On February 18, Hubei Province-based Chinese steelmaker Wuhan Iron and Steel (Group) Corp. (WISCO) announced that its ultra-thin high-strength 1.2 mm 700 MPa hot rolled steel sheet (HRS) is now being applied in the production of containers and high-end vehicles, replacing cold rolled steel sheet. The application of cold rolled steel sheet involves problems of high costs and a difficult processing performance.
In 2012, WISCO's ultra-thin (below 1.6 mm) hot rolled steel sheet recorded a 30 percent year-on-year growth in sales and a 17 percent year-on-year rise in production, with its total volume accounting for 43 percent of the Chinese market for ultra-thin hot rolled steel sheet products.