Sumitomo Metal Industries will complete restoration of Kashima iron works in Ibaraki, Japan within fiscal 2012 ending in March 2013, which was damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake. Constructions of two coke gas holders and a continuous unloader for material carriage will finish in F2012.
Kashima iron works restarted operation of no.1 and no.3 blast furnaces before late May 2011. The works’ crude steel output temporarily decreased in April while upturned after May. The production is recovering to the record high level at more than 4 million tonnes in 2H of F2011. Three cranes out of seven for steel products shipment were downed in March 2011. Sumitomo Metals transferred one crane from Wakayama iron works in April and installed two new cranes in December and January. New three cranes’ capacity is 35 tonnes. Kashima iron works also repaired two unloaders and started the operation in April and July. The other new unloader will start operation in July 2012. Two coke gas holders blew up in March 2011. The works is constructing two new coke gas holders. No.2 gas holder will complete in May 2012 and no.1 gas holder in February 2013. The each capacity will increase to 150,000 cubic meters from the previous gas holder’s 100,000 cubic meters.