[SMM Steel] Las ofertas de HRC y palanquilla de la India respaldadas por mayores costos y preocupaciones de mantenimiento

ArcelorMittal Mexico is targeting annual steel production of 5.3 million tonnes by 2029, compared with current output of approximately 3.6–3.7 million tonnes, according to CEO Víctor Cairo. The company is focusing on operational improvements, including modernisation of continuous casting facilities and the removal of production bottlenecks, to support crude steelmaking capacity of 3.8 million tonnes annually and hot-rolled coil production of 2.5 million tonnes. ArcelorMittal is also advancing a 180 million USD (approximately 17.1 billion INR) iron ore concentrator project at Las Truchas, scheduled to begin operations around mid-2027, supporting plans to increase long steel production to 1.5 million tonnes annually. The 5.3-million-tonne objective was originally outlined in 2017, making the latest development an updated production timeline and operational improvement programme rather than an entirely new capacity announcement.

[Vietnam] Vietnam's import HRC market weakened, with the ASEAN HRC assessment falling by USD 5/tonne to USD 535/tonne CFR Vietnam. Tradable levels for Indonesian-origin SAE1006 HRC were reported at USD 532–534/tonne CFR Vietnam for January–February shipment, while mainstream offers for January shipment stood at USD 535–540/tonne. Some Vietnamese buyers targeted lower levels of USD 530–533/tonne CFR. Trading activity remained subdued, with a gap persisting between buyers' price expectations and prevailing offers.

Hyundai Motor India inaugurated its new manufacturing facility at Talegaon, Pune, on October 14, adding to India's automotive manufacturing capacity and creating potential longer-term demand for automotive-grade flat steel. The plant has an initial annual production capacity of 170,000 vehicles, which Hyundai plans to increase to 320,000 units by 2030. The company plans to invest approximately 1.16 billion USD (110 billion INR) in phases at the facility, while 55 supplier partners have already invested nearly 484 million USD (46 billion INR) in Maharashtra. The plant will manufacture the new Hyundai Venue for domestic and international markets, with exports planned to more than 35 countries. The planned production ramp-up and expansion of the surrounding component-supplier ecosystem could support incremental demand for cold-rolled and coated steel products.