Worldsteel Chairman Bada Shows Expectation for New Progress in Blast Furnace Process

Hajime Bada, chairman of World Steel Association, gave a technical view about possibility of new steel production process. Mr. Bada analyzed improvement of the current blast furnace process would be the most effective and economic way to develop the new steel production methods since a large-scale blast furnace can produce steel at approximately 10,000 tonnes per day and there is no other method to cover this output scale.

He added Japanese integrated steel makers take advantages in high technologies to operate ultra-large-scale blast furnaces as well as technologies for energy saving and lower CO2 emission. Mr. Bada insisted Japanese steel makers should maintain their technological advantages for steel making processes to survive in the global market.

Meanwhile, Japanese integrated steel makers and electric furnace carbon steel makers are in integration and optimization movements such as the case of Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal Industries. As for this movement in Japanese steel industry, Mr. Bada commented domestic steel demand has shrunk largely while imported steel products have increased and affected domestic market. He considers the overcapacity problem is especially serious for electric furnaces carbon steel makers and the makers’ reorganization should be hurried including plant integration and optimization.

Mr. Bada viewed inflation of raw steel materials wouldn’t continue for 10 years while overcapacity problem could be solved in future along natural selection of steel makers by environmental responsibility and international competitiveness. World steel industry can keep the growth as long as the demand continues to increase.