr Mansingh said that at its second round table meeting after Hyderabad, organized under the aegis of Confederation of Indian Industry, the regulator would encourage the emerging spot gas market to ensure supplies. He said that “We will also have different prices for different categories of consumers and entities.”

He said that the regulator has taken up with the Union Government the issue of a phased roll back of subsidy on LPG in view of the expanding city gas distribution system across India. He added that “Even the Planning Commission of India has supported us.” He said that the 11th Plan has accorded the third highest priority to CGD after fertilizer and power sectors.

It is reported that Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority is weighing the option of granting a higher floor space index in the planned city of Navi Mumbai in a bid to raise funds for its 22 kilometer 8 lane Trans Harbour Link Project.

Mumbai Trans Harbor Link now being built by the state agencies after the MMRDA rejected initial bids by Reliance Infrastructure is estimated to cost around INR 7,600 crore projects.

Moreover, the MTHL that will link Sewri in South Mumbai to Nhawa near Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust could be adding to the infrastructure constraints in the island city. The government had earlier planned to impose an impact levy on the additional development rights arising from the project. It was expected that MTHL construction could lead to a boom in realty and infrastructure sectors near the sea link. Work on the trans harbor link is expected to start on January 26th 2009.

The state government is also considering a similar move of granting a higher FSI at the Metro railway stations to reduce viability gap funding.

According to the state government's estimates, it will have to pay a VGF of around INR 4,500 crore to developers. This includes around INR 1,600 crore to be paid to Reliance Infrastructure promoted Mumbai Metro One which is developing Mumbai's first metro line connecting Varsova, Andheri and Ghatkopar.

Suzlon Energy has announced that Suzlon Energy AS, Denmark, the wholly owned subsidiary of the company secured a major contract with Martifer for the delivery of 29 S88 MW to 2.1 MW turbines totaling a capacity of 60.9 MW to projects in Romania.

This order represents Suzlon first wind turbine order in Romania and is a major addition to the company expanding global footprint.

In addition, Suzlon and Martifer also signed a contract for wind power development in Portugal supplying nine S88 turbines between the Baiao and Vila Franca de Xira wind farms for a total 18.9 MW of capacity.

FE reported that Industrial units in the state are likely to incur a production loss of INR 1,200 crore per day as a result of power cut imposed by the power supplying company. The state run GUVNL has decided to impose the power cut on processing industrial units for next couple of days to meet the demand from the farm sector.

Mr Rajesh Shah chairman of GCCI said that the 30% power cut imposed by the Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited will incur a loss of INR 1200 crore per day. Mr Shah said that to get maximum output from the production units, it needs to run at over 80% of its original capacity, but with power cut imposed by GUVNL, the target cannot be achieved.

He said that power cut will have an adverse effect on small industrial units as the big industries have their own captive power generation capacity, while small and medium size unit are completely dependent on the GUNVL for power supply.

As per report, GUVNL had already imposed a compulsory 2 day holiday on some industries across the state from September 6th, but it has not helped the company getting required power to divert toward agriculture for meeting its increasing demand.

It is reported that Mr Sushilkumar Shinde union minister of power administered the Oath of Office and Secrecy to Mr S Jayaraman as Member of Central Electricity Regulatory Commission.

Mr S Jayaraman worked for more than 20 years in the mining and power sector and retired as CMD of Neyveli Lignite Corporation in May 2008

In order to provide relief and better medical care to the Bihar flood affected people, Mr Murli Deora Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas has decided that one of the Oil PSUs should undertake medical relief operations each of the five flood affected districts Bihar.

Accordingly, necessary medical relief works in Supol will be taken up by OIL, in Madhepura by HPCL, in Araria by ONGC, in Saharsa by IOC and in Purnea by BPCL.

As part of these operations, the Oil companies will dispatch a team of doctors, para medical staff, necessary medicines etc. to medical camps being set up in the area in consultation with the district administration. Indian Oil Corporation has been designated as coordinating PSU in consultation with local administrative for the relief works to undertaken in the flood affected areas.

