Forward

May 1, 2007

NO MORE UGLY DUCKLING

The metals industry may have returned to prosperity, but its reputation could use a boost, especially among prospective young managers.

When it comes to young people, including engineering and business students at the nation’s top universities, the metals industry has a serious image problem.“Many people still perceive metals as an old, dangerous industry shown in […] Read More

March 1, 2007

ENERGY

FEELING FUELISH?The fast-growing ethanol market could lose some of its luster for producers and distributors of stainless steel.

President George W. Bush’s State of the Union pledge to boost the supply of renewable and alternative fuels seven-fold, to 35 billion gallons by 2017, cheered not just ethanol producers, but also stainless steel […] Read More

March 1, 2007

LABOR

BEAUTY CONTEST IN THE OIL PATCHEnergy companies bring in workers by the truckload to mine the oil buried in the sticky Alberta tar sands. It's tough for metals companies to compete with the big salaries being offered.

The rush to extract oil from the tar sands of Western Canada has presented a vexing labor problem for metals companies: They must compete in the labor market with their customers—oil companies that are […] Read More

March 1, 2007

Across the Generational Divide

Baby boomer managers face a challenge adjusting to the work style of younger recruits.

The gulf between generations can be a mile wide at Chicago Tube & Iron Co., where younger workers sometimes irritate Baby Boomer managers by wanting to take off for the day if they’ve completed an […] Read More

January 1, 2007

Long Live LIFO

A federally mandated change in the widely accepted accounting principle would result in a tax bite for distributors and other companies that carry inventory.

Over the past 12 months, deep in the halls of Congress, a startling idea has been proposed. In an effort to raise federal tax revenue, some leading members of the U.S. Senate have suggested that […] Read More

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