President’s Column – At the risk of repeating myself.

One of the difficulties of writing a column on a regular basis is varying the subject matter and trying to avoid just repeating previous comments. Unfortunately, we all have our own pet subjects and when you don’t get out much, like myself, it is easy to just revert to type.

However, there are serious issues affecting our industry that haven’t gone away and do need to be kept in focus. Not least of these is the Government’s Steel Strategy and the imminent arrival of new quotas and tariffs on structural steel products. As I have commented previously, I believe that, while the strategy offers much that is good for our industry, there are unintended consequences and as always the devil is in the detail. The strategy as it currently stands is likely to disincentivise the consumption of both British produced and British fabricated steelwork which is clearly contrary to its stated aim.

If we have to focus on one single problem with the strategy as it currently stands then it must be the omission of fabricated steelwork from the tariffs and quotas. Quite simply, this offers a method to avoid the product tariffs and the BCSA forecasts will result in large amounts of fabricated steelwork from overseas arriving in the UK. Already, our members are receiving offers of supply from overseas fabricators; they have the capacity, all they need is a means of access to our marketplace. There needs to be a quick resolution, even an admission that there is a problem with the stated aim to introduce appropriate tariffs on imported fabricated steelwork within the near future would help at present.

Another issue that I may have mentioned before is the actual method of steel production that will be adopted within the UK in the future. Our old BOF steel furnaces need replacing and we now have the opportunity of a lower carbon future for steel production utilising EAF. However, in the interests of self-sufficiency within an increasingly unstable world shouldn’t we also retain the option of BOF and the ability to manufacture steel from basic raw materials? Maintaining this capability in the future could also offer the potential to produce more specialist steels and thereby reduce some of our existing reliance on imports.

If it is accepted that there is a need for BOF, then to ensure the viability of any new furnace we must also acknowledge that there is a place for structural steel produced by this route in the UK marketplace. To this end, procurers; including the Government itself, should not be allowed to specify that the steelwork on their project is sourced solely from EAF mills.

On a different note, the BCSA AGM and Annual Dinner will take place this month and I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the Royal Armouries in Leeds. This will be our second year on the road and will hopefully prove to be as enjoyable as our visit to Chester last year. For those of you attending and anyone who has been reading these columns on a regular basis, apologies in advance if I happen to repeat anything mentioned previously during my speech.

Chris Durand
BCSA President