Finland-based stainless steel producer Outokumpu has awarded Primetals Technologies an order to upgrade a ladle treatment stand at its Calvert, Alabama plant to a 180mt twin ladle furnace, with startup scheduled for March 2028. Replacing equipment commissioned in 2012, the new furnace will provide electrical heating following the AOD converter, improving temperature control, process flexibility, and productivity while reducing energy consumption and carbon footprint, utilizing the existing plant layout and foundations. The scope covers mechanical and electrical equipment, automated argon lancing, hydraulic systems, Level 1 automation, and the Primetals Melt Expert electrode control system. Outokumpu's Calvert facility currently melts up to 100% stainless steel scrap in a 160mt electric arc furnace before processing in a 180mt AOD converter, with two ladle treatment stands and a single-strand slab caster.

Chinese Taiwan's upstream stainless steel producers Yusco and Tang Eng reported stable first-half revenues, underpinned by consecutive monthly price hikes since December last year driven by rising nickel prices and elevated production costs. Yusco generated NT$18.85 billion in H1, down just 0.18% YoY, while Tang Eng posted consolidated revenues of NT$5.29 billion over the same period, up 3.03% YoY. June momentum was solid: Yusco pulled in NT$3.89 billion, up 5.6% MoM, while Tang Eng recorded NT$705.5 million, extending its YoY growth streak for a second consecutive month.

Luxembourg-based stainless steel producer Aperam has published its alloy surcharge adjustments for European austenitic stainless steel flat products for July, effective July 1, 2026. The surcharge for 304 decreased to EUR 2,339/ton from EUR 2,365/ton in June; 316L rose to EUR 4,089/ton from EUR 4,056/ton; 309S declined to EUR 3,151/ton from EUR 3,192/ton. Ferritic grade 409 edged up slightly to EUR 919/ton from EUR 917/ton.

Cleveland-Cliffs officially announced on July 1, 2026 that it had received a $400 million sole-source, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract from the US Defense Logistics Agency to supply grain-oriented electrical steel (GOES), a critical material for transformers and other power equipment. The five-year contract, which runs through September 2030, was originally awarded in September 2025 but was formally announced by the company this week. GOES production has become a strategic US priority amid concerns over grid infrastructure resilience and reliance on imported transformer steel. The contract is expected to support jobs at Cleveland-Cliffs' Ohio operations, where the company produces the specialty steel grade. The announcement adds to a series of defense- and infrastructure-linked demand signals for US electrical steel producers this year

India's government has extended the certification exemption for finished stainless steel flat products until March 31, 2027. However, small and medium-sized stainless steel producers are urging authorities to reinstate mandatory quality control orders on imported stainless steel to curb the surge in low-priced Chinese imports. The policy was eased in late 2025 to address domestic shortages of certain grades, but imports rose sharply within two months of the change. In April, India's stainless steel imports reached 101,252 tons, surging 65% YoY, while China's finished steel exports to India doubled from a year earlier to a two-year high.

South Africa's global chrome ore exports eased marginally in May 2026 to 2.43 million mt, down 1.82% month-on-month from 2.47 million mt in April, but still 43.08% higher than a year earlier. High-carbon ferrochrome (HC FeCr) exports moved in the opposite direction, rising 5.66% MoM to 123,795 mt, though volumes remained 48.76% below May 2025.