Category Archives: Industrial Goods

Balli Steel Reports Global Steel Market Experiencing Sharp Rises Since Chinese New Year

Balli Steel, one of the world’s largest privately owned independent commodity traders, highlights that steel markets across the globe have experienced sharp price rises since mid- February 2010. The first six weeks of the year had seen a flat market with the majority of commentators believing that prices would most likely fall back to November 2009 levels, however conversely, prices started to rise sharply coinciding with Chinese New Year (14th February).

Balli Steel reports that the price has largely been driven upwards by restrictions in the availability of raw materials and by steel mills maintaining a tighter control over supply. Balli Steel anticipates that prices are likely to continue to rise in the short term, however, there is the possibility that the market may start to show signs of fatigue in the third quarter, especially if the steel mills fail to retain supply restrictions.

Balli Steel reports that prices have risen by approximately US $200 per tonne since the start of the year regardless of their base level, equating to increases of approximately 35-40%.

Nasser Alaghband, CEO of Balli Steel commented: “Contrary to the views of most commentators at the beginning of the year, we have seen a strong rally in steel prices over the past six weeks, albeit based on relatively thin trading volumes. We anticipate that prices are likely to grow more conservatively over the rest of the year, although prices may come under pressure in the third and fourth quarters if steel mills decide to increase production.”

Although steel prices have risen across the board, there remain significant regional market variations. The Chinese market remains key, accounting for significant global demand and over 50% of worldwide production, however despite surpluses, China has not been an aggressive exporter. Elsewhere in the Asian market, demand from India has also remained very strong with significant imports made in the first quarter of 2010.

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IndustrialFocus.com Helps You Find the Right Industrial Supplies

Are you interested in finding out about equipment for agriculture and forestry, construction, electrical and test equipment, or fuel equipment? Are you in need of high quality equipment for fuel and energy projects, for industrial supply and mro, for manufacturing, or for special services? Are you looking for good work gear or industrial equipment? You should check out the website Industrial Focus before you buy. At the Industrial Focus website online you can learn all about consumer reviews, equipment reviews, and you can get free information so that you can make a prudent investment in the equipment you require.

Find the Right Industrial Supplies with Help from the IndustrialFocus.com

At the Industrial Focus you will find an abundance of free articles related to agriculture and forestry and construction industrial equipment. Get the how to advice you need when it comes to finding quality construction equipment or industrial test equipment with great ease. Visit the Industrial Focus website online to learn how to choose electrical and test equipment too. There are free, well researched articles on the site that you can use as a guide to getting the type of equipment you require to get any job done. Find out who the leading manufacturers are, learn about buying new vs used equipment and explore all of your equipment buying options on one website: the Industrial Focus site online.

When you visit the Industrial Focus site online you will discover a website with a simplified navigation menu. You can easily navigate back and forth or f r o m one article to the next since the menu is set on each page on the right hand side. You can access articles about industrial manufacturing equipment, fuel and energy equipment and you can even find out where to get low cost industrial equipment supplies or industrial supply and mro options. As you read one article you can simply click on the next section in the menu to move onto other informational offerings of interest on the Industrial Focus website online. The site has been created to offer you free information in an easy to access, easy to read and comprehend style.

Head for the Industrial Focus if you have questions in your mind about industrial commercial equipment, industrial equipment manufacturing, or where to get top of the line industry equipment of any kind. Learn about the different services available or explore your industrial cleaning equipment options too. On the Industrial Focus website online you can read about work gear selections, where to get safety gear, and how to buy the work gear you require at all time low prices. F r o m information on industrial machinery equipment to where to find the best auctions for industrial safely equipment, f r o m tips on getting great industrial equipment supply locations to offer you great prices, to finding industrial equipment covers and industrial handling equipment, the Industrial Focus site serves as a single website for all your information needs.

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ChinaMart Los Angeles & YiWU Mart 1st Annual Chinese Exporter Awards

ChinaMart Los Angeles (CMLA) and YiWU Mart (Shenzhen) announce the 1st Annual China Mart Exporter Excellence Awards to select and then promote both U.S. and Chinese companies with the best potential to export new and innovative products on April 15th Nomination Ceremony in Shenzhen. This Award is sponsored by Los Angeles County World Trade Center (and LAECD), Los Angeles World Airports, LA Inc. (Los Angeles City Office Beijing), CCPIT Shenzhen and Longgand District of Shenzhen Government.

The Nominations and a Seminar on “Selling to the U.S.” will be held on April 15th at China Mart’s New Offices at the YiWu Mart (Shenzhen). 11 winners will be announced in China based on Nominations received by April 26th (Register Nominees & Rules for Chinese Company Exporter Award at: http://www.chinamartusa.com/e-news.htm). 11 Winners will be invited to China Mart Los Angeles on June 24th, 2010 announcement of Grand Prize Winner of 1 Yr Free Showroom and Marketing promotion at China Mart exclusive Los Angeles International Airport Showrooms. Chinese companies coming to Los Angeles will be hosted for 1 week with match making buyers event and business survey / introduction to Los Angeles business community and government.

China Mart Los Angeles is an international business platform with headquarters in Los Angeles (and Offices in Guangzhou & Shenzhen, China) that specializes as a“One-Stop Shop” for Chinese companies to open the U.S. Market. China Mart also provides support to U.S. companies seeking to open and export to China’s market (for more info visit: www.ChinaMartUSA.com).

