North American Ferroalloys 2019

The fourth North American Ferroalloys Conference
Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel
Chicago, United States
Date: 25 - 27 September 2019
Venue: Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel 1 W Wacker Dr,Chicago,US
Overlooking the Chicago River, this swanky hotel is adjacent to State/Lake El station and a mile from the Museum of Contemporary Art.

New ferroalloys conference series in the mid-west hub of American steel.
Networking and facilitating vital business connections will be the key focus of this new event. Packed with countless opportunities for delegates to meet with the entire ferroalloys supply chain, this conference includes afternoon networking round tables, a networking activity day, a networking drinks reception and a trader's champagne lunch.
Key industry speakers from across the ferroalloys industry will open with discussions about the US and global economy and the health of carbon, speciality steel and stainless steel production.

Event Overview of North American Ferroalloys 2019
Connect with the whole ferroalloys industry directly
Fastmarkets understands that the North American ferroalloys market is unique to its global counterparts. The fourth North American Ferroalloys Conference this September.
Surround yourself with supply and demand side experts and enjoy rich discussion on the most pertinent topics in the US market:

• China’s rally for self-sufficiency: to what extent will the country’s closing supply-demand gap affect the US?
• What is the future for the favorite? How US silicon market participants are fielding an uncertain outlook for downstream demand 
• Current US ferroalloy purchasing trends and tangible impact of sustained longer-term buying
• In what ways is the North American automotive industry likely to drive ferroalloy market growth – and can we depend on it?

Why attend?

• Meet the whole ferroalloys market in the one place, over 150 delegates joined us in 2018 for 2 days of learning, networking and deal-making.
• Connect with steel mills from across the globe, in 2018 we welcomed 29 steel mill delegates from 10 countries
• Hear from industry experts directly, and their thoughts on the future of the industry
• Access to our Networking App – you can search the delegate list from four weeks before the conference, send messages and arrange meetings
• Assess the prospects and challenges of each key market under the microscope.

Steel mills confirmed: 

• AK Steel
• ArcelorMittal
• Bradken
• Charter Steel
• Commercial Metals Company (CMC)
• Evraz
• Gerdau
• GRUPO SIMEC MEXICO
• Ivaco Rolling Mills
• North Star Bluescope Steel LLC
• Nucor Steel Decatur
• Nucor Yamato Steel Company
• Outokumpu Stainless USA LLC
• SSAB Americas
• Stelco Inc

 
All this and much more - join us for two networking drinks receptions as part of the event:

25 September - Welcome drinks reception at the Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel

26 September - Drinks reception at Chicago's famous House of Blues, with live music played at the venue!

North American Ferroalloys 2019 Agenda Overview
Pre-Conference Day: Wednesday, September 25, 2019
5:00pm Welcome drinks reception
Connect with friends old and new in a relaxed environment before the meetings kick off the next day.

Day One: Thursday, September 26, 2019
8:00am Registration desk opens
8:55am Chairman's opening remarks
Patrick Ryan, Co-Editor, intherightvein.com
9:00am Welcome address
Alan Kestenbaum, Executive Chairman, Stelco Inc
Session I: Your 'need to know': crucial ferroalloys market trends in the US and beyond
9:15am What does next year hold for US ferroalloys?

• Assessing the major global economic outlooks and their impact on downstream demand
• What impact will shifting supply and demand dynamics have prices?
• Are there any market disruptions that producers and consumers alike should be aware of?
• What significant global events have affected pricing behaviour of the US ferroalloys market?
• Has Section 232 had a positive or negative affect on prices of ferrochrome, nickel and manganese in particular?
• Which domestic steel markets have the most influence on the prices of externally sourced raw materials?

Amy Bennett, Senior Steel Editor, Principal Consultant, Fastmarkets MB
Christopher Kavanagh, Non-ferrous editor, North America, Fastmarkets AMM

10:00am Supply chain snapshot - production patterns and downstream demand

• What downstream demand trends are steel mills predicting?
• A deep dive into the search for a cost-effect melt-mix
• What are the biggest logistical challenges steel mills are experiencing when procuring ferroalloys?

Charles Robitaille, Procurement Manager, Bradken
Jordan Kestenbaum, Director, Macro International Corp.
Alan Kestenbaum, Executive Chairman, Stelco Inc
Patrick Ryan, Co-Editor, intherightvein.com

10:45am Networking refreshment break

Session II: Steeling the show: a deep dive into the market of your key end users
11:30am Tariffs, treaties and trade - tracking ferroalloys around the world

• Back to the drawing board? A rundown on the latest developments with US-China trade relations
• “National security” tariffs vs. traditional trade remedies – current status of national security tariffs on autos and likely impact on ferroalloys.
• What kind of trade relations does the US have with the EU in the context of Brexit?
• Are there alternative trading arrangements worth considering that might have an impact on U.S. sourcing of ferroalloys

Dean Pinkert, Partner, Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP

12:00pm The future of carbon steel, stainless and special metals

• How do the prices of manganese and ferrosilicon affect downstream production trends of carbon steel?
• How weak demand from China expected to reduce global ferrochrome prices?
• What has been the effect of Section 232 tariffs on demand for carbon and stainless steel?
• Where are mills sourcing their ferroalloys for the production of different types of steel?
• Is changing demand in automotive products requiring that US carmakers use more stainless steel?

