JFE Galvanizing & Coating Establishes First Overseas Sales Base in March

JFE Galvanizing & Coating, JFE Steel’s subsidiary to manufacture coated steel sheet, plans to establish the first overseas business site in March. The site will be operated by the firm and a steel sheet user, less than 50% shares held by JFE Galvanizing & Coating. The site will supply coated steel sheet to local market. JFE Galvanizing & Coating regards this site as a strategic base for the firm’s offshore expansion in mid and long terms. The firm eyes next potential locations such as Southeast Asia, India, Middle East, North Africa and Australia. The firm utilizes the first offshore joint venture to collect local information and aims to launch overseas production in future.

The firm’s steel sheet export was planned at 3,000 tonnes per month for fiscal 2010 ending in March 2011 while the recent actual export is less than 2,000 tonnes per month due to strong yen trend. On the other hand, the firm currently succeeded in appeal of 5% aluminum and zinc coated steel sheet, ECOGAL, as a strategic product in overseas markets.

JFE Steel has recently accelerated overseas businesses including capital acquisition in a new iron works of Brazil announced in January 2011. JFE Galvanizing & Coating tries to follow overseas market growth in cooperation with JFE Steel.