Tokyo Steel to Make High Grade Sheet Steel at New Plant

Tokyo Steel Manufacturing is building Tahara plant in Aichi to start the operation in October 2009. This is 122 billion yen of big project to build high valued sheet steel plant based by electric furnace steel with annual 2.5 million tonnes of output capacity. The firm, which is domestic largest electric furnace steel maker with annual 3.3 million tonnes of output capacity at 4 plants in fiscal 2006, will become domestic no.5 steel maker. The president Kazutoshi Nishimoto of the firm said the strategy to Japan Metal Bulletin. Mr. Nishimoto said without challenge any company cannot grow. He said Nucor of USA produces annual 8 million tonnes of sheet steel though Tokyo Steel is only sheet steel maker in the domestic electric furnace steel industry. He said Tokyo Steel has built up the technical experience since the start of hot rolling mill at Okayama in 1991. He said the firm can make higher grade sheet steel with new facilities. He said the firm tries to make automotive sheet steel for inner application when the outer panel is difficult to make. He said the firm will make high grade products mainly for construction applications at the new plant.