S201 exemptions reveal U.S. market weak in specialty area

S201 exemptions reveal U.S. market weak in specialty area

Analysts in the steel industry report that U.S. mills cannot produce a wide variety of special quality steel material for their domestic market. They say the U.S. steel industry has failed to develop more specialized, higher value products that are required for its own market unlike its rival foreign suppliers. Industry insiders say that in reviewing exclusion requests, it is apparent that in coated products, tinplate, aerosal mounting caps and twist off caps – that U.S. producers must rely on foreign suppliers. Steel analysts indicate that foreign suppliers are way ahead of U.S. producers in the tinplate sector and the coated sector for specialist areas in the car industry. This, they say, explains why the U.S. must still rely on steel imports from abroad.