Metal Strategies Inc. is one of the leading international steel, metals and mining consulting and advisory firms headquartered in suburban Philadelphia USA. Metal Strategies was founded by a core group of its original partners led by Christopher Plummer former head of Global steel metals and mining for Chase Manhattan Bank and has been in business worldwide for 25 years.
Metal Strategies and its 27 senior partners, nearly 10 with PhD’s, all have high-level, real world experience in their fields of related expertise which we view as our main competitive advantage. In addition, some of our partners have very specialized experience that our customers often need and our competitors lack:
- Steel, metallurgical plant and mine engineering, procurement & construction (EPC) via former Fluor North America metallurgical pant construction director
- Freight (rail, truck, Great Lakes, ocean and river) and logistics optimization
- Site selection and optimization
- Powder metallurgy, Additive Metals, Metal Injection modeling
- Geologists
The main product focus of our work includes:
- Steel, iron ore, alternative irons (DRI, HBI, MPI)
- Aluminum
- Power metals (lithium, nickel, cobalt, copper)
- Powder metallurgy
Our main project work assignments include the following:
- Feasibility studies for steel and aluminum plants and a wide range of mining projects
- Financial due diligence services related to steel, metals, and mining projects in commercial risk, technical/engineering risk, construction risk, and mine plan risk
- Commercial advisory and forecast services (supply, demand, pricing, trade, at product & end-market specific, and country/regional/global-specific levels
- Competitive Opex regional and global assessment and placement
- Capex and financial performance assessment
- Valuation services. Recently valued complex business units & assets of global seamless tube producer Vallourec for a consortium of international funds
- Raw material and energy advisory and forecast services
- Rail, port and logistics services
- Construction advisory services led by our Michael Hughes, formerly Dir. Metallurgy and Heavy Industry Plant Construction Projects for Fluor Corp
- Labor advisory services
- R&D advisory and product technical services led by Dr Vijay Mehta and Dr. Ashok Sabata
- Engineering advisory services out of North America, and our engineering services partner in Europe and Middle East.
Services
Metal Strategies offers two different types of services to our clients.
We have our Steel Business Planner Subscription and Consulting & Advisory Services.
Steel Business Planner
Monthly Subscription
- Price update and forecast for over 250 steel and raw material products US and worldwide
- Company financial update quarterly and annual for 250 steel, service center and iron ore companies and reported segment US and worldwide: EBITDA % and per ton, sales price, operating rate
- Steel end market update for over 25 major US end markets
- World steel trade by 25 major countries plus detailed US steel trade by country, product and country, product and port of entry
- Detailed 50 line item US steel market and steel raw material volume forecast
- World crude steel, blast furnace and direct reduced iron production update for 50 countries and regions
- US steel industry KPIs for 25 major items
- US steel product detailed update, six sheet, 6 long, four stainless and 6 tube categories
- Annual crude steel production for top 250 world steel companies
- Annual finished steel shipments and crude steel production by company and individual plant for top 50 North American and selected international steel companies
Consulting & Advisory Services
Metal Strategies is designed to be unique among all metals consulting companies in that we operate with over 25 senior partners (ten with PhD’s) all of whom have at least 25 years of high-level, real-world experience including senior positions with steel and metals companies, senior manager-level EPC specialists from Flour and Bechtel, Global Steel, metals and Mining Director for Chase Manhattan Bank, metals equity analysts for Wall Street firms, steel and metals R&D directors, top-level consulting engineers, freight logistics directors, human resource directors, PhD-level consulting geologists, steel and metals product specialists, service center purchasing and sales directors and more.
- Feasibility studies for new steel mills, aluminum mills, other metals processing facilities, and mines of all types (ex, iron ore, nickel, titanium, vanadium, rare earths)
- Banking and financial due diligence
- Independent engineer services (Best in Class)
- Mergers and acquisitions advisory support
- Company valuations
- Metallurgical plant EPC – Engineering Procurement Construction Due Dilligence and Milestone Management led by former senior Fluor and Bechtel managers
- Strategic and technical consulting
- Steel plant and mine cost modeling
- Ocean bulk shipping, lakes, rail and trucking costs and logistics, and related site selection led by former Tier-I rail freight director
- Mining geology due diligence with two senior consulting PhD geologists
If you are interested in either services or to get a customized proposal, please submit a form through our Contact Us form, or email contact@metstrat.com
Team
Metal Strategies is a team comprised of many individuals with a wide range of expertise. We know that the best way to serve our customers is to provide them with the a robust and comprehensive group of experts in their field, coming together to provide a elevated level of excellence in their field. Metal Strategies looks for solutions through the knowledge base of their extensive and unique team to provide thorough results and detailed information.
