Rising demand speeds up steel industry's recast

An employee works on a production line of steel products in Maanshan, Anhui province, in August. LUO JISHENG/FOR CHINA DAILY Structural adjustment in China's steel industry is accelerating to meet rising demand for steel from the automotive, shipbuilding and home appliance industries as well as emerging sectors like wind and solar power, said the China Iron and Steel Association recently. Experts said that there is still a significant demand gap for high-performance electrical steel and steel products with high strength, high toughness and high corrosion resistance. Wang Xiangwei, a director of procurement at Chinese carmaker FAW Group, said that with the development of the new energy vehicle industry, demand for high-performance electrical steel and structural steel materials will increase accordingly. "To further accelerate technological innovation to support the steel industry's high-quality development, efforts should focus on building a comprehensive low-carbon technology innovation system, fostering collaboration among universities, research institutes and enterprises, cultivating talent, and facilitating effective transformation of technological achievements," Yao said.