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Dana Resources looking to Acquire Peruvian Silver Mines

Dana Resources (OTCBB: DANR) is a US-based precious metals development company with advanced stage gold and base metal properties in Peru. Management is pleased to announce progress on evaluating several potential silver acquisitions.

Dana Resources looking to Acquire Peruvian Silver Mines

Dana Resources is evaluating several opportunities in the silver sector in Peru. The company is looking for assets in production where it could make an investment in existing production situations to increase capacity to take advantage of current metal prices. The company is looking at three specific acquisitions.

Prospect one is a small scale Silver-Lead-Zinc mine. Dana believes with a minimum investment it could increase production from 50 tons per day to over 250 tons per day within 12 months time. Head grades are 25 oz/ton Ag, 7% Pb, 7% Zn and 2 grams/ton Au. Using the following numbers Dana could achieve the following cashflows.

Assuming an 80% recovery rate and a processing cost of $250 per ton, the company would be looking at an initial profit just under $6 million per annum on the initial 50 tons/day. Due diligence is ongoing.

Prospect number two is located in the Huancavelica Region. There is over 50 years of silver production in the area. The Huachocolpa Mine has produces approximately 25 million ounces of silver and the Julicani Mine produced approximately 80 million ounces. Major companies in the area include TSX listed companies Pan American Silver and Buenventura. Due diligence is ongoing.

Prospect three is an exploration project with several drill intercepts indicating a low-grade bulk tonnage deposit. Initial calculations by our geologist have indicated up to 30 million ounces of silver, although not in production yet, it could be brought into production in a short period of time with minimal capital expenditures.

The company continues with due diligence and hopes to conclude a transaction in the next several weeks.

Mr. Len DeMelt states, “Dana has implemented a plan to acquire producing precious metal assets in order to generate cashflows to leverage the current buoyant commodity prices. Our strategy is to acquire mines which initially require relatively small investments to increase production levels”.

About Dana Resources
Dana Resources is a precious and base metals exploration company with offices in the United States and Peru. Dana’s management team possesses local knowledge, extensive international connections, a wealth of experience and technical expertise in mining, mining finance, exploration and production. Dana Resources has acquired a portfolio of gold, silver and other precious & base metal properties located in Peru’s most prolific mining regions.

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Cut Out Those Dirty Habits At Work

The average desk’s surface contains more than 10million germs – but they can easily be eradicated

As more of us spend increasing amounts of time at our office or home desks, the areas around where we work are becoming ever-greater hazards to our health.

Hard surfaces, such as telephones, computer mice, printer buttons and door handles, are among the likely areas where some of the millions of germs lurking in every office are hiding – just waiting for their next unsuspecting victim.

Research has shown that the average office desk harbours more than 10 million germs. Many of these can cause minor illnesses, but, left unchecked, they can multiply to the extent that they become a serious health risk.

In order to help staff win this germ warfare battle, safety goods and signs supplier Safetyshop.com has added a comprehensive range of eco-friendly office cleaning equipment to its selection.

These latest products help keep every office surface clean and, more importantly, help to drastically reduce the amount of bacteria workers are exposed to.

“A proper, regular cleaning regime is proven to eliminate up to 99.9 per cent of the bacteria found in most offices,” says Kimberley Slack of Safetyshop.

“Safetyshop’s range of desktop cleaning agents has been specifically formulated with the most up-to-date ingredients to ensure safe and effective antimicrobial cleaning of all computer equipment and hard surfaces.”

The range is also entirely alcohol free, non toxic and non hazardous. All bottles and wipes are 100 per cent recyclable and cleaning wipes are 100 per cent biodegradable.

Among the lines available at www.safetyshop.com are desk, computer and telephone wipes, screen cleaning sprays and hygienic disposable cloths.

All desktop cleaning products can be ordered online, or by phone, fax or email, and next-day delivery is available for UK orders, subject to stock availability.

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Don’t Slip Up When It Comes To Floor Safety

Having the right warnings and vital safeguards in place can prevent a nasty, and potentially expensive, accident. The icy start to 2010 has focused all our minds on conditions underfoot, and the need to take extra care when things turn hazardous.

Don't Slip Up When It Comes To Floor Safety

But many of the dangers which we’ve encountered during the cold snap are present constantly in lots of working environments – and not being aware of them can have some nasty consequences.

So at Safetyshop we can help you have the right warnings in place to alert people to any hazards in your factory, warehouse or office, and the right equipment, work wear and fittings to help prevent any mishaps.

When you consider that Health and Safety at Work legislation obliges companies to have warnings in place – and carries the possibility of heavy penalties where they aren’t displayed – then an outlay of just a few pounds must be a sensible investment for any business.

“In 2009, nearly 11,000 workers suffered a serious injury as a result of a slip or trip at work – that’s more than 30 EVERY DAY,” said Safetyshop’s Product Marketing Manager, Bhavna Mistry.

“This is despite there being well-established regulations in place governing employers’ responsibilities for carrying out risk assessments, including slip, trip and falling hazards, and for pointing these out clearly to all staff and other visitors.”

Hazards come in all shapes and sizes, but the penalties for not acknowledging them can be onerous. For example, a warehouse worker from Bristol who slipped on a tomato which had been dropped onto the floor was awarded £2,500 compensation from his employer.

And the employer of a kitchen worker who fractured her skull on a slippery floor after cleaners removed safety mats placed over the surface, leaving it to become contaminated with food waste, water and oily residues, was ordered to pay more than£36,000 including court costs.

