Mechel OAO announced the creation of the position of Vice President for Commercial Activities. Mr Mikhail Urvantsev 42 was appointed Mechel OAO’s vice president for commercial activities. Prior to this appointment Mr Urvantsev began his professional career at Beloretsk Metallurgical Plant in 2001 as commercial director to become deputy general director of Mechel Trading House OOO in 2002. In 2004, he was…

According to the data released by the Russian Federation Federal State Statistics Service, in January to April this year Russia passenger car output increased by 54.7%YoY to 283,000 units, its truck output went up by 37.4% YoY to 34,700 units while its bus output rose by 21.1% YoY to 8,800 units. According to AEB Automobile Manufacturers Committee, in the first four months of 2010 Russia's sales of new cars…

The local and international foundry sectors need to work together to deal with the challenges that affect the industry, as every foundry faces these challenges, says industry-led, government-funded National Foundry Technology Network (NFTN) project leader Adrie El Mohamadi. South African Institute of Foundrymen (Saif) CEO John Davies agrees and notes that the challenges in the industry pertain to…

Jaguar Land Rover is currently conducting a feasibility study into the establishment of a production facility in the Saudi Arabian industrial port of Yanbu. As Drive.com.au reports, the Saudi government is trying to lure the auto maker with the promise of a free factory. If the company were to go ahead with the plan, it would be the first company to take advantage of Saudi Arabia’s government incentives.…

THE Non-Ferrous Metal Industries Association has welcomed the North Gauteng High Court judgment dismissing with costs an application by the Metal Recyclers Association of South Africa to interdict the government’s new scrap metal export policy. It says the foundry industry in South Africa — both ferrous and nonferrous — adds value to many types of primary and scrap metals, including copper, brass, lead,…

Illawarra Coke Company, one of Australia's major exporters of metallurgical coke, shut its Coalcliff plant in late June due to a slowdown in seaborne exports and weak spot prices, a source familiar with the matter said Friday. The decision to shut the plant, which produces up to 125,000 mt/year of met coke, was made in December last year, the source said. This coincided with the China's decision to lift its…

SPECTRO Analytical Instruments has introduced optical emission spectrometry (OES) technology that offers greater carbon measurement accuracy and speed in cast iron production applications. The technology debuts at the Cast Expo and Metal Casting Congress, April 6-9, 2013, in St. Louis. “Our new analytical solution combines the performance of the traditional combustion analyzer with the speed and ease-of-use…

The decision to terminate primary aluminium production at Slovalco comes in response to adverse framework conditions and high electricity prices, which show no signs of improvement in the short term. The casthouse in Slovalco will continue its recycling operation, serving customers in the region with 75,000 tonnes of recycled aluminium annually. “Slovalco is a well run and modern primary aluminium plant,…

Westomat dosing furnace or conventional ladle system? This is the decision which more and more operators of foundries in Europe are confronted with when modernizing or expanding their systems. This was also the case with the Celikel foundry in the region of Kocaeli (Turkey) and with another large foundry in Coventry (United Kingdom). For both companies, the focus was on increased productivity of the systems…

Envoy: Italy Ready to Help Iran Progress in Railway Connections, Tourism As a bridge for communications between the two countries, the Italian embassy in Iran is ready to introduce Italy's capacities in the transportation industry and launch new cooperation in railway and tourism industries through coordinating bilateral and multilateral relations and meetings," Giansanti said in a meeting with…