presents
Steel, Metals and Mining Week
2021 Q1
Sponsors & Supporters











Agenda
Day 1 - Mon, Mar 22Steel / Raw Materials
7:00 AM -
8:30 AM
Overview of Steel & Raw Materials Market
- When will the steel industry completely recover from the catastrophic effects of COVID-19?
- How will international trade be affected as the new administration takes over in the U.S.?
- What challenges and opportunities awaits the global steel industry in Q2 2021?
- What hedging strategies can be implemented by steelmakers to reduce the risks of volatile price trends?
- Supply chain analysis for Q1 2021
8:30 AM -
10:00 AM
Trade Finance
- What are the various options available to steel manufacturers and base metal producers in terms of trade finance?
- Who are some of the current major providers of trade finance in the steel industry?
- Analysis of European and North American trade finance market
- Lower interest rates vs trade finance opportunities
- How will the trade finance landscape be different in Q2 as compared to Q1?
- Will the steel industry be backed by Exim banks in 2021?
Featured Speakers Include
10:00 AM -
11:30 AM
UK & Europe
- What are some of the key developments concerning steel consumption in Europe?
- Which region in Europe has been most affected by COVID-19 in the first quarter?
- Europe's automotive demand: How is this impacting flat steel producers?
- Brexit trade deal: What are the impacts to the steel industry?
- Scrap market overview
- M&A market: European perspective for Q2 2021
Featured Speakers Include
11:30 AM -
1:00 PM
America
- What should you expect in 2021 as Biden's administration takes over ?
- Will improved environmental literacy lead to a more sustainable mining future?
- Examining automotive demand and its impact on flat steel products
- U.S. scrap market outlook for Q2 2021
Featured Speakers Include
1:30 PM -
3:00 PM
Mexico
- Early this year, Mexico’s scrap prices were soaring due to renewed buying interest. What can we expect from scrap prices? Will an upward trend continue?
- The automobile industry in Mexico was significantly impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. When can we expect a recovery?
- USMCA: What are some of the key challenges and impacts?
Featured Speakers Include
3:00 PM -
4:30 PM
South America
- How have high raw material costs and sustained higher steel prices impacted Brazilian flat steel producers?
- Is growing Chinese investment in Latin American countries an issue of concern?
- What are some of the emerging mining projects in Chile?
- Outlook for Brazil's iron ore exports for Q2 2021
Featured Speakers Include
Day 2 - Tue, Mar 23Steel / Raw Materials
7:00 AM -
8:30 AM
India
- How have the changes in mining legislation in the iron ore sector affected domestic and export supply?
- Influence of automobile sales in 2021 on steel consumption
- Will the Indian Steel industry join the hydrogen revolution?
- Impact of disparity in raw material prices on steel prices
- How can the industry tackle oversupply issues?
Featured Speakers Include
8:30 AM -
10:00 AM
Middle East and North Africa
- Insights on the Billet and flat steel markets in the GCC region
- Examining the challenges to steel trade in the region
- Iran's negotiations: How will Biden's reign affect the steel and raw materials industry?
- Analyzing the impact of oil prices on the North African steel industry
- How will Algeria's local taxation changes for billet, rebar and scrap affect the steel and raw materials industry?
- Is Libya stable enough to conduct business ?
Featured Speakers Include
10:00 AM -
11:30 AM
CIS
- Trade flows: Relationship between China and CIS
- What are some of the logistical problems and solutions surrounding iron ore?
- Russia: What are the impacts of increased duties on ferrous scrap exports?
- How is digitalization and AI transforming Russia's steel industry?
- How are domestic flat steel prices performing?
- Market outlook for finished steel exports
Featured Speakers Include
11:30 AM -
1:00 PM
Turkey
- Influence of safeguard duties imposed by EU on trade.
- Will the UK-Turkey trade agreement remove the imbalances in steel trade between the two countries?
- What are some of the initiatives taken to boost steel consumption?
