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Industrial, Industrial Goods, Industrial Supplies, Materials, Metals, Steel

China Dominates The Global Steel Market

Balli Steel, one of the world’s largest privately owned independent commodity traders, reports that China is expanding into the iron ore market and increasing its steel production capacity, against a backdrop of declining worldwide production.

Figures from the World Steel Association demonstrate that global steel production declined by 18.1% year-on-year in August 2009 to 758 million tonnes. In contrast, crude steel production in China increased by 5.4% over the same period. China now accounts for almost 49% of world steel production as well as approximately 50% of global consumption which equates to 1.5 million tonnes per day.

Balli Steel estimates that Chinese steel production already stands at over 400 million tonnes for the first 7 months of this year compared with 560 million tonnes during the whole of 2008 and only 200 million tonnes as recently as 2000. Domestic consumption of steel has also increased sharply in recent years from just 25% of global production 10 years ago to nearly half today. However, increased supply has enabled China to become one of the leading exporters of steel, joining the ranks of the EU and Japan, with exports exceeding 20 million tonnes.

Balli Steel highlights that three factors are currently driving China’s growing dominance in the global steel market. The first is the scale of domestic demand for both industrial and construction steel, which is currently evenly balanced, with the latter a reflection of the property boom in leading cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Guanzho and Hong Kong. Real estate development grew by 10% in the first half of 2009 and automobile manufacturing grew by 16.4% during the same period resulting in increased demand for steel.

The second factor is that the depreciation of the US Dollar against the Yen and other world currencies is now reversing. In addition, other countries, such as Indonesia, are also seeing their currencies strengthen which is enabling their economies to stabilise adding to the demand for steel products.

The final driver is that the slight upturn in demand, combined with the fact that destocking has occurred, has led to an upward pressure on prices. Steel billet prices have risen from $300 per tonne two months ago to current levels of $450 per tonne.

Nasser Alaghband, Director of Balli Steel commented: “Both consumption and production of steel in China remains strong against a global backdrop of falling supply and continuing uncertainty in demand. China’s dominance of the global steel market is an indicator of the wider strength in the Asian market which has also seen an increase in production in other countries such as India and rising exports in Japan, albeit at lower levels than 2008.”

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Balli Steel Expands Further Into Asian Steel Markets With The Appointment Of Gianpiero Repole

Balli Steel, one of the world’s largest privately owned independent commodity traders, has furthered its expansion plans into the Asian steel market with the appointment of Mr Gianpiero Repole as Business Development Director. Gianpiero joins Balli Steel from Noble Commodities where he held the position of Executive Vice President of Steel in Hong Kong.

Gianpiero’s appointment is part of a strategic move by Balli Steel to strengthen its operations in the increasingly significant Asian steel market with a specific focus on China which now accounts for approximately 50% of both world steel production and global consumption.

Gianpiero has pan-Asian experience of the steel market and an extensive network of contacts which spans the region. He will spend a considerable amount of time travelling across the company’s network of offices and will be constantly promoting the business in both established and new markets. Gianpiero will also focus on increasing Balli Steel’s share of the flatroll trading market and looking at ways of maximizing revenue across the company’s Asian operations.

Vahid Alaghband, Chairman of Balli Group, commented: “We are very pleased that Gianpiero has joined Balli Steel as his experience and contacts will be invaluable to us as we look to expand our trading operations across the Asian markets. We see a number of strong opportunities for Balli Steel in the region over the next 18 months and believe that we are now well positioned to capitalise on these prospects.”

Gianpiero Repole commented: “My new role at Balli Steel is an exciting challenge, which brings with it countless opportunities to promote the company’s operations across Asia. My appointment coincides with a considerable strengthening in the Chinese steel market as both production and consumption levels continue to rise.”

Figures from the World Steel Association show that crude steel production in China increased by 5.4% year-on-year in August 2009, whilst global production declined by 18.1% over the same period.

Balli Steel estimates that Chinese steel production already stands at over 400 million tonnes in the first seven months of this year compared with 560 million tonnes during the whole of 2008 and only 200 million tonnes as recently as 2000. Increased supply has enabled China to become one of the leading exporters of steel, joining the ranks of the EU and Japan, with exports exceeding 20 million tonnes.

Nasser Alaghband, Director of Balli Steel commented: “The fortunes of the Asian and GCC steel markets have reversed over the past 20 years. In the 1990s and early 2000s the Middle East steel market was booming, however, now it is the Asian markets, led by China that has a dominant global position, whilst the Middle East markets remain subdued. We expect this trend to continue as the Chinese and Indian economies expand and we have already identified a number of key opportunities for Balli Steel across the region.”

