At the time of writing, COVID cases are rising again within the Benelux. In Belgium, companies are being asked to be stricter about the home-office concept and we read on a daily basis about discussions surrounding the various vaccination programmes. Meanwhile, elections are taking place within the Dutch parliament.
Despite this difficult climate and the slight slowing of material flows into yards, the recycling industry continues to perform well - supported partly by stronger demand from Asian markets, partly by the rise in ferrous prices and partly by a stronger LME. However, these higher LME levels have also brought some negative consequences, such as putting extra pressure on companies’ working capital (margin calls, more expensive raw materials, etc.). More capital is required to run the same volumes. Logistics remain a focal point too, with longer transit times and issues around container availability.
Jurgen van Gorp
Metallo Belgium N.V., Board Member of the BIR Non-Ferrous Metals Division
Country
Benelux
