JFE Steel Targets 22M tonnes of Raw Steel Output at West Japan Works

JFE Steel will expand the raw steel output by more than 2 million tonnes to 22 million tonnes at West Japan works under the nest 3-year plan starting April 2006. The firm tries to increase capability to ship high-valued steel products. The firm increases the capacity after the firm finishes expansion of no.5 blast furnace of Fukuyama area in April 2005, expansion of no.4 BF of Fukuyama in spring of 2006 and expansion of coke oven of Fukuyama in March 2006. The works tries to expand high-valued products line including automotive flat steel, high-tensile sheet steel and line pipe and improve the profitability per tonne of raw steel output along with the expansion of output capacity under the plan. The firm will finish the coke oven expansion at Fukuyama to start the operation in late March compared with original plan to finish the work in July. The firm will expand the no.4 BF capacity from current 4,288 cubic meters to 5,000 cubic meters in April-June. With the expansion, the firm will increase the raw steel output capacity to annual 30 million tonnes. The firm also increases the down stream operations of West Japan works including continuous caster and hot rolling mill to meet the upper stream expansion. The firm will start operation of new hot-dip galvanizing line with 600,000 tonnes of annual output capacity at Fukuyama in second half of fiscal 2006.