The Brokk Surface Grinder 530 can remove hazardous contaminants and prepare surfaces for restoration.

Brokk, an Swedish manufacturer of remote-controlled demolition robots, has announced the addition of the Brokk Surface Grinder 530 (BSG 530) attachment for material removal.

Brokk, which has North American offices in Monroe, Washington, says the new attachment can remove paint and asbestos and polish surface walls, floors and ceilings in preparation for renovations and restorations.

Compatible with the Brokk 170, Brokk 200 and Brokk 300, the company says the BSG 530 enables contractors to complete labor-intensive projects up to 10 times faster. Pairing the surface grinder attachment with Brokk’s remote-controlled products offers greater worker safety than manual methods.

Brokk will showcase the BSG 530 at BAUMA, Oct. 24-30, in Munich at its outdoor stand, FM711/4.

“The Brokk Surface Grinder addresses a gap in the surface grinding market where there is a long history of using handheld tools for ceilings and walls,” Brokk Group CEO Martin Krupicka says. “The Brokk Surface Grinder offers a faster, safer option than manual methods, especially when dealing with hazardous material. We see huge potential for concrete renovation in buildings from the 1970s when asbestos was often used for insulation and fire resistance.”

The BSG 530 is fully remote-controlled through the Brokk control box, offering an automated method of stripping plaster, contaminated material, tile adhesive and paint from walls, ceilings and floors. The pairing removes material through constant contact and high pressure on the surface, resulting in a more even, consistent removal across large areas that is not possible with handheld grinding tools.

The attachment can reach 2,300 newtons of grinding pressure for wall applications and 1,100 newtons of grinding pressure for ceiling applications. The BSG 530 also has a feature that continually adjusts the grinding pressure to keep it constant.

Along with efficiency and quality gains, pairing a Brokk robot with the surface grinder attachment offers greater operator safety and comfort than handheld tools. Thanks to the remote control, operators can position themselves at a safe distance from the removal site, reducing the risk of falling debris and missteps on scaffolding or ladders. They also can distance themselves from dust, especially in decontamination applications. To ensure safety when contractors remove hazardous material, Brokk offers an optional dust extraction system with the surface grinder to capture harmful particles. In addition, remote operation eliminates worker strain from the constant vibration of handheld tools. Reducing wear and tear on workers’ bodies helps prevent long- and short-term injuries that hurt productivity.

With the addition of the optional tools, the BSG 530 can be used for surface preparation, creating a texture ideal for bonding with new material. Brokk also offers optional tools for polishing concrete and natural stone on walls, ceilings and floors.

The BSG 530 has an operating weight of 507 pounds, a length of 55 inches, a width of 25 inches and a height of 26 inches.

The surface grinder is available in Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, Australia and several surrounding island nations.

At Bauma, the company also will feature its line of electric demolition robots, including the Brokk 70, Brokk 900 and the Atomized Water Mist dust suppression system. Brokk’s indoor stand, A1.451, will include the Brokk 70, the new Brokk Grapple Saw paired with the Brokk 110 and the Atomized Water Mist paired with the Brokk 170.

EAF steelmaker nets nearly $1.7 billion in third quarter, down from $2.56 billion in the prior quarter.

Nucor Corp. has announced achieving a net earnings of $1.69 billion in the third quarter of this year. As substantial as that amount sounds, it is down 34 percent from the $2.56 billion of earnings the scrap-fed electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaker netted in the prior financial quarter.

The Nucor results announcement closely follows that of fellow EAF steelmaker Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI). That Indiana-based firm announced third quarter earnings per share that were about 22 percent lower compared with its second quarter 2022 earnings.

Year to date in 2022, Nucor, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, has reported consolidated net earnings of $6.35 billion, or $23.85 per diluted share. That represents a 38 percent rise compared with consolidated net earnings of $4.58 billion, or $15.34 per diluted share, in the first nine months of 2021.

“Nucor has already achieved a record-breaking year for earnings per share through the first nine months of 202, and we continue to believe that we will set a new record for full-year earnings in 2022,” Nucor President and CEO Leon Topalian says.

“While economic uncertainty and inflation continue to put pressure across a myriad of sectors in the United States, we believe the medium- and long-term outlook and fundamentals in our industry remain positive,” Topalian adds. “We believe our growth investments and acquisitions continue to position Nucor to meet and exceed our customers’ and shareholders’ expectations today and well into the future.”

Nucor says the average price its mills paid for ferrous scrap and scrap substitutes consumed in the third quarter of 2022 was $502, which it calls a 6 percent decrease compared with $534 per ton in the second quarter of 2022 and a 2 percent decrease compared to $511 in the third quarter of 2021.

Year to date, Nucor says its average price paid for scrap and scrap substitutes used in the first nine months was $511 per ton, a 12 percent increase compared to $457 per ton paid in the first nine months of 2021.

In the third quarter, Nucor says its scrap brokerage and processing operations experienced a tougher environment compared with the prior quarter, but its direct reduced iron (DIR) operations were more profitable.

