Market Statistics – Shanghai Metal Corporation

How Much Petrol Costs Internationally

“Finland has produced so many brilliant distance runners because back home it costs $2.50 a gallon for gas.” Esa Tikkannen, 1979

“It’s better to have beer in hand than gas in tank.” Unknown

Some people would say petrol prices are one of the highest outgoings from their budget – but this isn’t the case universally. So what causes this?

The differences in gas prices across countries are due to the various taxes and subsidies for gasoline. All countries have access to the same petroleum prices in international markets, but then decide to impose different taxes. In some cases, like Venezuela, the government even subsidises gasoline and therefore people there pay close to nothing to drive their cars.

So, assuming you have a 60 liter car, the cost of one tank will vary considerably. A tank of petrol in Venezuela would buy you a candy bar ($0.60). A tank of petrol in Norway, the most expensive on the list, would get you a weekend holiday ($153). In China you could get an IPod ($81). In the UK you could get a family trip to the capital ($129). And finally in the USA, you could get dinner for two in a mid range restaurant ($58).

In fact production of gas is relatively the same universally. The crude oil, which is a mixture of hundreds of liquids of different boiling points is put into a huge column and heated from the bottom. The liquids with the lowest boiling points rise up the column and are collected from the upper regions. Other liquids are collected part way down and heavy oils are collected from the bottom. Tar is found to collect at the base of the column. Petrol is one of the low boiling liquids that are collected near the top. So in fact savings could be made from more efficient production processes, like updating their equipment.

Shanghai Metal manufactures steel petrol boilers. Our Boiler Plate Steel is in stock and readily available, and can be cut to size and shape according to specific design requirements. All work is governed by an independently accredited and regularly audited quality system and is ISO 9001 certified. To find out more, please visit our website, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Or you could try our new mobile app by scanning our QR code.

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Good News For China’s Steel Sector

China’s steel sector will see an improved performance in the second half of 2014, as government stimulus measures and financial controls take effect, according to a key industry executive.

This is indicated in the recent price indexes -the China Iron Ore Price Index (CIOPI) climbed by 1.16 points or 0.36% week on week to 327.04 points as of August 4th, according to the latest statistics by the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA).

To find out more, please visit Shanghai Metal Corporation, a leading manufacturer in value added carbon steel and other metals products Find us at our website, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

Sources: Yieh, Steel First

Siobhan R.// SMC Editor

Food Trucks Industry Switching from Cheeseburgers and Fries to Lettuce Wraps and Kale Chips

Food truck vendors started to gain popularity in the United States around 2008, when citizens had to cut back on spending due to the economic downturn. Entrepreneurs saw this change in consumer preferences as a way to provide unique cuisine options to people at their convenience. Fast-forward five years, now there are many vendors in the marketplace and capturing the audience’s attention is becoming tougher than ever before. Now-a-days consumers are more cautious about the health benefits of the food they are putting in their body and, at the same time, are spending more and more time using technology to interact with the world around them. That is where unique marketing strategies by vendors come into play.

Many cities around in the US host a weekly event where food truck vendors gather at one location from lunch until early dinner. The event, called Food Truck Roundup, takes place at different lots across the city each week to attract customers from different areas.

It is not difficult to get started in the food truck industry but differentiating yourself from the masses of other trucks lined up downtown during peak lunch hours is a different story. Many food trucks are pertaining to healthy eating lifestyles by offering food catered to those who are vegan or vegetarian. Imaner Consultants, an ethical organization who specialize in vegan website involvement, calculated that 95 percent of vegans go out of their way to buy foods from ethical companies. The group also discovered that 96 percent of vegans use the internet as a way of locating vegan products. Some food trucks have taken these statistics into consideration and work to enhance the social responsibility of their trucks and portraying their vision on social media sites. When catering to vegans, vendors consider not only the type of produce they use when preparing each dish but also the type of fuel used in their trucks and the types of packaging and utensils used to eat the organic dishes.

The Cinnamon Snail, based out of New York, New York, won Mobile Cuisine's 2013 Vegetarian/Vegan Food Truck of the Year. The truck is known for its assorted pastries and desserts, soups, salads, and burgers. — The Cinnamon Snail, based out of New York, New York, won Mobile Cuisine’s 2013 Vegetarian/Vegan Food Truck of the Year. The truck is known for its assorted pastries and desserts, soups, salads, and burgers.

Aluminum foil is used by many trucks as a way to serve hand held meals like sandwiches and wraps. The foil is not only an easy clean up for guests but its recyclable capabilities cater to those concerned with preserving the earth. Vendors see it as a way to get the food to customers quicker and using foil doesn’t require any extra packaging material. It is a cost effective way to ensure the food inside stays the same temperature from the time it comes off the grill to the time the consumer opens it up to enjoy. Shanghai Metal Corporation offers a wide array of aluminum foil for packaging. To read more detail on the types of foil we offer be sure to check out our website here. Be sure to join the conversation in our LinkedIn Group, Facebook, and Twitter.

