JFE Steel to Expand Output Capacity of Magnetic Steel Sheet by 50%

JFE Steel plans to expand the productive capacity of super high grade magnetic steel sheet, Super Core 10 JNEX, which adopts to driving motor components of hybrid car, by about 50% to 230 tonnes per month toward fiscal 2008 ending March 2009. The firm decided the capacity expansion with the increasing adoption of Super Core 10 JNEX for new-model hybrid cars when Japanese automobile makers shift their production to hybrid cars more than ever, for example Toyota Motor Corporation announced the plan to produce one million hybrid cars per year. JFE Steel will reinforce the exclusive equipment for Super Core 10 JNEX in Keihin area of East Japan works, located in Kawasaki City of Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.Super Core 10 JNEX is steel sheet with 6.5% of silicon that JFE Steel is the only maker in the world to develop and sell. The sheet shows extremely low high-frequency loss and magnetic deformation. The product is adopted widely to reactor iron core of power supplier in Japanese bullet train or solar energy generation. Super Core 10 JNEX is appreciated as eco-friendly material which provides high energetic efficiency and silence.Toyota Motor adopted Super Core 10 JNEX to reactor core, the main component of variability pressure circuit which supports Toyota’s hybrid system called THS II. Super Core 10 JNEX has been already used onto Toyota’s hybrid cars, Prius, Harrier and Kluger and newly adopted to Camry and LEXUS GS which are scheduled to be sold within 2006, announced on June 21. JFE Steel aims more adoption to Toyota’s next hybrid cars.