The assortment plants in Northwestern Europe have had some success with higher prices at the beginning of the year, however, buyers do not seem to be as successful in using these higher levels when selling to customers.
One of the market observers told Kallanish that the factories were seeking a price increase of 30 euros per ton ($35 per ton), but distributors could not explain this to their customers.
Buyers confirm this and note that the number of transactions has increased by 20 euros per ton. At the previous level of 730 euros per ton for category 1 sites, buyers now pay about 750 euros per ton.
"Factories can increase their inventories better than we can," says one customer. "Currently, we need to replenish stocks after the December depletion of the warehouse in order to be ready for any requests," he notes.
According to the German manager, who buys mainly domestic materials for his company, the work of the plants is largely coordinated. "Prices won't differ much when ordering abroad; this time the factories are almost unanimous," he says.
According to the manager, there are large gaps in orders for the first half of the year in the metal structures sector. "They tell me very clearly that everything is fine in the first quarter, but not beyond that. They have plans for the second half, but otherwise everything looks a bit gloomy until June," he says
.In addition, cold weather and snowfall continue to slow down construction work in various regions, not only in the east, but also "in northern Hesse, where we are not used to it," says the manager.
Author: Christian Kel
Kallanish.com
