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Bahrain-based Foulath plans to build 4 iron plants across the region in an attempt to become the main supplier of raw materials to the growing steel industry. Foulath's proposed plants in Egypt, Bahrain and Oman would source iron ore from mines in Brazil and refine it into more than 30 million tonnes of iron pellets suitable for direct reduction. Two plants to be built in Alexandria and Suez in Egypt and one in Salalah, Oman will each produce 7 million tonnes of iron pellets annually. Engineering, procurement and construction contracts for the Salalah plant and one of the Egyptian plants would be awarded by the Q4 of this year, with a contract for the second plant in Egypt expected late next year. Foulath is also looking at getting involved directly in the mining business through buying stakes in mines in Brazil, Australia and Europe. The firm will target initial production of 20 million tonnes of ore per year.

Richco Inc. has announced the release of its new stainless steel cable ties, the MT series. The MT series provides a strong and durable method for fastening. They offer a tensile strength up to 250lbs and are suitable for all indoor and outdoor applications. The series is able to withstand extreme temperatures up to 1000F. They are radiation, vibration, flame, and corrosion resistant. The series is RoHS compliant.

A feature of Kemppi\'s three-phase Mastertig MLS 3000 and 3003 AC/DC welding systems is the Microtack function, available on the optional ACX control panel. This function has been specifically developed to tack weld carbon, stainless steel and titanium thin sheet components up to around 4mm thickness. Microtack welding resembles spot welding in that it uses a high current pulse to create a low heat input to weld thin sheet materials and thin sheet to thicker sheet materials. This method of TIG welding is made possible by the control technology used in the Kemppi power source, which creates a tailored current pulse that is efficient and fast, a matter of a few dozen milliseconds to create the low heat input. The result is a clean, small tack weld, which is similar to a laser weld in appearance and characteristics, resulting in lower risks in burn.

Fischer has added the FMP Series to its product line, including the Feritscope FMP30 for the measurement of ferrite content in austentic and duplex steel. Other new instruments in the FMP series include the Deltascope FMP10, Isoscope FMP10, Dualscope FMP20, Deltascope FMP30, Isoscope FMP30, Dualscope FMP40, and Dualscope FMP100 coating thickness gauges. These instruments offer a large and bright graphic display with a durable shock resistant casing. A large selection of probes are interchangeable for the new FMP Series yielding accuracy and a wide measurement range.

Höganäs AB has launched a new brazing filler metal BrazeLet™ F300, for high temperature brazing of stainless steel applications used in extreme environments. The iron chromium-based product is the first in a new generation of brazing filler metals. The brazing filler metal offers flow properties that are conducive to optimally filled joints and leak free results. BrazeLet™ F300 is suitable for use in applications for extreme environments. In addition, the brazed joint\'s composition is similar to that of stainless steel, enabling a more homogenous application.

Ursa Major Minerals of Toronto, Ontario, Canada is shipping 10,000tns of stockpiled nickel-copper ore from its Shakespeare mine to Xstrata Nickel\'s Strathcona mill in Sudbury, Ontario. The sample will be evaluated for its suitability for blending with Xstrata\'s own ore. Delivery is to be completed by the end of June 2009.

Toledo Mining Corp. has announced that in its Berong Nickel Mine project, no laterite nickel ore was mined or hauled during the quarter ended March 31 and the operation remained on Care and Maintenance. 0.297 million tonnes of ore remained stockpiled at the coast at the end of March awaiting shipment. Of the stockpiled ore, 0.15 million tonnes meets the BHP Billiton quality specifications, the remainder being lower in nickel and iron grade. Shipments to BHP Billiton\'s Yabulu refinery in Australia are expected to recommence towards the end of April. The Yabulu plant returned to operation in late March after a lengthy shutdown due to excessive rainfall.

Outokumpu is providing a short webinar about the fabrication of duplex stainless steel grades. Learn more about the situations where duplex grades provide clear and cost-efficient alternatives to traditional austenitic grades and how the whole range of duplex stainless steel shows good fabricability. Presenting this topic will be Erik Schedin, Manager - Product Development & Design Outokumpu Avesta Research Center, who will speak about fabrication in duplex stainless steel, focusing on two applications: storage tanks, and pressure vessels/domestic water heaters. \"Fabrication in duplex stainless steel\" will be presented on 22 April 2009.

