4/20/2004: Woman collects rust

[onetrack]

This scrap company image, has touched the most raw nerve in my body .. China cannot get enough steel scrap to feed her industries, so the scrap price has rocketed. Scrap is a vital part of steel making, believe it or not .. all furnaces rely on a large % of scrap to produce good quality steel. Using scrap for furnace feed, lowers costs, and improves end product quality, because scrap has a known quality, minimal impurities as compared to iron ore, and takes less energy to turn into fresh steel.

China produced 241 million tonnes of finished steel last year .. the first time in the worlds history, ANY country produced more than 200 million tonnes of steel in one year .. and production is slated to increase by double digit %'s in the next few years, from both domestic and world demand.

Scrap steel is bringing US$200 to US$250 a ton in the U.S. .. we in Australia, are a lot closer to China .. and the local major scrap dealer is offering AU$35 a tonne (US$26 ton) for heavy scrap .. delivered and sized ..

The local major scrap dealer has just reported massive increases in profit .. much to the CEO's surprise!
No mention is made on % of ROI .. but I guess the CEO will be handsomely rewarded for his financial astuteness .. again ..

Strange thing is .. I can go round up ANY abandoned bogmobile and drop it at the local recyclers and get AU$100 (US$74) for it, provided its complete .. AU$50 (US$37) if they come and collect it.
Methinks there is a large smelly fish in this equation ..

[MAdMoNKEY]

Originally posted by xoxoxoBruce
Sparkz, Monday we had a meeting with my bosses, bosses, boss.
He explained they've been trying to outsource our jobs for 4 years. But, until they can find someone willing to take the work, we should work harder and try to be more productive.

Maybe his brutal honesty will inspire you?

[funkykule]

That woman has no mask, she must be breathing in loads of dust particles from the rust. not good.

[Griff]

Originally posted by onetrack
This scrap company image, has touched the most raw nerve in my body .. China cannot get enough steel scrap to feed her industries, so the scrap price has rocketed. Scrap is a vital part of steel making, believe it or not .. all furnaces rely on a large % of scrap to produce good quality steel. Using scrap for furnace feed, lowers costs, and improves end product quality, because scrap has a known quality, minimal impurities as compared to iron ore, and takes less energy to turn into fresh steel.

Reading that, I flashed back to MAD Magazines take on 1941, with America getting bombed with her own scrap steel.

[paranoid]

Originally posted by Beestie
[Paranoid disclaimer]
[/Paranoid disclaimer]

[onetrack]

Originally posted by Griff


Reading that, I flashed back to MAD Magazines take on 1941, with America getting bombed with her own scrap steel.

The bombing you Americans are getting in 2004 is just a little different to 1941 .. the bombing this time, is of American Industry by Chinese manufactured products .. and surprise, surprise .. who moved all the manufacturing to China??

No .. wait .. it couldn't have been the CEO's of American companies, could it??

Not those same CEO's I poured scorn on, in an earlier post??

And you worry about enemies in the Middle East and Afghanistan??

[chrisinhouston]

looks like the photo was taken on "Take your daughter to work day."

Nothing like teaching your kids the value of a good day's work.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally posted by MAdMoNKEY

Maybe his brutal honesty will inspire you?

It has, it has, but he's been hiding ever since.

[e unibus plurum]

it's a growth industry -- afterall, rust never sleeps.

[xoxoxoBruce]

I remember reading somewhere, 2 tons of steel will produce 3 tons of rust, but it didn't say why. I've always been curious about that, but don't have a clue how I would find out.

[linknoid]

Originally posted by xoxoxoBruce
I remember reading somewhere, 2 tons of steel will produce 3 tons of rust, but it didn't say why. I've always been curious about that, but don't have a clue how I would find out.

Simple chemistry. Pure steel is made of iron and carbon. When it rusts, it adds oxygen to the mix. So what your quoted statistic is saying is that for every 2 parts (by weight) iron and carbon in rust (carbon makes up about 5%, I think), there's one part oxygen.

[richlevy]

I actually saw this on some documentary. In India or Pakistan, some entrepenuer with a radio sits on a beach and instructs the captain of a ship he has purchased for scrap to deliberately beach it during high tide. During low tide, workers swarm over it and strip it down for scrap and parts.