Steel firms brace for tougher timesLocal millers may be hit by influx of cheaper products
PETALING JAYA: While the domestic construction sector is cheering China’s move to waive export duties on steel products from Dec 1, local steel industry players are bracing for tougher times.
Steel millers, which are still reeling from substantially lower prices and sluggish demand, could be hit next by an influx of cheaper products.
SJ Securities analyst Chris Liew said: “On the whole, it doesn’t look good for our players. With China’s steel becoming more attractive and possible dumping, there’s going to be a lot of supply.”
Local players are currently running at a low utilisation rate of 40% to 60%.
Furthermore, in the absence of new project announcements, things were looking “very bad” now, he added.
“China’s move will directly or indirectly cause a further slump in regional steel prices, resulting in some margin erosion for our local boys,” another analyst said.
However, major steel players Ann Joo Resources Bhd and Perwaja Holdings Bhd are confident they would not be “too affected”.
Ann Joo executive director Datuk Lim Hong Thye said details of China’s new scheme remained sketchy.
“From what I’ve heard, the duty on long steel products is still maintained at 15% to 25%, and since the majority of our products are long steel products, we should not be too affected,” he told StarBiz.
Steel prices on the international market have declined between 50% and 70% from their peak in July to August.
“The international steel price has seen a rebound of around US$100 per tonne over the past few days. I don’t know if this will be sustainable,” Lim said.
Perwaja chief executive Henry Pheng said the company was adjusting its production to current market conditions. “We believe that confidence should return to the market by next year and demand should improve,” he said.
Master Builders Association Malaysia, which represents 3,000 contractors in Malaysia, expects China’s export duty on its long steel bars would be waived next.
President Ng Kee Leen said association members would be importing more steel from China by early December.
On average, the domestic construction industry consumes about 200,000 tonnes of long steel bars a month.
Ng projected that the latest waiver of export duty on steel bars could result in cost savings of up to RM100mil a month for the local industry, thus making it more competitive.
The price of steel bars from China (including freight charges and handling) was still below RM2,000 a tonne compared with the average domestic steel bar price of about RM2,850 a tonne.
Ng said steel bars imported from Japan and South Korea were much cheaper at about RM2,200 to RM2,300 a tonne.
He said given the cheaper steel bars, the price of a double-storey terrace house could be reduced by RM2,000 to RM3,000.
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