- Examining COVID-19 vaccine's impact on Turkish steel scrap market
- Turkish Flat steel market outlook
Featured Speakers Include
1:30 PM -
3:00 PM
Independent Market Review
- Understanding global trade flows
- Spot price assessments
- Current promising investment opportunities
Featured Speakers Include
Day 3 - Wed, Mar 24Steel / Raw Materials
7:00 AM -
8:30 AM
Iron Ore
- Earlier this year, Iron ore prices climbed to more than $US165. What can we expect from iron ore prices in the upcoming months?
- Impacts of ESG on the iron ore mining sector.
- Insight into iron ore pellet premiums
- Updates on emerging iron ore projects and developments
- Insights on capacity expansions of leading iron ore suppliers
Featured Speakers Include
8:30 AM -
10:00 AM
Ferroalloys
- What are the impacts to ferroalloy prices due to the ongoing pandemic?
- How is the consumption for ferroalloys changing with the market conditions for steel products?
- What is the expected growth rate of the market in the upcoming months?
- Pricing forecasts for ferro-chrome and silicon-manganese
Featured Speakers Include
10:00 AM -
11:30 AM
Steel Making Technologies
- Many companies are investing in low-carbon steel making projects. What are some of the technological advancements supporting this cause?
- What breakthrough technologies will transform the global steel industry?
- What technological upgrades can be introduced to ensure higher production and higher quality?
- How can steelmakers embrace the power of AI and other digital technologies to maintain their competitive edge?
Featured Speakers Include
11:30 AM -
1:00 PM
Scrap and Billets
- Examining export prices in Southeast Asia: Will they continue to rise?
- How high will billet prices rise in Q2 2021?
- What do scrap prices look like in Vietnam?
- What are the long-term effects of covid-19?
- Insights on billet and slab price ratio
1:30 PM -
2:30 PM
DRI/Pellets
- How will hydrogen based projects affect the cost of DRI?
- Latest technologies for efficient production of direct reduced iron
- Pent-up Covid-19 demand
- Will Iranian DRI advance to international markets in 2021?
- What are the industry trends?
- Outlook for HBI supply chain for Q2 2021
Featured Speakers Include
2:30 PM -
3:30 PM
Steel Tubes and Pipes
- What are some of the key factors driving the OCTG market?
- What are the challenges to the ERW tubes and pipes market?
- Precision tubes market size and outlook in 2021
- Analyzing the international tubes and pipes' supply chain for Q1 2021
Featured Speakers Include

Dr. Gunther Voswinckel
CEO and Shareholder, VOSCO M.C. GmbH & President, ITA
VOSCO M.C. GmbH
VOSCO M.C. GmbH
Germany

Nicholas McDonald
Head of Sales, USMCA, Tubular Steel Inc. & President, Toronto Steel Buyers & Associates
Tubular Steel Inc.
Tubular Steel Inc.
Canada
3:30 PM -
4:30 PM
Stainless Steel
- What were the effects of the pandemic on the global stainless steel nickel alloy market?
- How has the increase of 3D printing effected the global spherical stainless steel powder market?
- Supply perspective: Stainless steel long products vs stainless steel flat products in North America
- Will 316L stainless steel be exceptionally demanded in Europe during Q2?
- Market segmentation: By type, application, end-user and region
Featured Speakers Include
Day 4 - Thurs, Mar 25Non-Ferrous and Base Metals
7:00 AM -
8:30 AM
An overview of the Base Metals & Battery Materials Market
- How are the prices of base metals going to be affected in 2021?
- How has COVID-19 changed the process or quality of base metal extraction?
- Which base metal outperformed in Q1 and what were the contributing factors?
- How was the base metals market affected in 2020 and how does this impact 2021?
- Copper claimed the spotlight early this year. Will we see an upward trend in Q2?
Featured Speakers Include
8:30 AM -
9:30 AM
Aluminum
- Has the value of Aluminum changed in Q1?
- How has the demand for Aluminum been affected by Covid-19?
- Analyzing Chinese bauxite demand for Q1. What can we anticipate for Q2?
- Will we see an increase in the usage of Aluminum in the automobile and aerospace sector?
Featured Speakers Include
9:30 AM -
10:30 AM
Copper
- The Global Copper Alloy Market research report predicts the global copper alloy market to reach a new level of growth by 2026, can you speak on this? Is this true?
