JFE Steel and Rasselstein Concludes Technical Cooperation Agreement

JFE Steel announced on Thursday the firm and Rasselstein, a tinplate making subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp Steel in Germany, concluded a technical cooperation agreement regarding steel used for cans and other packaging. JFE Steel and Rasselstein will cooperate in development and mutual provision of materials and technologies for thinner packages. They aim to grow higher competitiveness through the cooperation and maintain supremacy of tinplate in diversifying package market for the future.

JFE Steel and Rasselstein have had a general technology exchange so far. They will advance the partnership and exchange newest technologies such for productive processes and material development. They concluded the agreement in early February and will extend the contract every 5 years. This is the first technical cooperation for JFE Steel with overseas maker. JFE Steel expects for Rasselstein’s technology whose business base is in Europe, the area where tinplate thinning technology is more advanced than Japan.

Rasselstein is an only tinplate maker in Germany and one of European top 3 tinplate makers including Arcelor Mittal and Corus Group. Rasselstein’s annual production was 1.5 million tonnes for a year to September 2008, higher than JFE Steel’s annual production of 500,000 tonnes.