![]() ![]() “It’s demanding work, there’s a tight labor market, and unemployment is low, so attracting talent is hard,” she said. Recyclers also face hiring challenges because of increased competition for workers. Though Lundgren said the steel industry has benefited from the recent Section 232 tariffs that helped curb illegal dumping of steel products in the United States, she called for better long-term solutions that avoid retaliatory tariffs and allow countries to create dynamic trade agreements. “Steel mills are our customers, so if they face this, it could be hard for us to escape unscathed,” she said. Bank of America analysts warn that there could be a “steel-mageddon,” a 20–25% increase is steelmaking capacity that, depending on market conditions, could cause price compression and oversupply, she said. A bilateral trade deal with the United Kingdom is one possibility, but that nation must leave the European Union and smooth out the lingering effects of Brexit first, he said.įerrous recyclers must prepare for “steel-mageddon.” In the next few years, recyclers will face changes in the labor supply, shifts in international trade, and challenges to recycling’s reputation, Tamara Lundgren, CEO of Schnitzer Steel Industries (Portland, Ore.), told attendees at the ferrous spotlight. International trade attorney Jeffrey Weiss of Venable predicted the United States would not enter into many more multinational trade pacts during the Trump administration. ![]() ![]() The proposed agreement contains a requirement that 70% of the steel and aluminum in “Made in the USA” vehicles must have been produced in the United States. The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement could affect scrap flows and steel production when the three countries ratify it, these presenters said. “But for all the attention has paid to trade … he hasn’t persuaded many nations to open their markets to more U.S. President Trump believes China and other countries have gained unfair advantages over the United States, said Doug Palmer, senior trade reporter for Politico, and his main response is to impose tariffs, such as those on steel and aluminum. ISRI is organizing a trade mission to Indonesia and Malaysia in November to help recyclers build relationships there, said Adina Renee Adler, ISRI’s assistant vice president of international affairs. Trade conflicts and China’s import bans continue to affect the global trade in scrap, said presenters at a session exploring scrap recycling’s future “with or without China.”Ĭhina still needs scrap metal to feed its manufacturing sector, said Andy Wahl, president of TAV Holdings (Atlanta), and though scrap once destined for China was “finding other homes” in 20, some of those destinations in Southeast Asia clean the material and ship it “as upgraded material to China,” he said. If you blinked, you undoubtedly missed something, so this recap provides some of the highlights.Ĭhina and other trade issues take the fore It continued with early morning fitness activities, luncheons, receptions for special interest groups, and after-hours parties to keep the connections and conversations flowing and ended at the action-packed closing night gala at Universal Studios. ISRI2019 also provided around-the-clock networking opportunities, starting with a “pre-game show” right before the grand opening of the sold-out exhibit hall. The three-day program of spotlight sessions, main stage events, and other workshops prepared attendees to come to grips with the trends in trade, residential recycling, the labor force, and safety and environmental regulation, to name a few. This year’s ISRI convention and exposition helped about 4,700 people from 60 countries do just that. “Pay attention,” ISRI Chair-Elect Gary Champlin’s grandfather once advised him, “or you will be paying everyone else.” Paying attention to trends in markets, regulations, and technology is important for staying in business, said Champlin, general manager of Champlin Tire Recycling (Concordia, Kan.), in his address on the state of the recycling industry at ISRI2019. ![]()
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