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Design, Engineering, Industrial, Industrial Design, Industrial Engineering, Industrial Goods, Manufacturer, Materials

Couture Glass – Breaking New Ground In Large-Scale Glass Tile

GrayGlass www.grayglass.net with over 60 years of experience in the architectural and technical glass fields has spun-off a new company to enter the glass tile industry. GrayGlass recognizing the current economic environment has invested in this new venture to bring style and value to homeowners, builders and remodelers.

Couture Glass is breaking new ground in wall coverings with their remarkably affordable, high style glass tile. Their exquisite large-scale glass tile – Verre Tile has made quite a global impact with tile distributors, architects and designers. Couture Glass debut offerings includes an elegant collection of 3-D large-scale glass tile in sizes ranging f r o m 6″x 12″ to 18”x 24” in a palette of 12 colors f r o m subtle to spectacular and numerous dramatic textures which will compliment any room.

Light dances on the surface of the Riche pattern to create a range of hues f r o m the base color. This dynamic tile will reflect a myriad effect at different times of the day based on how light enters the room and strikes the wall.

Vogue will take your breath away with its multi-dimensional depth that incorporates softness, luxury and beauty. A distinctive feature of this tile is its ‘movement’, which mimics gentle winds caressing sand.

Luxe blankets walls with a gorgeous light-catching bristle effect that glistens and changes color. This eye-catching tile resembles luxurious fur and is a brilliant choice for anyone interested in adorning their walls with elegance.

Feeling reflective? Create the expansion of space while livening up your walls with this modern, versatile mirror tile available in our entire collection of 3-D VerreTile patterns.

This superior quality, TCNA tested, eco-friendly, high style glass tile collection has been created by our design experts with cutting edge tile trends in mind. This combination of style and function will appeal to traditional and modern taste alike. We are extremely sensitive to the current economic times, therefore, we are committed to deliver glass tile with excellent value and durability at a competitive price point that responds to consumer concerns and demands. Private label projects are welcome. Please visit our website to see our stunning collection of glass tile. For more information about Verre Tile by Couture Glass, visit www.coutureglass.com or contact Jennifer Wichard or Chris Vigianno.

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Limited Credit Insurance Continues To Hamper Steel Market

Balli Steel has warned that the limited availability of credit insurance is continuing to have a serious impact on the global steel market. The current lack of credit insurance means that whilst the demand for steel has increased over the past quarter trading volumes have remained static.

Credit insurance is a critical element in the supply chain as it provides suppliers of raw materials with guarantees that outstanding balances will be paid in the event of a steel manufacturer failing. In turn, credit insurance also protects steel producers themselves in the event of manufacturers defaulting on contracts. Steel traders and distributors are also heavily reliant on this insurance to be able to buy and sell on the commodities market.

Nasser Alaghband, Director of Balli Steel commented: “The trade finance sector of the steel industry is heavily reliant on bank finance and credit insurance. In the past three months bank finance has returned to normal trading, however, insurers remain unwilling to provide business credit insurance. This bottleneck is crippling companies’ abilities to trade with each other and could have far reaching consequences across the European economy just as the first signs of economic recovery are presenting themselves.”

Balli Steel highlights that this is an industry wide issue affecting even the largest organisations. For example in February 2009, Euler Hermes reduced the amount of cover it was willing to supply to Corus, the UK’s largest steel manufacturer, due to weakening global demand for steel.

Balli Steel highlights that as the banking crisis unfolded during 2007 and 2008, central banks stepped in to provide liquidity in the markets and eventually brought stability to the system. However, with the exception of AIG in the United States, insurers have not received the same level of assistance from Government and this is having a considerable impact on the sector.

Balli Steel believes that governments and central banks should assist in providing guarantees in the re-insurance market to provide the confidence to enable insurers to provide the necessary cover. If necessary, governments should be willing to become shareholders in institutions which require financial assistance.

Nasser Alaghband, continued: “The restoration of free flowing credit insurance market is essential for normal trading in steel to be resumed. We have first hand experience of European steel distributors being unable to complete deals worth several hundred thousand pounds due to a lack of available insurance. This is brining paralysis to certain sections of the steel market and is hampering economic recovery. We therefore believe where necessary governments and central banks should be willing to underwrite insurers to ensure business can resume.”

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Engineering, Furniture, Industrial, Industrial Goods, Manufacturer, Safety

SafetyShop Introduces New Health & Safety Range for Education

To celebrate the launch of its new and improved interactive website, Safetyshop has announced the introduction of a brand new health and safety category at www.safetyshop.com/education

In this new category Safetyshop has taken the most frequently ordered safety equipment and signs products from organisations within the education sector and put them all in one convenient location. The range includes health and safety related products for organisations included schools, colleges and universities.

