From The Editor

The Fabricators and Manufacturers International is putting the finishing touches on the FMA Annual Meeting, scheduled this year for Feb. 28 to March 2 in Las Vegas.

Ever since Joe Biden succeeded Donald Trump in January 2021, the new president has been unraveling many of the policies implemented by the previous administration. This is nothing new.

Red metals industry participants should be advising our federal leaders to look north for inspiration.

With this issue, we bring to close another year covering the metals distribution industry. We hope it was a profitable one for all of you, with even better results in the year to come.

This installment, a week earlier than usual, represents the last issue of the eMCN newsletter for 2022. It stands to reason there won’t be a lot of activity in the metals manufacturing sector next week.

Since Joe Biden succeeded Donald Trump in January 2021, there have been few things from the previous administration the new president has held onto. Section 232 tariffs were one of the exceptions, with the 46th president making no moves to mothball the 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum products...

Well, we might have jumped the gun a bit. A few months back, the metals sector and the rest of the industrial economy breathed a sigh of relief when the Biden administration helped broker a deal between the U.S. railroads and the various unions representing their workers.

In conversations with steel executives and others in the metals industry in recent months, there’s one fear that has dominated many of those talks. It’s not about persistent inflation or labor issues or crucial supply shortages, though all of those remain a source of concern.

Strolling the halls of the Georgia World Congress Centerlast week, it was hard not to feel a little upbeat.

In conversations with steel executives and others in the metals industry in recent months, there’s one fear that has dominated many of those talks. It’s not about persistent inflation or labor issues or crucial supply shortages, though all of those remain a source of concern.