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Latin America's 2017 finished steel output up 4% on year: Alacero

https://www.chemnet.com   Feb 23,2018 platts

Latin American finished steel production in 2017 totaled 52.9 million mt, up 4% on the year-ago period, regional steel organization Alacero said Thursday.

Brazil was the main producer with output of 22.4 million mt of finished steel, accounting for 42% of the total, Alacero said in a statement. Mexico was second with 18.7 million mt, or 35% of regional output.

Crude steel production in the period grew 7% year on year to 63.9 million mt, it said. Brazil was the main producer, with 34.4 million mt (54% of the total), up 10% from the first 12 months of 2016.

Apparent consumption of finished steel was 4% higher year on year at 67.3 million mt.

"Of Latin America's total steel consumption, 57% corresponds to flat products (37.3 million mt), 41% to long products (26.8 million mt) and 1% to seamless tubes (1.3 million mt)," Alacero said.

The largest increases in consumption -- in absolute and percentage terms -- were recorded in Mexico (additional 970,000 mt, an increase of 4%), Brazil (961,000 mt, up 5%), Argentina (754,000 mt, up 18%) and Peru (385,000 mt, up 13%).

Conversely, in the same period, Venezuela, Panama and Bolivia recorded declines of 22%, 17% and 15%, respectively.

Imports of finished steel products in the period reached 20.6 million mt, up 4% from a year ago. Of the total, 70% were flat products (14.4 million mt), 27% were long products (5.6 million mt) and 3% seamless tubes (548,000 mt).

"Currently, imports represent 30% of the regional finished steel consumption, which brings about disincentives to the local industry, trade friction and threatens jobs," Alacero said.

The region's exports reached 9.8 million mt, up 12% year on year. Of this total, 50% were flat products (4.9 million mt), 41% were long products (4 million mt) and 9% were seamless tubes (882,000 mt). Thus it registered a steel trade deficit of 10.8 million mt during January-December. Alacero said this was 2% higher than in the same 12 months in 2016 (11 million mt).

"Brazil and Argentina were the only countries to maintain a trade surplus of finished steel, 3.5 million mt and 145,000 mt, respectively," Alacero said. "The largest deficit was recorded in Mexico (5.3 million mt), followed by Colombia (2.1 million mt), Chile (1.6 million mt) and Peru (1.4 million mt)."

Alacero estimated that in January 2018, regional finished steel production came to 4.4 million mt, a 4% year on year increase and 3% up compared to December, and crude steel output was 5.4 million mt, up 4% year on year and 5% on the month.
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