Looking ahead to the year’s final quarter, the company sees another reduction in profits looming.  “In the steel mills segment, we expect considerably lower earnings in the fourth quarter of 2022 as compared to the third quarter of 2022 due to lower average selling prices and lower volumes, with the largest decrease in profitability expected at our sheet mills,” Nucor writes in comments accompanying its results.

The company adds, “The raw materials segment is expected to have significantly decreased earnings in the fourth quarter of 2022 as compared to the third quarter of 2022 due to decreased selling prices for raw materials.”

Mark Loizeaux, president and owner of Controlled Demolition Inc., discusses best practices for preparing for demolition by implosion.

Mark Loizeaux, president and owner of Phoenix, Maryland-based Controlled Demolition Inc. (CDI), a demolition company based in Phoenix, Maryland. has been on implosion project sites since he was a child working in the 1950’s with his father, Jack Loizeaux, who felled his first structure with explosives in 1947. The company is now international, demolishing everything from skyscrapers to wind turbines.  

Loizeaux says that premobilization preparation for a controlled demolition project is the most important thing a company can do. On average, this takes anywhere from a day or two to three months, depending on the project's size, complexity of the structures to be demolished and the location. Some of what goes into planning a project include obtaining permits, ensuring compliance with federal and state safety regulations and creating a proper demolition plan for the structure. One of the key aspects of the preparation leading up to a job is first understanding and then reaching out to the surrounding community. 

Loizeaux says outreach is important because contractors want to maintain or improve the relationship the property owner already has with his neighbors to support the future development of his site. Thoughtful community outreach can also protect the property owner and contractor from litigation that could have been avoided.

Since community outreach is vital to demolition planning and controlling risks associated with an implosion project, Loizeaux says outreach could range from taking one day to several months to complete. It depends on the size of the structure being demolished and the proximity to the community as well as the community's opinions on demolition around the demolition site. 

Loizeaux says that while outreach protects the residents and business owners surrounding the site, it also allows a contractor to develop individual plans to protect specific adjacent buildings that border a job site. This process helps contractors address issues like vibration, dust or noise which are unavoidable byproducts of implosion operations.

The advantage of implosion is that it reduces risk to workers and brings a structure to grade in a fraction of the time of conventional demolition. The vibration, noise and dust remain more or less the same, but the reduced duration of the neighborhood’s exposure to those byproducts of demolition create far less impact on the community surrounding the site.

"Even before CDI bids an urban implosion project, we identify the sensitivity of each of the neighbors to the unavoidable byproducts of what you intend to do with that particular building at that particular site,” Loizeaux says. “Then [you have to] develop an implosion plan that will not damage adjacent properties or unduly interrupt services and operations at those adjacent facilities.”

Once the implosion plan is finalized and adjacent property protection is designed, Loizeaux says contractors review the plan with the neighbors to show that their interests and concerns have been taken into consideration. This approach will also help a contractor address areas of concern that weren’t previously identified to improve the overall demolition plan.

The best way to communicate with the surrounding neighbors is keep one-on-one conversations, Loizeaux says, rather than group meetings. Controlled Demolition Inc. does one-on-one interviews to ensure they can best address the unique needs of each individual adjacent property owner. The company or a third-party also conducts pre and postimplosion surveys to inform property owners of any preexisting deficiencies in their structures. Early identification of preexisting conditions helps avoid having adjacent property owners assume that those deficiencies were caused by the implosion.

While there are other outreach methods, like group meetings or social media communications, Loizeaux prefers to avoid them. This is because during a group session, individual needs are not addressed. As a result, something could be overlooked in the implosion plan and coordination of safety during the implosion. Such oversights could expose the contractor to lawsuits down the line.

“If you don't [effectively run an outreach program], and address the adjacent property issues, you will end up in court,” Loizeaux says. “You need to listen to adjacent property owners to understand their concerns and to plan on handling the risks associated with working across the street from them. If you don't pay attention to the details, the details will come back on you.”

International Nickel Study Group foresees stainless steel rebound and ongoing battery material demand.

Delegates to Lisbon-based International Nickel Study Group (INSG) meetings held in mid-October see some bright spots in nickel demand in 2023, citing a stainless steel sector rebound and continued growth in electric vehicle (EV) battery demand.

INSG says industry representatives from member countries, observers and several international organizations participated in the meetings. Several of the participants cited “the combined impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the situation in Ukraine” as having “resulted in energy constraints, higher inflation and lower economic growth,” which they say “has led to increased uncertainty in the global commodity markets.”

The Brussels-based World Stainless Association (formerly the International Stainless Steel Forum, or ISSF) released figures for the first three months of 2022 showing stainless steel melt shop production decreased by 3.8 percent year-on-year in that timeframe to 14.5 million metric tons.

For all of 2022, the INSG says it expects negative growth in the stainless steel sector but increasing consumption of nickel in EV batteries. In 2023, both sectors are projected to grow, says the group.

