Less than one month to go: MEPS at UK Metals Expo 2025 

MEPS International is poised to share insight into a steel market “at a turning point” with an expanded presence at the annual UK Metals Expo 2025, next month.

Members of MEPS’s research team will be stationed on the steel market insight and price specialist’s expanded stand (B44) throughout the annual event, at the NEC Birmingham, on September 10 and 11. 

Furthermore, MEPS’s head of price analysis and forecasts, Kaye Ayub, is returning to the event to host panel debates on the carbon and stainless steel markets across the two days.  

“Steel markets are at a turning point,” said Ayub, ahead of next month’s expo. “Price dynamics, trade flows, and policy shifts are reshaping how people do business.  

“I’m looking forward to discussing the market trends in the carbon and stainless steel sectors during the panel discussions I am chairing.  

“The UK Metals Expo is a valuable platform to share insights and explore how we can navigate a rapidly changing market together.” 

Tackling the steel market’s big topics 

Insight into current steel price trends and the market outlook will be revealed by MEPS as part of presentations hosted on the event’s Supply Chain, Trade & Policy Theatre. Last year's debates attracted a large audience, with early entry required to guarantee a seat.

Among the topics being debated by panellists at this year's expo will be: challenges and opportunities in a period of low demand; the timeframe of any steel market recovery; and the growing influence of trade defence measures, including United States import tariffs, safeguard quotas and the EU and UK carbon border adjustment mechanisms. These are among the key steel price influences highlighted by market participants during MEPS’s research for its European Steel Review. 

Four expert panellists will join Ayub on stage for MEPS’s Carbon Steel Market: Navigating Trends and Price Dynamics debate, which will take place between 12pm and 12.50pm on September 10. They are: Gareth Stace, director general, UK Steel; Godfrey Watt, president, the International Steel Trade Association; Nathan Lawrence, commercial manager, Tata Steel UK; and Tom McDougall, commercial director, All Steels Trading. 

MEPS’s Stainless Steel Market: Exploring Trends and Price Dynamics panel debate will take place on the same stage from 12.30pm to 1.20pm the following day. That panel of steel market experts features: Liam Bates, president, long products, Marcegaglia; Nikolas Miklenčič, general manager, Lumturi Stainless Steel; Rodney Rice, director, Langley Alloys; and Tony Lockley, managing director, Inoxko. 

Enhancing insight and agility at the UK Metals Expo 

The team behind MEPS’s Speaking of Steel podcast series will also be giving UK Metals Expo attendees an opportunity to voice their own views on the current steel market during the two-day event. 

MEPS’s head of marketing, Joe Rugg, said: “MEPS is back at UK Metals Expo this year, occupying stand B44. We’re looking forward to meeting industry professionals from across the supply chain and showing how our independent steel market insights can help you make smarter, more confident business decisions.  

“We’ve got the event’s best giveaways. Plus, aligning with our belief that accurate steel market insights help businesses to navigate the market with greater agility, we have our own reaction speed game. Why not come along and see if you can be a prize winner, whether that’s greater market knowledge or something else?”