Christopher Plummer: Group CEO
Christopher has been Group CEO since February 1998. His specialties include steel and steel raw materials, EV and tech metals and precious metals. Chris is one of the most widely-known, quoted and interviewed steel, metals and mining industry experts with over 30 years of experience including over 350 major international steel conference presentations, many as keynote speaker. Prior to founding Metal Strategies in 1998, Chris was Director, Global Steel, Metals and Mining for Chase Manhattan Bank and Director, World Steel and Metals Consulting for CRU-London (Commodity Research Unit). He holds an MBA with PhD course work in International Finance and Business Strategy from the Fox Business School of Temple University.
Philip Hornak: Industrial Site Selection, Mergers & Acquisitions
Philip joined Metal Strategies in 2017 after serving nearly 20 years as Director Sales and Logistics – Steel Metals and Heavy Industry for the U.S. and Canadian operations of Canadian National (“CN”) Rail the most profitable Class I rail company in North America, the largest Canadian rail operator with more freight track miles in the U.S. than in Canada. Philip, with over 500 staff client representatives reporting to him, coordinated all North American freight contracts and rail traffic logistics for customers including top names in the steel, metals and heavy industry sectors such as U.S. Steel, ArcelorMittal, Nucor, Steel Dynamics, Alcoa (Arconic) and their customers in the automotive, appliance, energy, off-highway equipment and manufacturing sectors.
Wayne Pottmeyer, PE: Senior Staff Consulting Engineer- Steel Plant & Equipment Engineering Specialist
Wayne is Senior Staff Consulting Engineer at Metal Strategies, and is one of the world’s leading engineering experts in steel making and rolling facilities including specializing in plate mills – both conventional and Steckel, hot strip mills, cold mills and galvanizing lines. Wayne holds an Electrical Engineering degree from Carnegie Mellon University. At his previous position with General Electric, Wayne served as steel industry field service and commissioning managing engineer where Wayne was generally the sole GE representative on site. Wayne also previously was manager of Tippins’ steel industry electrical engineering department.
Michael F. Hughes: Managing Director, Engineering, Procurement, & Construction (EPC) Construction Strategies
Michael focuses on on industrial construction EPC construction project oversight and milestone management. Prior to joining Metal Strategies, Michael spent most of his career as senior industrial projects manager for Fluor (Fluor Enterprises – headquarters in Greenville, SC) one of the world’s leading major construction project engineering companies.
Dr. Joseph Poveromo, Ph.D.: Advisor, Senior Iron Ore, DRI & Blast Furnace Specialist
Joseph is a world-recognized specialist in iron DRI and blast furnace operations. He holds a B.S. Chemical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Center for Process Metallurgy at State University of New York at Buffalo.
Dr. Vijay Madi, Ph.D.: Consulting Manager Titanium, Stainless & Electrical Steels, Nickel & Super Alloys & Other Premium Metal Products, & End-Market Technical Specialist
Vijay was most recently manager of process technology research Universal Stainless & Alloys and previously (1999 to 2011) for Armco/AK Steel, and is responsible for strengthening the company’s technical support for customers and process improvement efforts to expand the company’s product offering.
Dr. Sandy Archibald, Ph.D.: Ph.D. Senior Geologist
Sandy holds a Ph.D. in Geology from McGill University (Montreal, Canada), an M.Sc. Geology from Memorial University, St. Johns Canada, and a B.Sc. in Geology from University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK. Dr. Archibald has extensive experience in mineral exploration, which has ranged from grass-roots and pre-mine feasibility work to follow-through on mining project completion across a wide range of mining and mineral types.
Dr. Ashok Sabata, Ph.D.: Premium Steel Product & End-Market Technical Specialist
Ashok has been a partner in Metal Strategies since 2000. Prior to this, he held increasing senior management positions in R&D and major customer interface for coated automotive sheet, stainless steel, and electrical sheet, working directly with the President of AK Steel and its predecessor Armco Steel.
Felix Bello: Strategic Sourcing/Supply Chain Consulting Specialist
Felix joined Metal Strategies in 2019 as a strategic sourcing/supply chain specialist. Mr. Bello has extensive, high-level work experience in should-cost modeling, cost-reduction strategy, contract structure and negotiation, and relationship management.
Gary Fehr: Service Center & Steel & Metal Products Specialist
Gary served for 30 years as Purchasing Manager and Purchasing Director of Ryerson Inc., the second largest steel and metals service center in North America. In his Purchasing Director at Ryerson, Gary led the following, among many other functions: Development & direct sourcing, Chief Ryerson negotiator, supplier relations management, and marketing development.
Aidan Moran: Industrial/Metallurgical Construction Project Primavera Scheduling Management
Aidan is our Primavera construction software specialist. He holds a degree in Civil Engineering and is a certified Primavera operator and trainer. Aidan gained experience with extensive career EPC construction project management in in the power, pharmaceutical, semiconductor and transportation industries. He has provided successful program and project management solutions for complex programs as well as project controls for individual projects. Aidan has spent over 25 years in the field of project controls.