Further, in accordance with the initiative taken by Mr Murli Deora, Oil Sector PSUs have pledged to contribute essential relief materials for the flood affected areas of Bihar worth INR 5 crore. This include providing fuels like kerosene, free LPG for community kitchen in relief camps, Solar lanterns, Blankets, Candles, Matchboxes, ORS Solutions, Milk Powder, Dhotis/Sarees, Cooking utensils etc.

ET quoted Mr Avinash R Shah executive VP of GMR Energy as saying that it plans to invest over INR 10,000 crore in setting up a 2,000 MW to 3,000 MW nuclear power plant in the country in the next 5 to 7 years.

Mr Shah said that "We have held talks with equipment as well as fuel suppliers and will firm up a plan in the next 1 years time."

Mr Shah said that GMR Energy is a unit of GMR Infrastructure Limited and has hired very experienced people from state owned Nuclear Power Corporation including Mr MR Srinivasan former CMD for its nuclear foray.

Brazilian steelmaker Gerdau is investing USD 524 million in a new steel mill in Argentina. Company CEO Mr ré Gerdau Johannpeter made the announcement Thursday in a meeting with Argentine President Cristina Fernández.

Located in Santa Fe province's Pérez city, the new Sipar Gerdau plant will increase the group's steel production in Argentina fourfold to 1.1 million tonnes from 260,000 tonnes per year.

The new facility is located 5km from Sipar Gerdau's existing mill. Construction is to begin in November and the first phase of the project to be concluded in 2011.

By then, Sipar is expected to be producing at a rate of 650,000 tonnes per year of crude steel and 710,000 tonnes per year of long products, which includes shapes, wire rods, wires, concrete reinforcing bars, nails and screens. Investments are some USD 310mn. The second phase is to be complete by 2016.

With respect to its production capacity, Sipar Gerdau will reach 1.1 million tons of steel, a raw material it currently buys abroad, and will therefore be helping improve the country's trade balance. Steel will be manufactured from metal scrap, which benefits the environment.

Mr Luis Pecora Nova ED of Sipar Gerdau said that “Sipar Gerdau's production is intended to meet the growing demand in the Argentinean market. These new investments will further prepare the company to respond especially to the needs of the construction and metal-mechanic industries.”

Sipar Gerdau is one of the major suppliers of finished long products for the construction and metal mechanic industries in Argentina. The company operates a mill in Pérez, Province of Santa Fé, and has the annual installed capacity to roll 260,000 tonnes. It has 450 employees.

Gerdau is the leading manufacturer of long steels in the Americas and the world leader in special long steel for the automotive industry. It has 46,000 employees and operates in the Americas, Europe and Asia, totaling an installed capacity of 26 million tonnes of steel.

It is reported that, due to Taiwan’s government setting a ban on steel billet exports, local market supply now exceeds demand, causing the billet price to fall sharply from TWD 31,000 per tonne at its highest point to TWD 17,000 per tonne.

The price has dropped by TWD 14,000 per tonne or by 45%. Compared with the international price at USD 900 to USD 50 per tonne CNF, it is around USD 400 per tonne cheaper. Therefore, some traders are thinking to buy now and export the billet when the ban is lifted in 2009 for at least USD 200 to USD 300 per tonne profit.

Mr William Adams analyst of Basemetals.com said that world zinc prices of 77 cents per pound this week are almost 40% lower than the 2008 peak of USD 1.28 reached in early March 2008 and are below marginal productions costs due to huge metal surplus and weak demand in major zinc consuming regions.

Mr Adams expects spot zinc to trade in the short to medium term from the low of 77 cents to a high of 88 cents. Independent nonferrous metals consultant Mr Angus MacMillan is even more bearish, telling clients to expect spot zinc prices to fluctuate in a range of 68 cents per pound and 82 cents.

The Merrill Lynch Global Metals Team this month reduced its 2008 price forecast to 93 cents. Through August 2008, spot zinc on the London Metal Exchange has averaged 98 cents per pound as compared with USD 1.17 for all of 2007. The Merrill Lynch forecast for 2009 is 90 cents per pound while the consensus outlook of 60 analysts is 86 cents.

Mr David Lipschitz analyst at Merrill Lynch points out that zinc is extremely sensitive to economic downturns since purchasing is 50% to construction, which has entered a phase of low activity, declining in the North America, Europe and non China Asia.