The use, type and style of such warnings are also tightly regulated, and are now standardised across all of the European Union, under the Health & Safety (Safety Signs & Signals) Regulations introduced in 2009. These also increased the number of warning symbols in use, and stipulated that all hazard safety signs included a pictogram as part of their design to aid interpretation.

Safetyshop keeps right up-to-date with all such developments, so by taking advice from us, you can be clear on where your obligations lie.

We can offer a range of safety signs which make your safety messages highly visible and fully compliant throughout your premises.

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CNC-Shopping Intl. Offers Brand New Fanuc Batteries For Your CNC Machine Tools, Sanyo CR17450SE-R And Panasonic BR-CCF2TH

Cnc-shopping Intl., leader in the Numerical Control Machine Tool Industry, keeps its rank of International supplier of CNC spares parts on line, for the major brands available on the market, such as Amada, Ares seiki, Charmilles, Chiron, Cincinnati Milacron, Daewoo, Deckel Maho, Doosan, Ecoca, Fagor, Fidia, General Electric, Gildemeister, Hankook, Heller, Hitachi Seiki, Hyundai, Kao fong, Kia, Kitamura, Leadwell, Mazak, Makino, Mori seiki, Miyano, Nakamura, Romi, Takisawa, Tongil, Tongtai, Toyoda, Trumpf, Victor, Washino, Yang, Yeongchin and much more… We dispose of an important stock of first hand and second hand parts at a very low price. The whole second hand material has been tested by our technicians, in order to certify you its value and reliability, we also provide you with an additional warranty to insure the quality of our products.

We offer you a large panel of articles, that are essential to the efficiency of your activity, especially for the numerical controls FANUC like CNC Machine Batteries, Servo drive, Pulse Coder/ Encoder feedback battery, PSU Battery, Battery for memory cards, Back up batttery for your CNC Machine Parameters, industrial equipment Battery, CNC Batteries replacement, Fanuc batteries, battery PLC… The PANASONIC and SANYO references as FANUC A98L-0001-0902 (Panasonic BR-CCF2TH), A98L-0031-0006 (Panasonic BR-2/3A,Sanyo CR17336SE-R), A98L-0031-0011 (Panasonic BR-AGCF2W, BR-AGCF2P), A98L-0031-0012 (Sanyo CR17450SE-R), A98L-0031-0025 (Panasonic BR-AGCT4A), A98L-0031-0026are available, and our FANUC technicians will display a high level of professionalism, dedicating their time answering any demands, in order to bring satisfaction for each customers.

Our Panasonic and Sanyo batteries match with any FANUC system 0, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11,15, 16, 18, 21, Fanuc O, Fanuc 16i, Fanuc 18i, Fanuc 21i, Fanuc 30i, Fanuc 31i, Fanuc 32i, Fanuc Power mate, robot Fanuc. Since batteries have to be replaced every year, Cnc-shopping.co.uk has implemented a special department that would handle any battery order. A battery breakdown on one of your machines, would create a loss of all the production parameters, therefore we advice all our customers not to ignore that precaution, that would make them save money and time on the long term.

Furthermore, we are aware that the replacement of batteries must be done at short notice, and that is why we guarantee you an immediate availability of our team, to answer your demand, with the possibility to choose an “EXPRESS post” within 24 hours or an “economic”. We insure you, as well, the replacement “express”, which is a replacement solution of your batteries, on your Machine Park, the fixing of your machine dysfunction being done within 24 hours.

Cnc-shopping.co.uk, assure you a continuous production line, striving to do everything for you not to have to interrupt one of your machines, because we are aware of the catastrophic impact it would have. Knowing the importance of a FANUC battery, we must provide you a fast and efficient solution, to allow its replacement under any circumstances.

Cnc-shopping.co.uk acquired a reputation throughout the years, differentiating itself, thanks to its qualified technicians, highly trained engineers (20+ years experience), who will follow you throughout the entire process. Being attentive to your demand with a high responsiveness, has allowed us to impose ourselves in many industries, such as aerospace, automobile, marine, transportation, and more.

For more information on FANUC batteries, we invite you to visit our website, www.cnc-shopping.co.uk.

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Global Steel Recovery To Continue Into 2010

Balli Steel, one of the world’s largest privately owned independent commodity traders, anticipates that the global steel market will continue its recovery during 2010. Following a fall in apparent steel usage of approximately 15% in 2009, Balli Steel believes that usage could increase by up to 9% next year. However, consumption levels are unlikely to reach their 2007 peak until 2012 and recovery is liable to be driven by the Far Eastern markets, especially China, as European markets continue struggling.

Nasser Alaghband, Director of Balli Steel commented: “We are anticipating that the steel market will continue its recovery next year but growth is expected to be moderate and driven by emerging economies, with China’s influence continuing to be critical. There is a danger that consumption growth will not match the increased production capacity which has been created in recent years, which could lead to the possibility of oversupply.”

The economic downturn has severely affected demand for steel with apparent usage expected to fall by -32.6% in 2009 to 122 million metric tonnes*. This fall in consumption has led to a slowdown in production and Balli Steel estimates that many of the mills across Europe are operating at between 40% and 60% capacity.

The global recession has led to property downturns across the European Union resulting in an oversupply of both residential and commercial property which in turn has led to a significant slow down in construction. With the construction accounting for approximately 50% of global requirement, the property downturn has had a significant impact on the steel industry across Europe, particularly in Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain.

