Kobe Steel to Establish First Welding Trade Firm in China

Kobe Steel establishes a first welding material and welding robot trade firm in China in March 2010, announced on Thursday. Kobe Welding of Shanghai, the new wholly owned subsidiary by Kobe Steel, imports the welding material and robot from Kobe Steel’s plants in Japan and sells to the users in China. The firm has space to demonstrate a robot in the office and aims to expand robot sales to Chinese construction machinery makers while the main users are Japanese makers. The firm’s other function is robot maintenance.

The market of hydraulic shovel is estimated to double in 2014 from 2009 and the shipment of welding material for energy related industry is expected to increase in China due to the strong demand for the infrastructure development. Kobe Steel has an office in Shanghai and sends the resident officer from Japan. However, the major function of the office is market research. The firm aims to improve welding business in China by increasing the labor force including local staff.

Kobe Steel has 2 welding material manufacturing subsidiaries in Tangshan and Qingdao, China.