German deformed steel bar market continues on downward trend

It is reported that the German deformed steel bar market has stayed in downward trend recently.

It's learned that the quotes of deformed steel bars with diameter of 12mm have fallen to EUR 550 per tonne from EUR 580 to EUR 590 per tonne in three weeks ago in German market. The actual transaction prices were at EUR 540 per tonne.

However, buyers preferred to purchase in accordance with their requirements instead of placing huge amounts of orders as the scrap prices continued falling in October 2012.

Thus, it's predicted that German deformed steel bar market would remain weak in the short term.

Source - www.yieh.com)

Steel distributor Tibnor inks a group wide agreement with Peab

The Nordic steel distributor Tibnor and the Nordic construction and civil engineering company Peab has signed a group wide agreement of reinforcing and long products deliveries in Sweden, Norway and Finland.

The deepened collaboration begins during the end of 2012 and is a complete solution including material and value add services within logistics, production and administration.

Mr Mikael Nyquist CEO of Tibnor said that "We are very pleased that Peab selected Tibnor as the complete solution provider for reinforcing and long products deliveries. It is evidence that we have a joint view on long-term development projects and partnerships. The group-wide agreement will be a significant volume for our production and logistic system in the Nordics."

Source - SSAB

Steel Square Bars For Your Roof

Mild steel frameworks make perfect materials for roofs. The steel flat bars have become rather well-known to builders. Recently they have become the popular choice for making different shapes of steel and for framework fabrication. They come in quite a range of sizes and designs, and are being sold by different companies so it will be quite easy for you to choose what you like, to make sure that it fits within your budget.

You may be the type who is into the aesthetic of the material or perhaps you are concerned solely on the durability. Whatever your specific need or demand, there is definitely a steel flat bar for you. As a matter of fact, steel flat bars have become rather fashionable nowadays so they can fit well into your homes. You just really have to be careful with making your choice; taking into account durability and quality, all the time, not just price.

The great demand for flat bar have been graciously met by manufacturers who willingly lowered each of their rates to be able to compete with other brands. The trouble with such a phenomenon though is that to be able to lower the price, consumers have to make do with lower quality products. They lower their prices to be able to compete with each other but they can only do so if they lower the cost of production. In the end, consumers end up suffering the cost with houses being unstable after construction and crumbling away with the money they have spent.

A better option for building houses, therefore, is to use steel square bars instead. They are as versatile as flat bars and can be used in different kinds of fabrication purposes, but since they have smaller surface areas, they are more durable and can withstand greater pressure.

It does not really matter whether you are the homeowner, the construction firm owner, or a lowly builder, your responsibility in the construction of a house or a building is not something that can be taken lightly. After the whole building or home is finished, it will be occupied by people whom you may know, and always keep in mind that when you are building the structure, there is no room for making mistakes.

You will be responsible for any accident that may happen and if the building collapses and it falls on someone who ends up getting hurt or worst, dead, you will be answerable for this.

If you cannot afford quality steel flat bars and are hesitant on purchasing a couple of surplus materials, then you are doing the right thing by ordering a couple of steel square bars instead. Steel square bars are as versatile as a typical flat bar and you can use it for a variety of things. Do not ever try to compromise quality just to be able to save. There are things that require top grade materials and for construction you should always take into consideration the lives who will be occupying this as soon as it is complete.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3428584

Selling Steel Reinforcing Bars (Rebar)? Lear How Factoring Can Help You Grow

Companies that sell reinforcing steel bars (or concrete bars - also known as Rebar) have seen a boom in recent years. Many cities have seen a surge in residential and commercial real estate projects, which in turn has increased the demand for Rebar.

Companies that sell, cut and bend Rebar have profited nicely from this growth - however, they have also faced a common problem in the industry. The problem is tight cash flow. Basically, they sell the Rebar to customers (e.g. builders, contractors) at good prices. These customers usually pay their invoices in 30 to 60 days. In the meantime, the Rebar company must wait to get paid while covering all supplier, payroll and rent expenses. Many times, this is not sustainable. Either the company stops growing, or worse, it starts missing key supplier or employee payments.

Going to the bank to get business financing is not always the best solution. Why? Banks seldom finance companies in the Rebar industry. And before they finance a company, they need to see a detailed business plan, three years worth of company financials and owners with good personal credit. Also, they take months to make a decision. However, there is a better solution problem - the solution is to factor your receivables.