Peter Smart, business manager for Safetyshop, explains ‘it’s a one-stop shop for the education sector. For sometime now we have wanted to improve the online version of our 872 page catalogue so we did some research. We asked our customers what they needed the online version of our catalogue to do.”

“As we listened it became very clear almost immediately. They needed a reliable, quick, easy-to-use and secure online ordering process. Our solution, one category, dedicated to one sector with the most essential and up-to-date health and safety products. ’

Safetyshop’s education range will be the first of many new online categories, timed perfectly for the start of the new school year. It will enable existing customers to order online much more quickly and, for those customers yet to order online, an opportunity to view other safety essentials within Safetyshop range.

Product variety now dictates the online categories. The education product range includes eco-friendly whiteboards, sports first aid kits, floor stands, fire extinguishers, salt & spreader kits, line marking applicators and much more. To view the full range visit www.safetyshop.com/education

About Safetyshop
Safetyshop has been the UK’s leading safety sign manufacturer for over 40 years and a major supplier of workplace safety equipment. Over 30,000 different product lines are manufactured and stored in its 34,000 square foot warehouse located in Cheshire.

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Design, Engineering, Factory Automation, Industrial, Industrial Design, Industrial Goods, Industrial Services, Industrial Software, Industrial Supplies, Inventory, Manufacturer, Supply Chain

Datacraft Solutions, Inc. And Danaher Corporation Announce Strategic Partnership

Datacraft Solutions, Inc., the lean manufacturer’s partner for building cost-effective digital supply chain replenishment networks, has successfully completed the third installation of its lean manufacturing solution for the Washington, D.C.–based Danaher Corporation, a leading lean manufacturer and has finalized agreements to implement in three more facilities over the next three months.

Datacraft Solutions, Inc. And Danaher Corporation Announce Strategic Partnership

Signum is an automated digital supply chain technology that reduces inventory levels, increases productivity, continually improves process flow and provides realtime, visual and collaborative communication in the supply chain. Signum is delivered securely over the Internet without the need to install and maintain complex, expensive software.

Brian Burnett, the Vice President of the Danaher Business Systems Office (DBSO) and Procurement says, “A key performance indicator we measure across the Danaher businesses is inventory turns. When inventory turns consistently improve, a lot of the right processes are in place. We are excited about our partnership with Datacraft Solutions because they provide us with “low barrier to entry,” state of the art technology with which we can easily standardize across our organization. Datacraft enables us to integrate with our diverse back office systems, so we can leverage our existing processes and technology and move into production, quickly realizing results.”

“Datacraft’s approach is to work with the world’s premiere lean leaders to develop and operate businesses that generate outstanding financial returns”, said Stephen Parker, Datacraft CEO. “Our strategic partnership with Danaher draws on a joint commitment to develop world class inventory supply chain execution systems which yield unprecedented inventory turnover while supporting micro-short customer delivery cycles. This collaboration will be compelling not only for our companies, but also for our industries, our partners and, of course, for consumers”.

For more information on Datacraft Solutions’ products and services for building cost-effective digital supply chain replenishment networks, visit www.datacraftsolutions.com.

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Contactors, Industrial, Industrial Goods, Industrial Services, Industrial Supplies, Inventory, Manufacturer

New Trade and Investment Deal Between China And US

Shenzhen (Longgand District) China, China MartTM Los Angeles (www.ChinaMartUSA.com) and YiWu Mart (Shenzhen) signed a partnership to create a gateway for Chinese Manufactures to invest in China Mart’s business platform in Los Angeles, USA.

New Trade and Investment Deal Between China And US

Representative’s from U.S. and Chinese government were present. Mr. Fu Xin Jiang, Shenzhen Deputy District Chief of Longgang District, Mr. Knight Chen, Shenzhen CCPIT Director (China Council for Promotion of International Trade http://english.ccpit.org), and Mr. Vance Baugham, Los Angeles County’s World Trade Center President spoke at the Ceremony and commended the Trade and Investment cooperation.

Mr. Vance Baugham states, “From this region, China began its great global growth. With this new trade and investment partnership, Los Angles, China’s gateway to America, is ready to support this significant new venture.”

Mr. Stephen Perl, CEO of China MartTM Los Angeles states, “China Mart Los Angeles is designed as a business platform providing support to Chinese manufactures entry and investment into the U.S. through access to the U.S.’s Largest Market in the World, customized marketing support, and financing support through our partner, 1st PMF Bancorp that specializes in lending to Chinese and U.S. businesses (www.PMFbancorp.com / www.PMFbancorp.cn ).”

