In the context of the Wallonia Silver Export Award, Filame has also been appointed as ambassador of the Wallonia.be brand
Filame’s international know-how is thus recognised not only for its export performance but also for its technical know-how, which enables it to serve the largest European and world groups in all the sectors in which they are present.
Filame welcomes visitors to its stand at the Design to Manufacturing exhibition. This exhibition is dedicated to the integration of production processes.
The new value chain of the smart manufacturing company requires a dynamic and digital integration of all relevant processes combined with the use of innovative production and design techniques.
Departments such as design, engineering, prototyping, planning, maintenance, production, supply chain, assembly, logistics, sales and aftersales are becoming one interactive platform of people and technologies.
This integrated and internally controlled approach is one of Filame’s undeniable strengths, enabling it to offer its customers the complete value chain for the production of their parts and to assist them in all stages of design, improvement of drawings in order to minimise production costs, prototyping, etc.
A report from the GMK Center indicates that steel production in Europe has been reduced by 11.7 million tonnes, which is a decrease of 6.7% compared to July of last year (2021). This decrease is due to the closure of several steel mills in Europe, including several of the Arcelor Mittal Group. At the beginning of September, some fifteen steelworks were shut down.
The closures are due to the increase in the price of energy, which means that producers are no longer able to cover their production costs and are unable to pass on cost increases to their customers, despite the energy surcharges applied by most players.
These closures are in addition to those already announced, such as the closure of the Aperam stainless steel foundry in Genk.
This reduction in supply will eventually have an effect on the price of steel. It is therefore not to be expected that prices will fall in the coming months.
At a ceremony held on 8 September in La Hulpe, Filame received the Wallonia Silver Export Award 2022 in the presence of the Minister President of the Walloon Region, Mr Elio Di Rupo.
This award was given because of Filame’s strong international growth in recent years and its strategy of innovation in the production process.
The new value chain of the smart manufacturing company requires a dynamic and digital integration of all relevant processes combined with the use of innovative production and design techniques.
Departments such as design, engineering, prototyping, planning, maintenance, production, supply chain, assembly, logistics, sales and aftersales are becoming one interactive platform of people and technologies.
This integrated and internally controlled approach is one of Filame’s undeniable strengths, enabling it to offer its customers the complete value chain for the production of their parts and to assist them in all stages of design, improvement of drawings in order to minimise production costs, prototyping, etc.
As the Filame Group does every month, we have consulted our panel of suppliers to provide the most accurate estimate possible of the evolution of the price of alloy extras for the stainless steel grades that the Filame Group uses on a regular basis.
In June, after the surge in May, we saw a drop in prices for the first time. The downturn continued slightly in July.
The decline continued in August.
This seems to reflect a decline in economic activity that began to be felt in June and which is due in particular to the various geo-political events. Economic activity in China has continued to decline and so has demand.
This movement does not mean that we will return to the prices that prevailed in 2019. Indeed, demand for nickel in particular remains very strong and is driven by the demand for this metal in the battery industry.
It should be noted that all suppliers still apply an energy surcharge to take into account the increased energy costs. This surcharge, in turn, continues to rise. The Russian gas crisis is likely to continue to exacerbate the pressure on energy prices.
As a result, the price of stainless steel will not fall in the same way as the price of alloy surcharge.
In addition, large users had hedged their bets during the very sharp increases in the first half of the year and have stocks and contracts to deliver at higher prices than they could obtain today in spot purchases.
Filame points out that the price of alloy surcharges is set month by month by the various suppliers according to the grades of stainless steel they offer. There are therefore differences between the various suppliers but the trend is noticeable for all of them.
Furthermore, the price is set on the day the material is delivered. There may therefore be differences between the time of ordering and the time of delivery, especially as delivery times have not decreased.
It should also be noted that the figures below are a general trend among steel manufacturers and that the price among slitters, wire drawers or wholesalers varies according to the quality requested, the nature of the product (sheet, coil, wire), the quantities requested, the thicknesses or diameters of the wire and the packaging.
With over 20% of its turnover from civil engineering machinery, forklift & industrial vehicle, The Filame Group has extensive expertise with global and European leaders in these industries.
For this sector, Filame mainly manufactures a set of laser cut parts or mechanical press (shim, washer) and a set of sheet metal parts and welded assemblies. The Filame Group masters the wide range of the control and exigence systems needed for clients such as Caterpillar.
