CONTINUOUS CASTING HEADLINESProcess /
Continuous Casting
JFE Steel Expands Steelmaking Capacity of West Japan Works' Fukuyama Area
Jun. 17, 2010 JFE Steel Corp. announced that it has finished construction and is now operating a new single-strand continuous slab casting machine — No.7 continuous caster — and a new slab scarfing machine at the No. 3 Steelmaking Plant of the company's Fukuyama area.
JFE Steel has also decided to revamp the No. 3 Blast Furnace at the West Japan Works (Fukuyama), which has been idled since February 2009.
The revamp, an estimated investment of approximately 29 billion yen, is scheduled to take place from January to May, 2011. The project will expand the No. 3 Blast Furnace’s inner volume to 4300 m3 (vs. the current 3223 m3).
The company said the timing of blow-in would be based on careful verification of market trends.
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The upgrade is JFE Steel's latest step in its effort to reach an annual crude-steel production capacity of 33 million tonnes.
JFE Steel also has increased the capacity of its No. 5 RH Degasser, which is adjacent to the new No. 7 Continuous Caster.
The company has also scheduled a revamp of its Fukuyama No. 3 Blast Furnace for 2011. Once the revamp has been completed, annual crude-steel production capacity will rise to 13 million tonnes in Fukuyama, complementing annual capacity of 23 million tons at the larger West Japan Works and bringing total annual production capacity to 33 million tons companywide.
JFE Steel is raising capacity to meet envisioned increases in demand for high-end steel both in Japan and overseas.