Toho Titanium Build Up the Production Capacity of Titanium Ingot to 19,000 Tonnes

Japanese major titanium products maker, Toho Titanium announced on Wednesday the firm would build up the production capacity of titanium ingot to 19,000 tonnes from 9,000 tonnes per year. The firm plans to construct one large electric beam melting furnace in Yahata Works of Nippon Steel in Kitakyushu City and will begin construction in July, 2006, and will complete in March, 2008, and will start the operation in April, 2008. The amount of the investment money is at 5.07 billion yen by own fund.The firm announced on November, 2005 to plan the buildup of the production capacity of the titanium ingot to increase to 16,000 tonnes by 7,000 tonnes. After that, the firm reviewed the plan and it raised the capacity to 19,000 tonnes again. New EB furnace can cast the world’s biggest titanium ingot with wide and weight, and can use not only the sponge titanium but also large titanium scrap which is difficult to melt in domestic as the material. The firm will utilize the titanium scrap that is expected the amount of the emergence increase, more effectively. All production capacity of the titanium ingot in Japan is about 24,000 tonnes per year, according to the firm. It is expected that the supply capacity would be short in 2007 and after that the amount of the supply capacity shortage would expand.