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PLEASE DESCRIBE THE SERVICE

The service allows guests to access current industry news and information. This includes steel industry news, news from the steel-consuming industries (appliances, auto, fabrication etc) industry, and news by specialist topic [steel prices, Arcelor-Mittal, environmental news ...]. The service allows visitors to access a wealth of free statistical information, including current steel industry production, capacity, and cost data; pricing information; and world trade data. The site also provides a forum for visitors to hear others' views through our message board.

The site also offers guests a number of different business services. Some of these are chargeable, some are provided for free. The services include the facility to ask a leading steel industry expert a question for a modest fee. There is the facility to register your company as a steel supplier or provider of steel industry services on one of the leading such databases in the world. There is also a free, dedicated steel industry search engine service ('FERROSEARCH'; see below).

Visitors to our 'LINKS' pages will also find one of the most extensive lists of steel and metals-related websites. If you are an industry researcher, this listing will provide you with an invaluable network resource.

Through a partnership with www.sheetmetalworld.com, with whom we have entered into a marketing alliance, we offer visitors information about forthcoming conferences and exhibitions in the steel manufacturing industry.

Our steelmaking plant and capacity information service is provided through a partnership with James F. King. Mr King is one of the world's leading authorities in the area of current and future global steel plant capacity, steel production, and steel production economics.

Data for the trade statistics service is provided by the Iron & Steel Statistics Bureau (ISSB) , the world's leading authority on international steel trade flows and steel trade statistics.

Our steel price information services are provided in conjunction with MEPS (International) Limited, a leading steel industry consultancy and publisher of 'World Steel Outlook, 'International Steel Review', 'European Steel Review', 'Stainless Steel Review' and similar titles. MEPS is the world's foremost provider of steel market price data, supplying regular steel pricing information for 20 countries that together represent well over half of world steel consumption.

WHO PROVIDES THIS SERVICE ?

The service is provided by steelonthenet.com. The site, launched in late 2001 and owned by UK-based Metals Consulting International Limited, is the leading independent and internationally focused web entity to provide a service of this kind. For further information about us, please click here.

WHO IS THIS SERVICE FOR ?

This service is aimed at senior steel industry executives - and also at any other parties who may have an interest in the industry. This includes steel company owners, managers, potential investors in the industry, employees, Trades Unions, steel plant customers, steel suppliers, and metals manufacturing industry financiers. It is also intended for use by steel distributors, for all end-use steel consumers, and any other opinion makers. The objective we aspire to is improved information for all.

WHAT DOES THIS SERVICE COST ITS GUESTS ?

steelonthenet.com is completely free to guests for all of the news, statistics and perspectives pages that we show. Site visitors may, therefore, at no cost whatsoever:

• view our news pages (steel industry breaking news, plus ~20 other related newsfeeds; updated every 15 minutes;
• view pricing, production, capacity, cost, and trade data;
• obtain information about all major forthcoming steel industry conferences and exhibitions worldwide.

We also offer visitors a range of further services, some of which are free, and for some of which we charge a modest fee. These services include:

• The opportunity to ask an industry expert a factual question or opinion about issues to do with management, trade finance, industry economics, supply, demand, trade, dot.com development, IT services etc;
• The ability to register for free as a supplier of steel industry goods or services with one of the world's leading steel supplier databases;
• The opportunity to make contact with leading international consulting firms that can provide market or industry research services specifically tailored to visitors' needs;
• Free access to an extensive library of steel industry web site links;
• Free access to our knowledge resource base;
• Free and unlimited use of the FERROSEARCH research tool, the only dedicated steel industry search engine of its kind.

To download our current price list, click here

ABOUT THE NEWS SERVICE...

Our news service is brought to you from a variety of leading news providers from around the world. News stories are compiled from leading publications worldwide (incl company RSS feeds) uniquely selected by steelonthenet.com. Breaking industry news and corporate communications material will generally be found online on steelonthenet.com well before it appears elsewhere in the international or trade press.

ABOUT THE FERROSEARCH SEARCH ENGINE...

All visitors have free access to and unlimited use of the 'FERROSEARCH' steel industry search engine. This service is based on frequent searches of thousands and thousands of selected steel industry web pages, so that keywords selected by you can seek out the most relevant sites for your search. If your website is not included on our links page, it is unlikely to be included in our search engine listings. If this is the case, please contact us and for a small fee we will be pleased to arrange a listing for you.

ABOUT THE DISCUSSION BOARD...

Our discussion board may be found on Yahoo! All visitors have full access to this discussion board and are encouraged to read or leave announcements for the rest of the steel community. Visitors are however asked to use the discussion board responsibly.

OUR OWNERS

steelonthenet.com is owned by Metals Consulting International Limited, a UK-based company specialising in management consultancy services to the steel industry. The Directors of Metals Consulting International have many years' experience specialising in international consulting to the steel manufacturing industry. This experience guarantees you, the site visitor, first class links to CEO's and senior industry executives worldwide and an unparalleled understanding of the current industry issues that matter.

OUR MANAGEMENT

The CEO of steelonthenet.com is Dr Andrzej M Kotas, aged 50, Andrzej is a steel industry consultant with over 20 years' management consulting experience. Andrzej worked for Beddows & Company between 1990-1998, and subsequently for Hatch Consulting through to 2001 being Consulting Practice Director at both firms.

Through his career Andrzej has advised steel companies, bankers, investors, Governments, and Government agencies on a broad range of industry issues - in particular matters to do with restructuring, privatisation, modernisation and investment. Andrzej is especially well known for his work with the Central and East European steel industry. His views on the industry in this region have been circulated in press articles and conference proceedings that have been published worldwide. Andrzej also has many connections with industry associations, the trade press, and many consultancies through which contact may be made through steelonthenet.com.