As director of marketing for Aman Environmental Construction Inc. and lead proposal manager for the Kingdome Demolition Project, I was surprised to read that one of our subcontractors, Controlled Demolition Inc., had been given credit for this project. Along with Controlled Demolition there are other subcontractors to Aman who have greatly contributed to the project. We cannot get a wholesaler to commit to a price on roofing asphalt. In addition to that, all wholesalers have started with a new fuel surcharge on all deliveries. To mask such major increases, there must have been large declines in steel.
Cheap imports are nothing new to the steel market.
What's new is the level of dumping and the subsidization by foreign governments of their steel industries. This recent assault on the steel industry comes after the industry has increased productivity, lowered costs and lowered overhead. The U.S. steel industry is a world-class producer. What the steel industry can't do is subsidize other nations' willingness to export their financial problems. It keeps inflation down at the expense of union jobs.