Japanese steel company JFE Steel announced that it will invest approximately 70 billion yen to construct a new continuous hot-dip galvanizing production line at its Fukuyama factory.

This new production line is scheduled to commence production in October 2028, with an annual production capacity of 360,000 tons, primarily producing alloy hot-dip galvanized steel plates.

The primary objective of this investment is to meet the increasing demand for ultra-high-strength steel plates in the automotive industry during the foreseeable future.

Currently, automotive companies are manufacturing lighter and stronger vehicle bodies to comply with environmental and safety regulations, and the demand for ultra-high-strength steel plates is expected to increase.