Toho Titanium to Introduce 12t Furnaces in New Plant

Toho Titanium will introduce 1.5 times larger reducing and separating furnaces in a new titanium sponge plant in Kitakyusyu City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan than existent furnaces in Chigasaki plant in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Existent furnaces in Chigasaki plant can produce titanium sponge at 8 tonnes per batch. The firm plans to introduce reducing and separating furnaces with output capacity of approximately 12 tonnes per batch in Kitakyusyu new plant for better productivity and labor saving.Toho Titanium plans to expand titanium sponge output capacity at Chigasaki plant from current 15,000 tonnes per annum to 16,000 tonnes within fiscal 2007 ending March 2008. For the expansion, the firm introduces another reducing furnace and separating furnace and improves total productivity of the plant. However, there is no surplus space for next expansion in Chigasaki. Then the firm decided construction of a new plant inside Nippon Steel’s Yawata works site in Kitakyusyu City.The new plant will be constructed on the ground of 165,000 square meters. The construction will start in November 2007. The commercial operation will start in December 2009 with annual production at approximately 6,000 tonnes against full capacity of 12,000 tonnes. The plant will raise the output volume step by step toward full operation in 2011. In the new plant there will be surplus space for additional expansion for maximum 12,000 tonnes per annum.Toho Titanium is also constructing a new titanium ingot plant in Yawata area which is 20 kilometers far from the new titanium sponge plant. The new ingot plant will introduce an electron beam melting furnace. Titanium sponge will be produced at Kitakyusyu new plant and supplied to the EB melting furnace, while some of which will be exported.