On Oct 29, 6:59 pm, "Ed Huntress" wrote:
wrote in message

ps.com...

On Oct 29, 6:22 am, "Ed Huntress" wrote:

I don't know what "American Steel" has to say about it, but that was my
beat
in those days. Success in the primary steel industry depends on a lot
more
than technology. Anybody can buy the technology today.

Read the book. Anyone can buy the technology today, but not only one
company did in the sixties.

What does the 60s have to do with what we're talking about, Dan?

Hmmm. I thought we were talking about competing with low wage
countries. And my point is that one can not compete with low wage
countries by doing things the same way they do. One has to reduce the
amount of labor. Nucor did this by installing the first continuous
casting facility anywhere. So that is why the sixties have to do with
the discussion. Actually The first continuous casting mill was built
in the late eighties. At the time their goal was to produce a ton of
steel with one manhour of labor. At that rate low wages in some other
countries mean nothing.


You're arguing for the sake of argument, not to clarify the state of
manufacturing in the US. Who did what first, and where their past glories
come from, is all about where it went. I thought we were talking about where
things are. And my point was that primary steel in the US is not competitive
on the world market. Nucor is a good example of a company that's doing well
because it's *not* competing directly with primary steel. Relative to other
producers, we have much less little basic steel capacity in the US than we
did. And no, rebar is not basic steel. It's a byproduct or a recycled
product. "Basic steel" has a specific meaning in the steel industry.

You mean this?

Definition: Steel produced in a furnace in which the hearth consists
of a basic refractory such as dolomite or magnesite, as opposed to
steel melted in a furnace with an acid lining. The basic process
permits the removal of sulphur and phosphorous and in this respect is
superior. Present day BOS and electric arc furnaces use basic
linings.

Sounds like Nucor makes basic steel to me. And if you meant basic,
why did you use primary?

I am not arguing for the sake of arguing anymore than you are. And I
never set out to clarify the state of US manufactuing. I meant to say
that there are ways to compete with low wage companies. And one way
is to reduce the amount of labor to the point that it is
insignificant.


If you want to discuss that, I'll be glad to. There's nothing to be gained
by arguing about why AMD Dresden isn't competing against low-wage car
builders, or whether an advanced economy can get most of its steel from
scrap.

The point about AMD is that they produce microprocessors in one of the
highest pay scale countries. So low wages is not necessarily the most
important thing. But productivity is important.

Dan


Just let us know where you're going. The state of US manufacturing is no
mystery if you spend some time watching the trends. As for the history of
it, enjoy your discussion.

--
Ed Huntress