Distributors are an important metals source
By Staff -- Purchasing, 5/6/1999
Service centers supply a third of all the metal fabricated by manufacturing. The 32.8 million tons of steel and nonferrous metal shipped in 1998 beat the previous record of 31.5 million tons shipped in 1997 by 4.1%. In fact, almost 26% of all the metal chewed up by metalworking industries last year came just from metal-stocking distributors. U.S. metals buyers sourced 31,318,000 tons of steel from members of the Steel Service Center Institute (ssci) and the Association of Steel Distributors (ASD); 1,180,000 tons from members of the National Association of Aluminum Distributors (naad); and 231,000 tons from members of the Copper and Brass Servicenter Association (cbsa). Yet another 41,000 tons came from independent steel distributors and specialty firms that handle titanium and superalloys. Upshot: Purchasing's Metals Distribution Index, which measures ferrous and nonferrous metals sourced annually through service centers and stocking distributors, rose by a strong 3% to a record 148.8 last year. Looking at 1999, forecasters say that manufacturing will be sluggish this year, so demand from metals service centers in the U.S. and Canada will slide by 2%-4% in 1999. Upshot: A projected slide in the distribution index to 142.6 this year.
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