Sources: IBISWorld, Imaner Consultants, mobile-cuisine.com

By: Kristie Kaaa / SMC Editor

In Economic Turmoil, Environment Remains Key

Even during periods of economic turmoil, the environment remains a key issue for our world.

By 2050, it is estimated that there will be two billion more people living in the world’s cities which, according to experts, will mean that world construction will grow by more than 70% and reach $15 trillion by 2025, outpacing global GDP. Part of the solution is to build with steel – 50% of steel is used in construction. With four people per house, this will mean providing 1,427 homes every hour, with most of them needed in Asia and Africa. How can such growth be made sustainable?

As most people are aware, steel is used in so many important applications, from bridges and other large constructions, trains and rail lines to industrial machinery, housing, offices, hospitals, cars, buses and bicycles, to name but a few examples. Steel delivers a number of unique environmental benefits, such as product longevity, recyclability, easy transportation and less raw material wastage. In addition, steel offers architectural and design flexibility due to its inherent strength, which allows large span distances and curves to be easily incorporated into designs.

Perhaps best of all, steel is 100% recyclable, without losing any of its properties or strength, and thus reducing the solid waste stream, which results in saved landfill space and the conservation of natural resources. Indeed, more steel is recycled each day than any other material. Even better, the steel industry as a whole has dramatically improved its energy efficiency over the past 30 years, cutting energy consumption by 50% per tonne of steel produced and substantially reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, also per tonne of steel.

The industry is always looking for ways to improve, and to that end a project is in place in the United States that explores the possibility of replacing carbon with hydrogen in blast furnaces. In addition, ULCOS, which stands for Ultra–Low Carbon Dioxide(CO2) Steelmaking, is a consortium of 48 European companies and organisations from 15 European countries that have launched a co-operative research and development initiative to enable drastic reduction in CO2 emissions from steel production. The consortium consists of all major EU steel companies, energy and engineering partners, research institutes and universities and is supported by the European Commission. The aim of the ULCOS programme is to reduce today’s CO2 emissions by at least 50%.

From a human health perspective, steel frames have proven ideal for the ‘healthy home’ concept. The incidence of asthma and sensitivity to chemicals is on the increase and steel frames have been used to achieve allergen-free and dust-free interiors. This requires techniques such as special sealing around windows, moisture barrier systems in the walls, extensive insulation, and whole house ventilation systems. Steel frames retain their original dimensions, which is a major factor in maintaining effective long-term sealing.

Steel is already being used to help manufacture lighter, more fuel-efficient vehicles as well as renewable energy infrastructure including wind turbines, solar installations, smart electric grids and energy-efficient housing and commercial buildings. Its economic benefits include its quick construction off-site, which means less site disturbance and waste, more usable floor space, e.g. thinner floors allowing for more stories in a building, the flexibility to re-configure buildings and steel has a long life with low maintenance, plus energy efficiency for lower operating costs.

Sited: WorldSteel

Ashley G. // Editor SMC

Steel Industry Forecast 2014

Year 2013 experienced a modest expansion in the steel production of only 2.4% to 1.582 million tonnes. With this figure we have to realize that it covers also a range of national and regional variations. On the other side, these variations are milder than it was in 2008 when the financial crises fully hit in many countries and weakened the markets for years. We can call this is a good sign of stability and recovery, but nothing else.

Economies in Europe and the Japan economy have been slowly improving, while the steel production in China, the world leader in this industry, is slowing down.

Focus on China

Still, China remains the worlds number one producer of steel. China is producing 49% of world’s total steel and in 2013 China’s production increased by 8.7% to 779 million tonnes.
Given the past growth of the Chinese steel production, it is expected to hit 50% this year. Althought the home production is increasing, the home demand is decreasing. Already in 2013 China’s output was greater than the demand on the internal market which ensured China’s position of the world’s number one steel exporter.

Looking at this year data, it is visible that the production growth is slower than in the previous years. Year-on-year data of the first four months of 2014 shows output of 271.9 million tonnes. Chinese goverment is becoming more and more concerned about the outdated technology in the steel industry and the level of overcapacity. It is attempting to slowdown the steelmaking growth in order to improve the industry’s economic viability.

Focus on Europe

The European Union is the second largest steel producer. Still shaken with the recent financial crisis, the steel output declined last year by 2% after a fall of 5% in 2012. However, the production rose in the first four months by 6.2%. The recovery in the EU region is very slow. The 2013 production level was 22% below its pre-crisis peak of 210 million tonnes in 2007.

Lookin at the internal market in the EU, the numbers are looking much better. As an interesting fact, the internal steel market within the EU region is matching with the size if the internal steel trade in Asia!

The forecast for the EU market is to rise by 2.1% this year and 2.4% the next year.

Written by:

Jovelle W. // SMC Editor

International Trade and Marketing Specialist

Data in this article are taken from Metal Bulletin Monthly Magazine June 2014