Brazil’s steelmaker Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional (CSN) plans to increase its flat steel sales by 12pc in 2021 to meet the rising demand for the product.
This year, the company’s sales for the product rose by 4pc, CSN’s commercial director Luiz Fernando Martínez said during a press meet with the local media on Dec 8. He added that the South American steelmaker also expects positive results next year as flat steel consumption is expected to rise by 8pc.
The company already has a stronger order book consisting of 1mn mt of steel orders that must be fulfilled by April 2021, Martínez said, attributing the increasing demand to higher consumption of the product in the automotive and civil construction industries.
CSN increased its long and flat steel prices by 12pc on Dec 1, in line with the global market, due to 40pc higher iron ore prices and currency fluctuations during the year.
The company’s total steel sales in Q3 2020 rose by 19pc to 1.27mn mt, from 1.07mn mt in Q3 2019, after the domestic market began recovering from COVID-19 related shutdowns, along with higher consumption of galvanized products in the foreign markets.
Brazil’s crude steel output increased by 3.5pc to 2.78mn mt in October this year from 2.69mn mt in the same month last year. Rolled steel output also rose by 12.6pc to 2.1mn mt, from 1.8mn mt produced in the same month the prior year.