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Along with Chinese top steel producers’ new rules against pollution, and the actions respond to the weaker prices and excess supply of the industry, the production of steel output growth reached the slowest rate in November.

According to the steel producers association Worldsteel on Friday, world steel output increased by 3.6% while China is reported by 4.2%. Since December 2012, it was the lowest year-on-year growth for China.

"A fall in global output growth in November reflects lukewarm finished steel demand, though some pockets of relative strength have been seen: the construction sector in the U.S. and Japan's manufacturing industry," said Chris Houlden, an analyst at steel consultancy CRU.

Chinese production had hit year-on-year growth levels as high as 12.8 percent in August this year but the country is grappling with an estimated overcapacity of 200 million to 300 million tonnes.

China said recently it might shut down some steel mills as it steps up its fight against air pollution but many in the industry think it will take years before it delivers meaningful cuts.

As the steel markets enter a seasonally slow period for demand, stock levels could rapidly build forcing steelmakers in China to pare crude output in the coming months, according to Sucden metals analyst Kashaan Kamal.
 

The largest building in The Netherlands resembles four office blocks that have been cut up, reshuffled and placed in the wrong order. Clad in a continuous layer of aluminium mullions, the building could be called the Twin Towers of Europe.

Housing 70, 000 sq m of office space, 240 apartments and a 285 room boutique hotel, the De Rotterdam looks like a skyline that has been placed on top of another skyline.

“The most importatnt thing about this project is your perception of its size and mass as you drive over the bridge,” says architect Rem Koolhaas. “We calculated how the view would change as you approach.”

The Rotterdam is the latest initiative part of the "Manhattan on the Maas" vision launched in the early 90s to transform the town of Wilhelminapier.

From Jan 1^st 2014 on, AK Steel Holding Corporation (AKS) will hike the base prices for all martensitic products, precipitation hardening (PH) products, tensile rolled products, duplex products, bright annealed products and custom melt products or grades that are specific to the company. A reduction in the discount of 2 percentage points for these specialty stainless steel products will allow the price increase. Surcharges will be applicable on all stainless steel products.

From the steel industry's perspective, steel prices are generally volatile owing to the highly-cyclical nature of the global steel industry. Rising raw material prices have a direct impact on steel prices as higher raw material prices induce a corresponding increase in steel prices.

AK Steel posted a net loss of $31.7 million or 23 cents a share in third-quarter 2013, roughly 48% narrower than a loss of $60.9 million or 55 cents a share a year-ago. Barring one-time items (tax charges related to a valuation allowance for deferred tax assets), AK Steel's loss for the quarter was 12 cents per share.

AK Steel expects results to improve sequentially in the fourth quarter. AK Steel should benefit from the strength in the automotive market and higher shipment of carbon steel products to automakers.The company is also investing to internally procure about half of its iron ore and coal requirements. However, concern remains about the soft construction market and the weak steel pricing environment.

Car manufactures are seeking ways to lighter materials to make vehicle so as to save energy, due to the governmental regulations that requiring cars to use less energy. Results show that aluminium for car application save lots of energy. Obtaining the advantage of 40% lighter than steel, aluminium is critical in ensuring fuel efficiency. Aluminium also contributes to a reduction of fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

In 1948 Land Rover built its first Defender vehicle with a body made from aluminium rather than steel due to the cost of steel after World War II. Today car manufacturers are opting for aluminium over steel for different reasons.

Manufacturers are now also looking at replacing car components with aluminium alternatives such as engine blocks and gearbox components.

According to Frost & Sullivan, in the field of metal field the material used in global vehicles goes as follows: aluminum takes 9%, plastics, including carbon fiber, takes 8%, and steel account for 71%. However, aluminum and plastics makers are poised to increase their shares by 2020. By then, aluminum will expected to reach 11% and plastics will be 9%, which means steel and iron use is foreseen falling to 65%. Facing the marketing pressure, steel companies say they are rolling out lighter and tougher products to hold market share against aluminum, plastics.

