【SMM Stainless Steel Market】EU Steel Safeguard Replacement May Be Delayed by Compensation Negotiations

According to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), US domestic raw steel production reached 1.851 million net tons for the week ending June 20, 2026, representing a 3.3% year-on-year increase compared to the 1.792 million net tons produced in the same week of 2025, though experiencing a marginal 0.2% week-on-week decline from 1.854 million net tons. The capability utilization rate stood at 80.2%, up from 79.8% last year but slightly down from 80.3% in the preceding week. Adjusted year-to-date production through June 20, 2026, totaled 44.395 million net tons with an average capability utilization rate of 78.6%, marking a robust 6.1% increase from the 41.828 million net tons and 76.8% utilization recorded during the same period in 2025. Geographically, the Southern district led production with 833,000 net tons, followed by the Great Lakes (496,000 net tons), the Midwest (318,000 net tons), the North East (129,000 net tons), and the Western region (75,000 net tons). The market impact points to a solid stabilization in domestic steel output; the consistent capability utilization above 80% and strong year-to-date growth reflect that North American mills are successfully sustaining production volumes to meet steady regional consumption amid a highly protected trade environment.

Luxembourg-based steelmaking conglomerate ArcelorMittal officially finalized a sweeping strategic technology collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to accelerate industrial automation across its global production footprint. Under the comprehensive pact, ArcelorMittal will converge its operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) onto AWS infrastructure. By deploying industrial IoT, real-time sensor data mapping, and computer-vision quality control directly to the edge of its production environments, the steelmaker aims to deploy advanced AI digital twins across its physical assets to drastically optimize furnace reliability and reduce energy consumption.