Moscow, 08 October 2014 – The Board of Directors of the World Steel Association (worldsteel) has elected the following new officers for 2014/2015 at worldsteel’s 48th Annual Conference in Moscow, Russia. The new Chairman takes office from today, Wednesday 8^th October, 2014. The new officers are elected for one year, until October 2015.

Chairman:                      Wolfgang Eder, Chairman and CEO, voestalpine AG

Vice Chairmen:              Alexey Mordashov, CEO, Severstal JSC

                                        André Gerdau Johannpeter, President & CEO, Gerdau SA

Treasurer:                      Eiji Hayashida, President and CEO, JFE Steel Corporation

On behalf of the Board of Directors, Director General of the World Steel Association, Edwin Basson said; “We thank Joon-Yang Chung, Chairman for 2013/2014 for his leadership and proactive involvement over the past year. We welcome Wolfgang Eder as the new Chairman, Alexey Mordashov and André Gerdau Johannpeter as Vice Chairmen, and Eiji Hayashida as Treasurer. We are also delighted to welcome our new members on board.”

The Board of Directors also elected the 2014/15 Executive Committee:

Wolfgang Eder, voestalpine AG

John Ferriola, Nucor Corporation

Eiji Hayashida, JFE Steel Corporation

Heinrich Hiesinger, ThyssenKrupp AG

Sajjan Jindal, JSW Steel Ltd

Oh-joon Kwon, POSCO

André Gerdau Johannpeter, Gerdau S.A.

Mario Longhi, United States Steel Corporation

Lakshmi Mittal, ArcelorMittal

Alexey Mordashov, Severstal JSC

Paolo Rocca, Techint Group

Kosei Shindo, Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation

Lejiang Xu, Baosteel Group Corporation

Xiaogang Zhang, Anshan Iron & Steel Group Corporation

Edwin Basson, World Steel Association

The Board of Directors also welcomed the following companies as new members of worldsteel:

Regular members (steel companies producing more than 2 million short tons (1.8 Mt) per annum)

• ACERINOX Group, represented by Bernardo Velazquez (Associate to Regular)
• Hebei Iron and Steel Group, represented by Yong Yu
• Magang (Group) Holding Co., Ltd. (Maanshan Steel) represented by Haijian Gao
• Sahaviriya Steel Industries Public Co. Ltd. (SSI) represented by Win Viriyaprapaikit (Associate to Regular)

Associate Members (steel companies producing less than 2 million short tons (1.8 Mt) per annum)

• Elmarakby for Metallic Industries, represented by Hassan Mohamed Saad
• SIJ – Slovenska Industrija Jekla, d.d., represented by Anton Chernykh
• United Metallurgical Company (OMK), represented by Anatoly Sedykh

• The World Steel Association (worldsteel) is one of the largest and most dynamic industry associations in the world. worldsteel represents approximately 170 steel producers (including 9 of the world’s 10 largest steel companies), national and regional steel industry associations, and steel research institutes. worldsteel members represent around 85% of world steel production.

www.worldsteel.org

The post World Steel Association elects new officers and welcomes new members appeared first on Core Sector Communique.

Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation (“NSSMC”; Representative Director and President : Kosei Shindo) hereby announces that its consolidated subsidiaries have agreed to jointly discuss business integration and reorganization on April 1, 2015. Nippon Steel & Sumikin Technology Corporation, Ltd. (“NSST”; Representative Director and President: Yoshiaki Nakamura) and Nippon Steel & Sumikin Kansai Industries, Ltd. (“NSKI”; Representative Director and President: Akira Kubo) have agreed to jointly discuss the integration and reorganization of their railway engineering businesses, while at the same time NSKI and Kantoc Roll, Ltd. (“Kantoc”; President and Representative Director: Kazuya Aoyagi) have agreed to jointly discuss the integration and reorganization as a manufacturing process company for Osaka Steel Works.

I.Integration and reorganization of railway engineering business

1. Background and purpose of the integration and reorganization
In Japanese market, in response to strong social interest in ensuring railway safety, increased attention is being given to the review of conventional maintenance management. This has resulted in identification of various needs in the maintenance area. In overseas markets, many plans to establish new railway networks are being developed. In addition to developing more functional and more reliable railway products, overseas railway companies are requiring supply of products and services that integrate maintenance support, risk management, and other tasks after the start of operations of a railway system. 

