WSD Special Studies

Besides its regular subscription service, WSD has created a series of limited edition studies to help its clients evaluate strategic and tactical directions. The Limited Edition Studies answer questions such as: How is your company's cost position versus the competition? How will it look in five years? What is the production cost of those who are offering you steel slabs? What are steelmakers' materials balances by world region? How much scrap and coke will steelmakers need to buy? What is the likely price of cold-rolled sheet under various scenarios given the suppliers' cost curve? What specific facilities in the U.S. are aging and have a limited life? What is the production cost at each minimill in the U.S.?

Limited Edition Studies are prepared with Donald F. Barnett, independent steel consultant. Fees include consultation time. Discounts available on multiple studies.

WORLD COST CURVES

WSD offers four versions of its World Cost Curves (WCCs). On an aggregated basis, they track 593 plants with a gross capacity of about 745 million tonnes. World Cost Curves are provided for:

• Flat-rolled sheet mills. In 45 countries, 180 plants with a gross steelmaking capacity of 530 million tonnes.

• Wire rod mills. In 49 countries, 220 plants with an aggregated capacity to produce 96 million tonnes of wire rod. Plus, an additional 78 reference plants (that present for each country production cost alternatives via the BF/BOF, EAF, and EAF w/DRI routes).

• Plate mills. In 44 countries, 120 plants with a gross steelmaking capacity of 84 million tonnes. Plus, an additional 120 reference plants.

• Steel scrap substitute plants. 83 plants (mostly directly-reduced iron and Corex units) with a gross capacity of 68 million tonnes.

The flat-rolled sheet, wire rod and plate mill WCCs include the following:

• Input prices and usage factors for coking coal, coke, iron ore, directly reduced iron, steel scrap, electricity and labor. Input/output ratios are provided by stage.

• Costs-by-process, where applicable, for cokemaking, blast furnaces, steelmaking (via the BOF/OH or the EAF route), slabmaking, billet- or bloom-making, hot-rolling, cold-rolling, finishing, plant overhead, depreciation expense and interest expense.

• Capacity data for slab or billet, hot-rolled band, cold-rolled coil, wire rod and plate.

• Quality rankings for each plant that produces hot-rolled band, cold-rolled coil, wire rod and plate. Costs are compared among plants that produce similar product qualities.

• In-depth comparisons of fixed/variable costs, costs in U.S. dollars and the home currency, manhours per tonne at stage, etc. Detailed home and global rankings at and through each cost stage.

• A CD-ROM that permits with selected key inputs the playing of "what if" games by plant.

The WCCs for Flat-Rolled Sheet, Wire Rod and Plate sell for $9,000 each to WSD subscribers and $14,000 to others. The WCC for Steel Scrap Substitutes sells for $5,000 to subscribers and $7,000 to others.

WSD $ 9,000
Others 14,000

In taking the metallics analysis out to 2018, we see far reaching consequences. For example, in 2008, the ratio of the obsolete scrap requirement to the estimated available average 10 to 40 year old scrap reservoir was over 0.97. In 2009, this ratio is forecast to drop to just 0.71. The implications are for much lower scrap prices in the future and possibly a less favorable outlook for the competitive position of the integrated mills.

The study covers the period from 1975 to 2018. For each country and region, there is a 200-line analysis including:

• Apparent consumption of finished products;
• imports and exports of semi-finished and finished steel;
• crude steel production by furnace type;
• iron ore, steel scrap and steel scrap substitutes usage per tonne of BF, BOF, OH, EAF and foundry output;
• process yields;
• generation of home, new, obsolete and low residual steel scrap;
• domestic shipments;
• hot metal and steel scrap substitutes requirement;
• the global steel scrap reservoir;
• supply/demand balances for obsolete and low residual scrap.

WSD $ 10,000
Others 15,000

STEELMAKERS' PROCESS-BY-PROCESS COSTS
A detailed specification of costs by process from ore and coal through coke ovens, blast furnaces and finishing mills for all products for key producers, i.e., hot rolled, cold rolled, HDG, EGL, tinplate and plate. Identifies input prices, input usage, labor productivity, yields, costs at each production stage, energy needs, raw material needs, scrap/DRI, iron ore, coal, PCI, shipments and revenues by product.

NORTH AMERICAN STEEL: CRITICAL PATH ANALYSIS OF CAPABILITY AND PERFORMANCE
For over 30 major flat-product plants in North America, including all new mini flat mills, this study shows in diagrammatic flow chart form facility capacities, raw material requirements, manhour and cost flows, and shipments by product for all major producers. It provides the status of existing and new facilities and outlines the technical specifications.

$20,000

NORTH AMERICAN PRODUCER FACILITY RATINGS
An assessment of the technical characteristics and capacities of all major steel producer facilities. Each mill is rated based on its age and condition, performance and market acceptability of product. Includes capacity technical performance and operating parameters..

$7,000

GLOBAL STEEL MILL PRODUCT MATRIX FORECAST
Production, Import, Export and Apparent Consumption. Where? What? How Much? WSD has created this study to answer these questions and to provide special insights into the possible evolution of the steel industry in the years ahead. Herein, we forecast semi and finished steel product markets for 81 countries and regions annually to 2015. Product coverage includes: Flat-rolled products, including hot-rolled sheet, cold-rolled sheet, tinplate, galvanized sheet and other coated; long products, including structurals, wire rod, rebar and bar; and other products, including rail and pipe/tube.

$5,000