Mr Lipschitz notes that inventories are not at comfortable levels so top producer China's ability to absorb rising domestic output should be keenly watched. He forecasts that the zinc market will remain in surplus, rising to 304,000 tonnes in 2009 from just 45,000 tonnes in 2008.

The analysts say large zinc metal surpluses, lately around 160,000 tonnes and weakened demand across Europe and in non China Asian nations will be price depressants for some time to come.

Corus is introducing an energy surcharge system that will apply across its engineering steels product portfolio from October 1st 2008 in response to the dramatic increases in energy prices during 2007.

The surcharge is a transparent and equitable way of reflecting the impact of energy price changes on the cost of producing steel. The surcharge will be indexed against publicly available European electricity and gas prices and will use a 3 month average of forward prices to produce a quarterly surcharge value. While Corus does hedge some energy, a quarterly surcharge represents a balance between smoothing volatility and reflecting true market costs.

Given the variety of energy inputs into its engineering steels products, Corus is introducing a number of tiers to the surcharge depending on the key process routes.

The starting value for the October to December 2008 surcharge for a basic Rotherham product will be in the region of GBP 65 per tonne. A basic Stocks bridge product, such as engineering rounds, will carry a value of about GBP 75 per tonne. A turned, ground or drawn product will carry a surcharge of about GBP 100 per tonne. In order to keep the system simple, the surcharge on more complex products will be negotiated on a case by case basis.

Mr Peter Hogg commercial director for the engineering steels portfolio in Corus Long Products said that “Energy costs have virtually doubled in the last 12 months. We wanted to put in place a mechanism that transparently reflects this impact. Energy pricing is not just a UK issue which is why we selected publicly available European gas and electricity prices as the basis for the surcharge system. Other industries such as glass making, have previously adopted similar mechanisms.”

It is reported that South Africa’s Competition Commission has prohibited a number of mergers in the steel sector, involving separate acquisitions by the Aveng Group and the Cape Gate Group.

The Commission said that there was widespread collusion in some markets that would be affected by the mergers and the mergers would lead to the strengthening of cartels. Companies involved in the transactions were said to be involved in cartel activity.

It prohibited three intermediate mergers involving acquisitions by Aveng of Koedoespoort Reinforcing Steel, Witbank Reinforcing & Wire Products, and Nelspruit Reinforcing Supplies. It also recommended to the Competition Tribunal, the prohibition of a large merger involving the acquisition of Silverton Reinforcing and Wire Products by Aveng Africa.

Mr Tembinkosi Bonakele M&A manager at Competition Commission said that “Collusion in the steel market is a big concern to the Competition Commission, as it artificially keeps prices of construction material high. Our country cannot afford to have this type of behavior continuing, especially in the context of the major construction projects that are currently taking place.”

It said that the merger would also lead to the creation of a vertically integrated firm in that, apart from its steel businesses, Aveng was also a major construction company, while all the target firms process and supply reinforced steel bars, mesh and hard drawn wire for use in the building and construction industry.

Cape Gate and Transvaal Gate both manufactured and supplied certain steel products, including commercial link fencing. The Commission was concerned that the merger would lead to substantial accretion in the market for commercial chain-link fencing, with the creation of the largest competitor with a market share of more that 40%.

In July 2008, the Commission said that it might have unearthed a cartel in the steel industry, after it received an application from Scaw Metals for corporate leniency, alleging the existence of a cartel among competitors in the sector.

The Commission said it found that there was widespread collusion in the steel reinforcing market and these investigations revealed that major competitors met and exchanged information and fixed prices. It added that “The removal of four independent companies from the relevant markets, resulted in a clear increase in concentration and was likely to make a collusive outcome easier to achieve.”

RCG Research & Consulting Group AG announced that it has widened its range of consulting services by Processes and Systems within RCG Solutions GmbH.

Now RCG will be supporting new and existing customers to the same extend. For the first mentioned the focus is the optimizing of business processes and effective IT adoption. Our new customers are attracted by our widened and completely integrated business activities from the very beginning.

The integration of Business Process Management into the existing major activities Strategic Consultancy and Research is the logical consequence of the market orientated strategy for growth of RCG. Consequently, we are certain to offer a higher value in the same high quality as usual to our customers.