From the unit to several million pieces, Filame offers a comprehensive solution. Whether you are in a planning phase and need our expertise or already have your final plans and specifications, we are here to help you.
As the Filame Group does every month, we have consulted our panel of suppliers to provide the most accurate estimate possible of the evolution of the price of alloy extras for the stainless steel grades that the Filame Group uses regularly.
In June, after the surge in May, we saw a drop in prices for the first time.
In July, we can see that the slight downturn continues.
This seems to reflect a drop in economic activity that began to be felt in June and which is notably due to the various geo-political events.
This movement does not mean that we will return to the prices that prevailed in 2019. Indeed, the demand for nickel in particular remains very strong and is driven by the demand for this metal in the battery industry.
It should be noted that all suppliers still apply an energy surcharge ranging from €235/tonne to €385/tonne to take into account the increased energy costs. This surcharge, however, is not decreasing.
Filame reminds us that the price of the alloy surcharge is set month by month by the various suppliers according to the qualities of stainless steel they offer. There are therefore differences between the various suppliers but the trend is noticeable for all of them.
Furthermore, the price is set on the day the material is delivered. There may therefore be differences between the time of ordering and the time of delivery, especially as delivery times have not decreased.
It should also be noted that the figures below are a general trend among steel manufacturers and that the price among slitters, wire drawers or wholesalers varies according to the quality requested, the nature of the product (sheet, coil, wire), the quantities requested, the thickness or diameter of the wire and the packaging.
Filame also draws the attention of its clients to the fact that, if necessary, it will have to adapt its prices in relation to the time of the order, depending on changes in the price of materials and the time of delivery.
As the Filame Group does every month, we have consulted our panel of suppliers to provide the most accurate estimate possible of the evolution of the price of the alloy surcharges for the stainless steel grades that the Filame Group uses on a regular basis.
For the month of June, after the surge in May, a drop in prices was noted for the first time in June.
It is too early to say whether this reflects a lasting downward trend in the markets, but the trend follows the one observed for steel prices.
It should be noted that all suppliers still apply an energy surcharge that varies from 235€/tonne to 385€/tonne to integrate the increase in energy costs.
Filame reminds that the price of the alloy surcharge is fixed month by month by the different suppliers according to the qualities of stainless steel they offer. There are therefore differences between the various suppliers, but the trend is noticeable for all concerned.
Furthermore, the price is defined on the day the material is delivered. There can therefore be differences between the time of the order and the time of delivery, especially since delivery times are still quite long, even if they are stabilizing.
It should also be noted that the figures below are a general trend among steel manufacturers and that the price among slitters, wire drawers or wholesalers varies according to the quality requested, the nature of the product (sheet, coil, wire), the quantities requested, the thickness or diameter of the wire and the packaging.
Filame also draws the attention of its customers to the fact that it still may have to adapt its prices, if necessary, according to the evolution of the price of materials between the time of the order and the time of the delivery.
At the beginning of 2022, Filame installed 735 solar panels with a total power of 250 kWp on the roof of its building in Nivelles. This corresponds to a total production of 225 MWh/year
This installation has just been put into service and with the average amount of sunshine in Belgium, it allows Filame to cover 80% of its daily electricity consumption for production purposes.
Moreover, this installation avoids 67.5 tons of CO2 emissions per year.
In addition to the significant reduction in energy costs for Filame, this investment is part of Filame’s wider strategy for a low carbon transition and sustainable development.
While steel prices rose until March, they stabilised in April and fell slightly in May.
Is this the beginning of a longer-term general trend? It is still too early to say.
The various steel suppliers on Filame’s panel have reported a drop in orders for these products over the last four weeks.
They explain this on the one hand by a car market that is clearly down, notably due to the shortage of components. Other factors such as the war in Ukraine and the prolonged lockdown in China which has brought many companies to a standstill are also cited as having some influence. All this has led to a drop in demand which has had a downward influence on prices.
Thus, while hot rolled coils were trading between €1330 and €1450/tonne in March and April, prices in April were more in the region of €1200/tonne. For cold rolled coils the price is just below 1300 €/tonne. Wire follows the same trend. Of course, one has to pay attention to the qualities and quantities desired, which also have an influence on the price level.
It is not possible to say for the moment whether stainless steel prices will follow the same direction. Indeed, while the steel component may decrease, the alloy surcharge, which currently represents about 60% of the price, had risen sharply again in May. Stainless steel prices are therefore much more linked to the evolution of Nickel and Chromium prices for which demand remains very strong.
