JFE Bars & Shapes Restarts Sendai Works Fully from Disaster

JFE Bars & Shapes, Japanese major electric furnace special steel maker restarted operation of Sendai works fully until August 20 though the operation had suspended since the Great East Japan Earthquake. The works has restored integrated productive processes from steelmaking to rolling. Orders for special steel bar and wire rod are expected to increase largely in and after October when automobile makers are aggressively recovering outputs. The supply would tighten. In October, JFE Bars & Shapes plans to recover the output of special steel bar and wire rod to 80,000 tonnes per month, almost as high as the pre-disaster level.

Sendai works restarted the bar plant on July 14, the wire rod plant on July 31, the steel making plant on August 16 and the billet plant on August 20. The works had produced special steel bar at 55,000 tonnes per month and wire rod at 25,000 tonnes per month until February. The works was attacked by tsunami and most steel products were damaged by sea water. JFE Bars & Shapes required alternate supply to JFE Steel, other integrated steel makers and special steel makers and received the cooperations.

Sendai works rolled special steel bar and wire rod at total 30,000 tonnes in August. The works plans to increase the production to 80,000 tonnes in October, which is consisted of 55,000 tonnes for steel bar and 25,000 tonnes for wire rod. Alternate supply by other steel makers will finish within this year. Meanwhile, it is not decided when to restart ferrous scrap accpetance.