Tohoku Steel Plans to Restart Operation within 2011

Tohoku Steel, an electric furnace steel maker of JFE Steel’s subsidiary headed in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, aims to restart operation within this year. The firm’s facilities were damaged by Japan Earthquake. The firm tries to restore rolling lines and other productive lines within 2011. The firm required alternate supply of concrete reinforcing steel bar to JFE Group’s other electric furnace steel makers, Kashima works of JFE Bars & Shapes and Tobu works of Daiwa Steel, as well as the other group makers such as Mitsuboshi Metal Industry, Jonan Steel and Godo Steel.

Tohoku Steel is presently cleaning up rubble and sludge in the plant and confirming operations of lightings and cranes. Meanwhile, main facilities cannot be electrified and checked since electric power substations and power grids of Tohoku Electric Power were downed. It would take six months or one year to restore power substations and power grids, according to Tohoku Electric Power.

Tohoku Steel had produced billet and rebar for 10-51 millimeters diameter. The output totaled 240,000 tonnes for rebar and 25,000 tonnes for billet in fiscal 2010 ended in March 2011. The firm’s customer date was safe from Tsunami since the production and sales systems were set on the second floor of the plant. The firm displaced the system to Sendai sales office.