Nippon Steel Gets Order of Tinplate Lines for Baosteel

Nippon Steel announced on Tuesday the firm received an order from Baosteel Group of China for electrolytic tinning line and tin-free steel line. The lines have 200,000 tonnes of annual output capacity each and can make products with 0.1-0.5 millimeters thick and 700-1,050 mm width. The order is estimated to worth 5-6 billion yen. Baosteel plans to start the operations in early 2009. The order received for Nippon Steel in China is 4th for ETL and the first for TFSL.In China, Nippon Steel provided 2 ETL lines for Baosteel and an ETL line for Guangzhou Pacific Tinplate (PATIN), in which Nippon Steel has a share. Baosteel is Chinese largest steel firm with 22 million tonnes of raw steel output in 2005, which represents no.6 in the world. The firm tries to expand the output volume and to shift to the value-added products. The firm started operation of no.4 blast furnace, a wide plate mill for shipbuilding grade plate and Baosteel-NSC/Arcelor Automotive Steel Sheet in 2005. Baosteel apparently decided to expand the tinplate making capacity to meet growing demand for food and beverage can in China along with a part of effort to make more high-value products.