Projections from the World Steel Association suggest that steel usage across Europe could grow by up to 12.4% in 2010. However, Balli Steel believes the industry still faces a number of challenges with governments cutting spending on public sector and infrastructure projects.

Steel consumption in the Middle East has fallen at a slower rate than in Europe with usage falling by -9.8% in 2009 to 38,834 million metric tonnes*. The demand for construction steel has fallen across the UAE, but Dubai has been hit particularly hard due to a decline in the demand for property in the first quarter of the year. Balli Steel reports that construction steel demand in Saudi Arabia is likely to remain strong in the medium term as the country looks to develop good employment prospects for its population.

China continues to dominate both the Far Eastern and global steel trading markets accounting for almost 49% of world steel production as well as approximately 50% of global consumption equating to 1.5 million tonnes per day. There are signs of over production, but the Chinese government appears reluctant to instruct the steel mills to reduce supply. The result may be an increase in exports, despite existing trade tariffs, especially for galvanised steel.

India, has been largely sheltered from the global economic crisis but its steel market has remained relatively subdued. The country’s continuing economic expansion, combined with growth in domestic consumer demand and infrastructure projects should ensure that demand for steel in India will increase in the medium term.

Other smaller Asian markets are also showing signs of growth and recovery.

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China Dominates The Global Steel Market

Balli Steel, one of the world’s largest privately owned independent commodity traders, reports that China is expanding into the iron ore market and increasing its steel production capacity, against a backdrop of declining worldwide production.

Figures from the World Steel Association demonstrate that global steel production declined by 18.1% year-on-year in August 2009 to 758 million tonnes. In contrast, crude steel production in China increased by 5.4% over the same period. China now accounts for almost 49% of world steel production as well as approximately 50% of global consumption which equates to 1.5 million tonnes per day.

Balli Steel estimates that Chinese steel production already stands at over 400 million tonnes for the first 7 months of this year compared with 560 million tonnes during the whole of 2008 and only 200 million tonnes as recently as 2000. Domestic consumption of steel has also increased sharply in recent years from just 25% of global production 10 years ago to nearly half today. However, increased supply has enabled China to become one of the leading exporters of steel, joining the ranks of the EU and Japan, with exports exceeding 20 million tonnes.

Balli Steel highlights that three factors are currently driving China’s growing dominance in the global steel market. The first is the scale of domestic demand for both industrial and construction steel, which is currently evenly balanced, with the latter a reflection of the property boom in leading cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Guanzho and Hong Kong. Real estate development grew by 10% in the first half of 2009 and automobile manufacturing grew by 16.4% during the same period resulting in increased demand for steel.

The second factor is that the depreciation of the US Dollar against the Yen and other world currencies is now reversing. In addition, other countries, such as Indonesia, are also seeing their currencies strengthen which is enabling their economies to stabilise adding to the demand for steel products.

The final driver is that the slight upturn in demand, combined with the fact that destocking has occurred, has led to an upward pressure on prices. Steel billet prices have risen from $300 per tonne two months ago to current levels of $450 per tonne.

Nasser Alaghband, Director of Balli Steel commented: “Both consumption and production of steel in China remains strong against a global backdrop of falling supply and continuing uncertainty in demand. China’s dominance of the global steel market is an indicator of the wider strength in the Asian market which has also seen an increase in production in other countries such as India and rising exports in Japan, albeit at lower levels than 2008.”

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Balli Steel Expands Further Into Asian Steel Markets With The Appointment Of Gianpiero Repole

Balli Steel, one of the world’s largest privately owned independent commodity traders, has furthered its expansion plans into the Asian steel market with the appointment of Mr Gianpiero Repole as Business Development Director. Gianpiero joins Balli Steel from Noble Commodities where he held the position of Executive Vice President of Steel in Hong Kong.

Gianpiero’s appointment is part of a strategic move by Balli Steel to strengthen its operations in the increasingly significant Asian steel market with a specific focus on China which now accounts for approximately 50% of both world steel production and global consumption.

Gianpiero has pan-Asian experience of the steel market and an extensive network of contacts which spans the region. He will spend a considerable amount of time travelling across the company’s network of offices and will be constantly promoting the business in both established and new markets. Gianpiero will also focus on increasing Balli Steel’s share of the flatroll trading market and looking at ways of maximizing revenue across the company’s Asian operations.

Vahid Alaghband, Chairman of Balli Group, commented: “We are very pleased that Gianpiero has joined Balli Steel as his experience and contacts will be invaluable to us as we look to expand our trading operations across the Asian markets. We see a number of strong opportunities for Balli Steel in the region over the next 18 months and believe that we are now well positioned to capitalise on these prospects.”

Gianpiero Repole commented: “My new role at Balli Steel is an exciting challenge, which brings with it countless opportunities to promote the company’s operations across Asia. My appointment coincides with a considerable strengthening in the Chinese steel market as both production and consumption levels continue to rise.”

Figures from the World Steel Association show that crude steel production in China increased by 5.4% year-on-year in August 2009, whilst global production declined by 18.1% over the same period.

Balli Steel estimates that Chinese steel production already stands at over 400 million tonnes in the first seven months of this year compared with 560 million tonnes during the whole of 2008 and only 200 million tonnes as recently as 2000. Increased supply has enabled China to become one of the leading exporters of steel, joining the ranks of the EU and Japan, with exports exceeding 20 million tonnes.

