On March 11, the Chinese steelmaker Shandong Steel Group signed a strategic partnership agreement with Japan-based Metal One Corporation in Jinan, Shandong Province. According to the agreement, the two parties will cooperate to build a competitive sales network in China's domestic market.
Shandong Steel Group is the biggest steel company in Shandong Province, with an annual capacity of 30 million mt. Metal One is a large scale company offering steel-related trading, processing, distribution and other services. Metal One sells and processes 30 million mt of steel per year and has already set up twenty-one processing centers in China. According to the agreement, Metal One will receive top priority in obtaining prime quality steel products such as hot rolled coils, cold rolled coils, plate and profiles produced by Shandong Steel Group. Meanwhile, the two parties will focus on the building of a sales network in the Chinese steel market and will be in regular communication regarding issues such as corporation management, market development and others.