Sumitomo Corp. has announced that it has acquired a 70% stake in the project company which owns and operates the Kwinana power plant in Australia. The Kwinana power plant is a 320MW natural gas-fired combined-cycle power plant which is located nearby Perth and has been in good operation since its commissioning in November 2008. Power produced in the Kwinana power plant is sold to Synergy based on a long-term off take agreement. The project company stake was originally owned 70% by Babcock & Brown Power Ltd and 30% by ERM Power. Sumitomo acquired the 70% stake, which was originally owned by BBP through Summit Southern Cross Power Pty Ltd, which is the holding company totally owned by Sumitomo.

CS Unitec\'s new Eco Brazing (EB) diamond grinding discs reduce sparking to 1% of that produced by resinoid wheels, making these discs suitable for use in hazardous environments such as nuclear plants, and oil and gas industries. Reduced sparking decreases the fire hazard from sparks and also increases the visibility of the workpiece, allowing more accurate grinding. The EB diamond grinding discs are suitable for grinding steel, stainless steel and other materials. Available in grits from 30 to 80 on disc sizes 4in, 4-1/2in, 5in and 7in in diameter, the disc\'s light weight allows for high-rotation grinding on portable angle grinders. Additionally, its high-yield steel backing plate is elastic, helping to ensure that operators do no grind the material by over removal. The EB diamond wheel wears approximately 1% as much as a resinoid wheel, therefore increasing the tool life and significantly reducing the amount of abrasive dust emitted.

Baosteel has successfully developed nickel alloy oil casing in early 2008 and has realized the potential to develop bulk production. The manufacturing technology for the product has been dominated by foreign producers for many years. The product finds wide applications in China National Petroleum Corp.\'s natural gas field in Sichuan Longgang and applied 8 patents in craft and technology. Baosteel now has successfully developed 2 specs and several grades of nickel alloy oil casing.

Goldman Sachs has published its commodities outlook for 2009, which predicted the nickel market to be in surplus throughout its forecast period. It states that, despite a brutal de-stocking in the second half of 2007 and throughout 2008, the prospects for nickel demand remain sluggish. Nickel prices dropped more than 50% in 2008 and LME warehouse stocks fell 108tns to 78,804tns, but are still close to their highest level since July 1995. Despite a small rally in the past week, there had not been any turnaround from stainless steel manufacturers. Mincor Resources, Australia\'s third-largest nickel producer, has shut its Miitel mine. Mining giant Xstrata has cut its nickel production, Consolidated Minerals has axed staff at its Kambalda nickel mine and Minara Resources laid off 200 workers at its Murrin Murrin mine in July, shelving a USD 300 million expansion. Norilsk Nickel has put its Waterloo and Silver Swan nickel mines in Western Australia into care and maintenance. Its Cawse nickel laterite operation in the same region was suspended indefinitely in October 2008 after being shut in June.

RathGibson has appointed Michael Schwartz to the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Mr Schwartz joined RathGibson in April 2008 as the President and Chief Operating Officer (COO). He assumed the position of interim CEO in August 2008. Before joining RathGibson, Mr Schwartz served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Airoom Inc. In addition, he brings over 15 years of progressively responsible experience with companies within Lennox International Inc., including President and COO for Heatcraft Worldwide Refrigeration, Lennox North American Distributed Products, and Armstrong Air; Vice-President for Heatcraft Commercial Products; and Sales and Marketing Director for the Heatcraft Heat Transfer Group.

Rolled Alloys Inc. has elected Mr Paul K Whitcraft director of quality, safety and engineering as the chairman of the 2009 ASTM International board of directors. Mr Whitcraft since 1975 has been active in several ASTM committees: A01 on steel, stainless steel and related alloys; B02 on nonferrous metals and alloys; E01 on analytical chemistry for metals, ores and related materials; F04 on medical and surgical materials and devices; and G01 on corrosion of metals. Mr Whitcraft currently chairs B02.07 on refined nickel and cobalt and their alloys, and he is the secretary for ISO TC155 subcommittee 2 on wrought and cast nickel and nickel alloys, for which B02.92 is the US Technical Advisory Group.

