Two of the nonferrous metals sector’s benchmark metals, copper and nickel, spent the first four months of 2018 moving in opposite directions on the value spectrum. Both metals displayed volatility in late April and early May.

Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange (LME) ended up 1.1 percent at $6,820 per metric ton May 2, after hitting $6,710 the day before, its weakest point since April 4, 2018. Nickel closed up 2.4 percent May 2 at $13,980, after hitting its lowest since April 12, 2018, the day before.

Metals were pressured down by a strong U.S. dollar. While the European Central Bank (ECB) balance sheet keeps growing and growing, the Fed continues to shrink its balance sheet. The ECB’s total assets now amount to almost 41 percent of Eurozone gross domestic product (GDP), while the Fed’s is now below 22 percent. In response, the euro has fallen to below $1.20 in value.

In the steel sector, China’s steel rebar futures price soared to the highest level in eight weeks Wednesday, May 2, buoyed by a firm physical market that helped run down inventories amid ongoing supply constraints.

The most active rebar contract for October delivery on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) rose 4.3 percent after having earlier touched its strongest level since March 7, 2018.

Jiangsu Shagang Group, one of China’s largest privately owned steel firms by production capacity, said May 1, 2018, it will hike spot prices for rebar in May by RMB130 ($20.42) per metric ton, raising the price to RMB4,070 ($639).

Activity in China’s steel industry continued to grow in April, with the Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for the industry rising 1.1 percentage points to 51.7 percent from the prior month, according to data from the China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing (CFLP) released Monday, April 30.

“Demand for steel products remains at a high level, while supplies have been curbed due to environmental policies, which helps to lift market prices” said analysts at Orient Futures in a note to investors. Stockpiles of rebar held by Chinese traders decreased further in late April after hitting a five-year peak in mid-March. Inventory of 7.13 million metric tons heading into May was down 7.4 percent from a week earlier, data compiled by the SteelHome consultancy showed.

In Europe’s manufacturing sector, the Eurostat Eurozone manufacturing final PMI for April 2018 reads at 56.2 (compared to 56.6 in March). Slower rates of expansion were calculated in five out of the eight Eurozone nations.

According to Eursotat, Italy’s manufacturing PMI in April 2018 hit a 15-month low, followed by Germany’s at a nine-month low, Spain at a seven-month low, the Netherlands at a six-month low and France at a five-month low. All nations remain well above the 50.0 threshold that separates manufacturing growth from contraction.

Cleveland-based Ardleigh Minerals Inc., a recycler of thermal spray plasma dust, grit, sludge, filters and high-alloy metals, has announces that Allen S. Wass has been hired as the director of operations.

“We are fortunate to add Allen to our team in this leadership role,” says Ernest Q. Petrey Jr., CEO of Ardleigh Minerals. “He has a keen understanding of the recycling industry and brings the technical expertise and background in these industries that Ardleigh needs to grow to the next level.”

As the director of operations, Wass will assume operational and administrative leadership duties in the operation of Ardleigh Minerals’ facilities in Beachwood and Euclid, Ohio (both near Cleveland). “He will oversee Ardleigh’s expansion plans and implement new processes in support of the company’s growing aeronautical, blast media and filter programs,” says Petrey.  

Wass previously worked as the president of Sanford Rose Associates, an executive search firm focused on the specialty materials markets. He spent 10 years in various roles, including plant manager for General Electric Lighting. Wass graduated from Cornell University in New York, earning a degree chemical engineering. He also attended Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, where he received his master’s degree in business administration. 

Ardleigh Minerals states it operates both domestically and internationally, offering recycling services to the aerospace, automotive and catalyst industries by recycling thermal spray plasma dust, grit, sludge, filters, and high-alloy metals.

The National Waste and Recycling Association (NWRA), Arlington, Virginia, has announced it will host a young professional as part of the Professional Fellowship Program (PFP), sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and administered by Legacy International, an international capacity building organization specializing in peacebuilding, social entrepreneurs, leadership training and dialogue based in Bedford, Virginia. For approximately four weeks, Ahmed Sahraoui will assist NWRA staff with various projects. Sahraoui is an engineer with a background in environment and safety.

“We are pleased that Ahmed will join us for the next several weeks. We look forward to his contributions as a member of the NWRA team while he is with us,” Darrell Smith, NWRA CEO and president, says. “The Professional Fellowship Program is an important opportunity for young men and women from foreign countries to meet new people and learn more about our culture and for us to learn about theirs. I encourage our member companies to participate in internship and fellowship programs. They are an incredible learning experience for the host and for the intern or fellow.”

The PFP links organizations from the United States and six countries across North Africa and the Middle East. It is a two-way citizen exchange program designed as a capacity-building and professional development initiative that generates economic empowerment across the region.

"Hosting a fellow is a significant way to support the professional development and learning of emerging leaders from the Middle East and North Africa,” Mike DuVall, program manager for Legacy International, says. “Fellowships in American organizations support them in developing new skills, knowledge and work processes. Our fellows are working to address the most pressing social issues in their countries and communities.”

The program is for early to mid-career professionals with strong leadership skills who are committed to making a lasting positive impact through their work in the civil society (NGO) sector, NWRA says. Information about the program can be found at www.legacyintl.org/pfp.

Boulder, Colorado-based SERI, the housing body for the Responsible Recycling Practices (R2) Standard for electronics recycling operations, says it has released new guidance to assist R2 certified recyclers and auditors in determining whether shipments into Hong Kong are legal.

“Import/export regulations can be difficult to understand,” SERI writes in its R2 Update e-newsletter dated April 2018. “The legality of import often changes based on the type of equipment, its level of functionality, any components or characteristics deemed hazardous, the originating and destination country and other variables.”

SERI says that while its guidance, available at https://sustainableelectronics.org/sites/default/files/R2%20Guidance%20on%20Imports%20into%20Hong%20Kong.pdf, “sets forth presumptions for compliance by R2 certified recyclers, other conclusions could be legal depending on the variables. The responsibility to demonstrate legal compliance of international shipments by the R2 recycler and their downstream vendors is the responsibility of the R2 recycler.”