Manufacturers contend with steel price increases

摘要

The price of hot-rolled steel, which had been expected to fall in the second half of the year, is now predicted to rise nearly 19 percent from current levels, reaching 650 dollats a ton this summer, according to several sources. It has risen by roughly 135 dollars a ton since late 2005, and is currently at about 550 dollars per ton. The price is not expected to trend downward until fall, and then only by 50 dollars per ton. This rise has the potential to cause problems for small and midsize U.S. manufacturers that supply steel parts to other industries, particularly automotive. But according to Miles Free, director of technology services for the Precision Machined Parts Association, a majority of the U.S. manufacturers who are affected by this increase have proven adept at passing it along to their customers.