JFE Steel Introduces New CAL for High Grade Thin Sheet for Container

JFE Steel, Japanese major integrated steel maker announced on Thursday to introduce no.5 continuous annealing line (CAL) with the investment of around 17 billion yen in Fukuyama area of West Japan Iron Works. The firm aims to improve productive efficiency and response requirement for quality such as more thin-sheet for container by the CAL. The firm is already starting the construction and starts the operation in the last half of fiscal 2010 at ended of March 2011. Meanwhile, the firm will stop the operation no.1 CAL in Fukuyama area of West Japan Iron Works at the same time.

No.5 CAL has the production capacity at 480,000 tonnes per year, which produces annealed steel sheet for the size with 0.15-0.6 millimeters thick and 610-1,270 millimeters width. No.1 CAL produces it for minimum size with 0.18 millimeters thick. No.5 CAL can produce thinner sheet compared with no.1 CAL. No.5 CAL speed up the process and increases the capacity by less 200,000 tonnes per year. No.5 CAL makes improvements for energetic efficiency and reduces CO2-emission by 30% compared with no.1 CAL.

The firm’s shipping volume for steel sheet for container is around 1.35 million tonnes per year. Shipping rate for domestic market and export is about 20% and about 80%. Users are requesting thinner high grade sheet for container such as for food or drink. Consequently, the firm responds high quality sheet.