ABSTRACT
Introduction The last period covered by this book is the eleven years between 1990 and 2001. Here we refer to this period as the 1990s. Until its very end, this was a period of stability with minor fluctuations in production, but there were signs of trouble. The minimills continued to grow and expand into new products. This boded especially ill for integrated companies. In addition, other countries ran into economic difficulties thereby cutting off their demand for steel. This led to increased exports to the United States, often making minimill companies just as vulnerable to import competition as the integrated firms.