Examples of cars with low-weight, high-performance steel include the Mercedes-Benz S class and Peugeot's new 208 and 308. The use of lightweight, high-strength steel as well as aluminum and plastic composites helped reduce the weight of the new 308 by 309 pounds compared with the model it replaced, Laurent Declerck, project director for the new Peugeot 308 told Automotive News Europe. All material makers are seeking ways to help automakers reduce vehicle weight because lighter vehicles burn less fuel and produce fewer emissions. Carmakers are under pressure to cut fleet carbon dioxide emissions in Europe to 130 grams per kilometer by 2015 from 132 grams per kilometer in 2012. European lawmakers in Brussels are debating a tougher goal of 95 grams per kilometer by 2020.

In 2013, the output of world crude stainless steel is expected to reach 36.4 million MT which is an all-time high record since ever. According to MEPS’s prior forecast, it would keep a 2.9% increment based on previous record number in 2012. MEPS also imply that global production of stainless steel will probably increase by a further 4.1% in 2014, and reach a peak volume of 37.9 million MT. In the EU, South Korea and Taiwan, the total output of 2013 is anticipated to be lower than last year. While the output of USA and Japan will be marginally greater than in 2012. Stainless steel making in China and the “Others” category, including all the other emerging nations, continues on a steady, upward trend. The proportion of the world’s stainless steel produced in these countries has risen from 30 percent in 2006 to an estimated 57 percent in 2013. Activity levels were higher than anticipated during the summer period and, consequently, production is expected to recover during the second half of the year, to achieve the earlier forecast annual figure. However, worldwide output for the second quarter turned out to be lower than had previously been predicted.

Scientist recently implied that choose aluminium to apply in new automobile construction to improve fuel economy instead of steel turned out to be a effective way to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions.

A recent research study carried out by the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) proved that it is an efficient way to obtain the lowest total vehicle lifecycle environmental impact – cradle-to-grave – as compared to both traditional and advanced steels by reducing vehicle weight with aluminium.

“As the U.S. works to reduce dependence on foreign oil, promote clean energy and combat climate change, this report definitively documents why aluminum offers the most promise for cutting total automotive-related carbon emissions and energy use,” said ORNL’s Sujit Das, an expert on product lifecycle assessments.

Output in the world's top aluminium producing nation is still running below total capacity, seen at 32 million tonnes by the end of this year, said Zhonglin Yin, director of the alumina division in the Zhengzhou Research Institute of Chalco. The Aluminum Corp of China Ltd is typically referred to as Chalco.

The country's aluminium production grew by almost 9% to 16.2 million in the nine months to September, according to China's National Bureau of Statistics. It stood at 19.9 million tonnes for the whole of last year.

Of new capacity this year, 84% will be in the western provinces, Zhonglin said at an industry conference in Singapore.

But he added that aluminium production growth is slowing from an average growth rate of 18% between 2002 and 2012.

For alumina, a mid-process material used to make aluminium, Zhonglin sees production this year at around 43.5 million tonnes, against a backdrop of more than 60 million tonnes of capacity expected by year-end.

Because China has only identified enough supply of aluminium ore bauxite for the next 15-20 years, Beijing has issued new policies to reinvigorate exploration in the country, to seek alternative resources and to use as much overseas bauxite as possible, Zhonglin continued.

A $400 000 expansion program of two years was completed by Novelis in South Korea. The huge program included the largest recycling centre for aluminium beverage cans.

Yeongu and Ulsan’s expansion is made up of cold rolling mill, a hot rolling finishing mill, pusher furnace, high-speed slitter and annealing furnaces. According to some research, the 50% increased production capacity in South Korea is contributed by those expansion fields.

Lighter and more fuel efficient vehicles are adopted by a raising number of mills. As a result, the demand for aluminium is expected to exceed the 25% compound annual growth rate which is projected for the next five years, according to Novelis.