Analysis Of Nucor 's Strategy For Cost Leadership Strategy

Cost leadership is also an important key to success in any commodity industry since it is one of few areas where any true profit can be squeezed out of markets defined by undifferentiated products. ADM’s vertical integration

Growth in troubled steel industry. How to sustain Nucor’s earnings growth in the industry, which has many marginal competitors and production overcapacity.

These driving forces very easily impact the steel industry’s competitive structure in a bad way. These driving forces make it very difficult for steel companies to compete in this industry.

I believe that the steel market is a very attractive market for the players that are already competing. I would not recommend new companies to try to integrate themselves in this market without substantial capital and very advanced technology. Globally steel demand is rising every year and companies are still vigorously competing for the extra market share. All firms are continuing to expand evolve and grow which means that profit are also very high in the steel market. The do have some protection issues even in

What are the primary competitive forces impacting U.S. steel producers in general and the producers like Nucor that make new steel products via recycling scrap steel in particular? Please do a five-forces analysis to support your answer.

Nucor Corporation has been moving in a very challenging industry which has faced various problems in recent years. The steel industry experienced slowed demand for steel which resulted from substitution of alternative materials. Furthermore, it also had to cope up with increased foreign competition and strained labor relations.

This report discusses the challenges that The Nucor Corporation faces during this era of social and economic climate change. Using Porter's Five Forces Analysis and Four Generic Strategies, we will assess the steel industry standards as it relates to the strategies implemented by the Nucor Corporation. We will also assess what Nucor’s strengths and weaknesses are, and if they will be able to continue

Even in spite of the economic recession in 1991, Nucor still appeared to be one of the fastest growing steel companies in America, even considering the spending levels regarding disposable income among Americans. This is especially true since September 11, attacks, because economic levels in America have tended to exhibit a slight disability. After the attacks on 9-11 markets, as well as the overall financial climate of the United States took on immediate hits. Yet, after President Bush’s tax cuts made in 2002, the country rebounded from a mild recession which dated back to the Clinton administration and has since sought to recover. The steel industry worldwide was mired in one of its most unprofitable periods ever when 9-11 hit. The recovery from the recession, as well as an attempt to pull through current financial hard times due to the war in Iraq have added extra strains on Americans and their ability to spend, which in turn affects the steel industry.

U.S. Steel and other steel companies for decades, relied on the tried and true strategies of vertical integration and price control (Hoerr, 1988). In the 1960’s, foreign competition from developing countries like South Korea, Taiwan and Brazil entered the market "with low material and labor costs, modern equipment, and the support of government policies" (Hoerr, 1988, p. 99). Because of lower costs and concern over supply created by constant threat of strike, many

Nucor Corporation is made up of 11,500 teammates whose goal is to "Take Care of Our Customers." We are accomplishing this by being the safest, highest quality, lowest cost, most productive and most profitable steel and steel products company in the world. We are committed to doing this while being cultural and environmental stewards in our communities where we live and work. We are succeeding by working together.

Until 2009, Nucor operated in an industry which experienced significant output declines during recent decades. The U.S. steel industry was operating at capacity levels of less than 50 percent and had lost more than 50,000 jobs since 2000. Growth of the Chinese steel industry posed a serious threat for domestic steel producers (Scott, 2009). Since that time, however, the U.S. steel industry has picked up momentum in response to soaring demand by the automobile and construction industries. Steel is the preferred material by the construction industry because of its performance, strength, reliability and versatility. In addition to construction, the automobile, energy and container industries have all been responsible for increasing steel consumption (Market Research.com, 2011).

Nucor must now consider the need to keep up with the changing dynamics of a globalized corporate world. Nucor already has a business model that proved to be successful in the American markets. Using the same business model, Nucor should now consider penetrating and exploiting other international markets that promise low costs of production and higher revenue generation such as India and China. This could be done by either setting up operations in those countries or getting into

Nucor has created a company that is both internally and externally fit to the environment. The firm responds well to the driving forces of the industry and has opted to take a low-cost strategy with the relentless pursuit of innovation and strong employee productivity in order to combat the issues of the steel industry. In 2000, Nucor decided to expand its operations by acquiring new firms and new factories while continuing with its low-cost operations. The competitive strategy of Nucor has helped it become one of the leading manufacturers of steel and steel products in the United States.

So, from my perspective, these are the main trends in the strategic environment that have influenced steel company profits over the past few years. Nevertheless, the fact that most steel companies operate largely within their national or regional markets, adapting their strategies only to them, was, obviously, the primary aspect that contributed for the worsening of the situation.

A successful cost leadership strategy usually provides the entire firm with high efficiency, low overhead, limited perks, intolerance of waste, intensive screening of budget requests, and wide span of control efforts. However, some risks of pursuing this strategy are that competitors might imitate the strategy, thus, driving overall industry profits down; that technology breakthroughs in the industry may make the strategy ineffective; or that buyer’s interest may swing to other differentiating features besides price.