Posted on 31/01/2013 in category Ferrous
BIR World Mirror on Ferrous Metals - February 2013
PRESIDENT'S OPENING REMARKS
by Christian Rubach, TSR Recycling
Challenges remain amid mixed outlook
Dear friends and colleagues,
2012 was a difficult year for our industry. Looking at the latest press release from worldsteel a few days ago, steel production statistics recorded by the various countries and continents again reveal a highly diverse picture: Asia and North America enjoyed positive growth rates of, respectively, 2.6% and 2.5% whereas EU steel production shrank, most notably in Spain and Italy by, in turn, 12.1% and 5.2%. Europe is economically ‘the sick man’ and its political future is still unclear. I personally fear that 2013 will not be the year of a positive turn-round in Europe’s fortunes; its current plight may last into 2014 or even longer.
The global challenges for our industry - such as overcapacity, trade barriers and export restrictions - are also far from being resolved. New and dangerous challenges continue to be added. Bank of England governor Mervyn King warns of a “currency war” and of the run for devaluation. At the forthcoming BIR Convention in Shanghai...