Amafond, the trade association of Italian equipment manufacturers and suppliers to the metalcasting industry, on the occasion of the 12th edition of the GIFA Show (June 28 - July 2, 2011), published a new directory of its members. "Italian Foundry Technology Machinery & Products Directory, a 176-page volume, heavily bound and in full color, is available upon request to foundries and diecasters. More than 85 companies are extensively profiled and illustrated in color, with details of their capabilities and achievements presented in both English and Italian. Full company contact information is

Antonio Marcegaglia, the chief executive of Italian Marcegaglia predicted that hot rolled coil (HRC) price should climb up by €20-€30/ton. He analyzed that this was mainly because Japan has been recovering from the disaster and China has been developing its housing plan. Also, the prices of tubes and other final steel products would hopefully outpace an expected increase in raw material prices, he added without giving more precise forecasts. Besides, Marcegaglia predicted that overall steel demands in Italy and the rest of Europe have been driven mainly by mechanical engineering, machinery and