RCG Solutions GmbH will be reinforced by an established team of process and IT specialists with experience of several years in the steel business. From 1st August 2008 Mr Sascha Dongowski, former senior consultant and key account manager of KL Consulting GmbH will form one of the two CEOs of RCG Solutions GmbH.

The fast developing Indian steel industries are continuing beyond what most believed was possible. As one of the world's fastest growing economies, India has become the most happening place among world steel market over last few years and thus is in the radar of not only Indian but most of global players associated with steel industry. But due to fragmented nature of industry, a comprehensive list of smaller steel makers is not readily available.

"Indian Steelmakers Directory 2008' is one the top sources of information available on steel making companies in India! 'Indian Steelmakers Directory' is one of the most comprehensive and accurate directory of Indian steel companies that have ever been published. This powerful directory is your connection to the entire Indian steel industries sector.

Published in February 2008, “Indian Steelmakers Directory 2008” has been comprehensively researched and prepared, to bring you a fully up to date guide to India's rapidly growing steel makers. This Directory will be extremely useful to businesses that deal specifically with companies in the iron and steel industry, ferro alloys, consumable suppliers, raw material sellers, equipment makers and others.

Whether you are a product manager, in charge of marketing, raw material seller, in equipment business or simply interested to remain in touch with the latest developments in the Indian steel industries, this directory will save you time and effort in finding the information you need.

Why spend hundreds of hours searching for new contacts? Invest in a copy TODAY!

This directory covers name and details of 720 of Indian steelmakers in Alphabetical as well as location wise order.

Look at the information you'll get in the 'Indian Steelmakers Directory'

• Company name -723 entries
• Address-723 entries
• Phone number-723 entries
• Fax number -590 entries
• Email -446 entries

Report Summary:
1. Published: Feb 2008
2. Format PDF File (Delivery by Email on receipt of payment)
3. Total no of pages – 396

Price: USD 1250 or equivalent in INR
(Additional Charges would be levied for delivery of file on a CD or in printed form)

You can order your copy to reports@steelguru.com

Birmingham News reported that ThyssenKrupp Steel USA LLC is moving its operations in Mobile to the site where the company is building a USD 4.2 billion plant in Calvert, near the Washington County line.

Mr Scott Posey a ThyssenKrupp spokesman said "This is an exciting milestone for us. We are moving home."

A 65,000 square foot building there will act as the steelmaker's headquarters until a permanent administrative building is completed.

ThyssenKrupp announced last year it was building the Alabama plant, which will produce carbon and stainless steel. Initially valued at USD 3.7 billion, the plant is expected to have 2,700 workers and begin operations in 2010.

The London Metal Exchange has announced Kynetix Technology Group as solution provider for the new LMEsword system.

LMEsword is being developed in order to replace the existing SWORD system, currently operated and managed for the LME by LCH.Clearnet, for the creation, storage and transfer of LME warrants.

The LME is proposing, with the new system, to bring the operation and management of this key, strategic system in house under direct Exchange control. The introduction of the new system will provide efficiencies and the ability to bring new products to
market more rapidly.

The LMEsword system will be developed, managed and operated directly by the LME as part of a strategic decision to bring control of core systems in-house. The current SWORD system has served the market well for 10 years but a more flexible and modern system is required to react to new product launches and changes to existing contracts. The development of LMEsword will occur in two stages. The first stage will be to build a new system which, in the most part, replicates the functionality of the existing SWORD system. The second stage will be to enhance the functionality of LMEsword in line with the requirements of the LME membership. The core functions of the SWORD system and the existing depository arrangements will remain unchanged.

Mr Michael Warren chief technology officer of LME said that “The LMEsword project will bring control over a key application for which the LME have long-term enhancement ambitions. Kynetix Technology Group were selected both for their excellent track record in our sector and their demonstration of a deep understanding of the specifics of the LME’s management of warrants. We are delighted to appoint them and look forward to a successful project.”

Kynetix Technology Group is a specialist software firm that provides custom solutions to the capital markets, investment banking and insurance sectors and has developed a number of packaged solutions for the exchange-traded derivatives community. Founded in 1996, Kynetix is a quadruple Microsoft Gold Certified Partner.

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Thailand’s Sahaviriya Steel Industries has planned to raise its price by 10% for fourth quarter.

