The Merchant Slab Market: Strategic Outlook to 2020 is the long overdue study from MBR, which provides on-the-ground research combined with strategic recommendations. The study comes amid a challenging climate directly impacting those looking to invest, or already operating, in steel slabs today.

Various factors can be expected to play a critical part in defining future slab demand, supply and pricing patterns – all of which will be analysed in this brand-new study.

Key questions addressed in this study:

• Will new slab capacity investment in the Americas continue or will this now be delayed?
• What is the outlook for slab to HR coil/plate margins? At the global level, in a market downturn, low-cost slab-based mills may continue to operate while finishing lines ramp down or close, while in a market upturn, the slab is consumed internally and the merchant market is starved.
• Will merchant slab producers add their own finishing rolling mills to recover lost value? If so, who and when?
• Could iron ore companies look downstream at slab to add value? If so, where and when?
• Will the market be characterised by excess merchant slab capacity?
• Does disintermediation add to merchant slab supply or detract from it?
• Who are the main buyers/sellers in the market and how will their strategy change now over the coming years?
• What impact has consolidation had on the market for merchant slab?
• Will the merchant market benefit or lose out if carbon is priced?
• Will the LME ever launch LME contracts?

The answers to these questions are critical to the success of your business