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Los Angeles County, LAEDC and MS&K On A Trade Mission in China Led By China Mart Los Angeles

China MartTM Los Angeles (www.ChinaMartUSA.com) and its CEO, Mr. Stephen Perl will lead Los Angeles County’s World Trade Center, Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC), and leading law firm, Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp on Investment Trade Mission through China (http://www.chinamartusa.com/0908.html). Investment Seminars/Events will be held in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen over a 10 day period. Vance Baugham, World Trade Center –Los Angeles-Long Beach President, Stephen Perl, CEO of China MartTM Los Angeles and 1st PMF Bancorp, and Les Gold, Partner at MSK (www.MSK.com) are set to speak at the following events organized by China MartTM Los Angeles: the Shanghai Environmental Energy Exchange (SEEE) Event on Solar Power Investment in Los Angeles County, Guangzhou CCPIT Event on Chinese SMEs Investing in the U.S., and YiWu Mart (Shenzhen) in Shenzhen’s Longgand District on SMEs Investing in Los Angeles County.

China Mart Los Angeles

Mr. Stephen Perl, CEO of China MartTM Los Angeles states, “China Mart’s Investment Trade Mission is comprised of seasoned International specialists that are experienced in selling the strengths and undeniable advantages of investing and growing businesses in the Southern California region. Toyota and Honda invested in the 50s and 60s in our region and they are real testimonials along with many other businesses that our region has the economic advantages to grow domestic as well as foreign businesses successfully”.

Mr. Perl also stress that “The Chinese businesses that have invested in the Los Angeles through the China Mart business platform (www.ChinaMartUSA.com) have all experienced quick start up times with our seasoned professional support in marketing and business setup. China MartTM has created many new jobs and prevented others from loosing their jobs in the Los Angeles area as well as achieved the Chinese businesses’ goal of creating a US Operations and showroom to go directly to the end customers. At the end of the day, Los Angeles benefits with new jobs and tax base, Chinese company benefits by creating a direct customer base, and the end customer in the U.S benefits by buying goods at a better price and quality… a Win-Win-Win situation.”

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Fabrics, Industrial, Industrial Goods, Industrial Supplies, Manufacturer, Materials, Quality, Raw Materials

The Chinese Pig Leather Industry in 2009

Due to the financial crisis, the export of leather has not been doing very well this year. The export value has decreased for the first time over the last 10 years. Some Chinese tanneries have to cut cost or scale down their production in order to get through the crisis, waiting for a comeback of international market demand very soon.

Pig leather industry is no exception. The production clusters have been shrinking and it is not hard to find some drums having stopped running for a while now.

Based on the analysis of our management team, we find some problems of the industry: 1) Excess capacity of certain kind of pig leather; 2) Frequent foreign trade frictions of the industry; 3) Product mix is too simple. Currently, some tanneries just produce one or two types of pig lining. They never think of upgrading their technology and producing value-added leather, such as vegetable-tanned leather.

Taili Leather Co., Ltd. has been aware of the above problems, trying to upgrade their overall technology and to extend their product range from pig lining, pig grain lining, pig split lining, pig grain lining and split rezined (glazed), pig suede and pig split suede to coated leather, embossed leather and so on. In the meantime, it managed to upgrade its technology and produce high quality vegetable-tanned leather. To avoid the risk from fluctuating market demand, Taili Leather Co., Ltd. extends their products range to leather belt, men’s belts, women’s belts, fashion belt, braided belt, cotton belt, ladies’ belts.

Most pig leather companies are labor intensive and highly depending on the export market. We are facing unprecedented challenges. As part of the pig leather industry, we should increase our competitive advantage with more know-how, try all the way to unite with each other and take full advantage of our resources, in order to fight against the hardship successfully.

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Balli Steel Warns Russian Steel Market Continuing To Face Challenging Conditions

Balli Steel, one of the world’s largest privately owned independent commodity traders, has warned that despite the bottoming out of the global steel market, the Russian market will continue to face challenging conditions for the next 12 to 18 months. Speaking at Metal Bulletin’s 7th Russian Steel Summit in Moscow, Nasser Alaghband, Director of Balli Steel, outlined that the strengthening Rouble and the impact of the annual Iron Ore negotiations could weaken the competitiveness of Russian producers.

balli

According to Balli Steel, the Russian Steel market has undergone considerable growth and wide scale transformation over the past decade with gradual modernisation of plants and production facilities. Russia is able to take advantage of abundant natural resources and competitive labour costs to produce steel on the lower side of the cost curve and has established a strong position as the 4th largest producer of steel in the world.