The integration and reorganization of the railway engineering businesses of NSST and NSKI is aimed to contribute to safe and reliable railway transportation. A new integrated company and NSSMC’s Railway, Automotive & Machinery Parts Unit will work together and provide integrated products that range from railway products to railway maintenance equipment.

2. Outline of the Business Integration and Reorganization  
1) Outline: NSST’s railway engineering business of the Railway & Machinery Engineering Unit (excluding material experimented-related business) and NSKI’s plant business (manufacture of railway maintenance equipment, etc.) will be integrated and reorganized as a newly-integrated railway engineering company.

2) Scheduled effective date for the reorganization: April 1, 2015 (Prospective)

3. Outline of a newly-integrated railway engineering company 
1)Business activities: Railway engineering (Design, manufacture and sale of railway maintenance 　　equipment and maintenance support system) and railway vehicle testing and others
2)Offices and manufacturing bases: Osaka and Tokyo 

4. Synergies from integration
The newly-integrated railway engineering company will share the railway-related business strategy with NSSMC and improve its railway vehicle maintenance technology, reinforce its capability to meet customers’ demand and promote expansion and development of railway vehicle-related business based on its experiences in railway vehicle maintenance field and wide range of knowledge from NSSMC group. 

-Developing package of products and services that extend from design, development to 　　　　　　maintenance support
-Developing data analysis software that supports enhancing safety management and riding comfort (including monitoring of vibration of each of bogie parts and detecting a breakdown signal)
-Proposing products and software that create synergies between vehicle parts and rail (including measuring equipment to check status of bogies and tracks and analysis of monitored data)

II.Integration and reorganization of an manufacturing processing business for Osaka Steel Works

1. Background and purpose of the integration and reorganization 
NSKI’s  business of machining and manufacturing of dies for forging and Kantoc’s business of manufacturing forged rolls, both being operated at Osaka Steel Works of NSSMC’s Railway, Automotive & Machinery Parts Unit, will be integrated. The integrated business will ensure and maintain the technologies and skills, closely cooperate with Osaka Steel Works and improve manufacturing capability and further enhance the product competitiveness.

2. Outline of the Business Integration and Reorganization
1)Outline: NSKI’s business of machining and manufacturing of dies for forging and Kantoc’s business of forged roll manufacturing will be integrated and reorganized as a newly-integrated manufacturing processing company for Osaka Steel Works
2) Scheduled effective date for the reorganization: April 1, 2015 (Prospective)




3. Outline of a newly-integrated manufacturing processing company for Osaka Steel Works
1) Business activities:    Machining, manufacturing of dies for forging, and manufacturing of forged rolls (including machining, heat treatment and inspection)
2) Offices and manufacturing bases: Osaka and Wakayama

[Outline of integration of a railway engineering company and a manufacturing processing company for Osaka Steel Works (“OSW”)]

The post Basic Agreement on Integration and Reorganization of Railway-Related Business of the NSSMC Group’s Companies appeared first on Core Sector Communique.

～Revamp the No.2 Metal Coating Line of NS BlueScope Thailand～

NS BlueScope Thailand, a company of NS BlueScope Coated Products which is a joint venture of Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation(President：Kosei Shindo, hereinafter “NSSMC”) and BlueScope Steel Limited, Australia (CEO: Paul O’Malley, hereinafter “BSL”) focusing on coated products (hot-dip galvanized steel sheets, painted steel sheets, and roll-formed products) in Southeast Asia and the U.S. has decided to commence production of SuperDyma, known as high value added galvanized steel sheet of NSSMC, in Thailand.

SuperDyma, a unique product of NSSMC, which is a hot-dipped alloy coated steel sheet mainly with zinc, as well as aluminum, magnesium, and silicon. Compared with current galvanized steel sheets, SuperDyma has excellent corrosion resistance, which might bring cost competitiveness to customers through longer life cycle of products and substituting other materials.  Through the production in Thailand, NSSMC will be able to provide value added products, services, and solutions to meet customer’s needs locally , and it will enforce activity in both  home appliance and building and construction markets.

http://www.nssmc.com

【outline of NS BlueScope Coated Products】

【outline of NS BlueScope Thailand】

＜outline of the revamp in No.2 Metal Coating Line＞

CAPEX：	around 33mil AUD
Content:	Revamp existing No.2 Metal Coating Line pot to produce
Commencement date for SuperDyma:	August 2015

The post NSSMC: Commencement of SuperDyma™ production in Thailand appeared first on Core Sector Communique.

Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation was established on October 1, 2012 by a merger of Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metals. I believe that we have made an excellent start and a steady progress in the first 18 months, toward our aim of becoming the “Best Steelmaker with World-leading Capabilities.” I would like us to acquire formidable competitive strength, unrivaled by any steelmaker in the world, and to strive to increase our corporate value by making progress in dealing with management issues.

I think there are two working objectives we need to focus on. The first thing is to expand profits and keep strengthening our business foundation in Japan. The second is, on the premise of our doing the first, to expand profits overseas. Both of those are indispensable and inseparable, like the two wheels of a cart, for us to become a truly global company.

Let me first take up the first point. Becoming more profitable and stronger in Japan means we must make continuous efforts at rebuilding and fortifying the competitiveness of our domestic manufacturing bases. At the same time, it reflects our will to be a company that creates, pursues, and exploits technological advances.

Manufacturing lines in Japan are positioned as the mother plants of our global supply system. We have to pursue high quality and productivity, develop and commercialize advanced technologies, and ensure an outstanding manufacturing capacity. We should always have in mind that our domestic manufacturing lines play a role of mother plants only because they are the sources of our competitiveness and have our two essential properties: “responsiveness to customers” and “empowered worksites”.

Many of our customers in various industries in Japan are exposed to fierce global competition but prevail with formidable power. We have strived to do our share of making effective proposals to improve the value of their products and their productivity. Thankfully, such processes have also helped us become stronger in various ways, in areas including quality, productivity, and manufacturing technology, and become more competent in the global market. This “responsiveness to customers” is truly one of our strengths, in my view.

Another area of strength is our “empowered worksites.” Products of Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal are highly regarded in terms of quality by our customers. This is because of superb “empowered worksites” of our manufacturing bases, including those of our group companies, which show themselves to be clusters of technologies, skills, and ethical behavior.

While our business environment constantly changes, we will be flexible and continue to raise competitiveness of our manufacturing bases by making better use of our existing facilities and exercising timely and planned replacement investment. We are currently undertaking a campaign to strengthen our manufacturing bases. We will conduct replacement investment as needed, consistently seek to have optimal manufacturing systems, and further enhance our “responsiveness to customers” and our “empowered worksites.” This, I believe, is how we will make ourselves more competitive.

Moreover, I would like us to further strengthen R&D activities and keep pursuing technological advances, without being confined by fixed mind-sets. Specifically, we should carry out more joint R&D activities with research universities and research institutions elsewhere, and focus more on developing new processes and other manufacturing technology in order to realize the cost levels that make us competitive even in general-purpose steel, or so-called volume-zone products. In addition, we should do more joint development with our customers to develop high-function products, which may meet future needs in new growth areas. We should thus enhance our product technology development, pursue technological advances, and expand globally.
Regarding the second point, “overseas profit expansion,” we already have 195 overseas subsidiaries and affiliates in the group. We will strive to enhance the profitability of those existing overseas businesses. On top of that, we will aim at further growth by developing businesses which are needed and doing so in a profitable way.

We are anticipating more intensified competition in the East Asia region and ASEAN countries where steel demand is expected to increase. I wish earnestly that we survive in this competition and continue to prevail in the global market. In order to do so, we have to capture demand, command the market, and be regarded highly by customers and markets, not only in the automotive market where we have already achieved a significant presence in Japan and overseas, but also in resources and energy, transportation, infrastructure and other areas where demand is expected to increase and where we could leverage on our competitiveness.

I also think that it is important that we contribute to development of the countries where we have a presence and help promote their growth. In satisfying the needs of our customers and markets, we must always be mindful of the importance of working to have optimal production systems, which includes local sources of iron. We also must make efforts to improve the supply chain, work jointly with group companies in facility maintenance, logistics, systems, and other areas., and build a stronger network with local partners and administrative authorities.

What I mentioned here is incorporated in our Corporate Philosophy, which was adopted when Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal was integrated. I firmly believe that a truly global company is one that strives for development of the countries it does business in, and to be trusted and respected worldwide. The NSSMC Group will be committed to “pursue world-leading technologies and manufacturing capabilities” and “provide products and services that benefit society, or, in order words, help develop the world.”

The post Message from Kosei Shindo, President, NSSMC appeared first on Core Sector Communique.