The CEO of SSI said that because of the raising raw material cost, SSI will raise its price no less than 10%. However, the slow demand made SSI not raise its September 2008 shipment price. Prices for the fourth quarter are expected to up to USD 1,100 to USD 1,200 per tonne.

Current prices are prevailing at USD 900 to USD 1,000 per tonne on average.

Global steel prices have continuously risen, especially for high quality steel products. On the other hand, one factor might cause tight supply. Japan and Korea's steel mills will temporary stop their production for annual maintenance.

It is reported that Austrian steel manufacturer Voestalpine’s prospecting of Romanian market for its multibillion euro investment over 1,000 hectares will need compromises from state and local authorities.

Constanta city ring road and a railway will need relocation if Voestalpine decides to invest EUR 5.5 billion in a production facility in Dobrogea. State gas and electricity transport companies Transgaz and Transelectrica must also connect the steel manufacturer to the national gas pipe network and the electricity grid at no charge.

At the end of June 2008, Voestalpine organized an auction and the biggest land owners in the area of Agigea, Constanta county, Arca East Invest and Chayton Capital, agreed to sell 96 hectares of land to Voestalpine. The Austrians will make a down payment of 5% of the price, thus compensating the owners if the steel producer pulls out of the deal.

Voestalpine plans to open a plant manufacturing 5 million tonnes of steel per year, which will employ up to 5,000 when operational. Ukraine, Turkey and Bulgaria are other countries in the running for this project. By 2012 Voestalpine aims to build its own generator of electricity at the site, a power station with an installed power of 500 MW.

Data from Indonesia’s trade ministry shows that the volume of tin checked for export by surveyors fell to 8,231 tonnes in August 2008, down by 17% MoM than in July 2008.

Mr Hartojo Agus Tjahjono director for exports of industry & mining products said that the fall in exports may be because some buyers slowed their purchases due to adequate stock.

The ministry reported July tin exports at 9,883 tonnes, the total boosted by a large shipment of metal by independent smelters which had been delayed from the previous month.

Total tonnage reported in January to August 2008 period as part of the trade ministry’s export licensing system is 64,534 tonnes, while the running twelve month total from September 2007 to August 2008 is 99,082 tonnes.

Antara News Agency reported that a plan to establish a tin futures market in Jakarta is being supported by the main independent tin smelters in Indonesia.

Companies grouped in the Bangka Belitung Timah Sejahtera consortium urged the government to immediately form a Jakarta Tin Market to improve their price bargaining power.

The idea of a market in Jakarta was raised publicly in July 2007 by Mr Diah Maulida trade ministry's director general of foreign trade. Since then, the idea has been supported by key government ministries and state tin company PT Timah.

At present, the London Metal Exchange is the world's only significant futures market for tin, while the Kuala Lumpur Tin Market in Malaysia provides an Asian regional spot market.

It is reported that Europe Container Terminals has launched the Euromax Terminal, located at Rotterdam's Maasvlakte area directly on the North Sea. The Euromax terminal has a total area of 84 hectares with a quay length of 1,500 meters and offers an annual capacity of 2.3 million TEUs.

Investors in Euromax terminal expect to eventually increase the capacity to 6 million TEU. The terminal is a JV of ECT with Cosco, Hanjin, Yang Ming and K Line each investing 12.5%.

ECT has also launched the 840 meter Delta Barge Feeder terminal, which offers feeder and barge operators their own dedicated terminal within the ECT Delta Terminal.

The DBF terminal has an annual handling capacity of 700,000 barge and feeder moves. It also offers additional capacity to ECT customers using the deep sea quays.

American Iron & Steel Institute announced that it has launched a re design of the public policy section of its web site www.steel.org. The new design provides relevant information in a more easily accessible manner for those Web site visitors interested in the policy positions of the American steel industry.

The site now provides a new section titled 'Policy Resources' where visitors can go to view AISI policy analysis, steel fact sheets, AISI testimony, AISI supported legislation and other important resources related to the policy positions of the industry. In addition, the new site highlights the 'Take Action' feature where visitors can participate in grassroots-level activities, such as contacting their elected officials, review issues, legislation and a comprehensive election guide.

One notable change to the site is that AISI’s polic