Amy Bennett, Senior Steel Editor, Principal Consultant, Fastmarkets MB

12:30pm Networking lunch break
Session III: Ferroalloys in the spotlight
1:45pm Afternoon roundtable series: Maganese
Connect, inform and share!
Our roundtables give you the opportunity to connect with new industry peers in an informal setting, hosted by a series of specialist experts. Choose which sessions appeal to you and enjoy a lively discussion face to face with 10-20 other professionals around the most pressing issues in the market.
Kevin Fowkes, Managing Consultant, Alloy Consult

2:15pm Ferrochrome and chrome ore
Expect to discuss things like...

• Index pricing - is a change on the horizon for North America?
• Assessing high carbon ferrochrome supply and demands trends as we move into 2020 and beyond
• China's role in the availability of chrome ore and how this will affect high carbon ferrochrome

Barry Lazar, President, MEDIMA
Michael Lillja, Sales & Marketing Director, Polymetcore

2:45pm Networking refreshment break
3:15pm Ferrosilicon
Expect to discuss things like...

• The impact of the Malaysian ferrosilicon smelters on the US market
• Will the strong US dollar continue to encourage more ferrosilcon imports from countries such as Brazil and Kazakhstan?
• Is there a need for more ferrosilicon capacity outside of China?
• What could be the potential impact if China decides to lower its VAT export duty on ferrosilicon?

Patrick Ryan, Co-Editor, intherightvein.com
Sergei Antipov, Russian Ferro Alloys, Inc.

3:45pm Examining the latest trends for the hottest noble metals - molybdenum and tungsten
Expect to discuss things like...

• To what extent has the molybdenum recovered from a comparatively weak 2018? What is the outlook for demand?
• Are the global supply and demand fundamentals for tungsten on the right track? In what ways can the American auto industry profit from the rise of tungsten metal powder?

...as well as US specific crucial market updates on price, availability and downstream uses.
Jordan Kestenbaum, Director, Macro International Corp.

4:15pm NEW: 'Speed Networking'
5:00pm End of Day One of North American Ferroalloys Conference and networking drinks

**DRINKS OFFSITE at the House of Blues bar** - just out of the hotel and across the bridge.

We will meet in the hotel lobby after the conference and head across together.
Look forward to seeing you there!

Day Two: Friday, September 27, 2019

8:30am Registration desk opens
9:25am Chairperson's opening remarks
Session IV: US pricing update: home and away
9:30am Ferrochrome, nickel and manganese

• What significant global events have affected pricing behaviour of the US ferroalloys market?
• Has Section 232 had a positive or negative affect on prices of ferrochrome, nickel and manganese in particular?
• Which domestic steel markets have the most influence on the prices of externally sourced raw materials?

Christopher Kavanagh, Non-ferrous editor, North America, Fastmarkets AMM
Session V: Internative panel discussions around the world's most prominent alloys

10:00am Vanadium

• What is the latest in the price behaviour of ferrovanadium? To what extent is this influenced by changing demand and rebar standards in China?
• What are the implications of the boom in the renewable energy market/battery industry for high purity vanadium?
• Is the ferroniobium threat real? Are there any other emerging competitors related to changing grades of steel?

Alice Agoos, Co-Editor, intherightvein.com
Paulo Misk, President and Chief Executive Officer, Largo Resources

10:30am Chrome
Discussions will include:

• What do regional power restrictions mean for the future of production?
• Examining the extent of the overlap among producers of chrome and manganese in South Africa
• The anticipated effect of Glencore’s ferrochrome production cuts

Christopher Kavanagh, Non-ferrous editor, North America, Fastmarkets AMM
Ozzie Yilmaz, Director Of North American Sales, Polymetcore Trading US LLC
Patrick Ryan, Co-Editor, intherightvein.com

11:00am Networking refreshment break
11:30am Manganese

• Assessing the effect of the EV boom on nickel price and availability
• How is the rise of the number of stainless steel products affecting market dynamics?
• In what way will cobalt prices impact the battery industry’s demand for nickel – short and long term?

Barry Gidwani, Managing Director, DCM Alloys
12:00pm Noble Alloys

• How will battery production trends impact the demand of cobalt in the US?
• In what ways can the American auto industry profit from the rise of tungsten metal powder?
• What are the implications of the boom in the renewable energy market for high purity vanadium?

Mark Smith, Chief Executive Officer, Largo Resources
12:30pm End of Day Two of the North American Ferroalloys Conference and networking lunch