Steelmakers Upbeat On Can Market Prospects

Top executives from the world's steelmakers at the annual conference of the International Iron & Steel Institute heard that tinplate producers had convinced customers in Britain, Italy and Israel to convert six lines to steel in two years. This is the equivalent of three billion cans or 100,000 tonnes per year, Jost Massenberg, board member from Germany's GmbH said in a statement before the conference.

Customers are envisaging the conversion of an additional 10 lines, representing a further 150,000 tonnes of tinplate per year, he said in the statement.

The beverage can market will remain dynamic with four percent growth annually, he said. Although competition would remain keen