Prices for domestic Mexican steel beam IPE (ASTM-A6) surged this week by US$10/mt, closing at US$920/mt ex-mill. In the same period, prices for steel beam I (ASTM-A36) rose US$23/mt, reaching the level of US$918/mt ex-mill.
The construction of industrial buildings in the Bajío region--attributed to the arrival of companies from the automotive industry--is bolstering demand for different steel products, especially structural profiles.
Meanwhile, the entire supply chain for the construction industry expects that the government will soon launch the National Plan of Infrastructure, which should translate almost immediately into steel orders. Last week, for example, the Ministry of Communications and Transport (SCT) announced an investment of more than US$942 million in the Port of Lázaro Cárdenas in Michoacán. Also, the Port of Guaymas, Sonora, will launch in the coming days a bid for expansion and modernization. But until anything is clear, forecasts for construction in Mexico show a decline of 3.6 to 3 percent by the end of 2013.