Tampa, Florida-based American Fiber Green Products, Inc. (AFBG) announced Dec. 26 that the company expects to begin building a recycling facility in Tampa in the first quarter of 2018.

“The company has been actively pursuing financing and sourcing of equipment to build a fiberglass recycling plant in Tampa, Florida. In that regard, the company has entered phase II of engineering design,” AFBG Chairman Ken McCleave says. “We have sourced the manufacturer to produce the housing for the conditioner that is a proprietary component of the Amour process.”

The Tampa-based company notes that the facility will serve dual purposes.

The Tampa plant will be used for research and development and for demonstration purposes of the production of recycled fiberglass products. Actual demonstration of the process and its results seems to be the catalyst needed to encourage investment and give inspiration to the shareholder base, the company says.

“Hurricanes Irma, Harvey and Maria this year have added thousands to the derelict boat population left behind from Hurricane Katrina,” McCleave says. “Over 10,000 sunken boats have been identified by the Coast Guard just around the coast of Florida and in its rivers and tributaries. Many of these are navigational hazards. A Florida facility can provide an end game for these boats that will keep them out of the landfill and generate revenue for AFBG.”

The City Council of North Lake Charles, Louisiana, has voted four-to-two against a proposed expansion plan for a scrap processing facility in the city.

According to an online article from KPLC TV in Lake Charles, Louisiana, opposition to the plan by Louisiana Scrap Metal came from residents who live near the plant.

One resident complained of flat tires caused by pieces of scrap spilling from trucks and referred to the facility as “a hindrance to the community.”

The vote against the scrap firm’s expansion and relocation plan took place despite KPLC’s contention that North Lake Charles is “looking for economic growth.”

An attorney who appeared before city council to advocate for the expansion plan was quoted by the TV station as saying, “All they really want to do is move their building and relocate it. They are a lot of square footage, but they aren't changing what they are doing.”

Sennebogen, Stanley, North Carolina, has announced that Komatsu Northeast, South Plainfield, New Jersey, has joined its dealer network.

Komatsu America announced in December 2016 that it had purchased the business operations of the former Binder Machinery, and relaunched it as Komatsu Northeast. Ed Powers, an executive in the Komatsu organization, has been named as executive vice president of Komatsu Northeast. Bill Kretschmer continues as general manager, sales administration and marketing.

 “The new Komatsu Northeast group has an excellent team serving our New Jersey customers,” Constantino Lannes, president of Sennebogen, says. “Now, with the resources of Komatsu America behind them, they have invested in its facilities and can now give the staff the support they need to stock a full parts inventory, update their training and build a fleet of in-stock material handlers.”

“Along with the machine training we have taken on, we are also adopting a new culture,” Kretschmer says. “Ed Powers brings us a tremendous focus on the customer and on safety at the top tier level.

The team building extends well beyond our own organization. Our cooperative arrangements with other dealers nearby lets us offer customers seamless access to the resources of multiple branches in neighboring states. We now have trucks running a daily circuit to support and balance parts inventories. We have the foundation to collaborate on bids for customers operating multiple sites in different states.”

 “We are fully staffed already with 95 employees employed in our two branches,” he says. “With the experience of this group we have a strong team to build on Sennebogen’s great customer relationships.” 

More than 136 million metric tons of crude steel production were produced in November 2017 by the 66 countries reporting to the World Steel Association (Worldsteel), Brussels, which was 3.7 percent more steel than was produced in November 2016.

China’s crude steel production continued to eclipse that of the other reporting countries. In November 2017 the country produced 66.2 million metric tons, an increase of 2.2 percent compared with November 2016.

Crude steel production in Japan also increased, though more modestly, in November 2017. At 8.7 million metric tons, the country produced 1 percent more crude steel than it did in November 2016.

The U.S. produced 6.7 million metric tons of crude steel in November 2017, an increase of 8.5 percent compared with November 2016.

Production in the European Union varied, with Spain seeing an 18 percent increase in November 2017 compared with the previous year. The country produced 1.3 million metric tons. Italy produced more crude steel at 2.2 million metric tons, which was a 3.3 percent increase relative to November 2016. France, however, saw production decline by 8.7 percent in November 2017 compared with the previous year. The country produced 1.2 million metric tons of crude steel in November 2017.

Turkey’s crude steel production for November 2017 was 3.1 million metric tons, which was 7 percent greater than in November 2016.

In Latin America, Brazil produced 3 million metric tons of steel in November, a 15.3 percent increase compared with November 2016.

The crude steel capacity utilization ratio of the 66 countries in November 2017 was 70.7 percent. This is 1.5 percentage points higher than November 2016. However, compared with October 2017, it is 2.2 percentage points lower.