Titanium Industries Inc. has announced the hiring of Gary Martin to lead its High Performance Metal Division. Mr Martin will assume the position of Director. In this newly created position Mr Martin will be responsible for the business of all non-titanium metal products on a global basis. He comes to HPM from ATI Allvac where he was most recently involved in product management for all steel, nickel shapes and rectangles and nickel shafts. Gary Martin will be located in Harrisburg, North Carolina and will report to Jeff Wise, Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

According to London-based research company CRU, stainless-steel production will fall for a third year in 2009 as steel mills use up stockpiles and demand weakens. Production will fall less than 1% after last year\'s 7% plunge, the biggest drop in at least 20 years, Vanessa Davidson, managing consultant for the nickel and chrome group at CRU, said in an interview by phone on 12 January. Prices of nickel, used to make stainless steel, have dropped 65% in the past two years as stainless steel output declined from a peak in 2006. Macquarie Group Ltd\'s forecast for 2009 stainless-steel production has been cut by 24% from an estimate made a year ago, the most of six commodities including copper, aluminum and carbon steel. Its nickel production estimate is down 19%. Output of stainless steel dropped to 26.6 million metric tons last year, with producers from China, the largest supplier, to Japan, the US and Taiwan cutting back, CRU\'s Ms Davidson said. ThyssenKrupp AG said in November it would cut stainless steel output by 25% in the first half of this year as weakening demand from carmakers and builders hits sales. Finland-based Outokumpu Oyj last month cut its fourth-quarter profit target in December. Stainless-steel production worldwide fell 0.3% in 2007 after climbing almost 15% in 2006, according to CRU. Stainless steel makes up about 65% of demand for nickel.

LEFON Machining and Engineering Group has released its SquareDevil3.0, the portable tube squaring machine designed to flatten thin wall tube end, making it burr-free, and perfect perpendicular to the axis of the tube. After squaring, the tube would be ready for orbital welding or other tube fabrication, suitable for high purity / high sanitary industry use, such as beverage, dairy, pharmaceutics, water treatment, food, semi-conductor industry, etc. The SquareDevil3.0 is suitable for most metals including stainless steel, nickel and carbon steels. A wide range of stainless steel collets (clamp) are available, to work on tubes with OD from 1/4in to 3in. The unit can face tube wall thicknesses of up to 3mm and comes with a 120/220 V powerful Metabo electrical motor. A full range of drill bits are available.

Hypertherm has announced the acquisition of the core assets of MTC Software, a developer of computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software used by the sheet and plate processing industry. MTC\'s software product helps companies in the metal cutting industry optimize their cuts so that cut quality and productivity are improved while producing less scrap. The CAM software is used in conjunction with CNC systems for oxy-fuel, plasma, waterjet, laser and other cutting processes. Hypertherm does not plan any significant changes to MTC\'s operations as a result of this purchase. MTC headquarters will remain in Lockport, New York and its 40 associates will continue to work at their current locations. MTC has offices and distribution partners throughout the world.

The European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA) will celebrate 20-years of service to its Member Organisations, Companies and Individual Members in 2009. Originally formed in 1989, the EPMA\'s main purpose and mission remains the promotion of using the Powder Metallurgy manufacturing process over other competing manufacturing processes. Since its conception, the EPMA has worked to promote the interests of EPMA Members and the entire European Powder Metal Industry to an international audience. Now in its 20th year the EPMA plans to celebrate this milestone with a special EPMA Newsletter, a retrospective view of the last 20 years of the EPMA. As part of the year-long celebration a special Anniversary Dinner is planned to coincide with the EPMA\'s Annual Meeting, April 2009. A 20th birthday party is also planned to take place at the Euro PM2009 Congress & Exhibition to thank its members for their support during the period. As a starting point for the 20th Anniversary celebrations a special EPMA logo has been created to help promote this special occasion and will be available in January 2009. Details on the further anniversary activities will be posted on the EPMA website, www.epma.com in the near future or via Email News/EPMA Newsletter.