Balli Steel highlighted that the downturn in global steel prices has not been easy for the majority of Russian producers to absorb, with many in the midst of extensive capital investment initiatives on plant modernisations and new acquisitions.

Steel consumption appears to be down by 40% year-on-year, with Russia’s largest steel company, Severstal, expecting domestic demand to fall by 25% in 2009. Balli Steel anticipates that domestic demand will remain low as the country heads towards its first recession for 10 years.

However until very recently the decline in domestic steel demand was offset by export growth, with the weak Rouble, which had declined by as much as 36% against the Dollar in the previous year, making Russian Steel an attractive proposition to importers. However, in the last month, the Rouble has undergone a substantial appreciation which has put considerable pressure on the export prices. The profit margins for many of the Russian Mills have begun to shrink, with most producers now operating at close to cost. As a result, any further strengthening of the Rouble would put increasing pressure on Russian steel exports.

Nasser Alaghband, Director of Balli Steel commented: “Global steel prices have shown signs of recovery in recent months. However, whilst price improvements have been promising, steel has not recovered as well as some precious metals or energy commodities. We believe that steel prices will increase further amidst the global economic revival, although the recovery will not be smooth or uniform and individual markets, such as Russia, will continue to react differently to both domestic and international factors.”

About Balli:
Balli Steel is part of Balli Holdings, is a large private, multi-national corporation, chaired by Vahid Alaghband. The company is headquartered in London, but has offices in Dubai and other key business hubs around the world.

Balli was established in 1982 and operates a number of affiliated companies specialising in commodity trading, industrial, real estate and private equity with operations in over 20 countries. Together with its affiliated companies, Balli employs over 2,000 people worldwide.

Balli Steel is the company’s principal operating subsidiary, and is one of the largest independent traders of steel in the world. Balli Steel provides raw materials and steel to a number of market segments including steel mills, steel service centres, pipe and tube makers, the oil and gas industry and other designated end-user segments such as the packaging products industry.

The company’s real estate operations currently have are invested in a significant property portfolio comprised of over 900,000 sq ft of property under development with a Gross Development Value of some $800 million, and an additional 2 million sq ft and a GDV of almost $2.5 billion in the pipeline.

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Balli Steel Reports Enhanced Role For Steel In Construction Industry Despite Slowdown

Balli Steel, a leading international steel trader, has reported that despite the slowdown in the global economy, the role of steel in construction industry markets across the world will grow. Balli Steel highlight that this growth is due to a range of factors including environmental and recycling benefits, urbanisation, technological advances and the load bearing, high rise opportunities, safety and speed of construction benefits that steel provides.

balli

Company forecasts indicate that global annualised steel production this year is to be 1.1 billion tonnes, with the construction industry being the largest end-user of steel, accounting for over 40% of total steel consumption.

Balli Steel calculate that the competitive cost gap between steel and concrete building frames is widening. A recent report by the British Constructional Steel Association (Q4 2008) showed a £22.22 per sqm advantage for steel frames over concrete, up from £12.10 per sqm in 1995.

Another advantage is that whilst steel has a higher embodied carbon value per tonne than concrete, a tonne of steel goes a lot further so steel structures generally have a lower carbon footprint than concrete ones.

Vahid Alaghband, Group Chairman of Balli Steel, said: “Whilst many people may often equate steel buildings and infrastructure schemes with super-high rise and large span structures, steel is also used extensively in small scale and low rise buildings. Steel is used throughout the construction industry and the building process, not just on mega projects.”

Balli Steel points to the global process of urbanisation as another factor driving the demand for new buildings, and therefore a demand for construction steel. The United Nation’s (UN) latest figures show that 50% of the world’s population live in urban areas. Over 3.2 billion people now live in cities, up from 732 million in 1950. The UN calculates that by 2050, over 6 billion people, 75% of humanity, will be living in towns and cities.

In the current ecologically aware times, steel is often favoured over other materials like wood and plastic. Nasser Alaghband, Managing Director of Balli steel commented: “The advantages of steel in the building construction process include strength, energy efficiency, design flexibility, fire resistance, speed of assembly, material cost advantage and less maintenance. The steel industry has been actively recycling for more than 150 years and it is becoming increasingly financially and environmentally advantageous to continue with this approach. It is cheaper to recycle steel than to mine iron ore and manipulate it through the production process to form new steel.”

Over 95% of structural steel beams and plates, used in building manufacture, are recycled, and similarly, other construction industry elements such as reinforced bars are recycled at a rate of around 65%. Balli highlight that the energy saved by recycling these large amounts of steel globally is enough to power 18 million homes around the world for one year.

