On May 2, Japanese steelmaker Sumitomo Metal Industries (Sumitomo Metals) said that it resumed the operation of two blast furnaces at its Kashima Steelworks on April 30, for the first time since the massive earthquake which struck eastern Japan on March 11 this year.
Sumitomo Metals aims to increase the pig iron output of the furnaces and achieve overall normal operations at Kashima by the end of May.