On December 21, Japanese steelmaker JFE Steel Corporation announced that its blast furnace No. 3 at the company's West Japan Works (Kurashiki), which is currently undergoing a revamping that started in October, will be blown in for a fourth operating cycle beginning in mid-February 2010.
As a result of the revamp being carried out at a cost of JPY 30 billion ($331.92 million), the inner volume of the blast furnace will be increased from 4,359 m3 to 5,055m3.
Accordingly, industries including the automotive sector are expected to continue ordering high-end steel, a JFE Steel specialty, at relatively high levels. By promptly restarting its blast furnace following the revamp, JFE Steel expects to capitalize on the growing demand from domestic and international customers, especially in Asia, who require stable supplies of high-end steel.
Going forward, the company intends to further optimize its blast furnace operational structure on a comprehensive, company-wide basis, including production efficiency, costs and other key factors.