The World Steel Association (worldsteel) co-hosted with the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA) and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Automotive Industry Committee (CCPIT-Auto) a major one day conference on “Green Manufacturing, the Future of Steel and Automotive” in Guangzhou on November 21. More than 140 representatives from Worldsteel, CISA, the steel and automotive industry, and the senior executives and specialists from the R&D institutions at home and abroad gathered together to make in-depth discussions on the future developments of steel and automobile. The conference was opened by Joon-Yang Chung, Chairman of worldsteel and Chairman and CEO of POSCO. CISA Chairman and chairman of Baosteel Group Corporation Xu Lejiang delivered a welcome speech. Keynote speaker Zhu Jimin, Executive Vice Chairman of CISA, addressed delegates on the current market and policy trends of the steel industry in China.
In recent years, China's automotive industry develops rapidly, its output jumped to No.1 in the world in 2009, and is estimated to exceed 20 million vehicles in 2013. The steel industry is closely related with the development of automotive industry. The development of automotive industry drives the demands for steel, while the development of steel industry propels the continuous upgrading and updating of automotive industry. How to protect the environment while the two major industries develop, is a topic commonly concerned by the society. In recent years, the WorldAutoSteel projects developed by worldsteel rendered a platform for its members including Baosteel and Ansteel to share the automotive steel R&D technologies and enhance the competitiveness of steel in the field of automotive application. Worldsteel wishes to strengthen the cooperation with CISA to promote automotive steel in China. On the occasion of Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition, worldsteel and CISA invited the representatives of automotive steel producers, customers and R&D institutions at home and abroad to discuss the future developments of steel and automobiles.
In his speech, Xu Lejiang pointed out that, as the two fundamental industries in China's national economy, steel and automotive industries played a decisive role in realizing the sustainable development of the entire society. However, confronted with the pressure of environmental protection and increasingly stringent environmental protection regulations, the two major industries will face tremendous challenges. It will be the inevitable course for the future development of the two industries to follow the green road of sustainable development.
Xu Lejiang emphasized the adherence to the road of green development. He analysed and pointed out that, exhaust gas emission is the source of pollution generated by automobiles. The amount of emission is related not only to the fuel quality, but also to the weight of automobiles. Therefore, lightweight of automobiles is one of the effective approaches to solve the problem of exhaust gas emission. Steel is still the material of highest cost effectiveness and least pollution and emission for automotive production. Xu Lejiang said, although some materials with lighter mass that can replace steel appear in the course of automotive manufacturing, such as aluminium, magnesium, carbon fiber, etc., the carbon emission of these materials in the course of production is 5-20 times more than that of steel, which increases the greenhouse gas emission of automobile in the life cycle, furthermore, the cost of these materials is far more expensive than that of steel. Therefore, the steelmakers should strive to reduce the thickness and weight of automotive steel while increase its strength, rigidity and plasticity, and reduce the emission of wastewater and waste gas in the course of steel manufacturing, in order to realize the target of pollution reduction.
In the meantime, Xu Lejiang emphasized the adherence to the road of technology innovation. He believed that, lightweight of automobile is an effective way to reduce the emission of automobiles. On the premise of not compromising the safety and performance of automobiles, the key will be the development of high strength steel. To that end, the steelmakers should cooperate closely with the automotive industry to forge the upstream and downstream industrial chain with technology innovation as the approach and develop the high strength automotive steel that can satisfy the demand of automotive industry. Now Baosteel and Ansteel have development a batch of high strength automotive steel to meet the demand of automotive customers. Some state-of-the-art processing technologies such as tailored blank laser welding technology, hydroforming technology, hot stamping technology, etc. have also been applied. Xu Lejiang wishes that, the Chinese steelmakers, automakers, CISA, R&D institutions can cooperate more with WorldAutoSteel, give full play to this platform to realize the favorable interaction between steel industry and automotive industry.
During the conference, Xu Lejiang also met Joon-Yang Chung and Edwin Basson, Director General of worldsteel. Both parties made in-depth exchanges on strengthening further cooperation between worldsteel and CISA, and promotion of the influence of automotive steel in Chinese market.