Nasser Alaghband, Director of Balli Steel commented: “The fortunes of the Asian and GCC steel markets have reversed over the past 20 years. In the 1990s and early 2000s the Middle East steel market was booming, however, now it is the Asian markets, led by China that has a dominant global position, whilst the Middle East markets remain subdued. We expect this trend to continue as the Chinese and Indian economies expand and we have already identified a number of key opportunities for Balli Steel across the region.”

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Couture Glass – Breaking New Ground In Large-Scale Glass Tile

GrayGlass www.grayglass.net with over 60 years of experience in the architectural and technical glass fields has spun-off a new company to enter the glass tile industry. GrayGlass recognizing the current economic environment has invested in this new venture to bring style and value to homeowners, builders and remodelers.

Couture Glass is breaking new ground in wall coverings with their remarkably affordable, high style glass tile. Their exquisite large-scale glass tile – Verre Tile has made quite a global impact with tile distributors, architects and designers. Couture Glass debut offerings includes an elegant collection of 3-D large-scale glass tile in sizes ranging f r o m 6″x 12″ to 18”x 24” in a palette of 12 colors f r o m subtle to spectacular and numerous dramatic textures which will compliment any room.

Light dances on the surface of the Riche pattern to create a range of hues f r o m the base color. This dynamic tile will reflect a myriad effect at different times of the day based on how light enters the room and strikes the wall.

Vogue will take your breath away with its multi-dimensional depth that incorporates softness, luxury and beauty. A distinctive feature of this tile is its ‘movement’, which mimics gentle winds caressing sand.

Luxe blankets walls with a gorgeous light-catching bristle effect that glistens and changes color. This eye-catching tile resembles luxurious fur and is a brilliant choice for anyone interested in adorning their walls with elegance.

Feeling reflective? Create the expansion of space while livening up your walls with this modern, versatile mirror tile available in our entire collection of 3-D VerreTile patterns.

This superior quality, TCNA tested, eco-friendly, high style glass tile collection has been created by our design experts with cutting edge tile trends in mind. This combination of style and function will appeal to traditional and modern taste alike. We are extremely sensitive to the current economic times, therefore, we are committed to deliver glass tile with excellent value and durability at a competitive price point that responds to consumer concerns and demands. Private label projects are welcome. Please visit our website to see our stunning collection of glass tile. For more information about Verre Tile by Couture Glass, visit www.coutureglass.com or contact Jennifer Wichard or Chris Vigianno.

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Limited Credit Insurance Continues To Hamper Steel Market

Balli Steel has warned that the limited availability of credit insurance is continuing to have a serious impact on the global steel market. The current lack of credit insurance means that whilst the demand for steel has increased over the past quarter trading volumes have remained static.

Credit insurance is a critical element in the supply chain as it provides suppliers of raw materials with guarantees that outstanding balances will be paid in the event of a steel manufacturer failing. In turn, credit insurance also protects steel producers themselves in the event of manufacturers defaulting on contracts. Steel traders and distributors are also heavily reliant on this insurance to be able to buy and sell on the commodities market.

Nasser Alaghband, Director of Balli Steel commented: “The trade finance sector of the steel industry is heavily reliant on bank finance and credit insurance. In the past three months bank finance has returned to normal trading, however, insurers remain unwilling to provide business credit insurance. This bottleneck is crippling companies’ abilities to trade with each other and could have far reaching consequences across the European economy just as the first signs of economic recovery are presenting themselves.”

Balli Steel highlights that this is an industry wide issue affecting even the largest organisations. For example in February 2009, Euler Hermes reduced the amount of cover it was willing to supply to Corus, the UK’s largest steel manufacturer, due to weakening global demand for steel.

Balli Steel highlights that as the banking crisis unfolded during 2007 and 2008, central banks stepped in to provide liquidity in the markets and eventually brought stability to the system. However, with the exception of AIG in the United States, insurers have not received the same level of assistance from Government and this is having a considerable impact on the sector.

Balli Steel believes that governments and central banks should assist in providing guarantees in the re-insurance market to provide the confidence to enable insurers to provide the necessary cover. If necessary, governments should be willing to become shareholders in institutions which require financial assistance.

Nasser Alaghband, continued: “The restoration of free flowing credit insurance market is essential for normal trading in steel to be resumed. We have first hand experience of European steel distributors being unable to complete deals worth several hundred thousand pounds due to a lack of available insurance. This is brining paralysis to certain sections of the steel market and is hampering economic recovery. We therefore believe where necessary governments and central banks should be willing to underwrite insurers to ensure business can resume.”

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SafetyShop Introduces New Health & Safety Range for Education

To celebrate the launch of its new and improved interactive website, Safetyshop has announced the introduction of a brand new health and safety category at www.safetyshop.com/education

In this new category Safetyshop has taken the most frequently ordered safety equipment and signs products from organisations within the education sector and put them all in one convenient location. The range includes health and safety related products for organisations included schools, colleges and universities.

Peter Smart, business manager for Safetyshop, explains ‘it’s a one-stop shop for the education sector. For sometime now we have wanted to improve the online version of our 872 page catalogue so we did some research. We asked our customers what they needed the online version of our catalogue to do.”

“As we listened it became very clear almost immediately. They needed a reliable, quick, easy-to-use and secure online ordering process. Our solution, one category, dedicated to one sector with the most essential and up-to-date health and safety products. ’

Safetyshop’s education range will be the first of many new online categories, timed perfectly for the start of the new school year. It will enable existing customers to order online much more quickly and, for those customers yet to order online, an opportunity to view other safety essentials within Safetyshop range.

