meanwhile, mostly comes from Honduras and the United States, and to a lesser degree, Brazil. Supplies are plentiful and prices have been stable. There are current increases in U.S. housing starts, which has helped produce more scrap material that can be used for domestic pine handle production.” Handles also come from Indonesia, where capacity has remained relatively limited. “There have been very steady producers over the years from Indonesia, but they haven’t been able to increase production.” Monahan also stated that LVL (laminated veneer lumber) handles from China can also be found in the U.S. marketplace. These are engineered wood products that use multiple layers of thin wood assembled with adhesive.
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long with wood, many handles used for various types of cleaning tools are made from metal. Providing a report on metal handle production was Mark Maninfior, of American Select Tubing, in Mattoon, IL. Maninfior started with a summary of metal handle import totals over the past several years. For example, from January through July 2015, there were 15.9 million metal handles imported into the United States, with an average price being 99 cents. This was a decrease from the previous year, when 18.8 million handles were imported from January through July 2014, at an average price of 81 cents. Most of the handles imported both years came from Spain, China and Italy. “You can’t talk about metal handles without talking about steel, which has generally gone down in price,” Maninfior said. “Metal handles are made from cold rolled full hard material. Prices for this decreased in 2015, especially between March and July.” He added several key factors have been in place during 2015 that are influencing steel prices. This includes an increase in U.S. steel imports, resulting in over-supply conditions. “A lot of this is coming from China. A petition for anti-dumping and countervailing duties was filed on June 3, 2015 by several major steel mills. A U.S. Department of Commerce ruling on Nov. 3, 2015 stated that China, Italy, India and South Korea were benefiting from unfair government subsidies. This resulted in tariffs being put into place for corrosion resistant steel. This is not a ruling that affects all
Metal Handles
“Metal handles are made from cold rolled full hard material. Prices for this decreased in 2015, especially between March and July.” - Mark Maninfior steel,” Maninfior said. “For China, this ruling amounted to duties being placed on certain steel at 26.26 to 235.66 percent. Meanwhile, the duties for Italy are at 0 to 38.41 percent; India, 2.85 to 7.71 percent; and South Korea, 0 to 1.37 percent.” He added that the U.S. Department of Commerce is expected to make preliminary anti-dumping determinations in December 2015. According to Maninfior, flat rolled steel inventory levels have been up at service centers since September. Fully integrated mills have shut down blast furnaces to reduce supply. Steel mill capacity utilization has dropped below 70 percent for the first time since March 2015. “In a nutshell, I can’t see anything that is going to drive steel PG 10
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prices up in the near term,” he said. “Therefore, I think metal handle prices will remain steady for at least another six months.” nother material used in handle production is fiberglass. Giving this report was Kevin Monahan, of Monahan Partners, in Arcola, IL. “Fiberglass has been increasingly popular during the past several years, especially with handles used in the foodservice industry,” Monahan said. “Fiberglass handles are essentially made from three key components: rovings, mat and resin. Rovings and mat make up about 60 percent of most pultrusions, while resin comprises the rest. Right now rovings are 60 cents per pound, while some fiberglass mat configurations can cost up to $3 per pound. Resin prices have been flat, following the decrease in oil prices.
Fiberglass Handles
“Overall, fiberglass handle prices should remain steady, with no substantial increases predicted for the near future. Meanwhile, fiberglass material is expected to remain plentiful.” - Kevin Monahan “Fiberglass handles are made in the United States and China. They are also produced in Europe, but generally are a little more expensive.” Overall, he added, fiberglass handle prices should remain steady, with no substantial increases predicted for the near future. Meanwhile, fiberglass material is expected to remain plentiful.
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here was much to discuss regarding the current status of broom corn, tampico and yucca fiber. These natural materials are used in broom and brush production. Giving the report was Ray LeBlanc, of PelRay International, in San Antonio, TX. Much of the material that LeBlanc addressed comes from northern and western Mexico. Unfortunately, these areas have been plagued by drug cartel violence in recent years. This violence, and the threat thereof, have had a major impact among U.S. suppliers and manufacturers trying to find out exactly how much broom corn, tampico and yucca fiber is available for consumption in the United States. “Security issues in Mexico are getting better, but there are still a lot of problems,” LeBlanc said. He noted that civilian militias in Mexico have helped curb the violence. However, there remain travel warnings from the U.S. State Department concerning several sections of northern and western Mexico. Another major issue with Mexican broom corn for 2015 was a lack of a significant crop. “There were two major problems experienced in 2015 concerning Mexican broom corn. As demand has shifted toward more brooms being produced with mixed fibers, there is less demand for broom corn. Major broom shops in Mexico that have historically contracted broom corn planting in Sinaloa pulled their contracts in 2015. As a result, the Sinaloa crop fell by 60 percent,” LeBlanc said. The other major issue regarding the 2015 supply of Mexican broom corn for U.S. consumption centered around an infestation of aphids,
Broom Corn, Yucca Fiber & Tampico
BBM MAGAZINE | November/December 2015