Steel prices remained high, orders at galvanising producers weakened

SHANGHAI, Apr 14 (SMM) — Orders at galvanising producers weakened slightly last week. Producers mainly consumed the inventory restocked at lows over the previous week while others restocked as required on the back of high zinc prices. Production at galvanised pipe plants stabilised at which output exceeded sales and finished product stocks rose slightly. Orders for galvanised structural parts fell and end-users held a wait-and-see outlook due to high prices of steel and zinc ingots. Thus, orders were delayed for delivering. The foundry are struggling to survive, and some companies cut processing fees to increase orders, but the effect was minimal, and there was no increase in orders for infrastructure such as photovoltaics, scaffolding and highways. It is worth mentioning that the recent high-speed rail supporting orders at home and abroad were modest, contributing part of the increment. Orders at galvanising producers are unlikely to improve this week, if steel and zinc ingot prices continue to be high.