- What are some of the expansion and development projects underway in Chile? What is the expected production growth?
- An overview of copper markets in China and U.S.
- Forecast of the global copper cathode market
Featured Speakers Include
10:30 AM -
11:30 AM
Nickel
- Elon Musk’s offered to provide a big contract to nickel miners, do you think this trend will catch on amongst other companies?
- Will there be a demand for energy metals in the upcoming year or so? How will this affect the nickel market?
- Is it a good time to invest in nickel?
- How are current price trends going to impact those in the nickel value chain?
- Indonesia and Philippines: Analyzing the key nickel producing regions
- How promising is Russia's nickel production?
Featured Speakers Include
11:30 AM -
12:30 PM
Zinc
- What will be the main driving factor for zinc in 2021?
- Will aluminum or zinc be consumed more in the steel industry?
- What significant changes have we seen in leading markets like Peru and China due to the pandemic?
- With zinc serum being a factor in reducing Covid-19 symptoms, has the demand for zinc gone up?
Featured Speakers Include
2:00 PM -
3:00 PM
Lithium
- With Australian lithium mining taking a hit in 2020, what are current initiatives being taken concerning mining?
- European Union (EU) plans to rely on indigenous electric vehicle (EV) batteries. How will this affect the Lithium Market?
- What are the emerging opportunities for Argentina and Zimbabwe in the second quarter?
- What were the major factors driving lithium prices during the pandemic?
Featured Speakers Include
3:00 PM -
4:00 PM
Cobalt
- Battery grade cobalt sulphate market supply/demand specifically in NA and Europe
- Recycling policy/requirements and the potential to recycle black mass
- The emerging cobalt challenge: Can we treat cobalt as a conflict mineral?
- North America’s EV government adoption and support
- Sustainable sourcing
Featured Speakers Include
Day 5 - Fri, Mar 26Mining and Precious Metals
7:30 AM -
9:00 AM
Overview – Precious Metals and Mining
- Is it better to invest in silver or gold?
- How has the distribution of vaccines changed the precious metals landscape?
- COVID-19's impact on mining
- Sustainability and sourcing challenges in the supply chain
- Impact of the U.S. dollar on precious metals
Featured Speakers Include
9:30 AM -
11:00 AM
Investment
- What are the best investment opportunities right now?
- Do you have advice for anyone looking to buy precious metals stocks?
- What is the worst metal you can invest in the year 2021?
- Insights on investing in junior mining stocks
- Junior miners vs major miners
Featured Speakers Include
11:00 AM -
12:00 PM
Platinum and Palladium
- How has industrial demand picked up in 2021?
- How does a positive outlook for gold prices affect platinum?
- Why is palladium more precious than platinum currently?
- Is there a supply shortage of palladium due to Chinese and European emission standards?
- EU responsible sourcing policy handling
- An overview of demand and supply for Q1
Featured Speakers Include
12:30 PM -
2:00 PM
Gold and Silver
- The U.S. had seen an increase in gold coin sales during 2020, has this incline continued in 2021?
- How have Indian gold prices been affected by the pandemic?
- What are the current challenges for sustainable sourcing?
- Will global silver demand rise from automotive and solar sectors for 2021?
- What is the current gold-silver ratio telling us?
- A Silver Squeeze and the SLV
- Will gold or bitcoin stand out in 2021?
Featured Speakers Include
2:00 PM -
3:30 PM
Canadian Mining
- Has the pandemic affected Canadian mining? If so, in what ways?
- What are the biggest opportunities for the Canadian mining industry right now?
- Is Canadian mining better prepared for a pandemic after this experience?
- How does mining impact Canada's economy?
- Which mining sector is the best to invest in?
- What are the challenges facing the mining industry?
Featured Speakers Include
3:30 PM -
5:00 PM
American Mining
- Has there been any recent opportunities arising in the American mining industry?
- What are the prime factors driving the industry currently?
- What will American mining look like in the next 5 years?
- What are some of the key challenges faced by the mining sector?
Featured Speakers Include

Margaret Durenberger
Chair of the Twin Cities subsection
Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration Inc.
Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration Inc.