Auto Makers Resist Steel Firms' Surcharges
2008年07月08日10:08
为了遏制钢铁价格无休止的上涨、改善自身不良的财务状况，一些汽车厂家已开始抵制价格上涨，称不会接受现有供应合约基础上的额外加价。
In an effort to curb the relentless rise in steel prices and bolster their own frail finances, some auto makers are beginning to push back on price increases, saying they won't pay surcharges on agreed-upon supply contracts.
这是钢铁企业收到的首批抵制涨价的强硬信号之一，说明受影响最严重的客户可能已忍无可忍，无法再忍受价格的继续上涨。
The resistance is one of the first strong signals to steelmakers that their hardest-hit customers have reached a tipping point and may not be able to withstand higher prices.
知情人士透露，一些汽车厂家威胁向法庭起诉加价问题，称合约的财务条款不能更改。
Some auto makers are threatening to fight the additional charges in court, saying that financial terms of a contract can't be altered, according to people familiar with the matter.
目前，在美国的大多数钢铁企业，如安赛乐米塔尔(ArcelorMittal)、U.S. Steel Corp.和AK Steel Corp.等都在同福特汽车(Ford Motor Co.)、通用汽车(General Motors Corp.)、丰田汽车(Toyota Motor Corp.)等公司进行最新一轮商谈，确定合约购买钢铁的价格和条款。
The standoff comes as most steelmakers in the U.S., including ArcelorMittal, U.S Steel Corp. and AK Steel Corp., are engaged in the latest cycle of negotiations with Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp., Toyota Motor Corp. and others to set the price and terms of steel bought on a contract.
许多合约都是在每年的这个时候进行商谈。福特汽车、通用汽车和丰田汽车的代表对目前的合约谈判不予置评。
Many contracts are negotiated this time of year. Representatives of Ford, GM and Toyota declined to comment on the current contract negotiations.
双方承认，由于铁矿石等原材料成本的上升和能源价格的上涨，下一轮的合约价格将会大大高于此前的合约。上周五，全球产量最大的矿业公司必和必拓(BHP Billiton)表示，该公司向钢铁公司出售的铁矿石的平均价格将比去年提价85%。全球产量第三大的矿业公司力拓(Rio Tinto)上月宣布，铁矿石价格平均提高85%。
Both sides concede that the price in the next cycle of negotiated contracts will be significantly higher than in previous contracts, owing to higher costs for raw materials such as iron ore and higher energy prices. On Friday, the world's largest miner by output, BHP Billiton, said it is charging steelmakers an average of 85% more for iron ore, a key ingredient in the production of steel, than charged last year. Rio Tinto, the world's third-largest miner by output, announced an average increase of 85% last month.
但汽车厂家不愿接受钢铁企业的加价。
But the auto makers are balking at surcharges steelmakers are attempting to impose.
全球最大的钢铁公司安赛乐米塔尔已经对每短吨钢铁收取250美元的加价。根据该公司发给其客户的信函，加价从5月5日开始生效。但在两个月之后的今天，一些汽车厂家仍在对此进行抵制。
ArcelorMittal, by all measures the biggest steelmaker in the world, has added a surcharge of $250 on each short ton of steel. The surcharge was slated to begin May 5, according to a letter the steelmaker sent to its customers. But now, two months later, some auto makers are still resisting.
安赛乐米塔尔的首席财务长阿迪蒂亚?米塔尔(Aditya Mittal)说，一些客户接受了加价，还有一些则没有。对那些没有接受的，我们仍在进行商谈。
'There are some customers who have accepted the surcharges and some who have not,' says Aditya Mittal, chief financial officer at ArcelorMittal. 'For those who have not, we are still in negotiations.'
也有一些钢铁公司并未单边进行加价，而是分别与各个汽车厂家就此进行磋商。AK Steel发言人阿兰?迈考伊(Alan McCoy)说，公司正在根据各个公司不同的情况进行商谈。U.S. Steel对价格谈判不予置评。
Other steelmakers haven't levied unilateral surcharges, but are negotiating surcharges individually with car makers. AK Steel spokesman Alan McCoy said the company is negotiating on a case-by-case basis. U.S. Steel declined to comment on price talks.
钢铁公司和汽车制造商之间的谈判非常具体，常会包含双方签字后可能导致合约变化的条款。汽车制造商不会指控钢铁公司欺诈，但一些汽车厂家质疑钢铁公司是否有改变现有合同的法律权利。钢铁公司坚称他们拥有这个权利，现有合约内达成的条款允许作出这些改变。
Negotiations between steelmakers and auto makers are highly specific and often include clauses and conditions that could result in changes to the contract after the two sides sign. Auto makers aren't charging steelmakers with gouging, but some auto makers are questioning whether steelmakers have a legal right to change existing contracts. Steelmakers assert that they do have this right and that terms agreed upon within existing contracts allow for these changes.
安赛乐米塔尔说，相信汽车厂家最终将会接受加价。
ArcelorMittal said it is confident that auto makers will end up paying the surcharges.
由于新兴经济体大力建设基础设施、商业建筑和发展汽车工业，对钢铁的需求大增，导致了钢铁供不应求，进而推动钢铁价格大幅上涨，在过去一年里的涨幅尤为剧烈。
As emerging countries increase their need for steel to build infrastructure, commercial buildings and automobiles in their respective countries, the demand for steel has outstripped supply. That has caused prices to shoot up, most drastically in the past year.
这也使得过去一直在谈判中占据主导地位的美国汽车厂家制造商的议价能力大为下降。几十年来，美国的汽车制造商一直是钢铁公司最为倚重的客户，它们也常常逼迫后者以折扣价达成长期钢铁销售合约。
That has left U.S. auto makers, which had long dominated steelmakers during negotiations, in a weak bargaining position. For decades, U.S. auto makers were the steelmakers' most lucrative customers and bullied them into selling them long-term contract steel at discount rates.
尽管汽车厂家对目前的谈判不予置评，但它们曾表示，在这样一个困难的时期，钢铁和其它原材料的成本给汽车行业带来沉重的负担。
Although auto makers declined to comment on current talks, they have stated that steel and other raw-material costs are burdening the industry at one of its worst times.
Robert Guy Matthews
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