Successful Conclusion of the Third Baosteel Biennial Academic Conference

The third Baosteel Biennial Academic Conference concluded successfully in the morning of September 28th. In the 3-day-long conference, influential experts, scholars, corporate leaders, engineers and technicians from the steel industry at home and abroad gathered together for the profound exchanges on the topics such as technology innovation, resources, environment and sustainable development.

It is consensus of the participants that Baosteel Biennial Academic Conference has became an effective platform for steelmakers, research institutes, universities and colleges to exchange academic ideas, confer on theories and solutions and boost friendship and cooperation.

Mr. Xu Kuangdi, president of Chinese Academy of Engineering; Mr. Xu Lejiang, Chairman of Baosteel Group; Mr. Chen Yuancheng, general manager of China Steel, Taiwan; Mr. Yasuo Takeda, executive director of Nippon Steel; Mr. Dieter Ameling, former president of German Steel Federation respectively delivered key note speeches in the conference.

The conference received congratulatory letter from China Association of Science and Technology, congratulatory addresses from Shen Xiaoming, vice mayor of Shanghai and professor Anthony DeArdo of University of Pittsburgh. All representatives, including Baosteel leaders: Xie Qihua, Liu Guosheng, Ouyang Yingpeng, Zhao Kun, Li Haiping, Cui Jian, Chu Junsheng attended the conference. President He Wenbo of Baosteel Group delivered the welcome speech.

In his report titled "Some Basic Concepts of Clean Steel", Mr. Xu Kuangdi introduced the origin and concept of clean steel, explained relative theories on how to reduce the total oxygen content in steel and the basic knowledge about the elimination and denaturalization of inclusions in steel. He put forward the concept of "Client Engineering Science", indicating that the clean steel technology is a key feature of competitive large steelmakers and the tie between clients' needs and the steelmakers' capability.

Mr. Xu Lejiang gave a report named "Improve Technology Capacity and Realize Corporate Sustainable Development" in which he presented in details the efforts made by Baosteel for sustainable development through enhancing its technology capacity. Mr. Xu pointed out that in the context of more integrated global economy and more intensifying competition in steel industry nowadays, scale and technologies have become two cornerstones for steelmakers to win competitive edges.

Baosteel's strategy for new round of development contains technology and scale, which are the two cornerstones for the survival and development of steelmakers, and complies with the objective law for the development of steelmakers. To enhance the technological capacity continuously and establish the technological advantages are the imperative choice to support the strategy of "premium steel + corporate scale" and realize the sustainable development.

The incoming competition in the market will bring new opportunities for merger and acquisition in the steel industry. Merger and acquisition by steelmakers should pursue not only the optimized operation of capital but also the complementation and integrated optimization of technologies. Mr. Xu believed that to enhance the technological capacity, the enterprises shall keep innovating the mechanisms to obtain technologies and select the mode of open type independent integration & innovation that puts equal emphasis on "internal generation" and "external acquisition".

The practice of Baosteel proves that this mode is of profound significance to accelerate the enhancement of corporate technological capacity. Mr. Xu Lejiang emphasized that it is the duty-bound social responsibility of Baosteel and global steelmakers to create better steel, build a harmonious environment and turn a nice life into reality.

Baosteel is willing to join hand in hand with the global peers to strive for that goal.

In his key note report named "Create a Better Future of Taiwan Steel Industry CSC Strategic Approach", Mr. Chen Yuancheng introduced the current status of Taiwan steel industry. He pointed out that it is the only way of Taiwan steel industry to strengthen the production of "green steel" and improve the added value of products. China Steel will increase the investment in environmental undertakings and establish a more integral upstream-downstream system for the steel industry.

Mr. Yasuo Takeda in his report named "Development of Better Steels for Better Environment and Better Life" introduced the profile of Nippon Steel and its main functions of technological development. He presented examples of R&D on high strength and high malleability steel plates for large container ships, corrosion resistant weathering steel and refractory steel.

Mr. Dieter Ameling gave a key note report titled "CO2 Emission Trading System and the Steel Industry in European Union", in the report he introduced the EU greenhouse gas emission trading system, energy utilization of German steelmakers, CO2 emission regulations and relative technologies of International Iron & Steel Institute, and analyzed with emphasis the impact of CO2 emission trading systems on EU steelmakers.

Upon the successful conclusion of the third Baosteel Biennial Academic Conference, representatives all gave high remarks to this conference, applauding the conference as a great event for Baosteel and Chinese steel industry, and that the conference has became an academic brand standing for the pursuit of excellence and has made its effective contributions to the technology innovation strategy of Chinese steel industry and the new industrialization way featuring independent R&D, energy-saving, emission reduction and sustainable development.