About Balli Holdings
Balli Holdings, is a large private, multi-national corporation, headquartered in London, but with offices in Dubai and other key business hubs around the world. Balli was established in 1982 and operates a number of affiliated companies specialising in commodity trading, industrial, real estate and private equity with operations in over 20 countries. Together with its affiliated companies, Balli employ over 2,000 people worldwide.

Balli Steel is the company’s principal operating subsidiary, and is one of the largest independent steel trading companies in the world. Balli Steel provides raw materials and steel to a number of market segments including steel mills, steel service centres, pipe and tube makers, the oil and gas industry and other designated end user segments such as the packaging products industry.

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Balli Steel, One Of The World’s Largest Privately Owned Independent Commodity Traders, Forecasts Economic Recovery In Five Phases

Balli Steel, one of the world’s largest privately owned independent commodity traders, has forecast that the global economic recovery will sequentially occur in five phases, with increased demand for steel in each sector acting as a barometer or indicator of such recovery.

balli

Balli Steel highlights that global annualised steel production this year is forecast to be 1.1 billion tonnes, down on last year’s record 1.3 billion tonnes, but significantly higher than the 800 million tonnes recorded in 2000.

Balli considers the steel markets of North America, Europe and the Gulf Co-operation Countries (GCC) the hardest hit by, not only the credit crisis, but by overstocking and speculation on future prices. Balli expects the market in the GCC economies to see a gradual improvement while North America and Europe will experience continued problems. Forecasts indicate that Japan and South Korea will also continue to face economic challenges since their industries are more dependent on Western Europe and North America.

Vahid Alaghband, Group Chairman of Balli Steel, said: “The credit crunch and global economic downturn has had a ‘Tsunami Effect’ covering all key economic sectors: steel and other commodities, property, automotive, capital goods and finance. At present steel producers are operating only at around 50-60% of their capacity. We consider the implementation of government driven stimulus packages, which will see significant public sector investment in civil engineering and infrastructure projects, will procure the first phase of the global economic recovery.”

Balli Steel considers that the second phase will be characterised by a gradual recovery of the housing market that is expected to begin in Q4 2009, and which will be led by key cities such as London, New York, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Vahid Alaghband observed: “With prices down by up to 40% in certain markets, overnight interest rates at the near zero level, and yields at up to 10%, property has become a good long term investment again. With supply at a record low we expect the market to grow steadily through to beginning 2010 and well into 2014. The return to the market of competitive mortgages will prove a further boost.”

Phase three of the recovery will be characterised by increased demand for products that rely on unsecured loans and consumer-credit. Balli Steel calculates that the retail, white goods and automotive industry will begin to see a return to recovery to begin around Q2 2010.

Balli also expects a recovery of the global shipbuilding industry, providing a major boost to steel traders, in the first quarter of 2011, marking the return to more normal international trading patterns and leading the fourth phase of the global recovery. The fifth phase will be a return to more normal investment in capital goods by producers as they gain confidence in the state of the world economy.

“We are by no means out of the woods yet and there is a lot of pain ahead of us in 2009 and 2010. But in the last few weeks as I speak to business counterparts the general consensus appears to be that we are no longer in a state of uncontrolled free-fall and we are at or close to the bottom in a number of markets”, said Vahid Alaghband.

About Balli:
Balli Holdings, is a large private, multi-national corporation, headquartered in London, but with offices in Dubai and other key business hubs around the world. Balli was established in 1982 and operates a number of affiliated companies specialising in commodity trading, industrial, real estate and private equity with operations in over 20 countries. Together with its affiliated companies, Balli employs over 2,000 people worldwide.

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Bearings, Cable & Wire, Calibration & Testing, Coating & Laminating, Components, Contactors, Design, Engineering, Engineers, Handling Equipment, Hardware, Industrial, Industrial Design, Industrial Engineering, Industrial Goods, Industrial Services, Industrial Supplies, Machinery, Machinery & Tools, Manufacturer, Mechanics, Metals, OEM, Steel

MFGmatch.net Helps Companies Get Manufacturing Quotes From Machine Shops

The Industrial Leaders Group announced today the launch of MFGmatch.net, a custom manufacturing marketplace to connect companies with machine shops and contract manufacturers. The company said the new site was launched in response of a serious need for small and medium sized job shops with limited marketing budgets to compete with larger shops with a more dominate online presence.

custom manufacturing

According to Conrad Bailey, spokesperson for MFGmatch.net, the site is designed to help domestic and international machine shops promote their services online while enabling those in the market for custom manufacturing services to submit RFQ’s (request for quotes) directly to national and international manufacturers at . Bailey said the focus of the site is on machined parts, precision components and other custom products constructed in various metals, plastics, rubber, wood and other materials.

