North American Producer Price

New York Average North American producer price, 99.97%... 

These sister publications both appear weekly. Metals Week provides industry news and market analysis, with a North American focus. It also includes details of LME prices, reference prices for primary and secondary refined lead (MW North American producer price) and lead scrap prices. Metals Price Report features longer articles, comprehensive information on LME stocks and details of prices for LME traded options (as supplied by Billiton-Enthoven Metals). 

Economic Aspects. Merchant sulfur dioxide is produced by eight North American manufacturers the total was about 410,000 metric tons in 1994 (310,000 in the United States, 90,000 in Canada). The largest producers in the United States are Rhc ne-Poulenc (from sulfur trioxide reduction by sulfur) and Hoechst Celanese. There is also a larger captive production. Growth of merchant sulfur dioxide is projected at 2—3%/yr. The mid-1995 price was 0.25/kg. 

In general, the production of fused materials is much more energy intensive than that of hydrated products, and this difference is reflected in their prices. The primary producers are the United States Borax Chemical Corp. and the North American Chemical Co. Yearly fusion capacities for the two companies ate reported to be 86,000 and 36,000 metric tons B2O2, respectively (6). There is a plant in Turkey designed for the production of 60,000 t/yr of refined anhydrous borax from tincal ore (102). Small quantities of anhydrous borax have been produced in Argentina. 

Our price forecast for sulfur over the next decade is predicated primarily upon two basic assumptions (1) that the Frasch sulfur producers, although now a less dominant supply source in the North American and world markets, will continue to exert price leadership, especially during periods when a tight supply demand situation exists, such as today, and (2) that the pricing of sulfur in the U.S. will be determined, in large part, by the production economics of the U.S. Frasch industry - that is, the highest cost marginal supplier. 

In 2001 several major North American ammonia producers unexpectedly curtailed some of their ammonia and urea production. These producers cited over-capacity and low demand that were caused by adverse weather conditions and depressed crop prices. Although many plants take periodic shutdowns, the combination of import competition that depressed prices and very high feedstock costs in many industrialized countries during 2000 resulted in shutdowns of... 

Canola oil underwent a transition period in the 1980s as human nutritionists recognized the benefits of the low levels of saturated fats in the diet and the benefits of monounsaturates as compared with saturates and polyunsaturates. In the case of Canadian canola oil, it moved from oil that competed in the markets around the world on the basis of price to a premium priced oil. Canola is perceived as premium oil and is now virtually consumed all over the North American continent. As was discussed earlier, Canada is the world s leading consumer of canola oil on a per capita basis. The countries of the European Union and Canada dominate the export of canola oil. In Canada, canola oil represents about 70% of all vegetable oils produced. The nearest rival is soybean oil with a share close to 25%. Functional and... 

Plastics News, in each weekly issue, covers the industry s latest and most significant business, economic, pricing, legislative, environmental, technological, and end-market developments. It produces six annual, dollar-based rankings of North American plastics processors, with separate surveys of injection molders thermoformers rotational molders film and sheet manufacturers pipe, profile, and tube extruders and blow molders. These rankings currently cover more than 1,800 companies and include sales figures, markets served, number of plants, materials pro-... 

The period 1982-86 was one of extremely depressed prices. LME prices (in sterling terms) and North American prices reached their low point at about the same time in early 1986, but the latter were additionally undermined by the strength of the US dollar. Lead consumption declined substantially between 1979 and 1982 for cyclical reasons, and indeed it was not until 1987 that 1979 consumption levels were regained. In addition, the industry was plagued by over-capacity which was only pardy resolved by closures in the USA. In the early 1980s, many producers implemented measures to improve efficiency, and cut costs, which had the effect of reducing the floor price for lead. 

In 1960 the industry s over-capacity only allowed operation at about 20% of capacity, and Maywood ceased the production of lithium compounds. LCA closed their Minneapolis plant in 1959 (and canceled their long-term ore contract with Quebec Lithium), while American Potash Chemical Co. closed their Texas plant in 1963. American Potash s Searles Lake lithium operation had started in 1951 and closed in 1978. Quebec Lithium in turn started producing lithium chemicals, but closed their plant in 1965. The production of ore from South Dakota stopped in 1969, and sanctions against Southern Rhodesia (still one of the world s major suppliers) curtailed their ore imports from 1965-1980. Foote s Clayton Valley brine operation commenced in 1966, and LCA started mining spodumene in North Carolina in 1968. Foote s Salar de Atacama operation started in 1984, while SQM s started at the Salar de Atacama, and FMC s (formerly LCA) at the Salar de Hombre Muerto in 1997. Both of the North Carolina mines closed after their brine operations had been well established, and FMC essentially closed their Hombre Muerto plant in 1998 because of SQM s greatly reduced lithium carbonate pricing. 

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