Newsletter 64 - May 2011

"MAY STEEL BULLETIN "

Prices

(1st Jan 06 = 100 units)

                        From 1st May  (1st Feb) Last 12 months

                                     2011  (2010)    High           Low

Merchant Bar                 167  (130)     186 (05/10) 130 (02/10)

(Rounds, Flats, Angles etc)                      

Heavy sections              176  (132)     186 (02/11) 132 (02/10)

(Beams, Columns etc)                              

Hollow Sections             166  (135)     177 (05/10) 135 (02/10)  

(Box, Tubes etc)                                     

Prices

Prices have eased back during April as expected. However buying in the international market has resumed and scrap prices are moving forward once more. We predict that prices will not drop any further and may surge forward in the longer term.

Supply

Although there are a few shortages, especially in heavy beams, supply is generally in balance.

Tomrods

We have now been in Thirsk for 6 months and we are nicely settled in and all capital equipment (except the cut and drill line) is up and running. We do however continue to make improvements, more concrete roadways, modernising electrical installations and safety levels, mending the roof and amongst many other projects, we will continue painting the warehouses in the near future. We welcome Adam Grant to our sales team and Ian Wheatley to All Steels. Ian specialises in the Aluminium market and we intend to start looking in this direction for future development. Finally on a sad note we have had to say goodbye after 15 years to Ellie, our black Labrador guard dog who always welcomed everyone into the offices. She will be greatly missed.

Thank you for reading this and if you have any comments about Tomrods Ltd or our website please email the undersigned at johnt@tomrods.co.uk

John Thompson
Managing Director -