The difficult conditions in the stainless sector have prompted recyclers of that metal to secure financing to weather the difficulty. Investments in nickel-bearing battery recycling, meanwhile, have been steady and growing.

INSG says it expects nickel pig iron (NPI) production to continue to rise in Indonesia, but to further decline in China. “The conversion of Indonesian NPI to nickel matte in the country is anticipated to surge,” writes the group.

Intermediate products such as nickel matte made in Indonesia with NPI will continue to be “exported to China to be further processed into nickel sulphate to produce EV batteries,” according to INSG.

World primary nickel production was 2.61 million metric tons in 2021 and is forecast to rise above 3.03 million metric tons in 2022 and then rise another 11.5 percent to 3.387 million metric tons in 2023. That forecast, says INSG, does not include “any adjustment factor for possible production disruptions.”

Based on nickel consumption figures and forecasts, INSG writes, “The implicit market balances are therefore a deficit of 163,000 metric tons in 2021 and surpluses of 144,000 metric tons in 2022 and 171,000 metric tons in 2023.”

Historically, says INSG, market surpluses have been linked to London Metal Exchange LME deliverable/Class I nickel. However, in 2023 the surplus will be mainly due to Class II and nickel chemicals--principally nickel sulphate, which is used in batteries.

The next INSG meetings have been scheduled for April 2023.

CEO of Indiana-based steel producer says its order book remains “solid,” while lower pricing reduced profits in its recycling unit.

Fort Wayne, Indiana-based Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) has announced third quarter 2022 net income of $914 million, or $5.03 per diluted share. That compares with a $6.44 per share figure in the prior quarter but is up from $4.85 per share one year ago.

“The team delivered a strong performance during the quarter,” says Mark D. Millett, chair, president and CEO of SDI. “These results continue to display the power of our highly diversified, value-added, circular manufacturing model — as the strength in our steel fabrication operations meaningfully offset lower earnings in our flat-rolled steel businesses, with realized flat-rolled steel selling values declining almost 15 percent during the quarter.”

Despite wider economic concerns centered on inflation and higher interest rates, Millett says demand for SDI’s steel products remains strong. “We achieved record quarterly steel shipments of 3.2 million tons, as a result of steady steel demand, led by the construction industry and complemented by the automotive, industrial and energy sectors.”

SDI says third-quarter 2022 operating income from its metals recycling operations “meaningfully declined sequentially to $10 million, as a result of lower sequential ferrous and nonferrous scrap pricing and lower volume.”

The scrap-fed electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaker says its “realized average ferrous scrap pricing” declined almost 30 percent during the third quarter. SDI says it “believes scrap prices have stabilized for the remainder of the year.”

SDI cites “metal spread compression” for third-quarter 2022 operating income in its steel operations that declined more than 50 percent compared with one year ago, to $658 million, “despite record volume.”

Millett says, “Ferrous scrap pricing indices have decreased each month beginning in May and continued through October 2022, resulting in significantly lower earnings from our metals recycling operations. In contrast, our steel fabrication business achieved another record quarter, with earnings of $677 million, based on higher realized selling values, declining steel input costs and a continued steady construction demand environment.”

Looking ahead, he comments, “Customer order entry activity continues to be healthy across our businesses, with expectations for seasonally moderated volume for our steel and metals recycling operations in the coming months. Despite weaker flat-rolled steel pricing, our order activity and backlogs remain solid. We believe North American steel consumption will remain steady and that demand for lower-carbon, U.S. produced steel products coupled with lower imports will support steel pricing.”

Regarding SDI’s newest mill, Millet says, “Operations continue to ramp up at our Sinton Flat Roll Steel Division. The product surface quality is excellent, and grade development and dimensional tolerances have exceeded our expectations. The Sinton team has been running at a rate of 65 percent during October and achieving rates of over 80 percent for several single-day periods, supporting our expectations to achieve a run rate of at least 80 percent for the full year 2023.”

Millett also has provided an update on SDI’s venture into aluminum, commenting, “We are quickly progressing on our aluminum flat-rolled products mill and are incredibly excited about this meaningful growth opportunity, which is aligned with our existing business and operational expertise.”

He continues, “We have intentionally grown with our customers’ needs, providing efficient sustainable supply-chain solutions for the highest quality products. Thus far, this has primarily been achieved within the carbon steel industry — however, a significant number of our carbon flat-rolled steel customers are also consumers and processors of aluminum flat-rolled products. We are pleased to further diversify our end markets with plans to supply aluminum flat-rolled products with high recycled content to the countercyclical sustainable beverage can industry, in addition to the automotive and industrial sectors.”

Millett concludes, “We believe there are strong drivers for our continued growth, and we remain in a position of strength. Our planned investments in a new state-of-the-art low-carbon aluminum flat-rolled mill and associated recycled aluminum slab centers continues our strategic growth, is aligned with our core steelmaking and recycling platforms, benefits many of our existing customers and provides for future value creation. We are well-positioned for sustainable long-term growth.”