Product variety now dictates the online categories. The education product range includes eco-friendly whiteboards, sports first aid kits, floor stands, fire extinguishers, salt & spreader kits, line marking applicators and much more. To view the full range visit www.safetyshop.com/education

About Safetyshop
Safetyshop has been the UK’s leading safety sign manufacturer for over 40 years and a major supplier of workplace safety equipment. Over 30,000 different product lines are manufactured and stored in its 34,000 square foot warehouse located in Cheshire.

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Datacraft Solutions, Inc. And Danaher Corporation Announce Strategic Partnership

Datacraft Solutions, Inc., the lean manufacturer’s partner for building cost-effective digital supply chain replenishment networks, has successfully completed the third installation of its lean manufacturing solution for the Washington, D.C.–based Danaher Corporation, a leading lean manufacturer and has finalized agreements to implement in three more facilities over the next three months.

Datacraft Solutions, Inc. And  Danaher Corporation Announce Strategic Partnership

Signum is an automated digital supply chain technology that reduces inventory levels, increases productivity, continually improves process flow and provides realtime, visual and collaborative communication in the supply chain. Signum is delivered securely over the Internet without the need to install and maintain complex, expensive software.

Brian Burnett, the Vice President of the Danaher Business Systems Office (DBSO) and Procurement says, “A key performance indicator we measure across the Danaher businesses is inventory turns. When inventory turns consistently improve, a lot of the right processes are in place. We are excited about our partnership with Datacraft Solutions because they provide us with “low barrier to entry,” state of the art technology with which we can easily standardize across our organization. Datacraft enables us to integrate with our diverse back office systems, so we can leverage our existing processes and technology and move into production, quickly realizing results.”

“Datacraft’s approach is to work with the world’s premiere lean leaders to develop and operate businesses that generate outstanding financial returns”, said Stephen Parker, Datacraft CEO. “Our strategic partnership with Danaher draws on a joint commitment to develop world class inventory supply chain execution systems which yield unprecedented inventory turnover while supporting micro-short customer delivery cycles. This collaboration will be compelling not only for our companies, but also for our industries, our partners and, of course, for consumers”.

For more information on Datacraft Solutions’ products and services for building cost-effective digital supply chain replenishment networks, visit www.datacraftsolutions.com.

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New Trade and Investment Deal Between China And US

Shenzhen (Longgand District) China, China MartTM Los Angeles (www.ChinaMartUSA.com) and YiWu Mart (Shenzhen) signed a partnership to create a gateway for Chinese Manufactures to invest in China Mart’s business platform in Los Angeles, USA.

New Trade and Investment Deal Between China And US

Representative’s from U.S. and Chinese government were present. Mr. Fu Xin Jiang, Shenzhen Deputy District Chief of Longgang District, Mr. Knight Chen, Shenzhen CCPIT Director (China Council for Promotion of International Trade http://english.ccpit.org), and Mr. Vance Baugham, Los Angeles County’s World Trade Center President spoke at the Ceremony and commended the Trade and Investment cooperation.

Mr. Vance Baugham states, “From this region, China began its great global growth. With this new trade and investment partnership, Los Angles, China’s gateway to America, is ready to support this significant new venture.”

Mr. Stephen Perl, CEO of China MartTM Los Angeles states, “China Mart Los Angeles is designed as a business platform providing support to Chinese manufactures entry and investment into the U.S. through access to the U.S.’s Largest Market in the World, customized marketing support, and financing support through our partner, 1st PMF Bancorp that specializes in lending to Chinese and U.S. businesses (www.PMFbancorp.com / www.PMFbancorp.cn ).”

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Los Angeles County, LAEDC and MS&K On A Trade Mission in China Led By China Mart Los Angeles

China MartTM Los Angeles (www.ChinaMartUSA.com) and its CEO, Mr. Stephen Perl will lead Los Angeles County’s World Trade Center, Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC), and leading law firm, Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp on Investment Trade Mission through China (http://www.chinamartusa.com/0908.html). Investment Seminars/Events will be held in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen over a 10 day period. Vance Baugham, World Trade Center –Los Angeles-Long Beach President, Stephen Perl, CEO of China MartTM Los Angeles and 1st PMF Bancorp, and Les Gold, Partner at MSK (www.MSK.com) are set to speak at the following events organized by China MartTM Los Angeles: the Shanghai Environmental Energy Exchange (SEEE) Event on Solar Power Investment in Los Angeles County, Guangzhou CCPIT Event on Chinese SMEs Investing in the U.S., and YiWu Mart (Shenzhen) in Shenzhen’s Longgand District on SMEs Investing in Los Angeles County.

China Mart Los Angeles

Mr. Stephen Perl, CEO of China MartTM Los Angeles states, “China Mart’s Investment Trade Mission is comprised of seasoned International specialists that are experienced in selling the strengths and undeniable advantages of investing and growing businesses in the Southern California region. Toyota and Honda invested in the 50s and 60s in our region and they are real testimonials along with many other businesses that our region has the economic advantages to grow domestic as well as foreign businesses successfully”.