William Kellow: Industrial/Metallurgical Construction Project Primavera Scheduling Management
William has a B.S. In Metallurgical Engineering from Lafayette College. Bill has over forty years of experience in planning, scheduling and cost control of major construction projects. Projects range from 100M$ to mega projects of several billion dollars. Bill has utilized several software packages for scheduling with over 20 years of experience with Primavera software.
James E. Wozniak: Manpower Specialist – Steel & Metallurgical Plants
Dr. T. Grant John, Ph.D.: Senior Partner – Specialty Steels
Zane Voss: Senior EAF, LMF, Caster & DRI Managing Operating
Mark Trapp: Senior EAF, LMF, Caster & DRI Managing Operating
James Gray: Senior Geologist, Evaluations & Appraisals
Jeffrey Daw: Advisor, Premium Steel Products, Forgings, Castings including Precision Die Castings, Alloys & End-Market Technical Specialist
George Lukes: Strategy, Commercial, Management & Operations Specialist
Christopher Barrington: Senior Partner, Mining, Minerals & Steel Raw Materials
William McGuire: Senior Steelmaking, Non-Ferrous Raw Materials & Logistics Specialist
Anthony Wilson: Management, Strategy & Operations Specialist in Flat Rolled, Pipe/Tube, Sheet/Coil Plate, & Long Products, & Steel Mill Plant Equipment Specialist
Lawrence Welsh: Senior Energy Tube & Flat Rolled Specialist
Michael Meert: Commercial Steel Product Market Specialist
Timothy P. Hayes, CFA: Aluminum Financial Equity Analyst
David Moison: Aluminum Markets Analyst
Mark Parker: Senior Partner, Carbon & Specialty Steels and Ferroalloys
Gregory Mason: Advisor & Former Co-Managing Partner
David Reid: Advisor & Former Managing Partner, Logistics, Ports & Raw Materials
Quentin Chapman: Senior Mining & Mineral Processing Engineer & Market Specialist
Fred Rorick: Senior Blast Furnace, Steelmaking Consultant
Marc Johnson: Senior Iron Ore & Mining Technical Processing Specialist
Ronald Harma: Senior Iron Ore & Mining Technical Processing Specialist
Roger Greinert: Electrodes & Needle Coke Technical and Market Specialist
V. John Goodwin: Independent Advisor
Al Capriotti: Senior Technical & Engineering Specialist – Flat Rolled Steel Mills
Jonathan Dorricott: Senior Technical & Engineering Specialist – Plate & Flat Rolled Steel Mills
William Beible: Senior Consultant – Steelmaking, Strategic Change, Capital Investment, Project Management & Operations
Speeches & Presentations
Below is the list of recent media appearances and conference presentations by Christopher Plummer
Wall Street Journal
2019 and 2020: Four quotes in four steel industry articles
Bloomberg Business News
June 18, 2019: U.S. Steel blast furnace idling announcement
Morgan Stanley, NYC Investor Conference
April 2019
Bloomberg Business News
June 18, 2018: Steel and Metals Tariffs
NPR: Ann Fisher Show “All Sides”
March 2018: Steel & Metals Tariffs
Harsco, Global Executive Seminar
September 20, 2017
The Refractories Institute Annual Convention
June 8, 2017: Lead Speaker
NPR: Ann Fisher Show “All Sides”
June 2017: Steel & Metals Markets
Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Annual Convention
April 25, 2017: Lead Speaker
Barclays Bank: Distressed and Special Situations Conference
April 5, 2016: Opening Lead Panel Speaker
European World Steel Conference
November 21, 2014: Keynote Speaker
SMA, Int’l Metallics Association
October 9, 2014: Keynote Speaker
World Stainless, Nickel, Niobium, Molybdenum Conference – Metal Pages
June 13, 2014: Keynote Speaker
BIR – World Scrap Recycling Institute: Annual World Conference
June 4, 2014: Key Note Speaker
IHS – McCloskey Coal Conference
June 20, 2013
CR Strip Producers Association World Steel Conference
April 19, 2013: Keynote Speaker
CRU -World Metallics
Jan 23, 2013: Keynote Speaker
Metals & Mining Conference: Raw Materials Group
November 21, 2012: Keynote Speaker
JP Morgan Chase Steel Energy Pipe Conference
September 20, 2012
Automotive Metals Conference AMM
May 3, 2012: Steel Presentation
Metals & Mining Conference: Raw Materials Group
November 12, 2011
American Metal Market: NAFTA Stee4l Long Products
October 22, 2011
Ryan’s Notes Annual Steel Conference
January 22, 2011: Keynote Speaker
Metals & Mining Conference: Raw Materials Group
November 12, 2010
Contact Us
Metal Strategies Inc.
515 Locust N. Suite 1
West Chester, PA 19380
Tel: 610.719.9800
Fax: 610.719.9810
Email: contact@metstrat.com
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