Mitsubishi’s aluminium truck engine triumph

Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia has just become the first to fit an aluminium engine in a Triton pick-up truck, a new 2.4 litre turbo-charged diesel alternative. The aluminium engine has a slightly lower cubic capacity but it comes with an impressive 181 PS and 430Nm of torque, thanks to its clever variable geometry turbocharger and variable valve timing. Changing the cylinder block from heavy cast iron has cut the engine weight by a full 30kg and the manufacturers also say it comes with a 15% improvement in fuel economy.

USITC slaps import duty on cold-rolled flat steel

The USA’s International Trade Commission has just decided to add duties to imports of cold-rolled flat steel from Brazil, India, South Korea and the UK. They did it because they’re convinced their domestic steel industry is being ‘materially harmed or threatened’ by imports, having found that steel products were being unfairly subsidized and sold for too low a price.

Russian imports have been left alone, since imports of the products from Russia were found to be ‘negligible’. The move follows an announcement in February 2016 by the US administration, introducing executive actions aimed at protecting the domestic steel and iron ore industries from ‘unfair foreign competition’.

Brass memorial plaques stolen in the North East of England

An ex-serviceman, now an expert engraver, is advising the bereaved in Scotland not to buy brass plaques to commemorate their loved ones, since they keep being stolen. Steve Thornton is urging his customers to buy plastic alternatives instead, since so many plaques are being torn off benches and graves to be sold to scrap merchants.

The brass plates cost upwards of £50 each, which makes a theft an expensive business to fix. They can be sold as scrap for around a fiver each, not a lot individually but it soon mounts up when thieves steal several of them.

Orbis Research says steel is enjoying dramatic rising demand

It looks like fast-rising demand could drive the value of the global stainless steel market to a massive $127 billion by 2024, according to new research from OrbisResearch.com. They reckon the international stainless steel market could easily touch $127.19 billion by the mid twenty twenties, with the metal used in an increasingly wide set of applications.

The report analyses key market segments that contribute to demand, predicting ‘tremendous growth’ in applications in the construction, infrastructure, automotive and petrochemical industries, mostly driven by rapid urbanisation and better living standards. The petrochemical and associated industries are also tipped to drive up demand. But the automotive industry is expected to report the fastest growth from 2016 – 2024, not least because the US government is insisting on reducing vehicle weight to cut CO2 emissions.

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