Mr. Perl also stress that “The Chinese businesses that have invested in the Los Angeles through the China Mart business platform (www.ChinaMartUSA.com) have all experienced quick start up times with our seasoned professional support in marketing and business setup. China MartTM has created many new jobs and prevented others from loosing their jobs in the Los Angeles area as well as achieved the Chinese businesses’ goal of creating a US Operations and showroom to go directly to the end customers. At the end of the day, Los Angeles benefits with new jobs and tax base, Chinese company benefits by creating a direct customer base, and the end customer in the U.S benefits by buying goods at a better price and quality… a Win-Win-Win situation.”

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The Chinese Pig Leather Industry in 2009

Due to the financial crisis, the export of leather has not been doing very well this year. The export value has decreased for the first time over the last 10 years. Some Chinese tanneries have to cut cost or scale down their production in order to get through the crisis, waiting for a comeback of international market demand very soon.

Pig leather industry is no exception. The production clusters have been shrinking and it is not hard to find some drums having stopped running for a while now.

Based on the analysis of our management team, we find some problems of the industry: 1) Excess capacity of certain kind of pig leather; 2) Frequent foreign trade frictions of the industry; 3) Product mix is too simple. Currently, some tanneries just produce one or two types of pig lining. They never think of upgrading their technology and producing value-added leather, such as vegetable-tanned leather.

Taili Leather Co., Ltd. has been aware of the above problems, trying to upgrade their overall technology and to extend their product range from pig lining, pig grain lining, pig split lining, pig grain lining and split rezined (glazed), pig suede and pig split suede to coated leather, embossed leather and so on. In the meantime, it managed to upgrade its technology and produce high quality vegetable-tanned leather. To avoid the risk from fluctuating market demand, Taili Leather Co., Ltd. extends their products range to leather belt, men’s belts, women’s belts, fashion belt, braided belt, cotton belt, ladies’ belts.

Most pig leather companies are labor intensive and highly depending on the export market. We are facing unprecedented challenges. As part of the pig leather industry, we should increase our competitive advantage with more know-how, try all the way to unite with each other and take full advantage of our resources, in order to fight against the hardship successfully.

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Balli Steel Warns Russian Steel Market Continuing To Face Challenging Conditions

Balli Steel, one of the world’s largest privately owned independent commodity traders, has warned that despite the bottoming out of the global steel market, the Russian market will continue to face challenging conditions for the next 12 to 18 months. Speaking at Metal Bulletin’s 7th Russian Steel Summit in Moscow, Nasser Alaghband, Director of Balli Steel, outlined that the strengthening Rouble and the impact of the annual Iron Ore negotiations could weaken the competitiveness of Russian producers.

balli

According to Balli Steel, the Russian Steel market has undergone considerable growth and wide scale transformation over the past decade with gradual modernisation of plants and production facilities. Russia is able to take advantage of abundant natural resources and competitive labour costs to produce steel on the lower side of the cost curve and has established a strong position as the 4th largest producer of steel in the world.

Balli Steel highlighted that the downturn in global steel prices has not been easy for the majority of Russian producers to absorb, with many in the midst of extensive capital investment initiatives on plant modernisations and new acquisitions.

Steel consumption appears to be down by 40% year-on-year, with Russia’s largest steel company, Severstal, expecting domestic demand to fall by 25% in 2009. Balli Steel anticipates that domestic demand will remain low as the country heads towards its first recession for 10 years.

However until very recently the decline in domestic steel demand was offset by export growth, with the weak Rouble, which had declined by as much as 36% against the Dollar in the previous year, making Russian Steel an attractive proposition to importers. However, in the last month, the Rouble has undergone a substantial appreciation which has put considerable pressure on the export prices. The profit margins for many of the Russian Mills have begun to shrink, with most producers now operating at close to cost. As a result, any further strengthening of the Rouble would put increasing pressure on Russian steel exports.

Nasser Alaghband, Director of Balli Steel commented: “Global steel prices have shown signs of recovery in recent months. However, whilst price improvements have been promising, steel has not recovered as well as some precious metals or energy commodities. We believe that steel prices will increase further amidst the global economic revival, although the recovery will not be smooth or uniform and individual markets, such as Russia, will continue to react differently to both domestic and international factors.”

About Balli:
Balli Steel is part of Balli Holdings, is a large private, multi-national corporation, chaired by Vahid Alaghband. The company is headquartered in London, but has offices in Dubai and other key business hubs around the world.

Balli was established in 1982 and operates a number of affiliated companies specialising in commodity trading, industrial, real estate and private equity with operations in over 20 countries. Together with its affiliated companies, Balli employs over 2,000 people worldwide.

Balli Steel is the company’s principal operating subsidiary, and is one of the largest independent traders of steel in the world. Balli Steel provides raw materials and steel to a number of market segments including steel mills, steel service centres, pipe and tube makers, the oil and gas industry and other designated end-user segments such as the packaging products industry.

The company’s real estate operations currently have are invested in a significant property portfolio comprised of over 900,000 sq ft of property under development with a Gross Development Value of some $800 million, and an additional 2 million sq ft and a GDV of almost $2.5 billion in the pipeline.

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Balli Steel Reports Enhanced Role For Steel In Construction Industry Despite Slowdown

Balli Steel, a leading international steel trader, has reported that despite the slowdown in the global economy, the role of steel in construction industry markets across the world will grow. Balli Steel highlight that this growth is due to a range of factors including environmental and recycling benefits, urbanisation, technological advances and the load bearing, high rise opportunities, safety and speed of construction benefits that steel provides.

balli

Company forecasts indicate that global annualised steel production this year is to be 1.1 billion tonnes, with the construction industry being the largest end-user of steel, accounting for over 40% of total steel consumption.

