Steel shortage to alleviate in 2005?

The current global shortage of steel products will alleviate in the latter half of this year due to a fall in Chinese demand, an industry body said Monday.

Demand for steel will rise just 3.9-5.0 percent in 2005, compared with an estimated increase of 7.6 percent last year, the Korea Iron & Steel Association said in a report.

China, which has led the soaring demand for steel during the past few years, will see its demand for steel rise 5 percent annually through 2007, the report said. China has recorded an annual increase in demand for steel of over 15 percent since 2000, leading to a global shortage of steel products.

With newly built steel plants going into production, China's annual steel imports will fall to 13 million tons by 2007 from last year's estimated 26.4 million tons, the report said. 

Global steel prices are already falling, with the price of U.S. hot-rolled coil, a common barometer of global steel prices, having fallen since August, the report said.

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China Update
A monthly look at news from China that impacts all of us
Click the title to read the story

UPS to pay $100M for China network
Shipper takes over most operations from Chinese partner Sinotrans effective in 2005.

Yum! gets personal in China
Company introduces Chinese fast-food chain as part of "multi-branding" to compete with McDonald's.

Tips for entering the Chinese market
It may not be hard to enter the Chinese market, but operating and turning a profit once you get there is the challenge.

What are ABEC precision grades?
by Mike Mortensen - Director of Engineering RBI-USA

Various grades of precision bearings have been established by the American Bearing Manufacturers Association (ABMA), previously known as the Anti-Friction Bearing Manufacturers Association (AFBMA). The Annular Bearing Engineers Committee (ABEC) committee established several classifications of increasing precision levels similar to the class or grades used by the International Standards Organization (ISO). 

ABEC classes               ISO classes

ABEC 1                        ISO class 0/Normal

ABEC 3                        ISO class 6

ABEC 5                        ISO class 5

ABEC 7                        ISO class 4

ABEC 9                        ISO class 2

 As the ABEC number increases so does the precision of the bearing and its cost. Although ABEC grades bearings will be precision ground, as you increase in precision, super finishing and remarkable grinding precision are required. The main difference between the precision classes is the tolerances on the bearing bore diameter and outer diameter and the radial and axial run out of the inner and outer rings. Higher precision classes allow for higher speeds and extreme accuracy.  

Typically, bearings made to higher precision grades such as ABEC 7 or 9 are used in specialized applications such as high precision machine tool spindles, superchargers, jet engines, etc.

Have a question or topic you would like to see covered? Click here to let Mike know!

Final Word
Top 10 most common New Year resolutions

1. Lose weight
2. Stop smoking
3. Stick to a budget
4. Save or earn more money
5. Find a better job
6. Become more organized
7. Exercise more
8. Be more patient at work/with others
9. Eat better
10. Become a better person

Happy New Year from all of us at RBI Bearing.

We Get It Done.

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