Outotec and the Brazilian mining company MMX Mineração e Metálicos S.A. have signed a contract for the filter technology delivery to the expansion of the Serra Azul iron ore processing facility in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The parties do not disclose the contract value, but deliveries of this scope are typically worth of some tens of millions of Euros.

Growing demand looks to bring about an evolution in the US iron industry, despite North America having historically been a modest iron ore producing and consuming region, according to a new report by mining analysts GBI Research. The new report states that increasing regional demand for steel is boosting iron ore production, made possible by the area’s huge natural resources.

The Timken Company has awarded Dr. Peter J. Tenberge the 2012 Society of Automotive Engineers/Timken-Howard Simpson Automotive Transmission and Driveline Innovation Award. Dr. Tenberge is chair of machine elements at Chemnitz University of Technology where he arranges curriculum and seminars for students, and conducts research focused on vehicle transmissions.

Ruukki has rolled out a new tool, Visualize your roof. The tool enables potential roofing customers to discover Ruukki's range of steel roofs and colours by trying them out on houses of different types. The tool makes it is easy to see how the choice of roofing sheets and other roof parts impacts on the appearance of a house and which combinations work best.

ArcelorMittal announces that it has entered into an agreement to divest its 23.48% interest in Enovos International SA to a fund managed by AXA Private Equity for a purchase price of € 330 million. This agreed transaction is in line with the declared Group strategy of selective divestment of non-core assets.

The Timken Company has supplied bearings for one of China's largest vertical slag mills, featuring a 5.7 m (18.7 feet) grinding table. The mill, one of several now utilizing Timken bearings, was developed by Citic Heavy Industries Co. Ltd., one of China's top manufacturers of cement-producing equipment. Vertical slag mills are critical to China's massive infrastructure-building efforts. Slag is a byproduct of steelmaking that, when processed by a vertical mill, becomes a key component in high-quality concrete used in roads, bridges and other infrastructure projects. According to Citic, the new vertical slag mill produced by Citic is expected to produce up to 1.2 million t of ground slag annually.

Eurofer’s Q2-2012 economic and steel market sees recessionary pressures in the EU gradually easing from the 2nd quarter onwards. However, the strength and timing of a economic turnaround remains surrounded by uncertainties and risks. Most of them stem from internal problems and structural imbalances in the EU. Eurofer director-general Gordon Moffat: “The recent trend in the indicators is consistent with a stabilisation in economic fundamentals after months of weakening; this could pave the way for a cautious recovery later in the year. Owing to solid order backlogs and support from the weaker euro on export markets, activity across EU’s manufacturing sector has been holding up relatively well”.

Alacero reports that on Sunday May 6 was held in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, a meeting of its Executive Committee chaired by Mr. Raul Gutierrez Muguerza. During the meeting, the directors of the member companies discussed the prospects of the steel industry in the light of the report recently published by World Steel Association in its 2012 and 2013 outlook for world steel consumption. Mr. Raul Gutierrez Muguerza commented on the analysis of the figures, “Steel consumption in Latin America is expected to increase by 6.3% this year and 6.0% next year, driven by high levels of activity in the steelusing sectors that are related to raw materials and infrastructure investment plans and construction in most countries.

ArcelorMittal, the world’s leading steel company, announced results for the three month period ended March 31, 2012: Health and safety performance improved in 1Q 2012 with a LTIF rate of 1.1x as compared to 1.2x at 4Q 2011; Ebitda of $2.0 billion (including positive $0.2 billion from employee benefit changes) compared to $1.7 billion in 4Q 2011 (including $0.1 billion of CO₂ gains); Steel shipments of 22.2 Mt, an increase of 1.2% as compared to 1Q 2011; 13.2 Mt iron ore production +12.1% YoY; 6.8 Mt shipped and reported at market price5 vs. 5.9 Mt in 1Q 2011; Net debt increased $1.1 billion to $23.6 billion ($0.3 billion of increase due to strengthening of the euro); Liquidity2 improved to $15.2 billion from $12.5 billion at end 4Q 2011; debt maturity extended to 6.4 years; Continued progress in non-core asset sales with the successful partial divestment of Erdemir stake and the agreed sale of Enovos.

ArcelorMittal published its Corporate Responsibility (CR) report for the 2011 financial year, detailing recent progress made by the world’s largest steel and mining company against its responsible business and sustainable growth plans. Highlights of this latest CR Report include: A fourth successive year of improvement in ArcelorMittal’s health and safety record: Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate falling to 1.42 days per million hours worked, a 20% reduction compared to 2010; The roll-out of S-in-motion – ArcelorMittal’s innovative steel product for the automotive industry that has the potential to deliver a 15 % reduction in emissions while the vehicle is being made, and a further 13.5 % while it is being driven.

Aperam announced results for the three month period ending March 31, 2012: Health and Safety frequency rate of 1.0x in Q1 2012 compared to 0.3x in Q4 2011; Shipments of 433 000 t in Q1 2012, flat compared to shipments of 429 000 t in Q4 2011; Ebitda of USD 64 million in Q1 2012 compared to Ebitda of USD 53 million in Q4 2011; Basic earnings per share of USD (0.14) in Q1 2012; Cash flow from operations amounted to USD 79 million in Q1 2012; Net debt reduced to USD 857 million at March 31, 2012, representing a gearing of 24%.

The Timken Company held its 108th annual meeting of shareholders in Canton, Ohio, where shareholders re‑elected the following four members to its board of directors, each serving a one‑year term:

• Joseph W. Ralston, vice chairman of The Cohen Group;
• John P. Reilly, retired chairman, president and chief executive officer of Figgie International;
• John M. Timken, Jr., private investor and entrepreneur; and
• Jacqueline F. Woods, retired president of Ameritech Ohio.

1 021 492 703 shares, or 65,44% of the Company's share capital, were present or represented at the general meetings. The results of the votes will be posted shortly on www.arcelormittal.com under "Investors > Equity Investors > Shareholders’ meetings > Annual General Meeting – 8 May 2012" where the full documentation regarding to the general meetings is available.

The Timken Company showcases advanced Timkenbearing products and services for the metals industry at the Association of Iron and Steel Technology trade show, May 7-10, in Atlanta, Ga. "Timken's research and development teams focus on creating new bearing products to improve the performance of equipment operating under extreme conditions in metals mills," said Mike Connors, vice president of distribution for Timken. "Timken bearings set high standards for performance to help reduce operating costs and keep mills running more efficiently and reliably."

The Steel Tube Industry assumes the hard work of providing corollary equipment and key technologies for industries like electric power, metallurgy, environment protection, water conservancy, municipal engineering, etc. The 9th China (Beijing) International Steel Tube Industry Expo 2012 (STIEXPO) aims to promote development and application of steel tube technologies.