Balli Steel calculate that the competitive cost gap between steel and concrete building frames is widening. A recent report by the British Constructional Steel Association (Q4 2008) showed a £22.22 per sqm advantage for steel frames over concrete, up from £12.10 per sqm in 1995.

Another advantage is that whilst steel has a higher embodied carbon value per tonne than concrete, a tonne of steel goes a lot further so steel structures generally have a lower carbon footprint than concrete ones.

Vahid Alaghband, Group Chairman of Balli Steel, said: “Whilst many people may often equate steel buildings and infrastructure schemes with super-high rise and large span structures, steel is also used extensively in small scale and low rise buildings. Steel is used throughout the construction industry and the building process, not just on mega projects.”

Balli Steel points to the global process of urbanisation as another factor driving the demand for new buildings, and therefore a demand for construction steel. The United Nation’s (UN) latest figures show that 50% of the world’s population live in urban areas. Over 3.2 billion people now live in cities, up from 732 million in 1950. The UN calculates that by 2050, over 6 billion people, 75% of humanity, will be living in towns and cities.

In the current ecologically aware times, steel is often favoured over other materials like wood and plastic. Nasser Alaghband, Managing Director of Balli steel commented: “The advantages of steel in the building construction process include strength, energy efficiency, design flexibility, fire resistance, speed of assembly, material cost advantage and less maintenance. The steel industry has been actively recycling for more than 150 years and it is becoming increasingly financially and environmentally advantageous to continue with this approach. It is cheaper to recycle steel than to mine iron ore and manipulate it through the production process to form new steel.”

Over 95% of structural steel beams and plates, used in building manufacture, are recycled, and similarly, other construction industry elements such as reinforced bars are recycled at a rate of around 65%. Balli highlight that the energy saved by recycling these large amounts of steel globally is enough to power 18 million homes around the world for one year.

About Balli Holdings
Balli Holdings, is a large private, multi-national corporation, headquartered in London, but with offices in Dubai and other key business hubs around the world. Balli was established in 1982 and operates a number of affiliated companies specialising in commodity trading, industrial, real estate and private equity with operations in over 20 countries. Together with its affiliated companies, Balli employ over 2,000 people worldwide.

Balli Steel is the company’s principal operating subsidiary, and is one of the largest independent steel trading companies in the world. Balli Steel provides raw materials and steel to a number of market segments including steel mills, steel service centres, pipe and tube makers, the oil and gas industry and other designated end user segments such as the packaging products industry.

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Balli Steel, One Of The World’s Largest Privately Owned Independent Commodity Traders, Forecasts Economic Recovery In Five Phases

Balli Steel, one of the world’s largest privately owned independent commodity traders, has forecast that the global economic recovery will sequentially occur in five phases, with increased demand for steel in each sector acting as a barometer or indicator of such recovery.

balli

Balli Steel highlights that global annualised steel production this year is forecast to be 1.1 billion tonnes, down on last year’s record 1.3 billion tonnes, but significantly higher than the 800 million tonnes recorded in 2000.

Balli considers the steel markets of North America, Europe and the Gulf Co-operation Countries (GCC) the hardest hit by, not only the credit crisis, but by overstocking and speculation on future prices. Balli expects the market in the GCC economies to see a gradual improvement while North America and Europe will experience continued problems. Forecasts indicate that Japan and South Korea will also continue to face economic challenges since their industries are more dependent on Western Europe and North America.

Vahid Alaghband, Group Chairman of Balli Steel, said: “The credit crunch and global economic downturn has had a ‘Tsunami Effect’ covering all key economic sectors: steel and other commodities, property, automotive, capital goods and finance. At present steel producers are operating only at around 50-60% of their capacity. We consider the implementation of government driven stimulus packages, which will see significant public sector investment in civil engineering and infrastructure projects, will procure the first phase of the global economic recovery.”

Balli Steel considers that the second phase will be characterised by a gradual recovery of the housing market that is expected to begin in Q4 2009, and which will be led by key cities such as London, New York, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Vahid Alaghband observed: “With prices down by up to 40% in certain markets, overnight interest rates at the near zero level, and yields at up to 10%, property has become a good long term investment again. With supply at a record low we expect the market to grow steadily through to beginning 2010 and well into 2014. The return to the market of competitive mortgages will prove a further boost.”

Phase three of the recovery will be characterised by increased demand for products that rely on unsecured loans and consumer-credit. Balli Steel calculates that the retail, white goods and automotive industry will begin to see a return to recovery to begin around Q2 2010.

Balli also expects a recovery of the global shipbuilding industry, providing a major boost to steel traders, in the first quarter of 2011, marking the return to more normal international trading patterns and leading the fourth phase of the global recovery. The fifth phase will be a return to more normal investment in capital goods by producers as they gain confidence in the state of the world economy.

“We are by no means out of the woods yet and there is a lot of pain ahead of us in 2009 and 2010. But in the last few weeks as I speak to business counterparts the general consensus appears to be that we are no longer in a state of uncontrolled free-fall and we are at or close to the bottom in a number of markets”, said Vahid Alaghband.

About Balli:
Balli Holdings, is a large private, multi-national corporation, headquartered in London, but with offices in Dubai and other key business hubs around the world. Balli was established in 1982 and operates a number of affiliated companies specialising in commodity trading, industrial, real estate and private equity with operations in over 20 countries. Together with its affiliated companies, Balli employs over 2,000 people worldwide.

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