Factoring receivables provides your company with an immediate advance on the slow paying invoices. This gives you the necessary cash to pay suppliers, employees and rent. And as opposed to bank financing, invoice factoring is easy to obtain.

This is how accounts receivable factoring works:

1. You sell the Reinforcing Bars to your client. You send them an invoice

2. You send a copy of the invoice to the factoring company, who advances you up to 85% of its value

3. Once the customer pays for the invoices, you get the remaining 15%, less the service fee

Factoring companies charge differently for their services, but the cost is generally anywhere between 1.5% and 3% per month. Price varies based on financing volume and on the quality of your invoices.

The biggest difference between factoring financing and bank financing is that factoring is very easy to obtain and quick to set up. Most companies can obtain a substantial line of financing in as little as 5 days. Although not widely used in the reinforced bar industry at this time, it's an ideal source of working capital that is quickly gaining popularity.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/472737

New concrete reinforcement product to replace steel bar

Construction company Pan Mixers South Africa (PMSA) and Basalt Technology, which is a part of the PMSA group of companies, have launched a concrete reinforcing product made of crushed and melted basalt rock.

PMSA consists of a group of companies which work together with a common outcome to provide concrete equipment, solutions and technologies to concrete manufacturers and producers.

“Basalt Technology, which joined [the PMSA group] has brought in StoneRod, a trademark product it has started marketing,” says PMSA marketing manager Quintin Booysen.

“StoneRod is a basalt fibre material that serves as an alternative to industry-standard steel and E-glass concrete reinforcement for numerous industrial applications,” he adds.

Booysen mentions that instead of steel, Basalt Technology will be using StoneRod in rebar for concrete work.

He also believes this new technology will help the industry expand, as it provides different parameters to steel.

Being the only company that currently imports basalt into Southern Africa, Booysen says there has already been good response to this technology from the universities where a trial run was undertaken.

“StoneRod has not been used commer- cially in South Africa yet but we have started testing it at the civil engineering departments of two local universities to provide quantitative results from testing the new technology,” he says.

He adds that there has been a positive response from the head of the Civil and Environmental Engineering department at one of the universities, who says that he and the university has been waiting for a long time for this kind of technology, as the department needs to find new and innovative ways of providing civil engineers with new and innovative technologies for concrete structures.

“Basalt rock is transformed into fibres by taking the rock in its purest form and melting it, before drawing it through dies. The material can then be spun to produce a twisted yarn, or it can be a single filament material,” says Basalt Technology director Gordon Forrester.

He adds that StoneRod is corrosion proof and its tensile strength is 1 200 MPa. It is rust resistant, which means the concrete does not become distressed.

In coastal regions, there is very high corro- sion, which means that conventional reinforce- ment steel bar has to be deeper and requires more cover from the concrete, which has to provide protection for the steel bar so that the salt does not ingress and corrode the steel.

Before the introduction of the StoneRod, E-glass and stainless steel were the two materials used to overcome the problem, but they are costly.

The StoneRod can be pushed closer to the surface and it will not corrode or rust because it is a natural stone and not a metal.

Booysen says StoneRod is also cost-efficient, which he believes will be advantageous for the construction sector.

“We believe that, in future, we will reduce costs by having higher-performance material like the StoneRod and with a much higher tensile strength compared with steel.

“StoneRod is about 80% lighter than steel, which results in lower transport costs, he adds.

As a result of the differences between the steel and StoneRod, PMSA is planning to build a training centre in 2013, where it will host seminars and showcase the StoneRod material and its full complement of concrete equipment.

“We are planning to have lectures for engineers and architects to learn more about PMSA’s full product range and offering, as well as about industry trends.

“With the advent of high-performance concrete, we believe we will be able to create new structures that will bring a new pool of skills into the market, which will hopefully create more jobs,” says Booysen.

Despite the decline in construction work after the 2010 FIFA World Cup, PMSA believes there will be growth moving forward.

“We cannot have drought forever; at some point, it will have to end. The current political instability in South Africa will create economic instability if government is unsure of its focus moving forward,” Booysen adds.

PMSA believes there are opportunities in Africa, which South African countries can pursue for business.

Booysen says there is a growing demand in the developing regions of Africa, which are still rich in minerals and resources. A lot of resources in Africa are allocated for international use and many international countries are looking at South Africa as the hub of the continent.

“If we can show that we are an efficient economy with a stable government, that will also help to create jobs indirectly for South Africans,” he notes.

Edited by: Chanel de Bruyn

Resource : http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/new-concrete-reinforcement-product-to-replace-steel-bar-2012-07-20