India\'s Prime Minster Mr Prasada said in front of Parliament that India intends to start antidumping investigation on CR stainless sheet and HR steel import from China and other countries. At the same time, the representatives of other State authorities of India noticed that any antidumping actions are very difficult in the conditions of import slump. Import duties introduced recently for steel are already protecting domestic market from cheap Chinese products. However, the Prime Minister mentioned in his written reply to the Parlament\'s inquiry that domestic steel prices were averagely lower than the prices in foreign markets. That is why the government is going to check if import pries are lower than domestic. From April to November 2008 India imported 4.06 million ton of steel. To compare: in the same period of 2007 import made 4.75 million ton. Correspondent figures for China are 1.09 million ton and 1.33 million ton.

Australian-based Mincor Resources will shut one of its main mines in December 2008 to cut expenses as prices continue at pre-boom lows. Miitel, which had significant capital requirements, will be closed for up to six months, with the decision to re-open depending on the price of nickel. The company has stated that there are no plans to close further mines.

In November of this year The Shredder Co. signed an agreement with the China-based firm Tisco. Under the deal, The Shredder Co. will supply a 10,000hp 124 SXS shredding plant to the company. The shredding plant is capable of producing 700,000tn of product a year. The material generated will include shredded steel scrap, shredded stainless steel sheet, cooling scrap for carbon steel and cooling scrap for stainless steel. The plant is expected to be operational by the end of next year. Total investment in the plans is more than USD 15 million.

Xinxin Mining Industry Co., China\'s second-largest producer of nickel, will buy three nickel-copper mines in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region for USD 79 million to add reserves. The Xinjiang-based firm has sealed two framework deals with Alexis Investments Ltd for the acquisition.

Acinox Tunas, a Cuba-based stainless steel production plant, has exceeded the production of stainless steel destined for public works. The program has been developed by the Cuban state to benefit the country\'s economy and population. The plant has plans to produce 118,000tns of billets and 44,000tns of corrugated bars in 2009.

Roll-Kraft has implemented a new ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system to coordinate the information, resources, and activities within the company. This system uses a modular format to maintain data and allow easy access by various departments to the basic functions of the business.

Siemens Ltd has appointed Mr Sunil Mathur executive director of Siemens Ltd as its CFO effective 1 December 2008. He has taken over the responsibilities from Mr Patrick de Royer who has completed his tenure of three years as a CFO.

The Kazakhstan-based titanium and magnesium manufacturer UKTMP has ordered a compacting press for titanium sponge from Siempelkamp. UKTMP will use the new press to compact titanium sponge. With the help of a press, the titanium sponge is formed into compacts which are assembled to an electrode welded under a protective gas atmosphere. The electrode is remelted at least twice inside a vacuum arc furnace. The new press works in two directions, and has a press capacity is 2 x 80 MN and thus a specific forming pressure is obtained which is new to the forming of titanium sponge in large compacts. This leads to a higher firmness of the compacts which ultimately results in improved processability of vacuum arc re-melting. The Siempelkamp order includes the engineering, manufacture and delivery of the press, the hydraulic system, an automatic tooling system with various press tools as well as the complete system control with visualization. The scope of supply also includes the supervision of the installation as well as the startup and adjustment processes of the press. The press is scheduled to be delivered in June 2009, and the press tools in September of 2009.

A consortium of investors, two of whom have extensive experience in the Steel Industry, has bought Atlas Specialty Metals (ASM). Mr Peter Smaller of Southern Steel and a past director of Atlas will now chair the board and Mr Steven Annear formally of Smorgon Steel will assume the role of MD. Atlas will retain its name and brand identity but will now operate as a private company. The purchase of Atlas was based on the following fundamentals: the strength of Atlas\'s people; the strength of the Atlas brand; and its market position and ongoing opportunities for the company.

Taigang Stainless Steel Co. is planning to launch an overhaul for its number 5 rolling plant in early November, which mainly produces HR medium plate. The mill has not yet said how production will be affected by the overhaul and it remains unclear whether it will affect its medium plate supply in the coming month.