JFE Steel Renews Comprehensive Alliance with ThyssenKrupp Steel

JFE Steel announced on Thursday the firm agreed to extend the comprehensive cooperation agreement on automotive steel sheet and related research and development for 5 years starting April 2007. JFE Steel will provide technology of original JFE Advanced Zinc (JAZ) high-lubrication galvannealed automotive steel sheet to ThyssenKrupp under the renewed agreement. They try to improve the ability to meet global procurement need by automakers.

JFE and ThyssenKrupp agreed to realize alliance result after the review of 5-year long alliance. JFE provides the technology of JAZ, which is the core product of automotive steel sheet, to establish stable supply system of high valued automotive sheet in Japan and Europe.

They started the alliance in April 2002. With leadership by top managements, they are improving the ability to meet requirement by Japanese and European automakers through the working groups including high tensile steel, coated steel and applications. They realized the results including joint development activities, development of common specifications for high-tensile steel sheet up to 590 mega pascal, cross licensing of original products including NANO HITEN and early vendor involvement activities.