In the first half of the current year Chinese steelmaker Taiyuan Iron and Steel (Group) Co., Ltd had a steel output of 4,970,400 mt, up 5.93 percent year on year, of which stainless steel output reached 1,412,700 mt, up 20.61 percent on the same period last year. Meanwhile, Taiyuan Iron and Steel's sales revenues amounted to RMB 56.814 billion (about $8.38 billion) for the period in question, up 41.82 percent year on year, while its net profit came to RMB 987 million (about $145.6 million).
Taiyuan Iron and Steel has been focusing on adjusting its product mix and developing high value-added products in order to boost its sales performance. Its sales volumes of dual-phase steel, heat-resistant steel and steel for nuclear power plant applications increased by 125 percent, 24 percent and 501 percent year on year respectively in the first half of the current year. In addition, its sales volumes of wide cold rolled sheet exceeded the levels of last year, while the company also developed several kinds of ultra pure ferrite and stainless steel strip surfacing. Many of the steelmaker's products are used in key national projects. The company has also developed ultra thick X52 pipeline steel.