The energy reform already has in the steel industry its first favored manufacture, after the government thought of implementing in it the largest expenditure and thus give it the impulse that it will receive strategically together with the construction sector.

With this, in addition to the announcements of investments in the automotive industry, steel products will also be in demand.

Last March, CH Industries informed that it will build a plant in the north of the country for the manufacture of special steels, products that are mainly used in the automotive industry and for the manufacture of oil equipment.

ICH will also install a plant to manufacture helical (spiral) pipe, which will enable it to produce pipes of up to 100 inches in diameter and a wall thickness of one inch.

The German company Siemens was contracted by Altos Hornos de México to build a vacuum steel degassing plant to produce high-strength material with a very low hydrogen content, required for applications in the oil industry, API pipe manufacturing, sour gas and automotive products.

In its latest financial report, Minera Autlán stated that in April-June 2014 its sales increased 31% and volume increased 11% compared to the same period in 2013, as a result of a higher volume of manganese nodules sold and an increase in prices.

Autlán mines, processes and sells manganese ores; it also produces and markets manganese ferroalloys; ferroalloy operations represent 96 percent of the company's total sales.

The company's main customers are steel producers and, to a lesser extent, the battery and ceramics industries.
The steel industry's growth is closely linked to economic cycles because steel products are largely used in the construction and metallurgy sectors, which are quite sensitive to economic downturns.

Source: Mexican Business Web