“MFGmatch.net was designed to include offerings for all types of services provided by machine shops such as castings, engineering and design, fabrication, forging, woodworking, tool and die making, prototyping, plastic and rubber parts, molding, mold making, metal finishing, precision machining, heat treatment, forging and other custom manufacturing solutions,” said Bailey. He added, “Industrial Leaders created the site because research has shown many smaller shops are in need of a lead generation service they can afford and compete with larger manufacturers that often dominate search engines and other industrial marketplaces on the Web.”

Bailey said there are existing site that charge machine shops as much as $5,000 and up annually for the privilege to access RFQ’s with no guarantee of results in terms of new customers. MFGmatch.net on the other hand is free for both the buyer as well as the supplier. He explained, “It’s a win-win situation for everybody involved because the money saved by the machine shop that would usually be spent on advertising can be passed on to the buyer.”

About MFGmatch.net
MFGmatch is a FREE Custom Manufacturing Marketplace at http://www.MFGmatch.net connecting buyers and suppliers of custom parts, precision components, machined items and other made-to-order products and solutions. The site is the solution to high-priced marketplaces as it’s designed to enable machine shops, contract manufacturers, foundries, engineers and other professionals to post and explore RFQs at no charge.

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International Steel Returns To Normal Trading Levels Reports Balli Group

Balli Group Chairman, Vahid Alaghband, reports international steel market bottoms out and returns to normal trading levels.

Vahid Alaghband, Group Chairman of Balli Group, one of the world’s largest privately owned independent commodity traders, has stated that he believes the indications are that the international steel market has now bottomed out and is once again experiencing a normal trading environment, albeit at reduced volumes.

The return to regular steel trading confirms that the market has now recovered from the state of paralysis it found itself in last year.

Vahid Alaghband commented: “The international steel trading market is no longer frozen and we expect further stabilisation over the next 6-12 months. The return of normal trading and the relative stability of prices is an important milestone in the recovery of the construction industry and for the global economy.”

Nasser Alaghband, director at Balli Steel, added: “The bottoming out of the market for steel follows a cut in capacity by producers in response to the global downturn in construction and the seasonal fall in demand for the northern hemisphere. The growth of the steel futures markets for construction steel in London and Dubai since 2007 has helped increase price transparency and has enabled decision making on capital investment.”

Major steel consumers – property developers, construction firms and ship builders – welcomed the growth of the futures market for steel as it provides them with a means of controlling risk by enabling users and suppliers to lock in prices and avoid losses.

Balli Steel experienced good trading levels in Q4 (2008) and expects Q1 to be slower, partially due to seasonal variations in the market. Near normal market conditions are predicted for the second half of the year.

Nasser Alaghband observed: “The market became incredibly difficult and almost non-existent early in 2008 as demand, principally from the construction industry evaporated in response to the global financial crisis. The situation eased during the third quarter and by Q4 the market began to trade again in a normal fashion.”

“One major obstacle to European trade is the loss of access to credit insurance as insurers such as Euler Hermes and Atradius re-evaluate their exposures in deteriorating economic conditions”, Nasser concluded.

About Balli Group plc

Balli Holdings, is a large private, multi-national corporation, headquartered in London, but with offices in Dubai and other key business hubs around the world.

Balli was established in 1982 and operates a number of affiliated companies specialising in commodity trading, industrial, real estate and private equity with operations in over 20 countries. Together with its affiliated companies, Balli employ over 2,000 people worldwide.

Balli Steel is the company’s principal operating subsidiary, and is one of the largest independent traders of steel in the world. Balli Steel provides raw materials and steel to a number of market segments including steel mills, steel service centres, pipe and tube makers, the oil and gas industry and other designated end user segments such as the packaging products industry.

The company’s real estate operations currently have a property portfolio of over $3billion, comprised of over 900,000 sq ft of property under development with a Gross Development Value of some $800million, and an additional 2million sq ft and a GDV of almost $2.5billion in the pipeline.

Via EPR Network
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Chemicals, Environment, Industrial, Industrial Goods, Lubricants, Manufacturer, Material Handling, Materials, Oil, Petroleum, Raw Materials, Safety

Total Chemicals have deployed an innovative method of delivering safety information in a more structured and timely way by their storage and manufacturing specialists

TOTAL Chemicals has developed an IT approach to reduce safety concerns associated with the manufacture and storage of chemicals.

The Total Chemicals operational team consists of experienced specialists from within the world of chemicals, blending, distribution and storage.

Total have the ability to manufacture and store a wide variety of chemicals including dangerous goods with Registration Categories covering clauses 3 to 6 and 8 as well as non-hazardous goods, all under cover in dry storage.

Within the chemical industry the ability to speak in a timely way with a suitably knowledgeable person in regard to chemical storage safety and planning issues has always been a problem with the potential for serious adverse outcomes.

To meet this problem head-on Total employed internet consultants WebStation Australia to research the various options available. WebStation chose the proven GObookings AppointmentDiary V9 system to manage the situation automatically by way of online appointments. This solution allows the online customer to firstly select a product range and day; available times are then displayed reflecting the availability of the chemicals storage specialist consultants. Customer appointments are then made for a preferred time in an easy, seamless and user-friendly way. The outcome; the customer is able to book the ‘right’ consultant to telephone them at a time which suits with confirmation by email. The Total consultant then calls back at the appointed time.

Chris Barton Co-Founder of TOTAL Chemicals commented – “Total now has an industry first; a measured and efficient solution to provide faster response times for critical advice for safety and planning issues.”

TOTAL Chemicals range of products include alcohols, chemical manufacturing, toll blending, flexographic solvents, hydrocarbons, oils, greases, lubricants, thinners, paint strippers, safety solvents, solvents, specialty chemicals and raw materials.

Web Resources -Total Chemicals – www.totalchemicals.com.au
GObookings Systems – www.info.gobookings.com

Via EPR Network
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Environment, Hardware, Industrial, Industrial Equipment, Industrial Goods, Industrial Services, Industrial Supplies, Machinery & Tools, Manufacturer, Safety, Standards

Slingsby announce that their Environmental Management System has been formally accredited in meeting the requirements of the International Standard ISO 14001:2004

Slingsby, market leaders in the distance selling of industrial and commercial equipment, has announced that their Environmental Management System has been formally accredited in meeting the requirements of the International Standard ISO 14001:2004.

Slingsby has worked hard to develop and implement systems to reduce emissions affecting climate change, and to segregate different wastes to maximise recycling and minimise landfill. Slingsby has also ensured that they have ongoing compliance with new and existing environmental legislation such as the Producer Responsibility (Packaging Waste) Directive and also the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directivethrough membership of compliance schemes in the UK and Ireland.

The purpose of the International Standard ISO 14001 2004 is to enable an organization of any size or type to:

– identify and control the environmental impact of its activities, products or services
– improve its environmental performance continually
– implement a systematic approach to setting environmental objectives and targets, to achieving these and to demonstrating that they have been achieved.

According to the International Organization for Standardisation, “The ISO 14001:2004 is applicable to any organization that wishes to establish, implement, maintain and improve an environmental management system, to assure itself of conformity with its stated environmental policy, and to demonstrate conformity with ISO 14001:2004″

Dominic Slingsby, Managing Director said, “We are delighted we have achieved the ISO 14001 standard. We are extremely aware of our environmental responsibilities and have implemented a strategy to reduce our impact on the environment while continuing to improve the service to our customers”.

Slingsby recognises the effect it has on the environment due to business practices and is committed to reducing the extent of its impact through the Environmental Management System, adherence to new and current environmental legislation, and the application of best practice.

About Slingsby PLC
Formed in 1893, Slingsby, are leading suppliers of industrial supplies and commercial safety equipment with a range of 35,000 products to assist companies meet health and safety guidelines. The company continually strives to improve its manufacturing pedigree through investment in new technology, quality and increased product ranges.

Slingsby can also provide bespoke solutions tailored to meet client needs should they be unable to locate what they require amongst the 35,000 standard products on offer, (which includes major sections on Access Equipment, Environmental & Waste Management, Flooring and Matting, Signs and Labels, and Safety and Security supplies).

With 115 years experience of solving workplace problems, Slingsby is able to provide advice or guidance to cover most business needs, and can manufacture or source solutions when required to meet special orders.

Via EPR Network
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Bearings, Cable & Wire, Calibration & Testing, Casting Molding Machining, Chemicals, Coating & Laminating, Components, Composites, Computers, Contactors, Control, Controllers, Design, Electric, Engineering, Engineers, Engines, Fabrics, Factory Automation, Fans, Fiber, Firmware, Fluid Handling, Gas, Hardware, Heat, Heavy Industry, Hybrid, Industrial, Industrial Design, Industrial Engineering, Industrial Equipment, Industrial Goods, Industrial Services, Industrial Supplies, Inventory, Lubricants, Machinery, Machinery & Tools, Maintenance, Manufacturer, Material Handling, Materials, Measurement, Mechanics, Motors, OEM, Oil, Optics, Packaging, Parts, Performance, Petroleum, Plastics, Power, Pumps, Quality, Relays, Robotics, Safety, Sensors, Software, Standards, Starters, Switches, Synthetic, Systems, Wireless

Welcome to EPR Industrial News

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