Ministry of Commerce Initiates Final Review Investigation on Anti-Dumping Measures

On July 22, 2019, the Ministry of Commerce issued the 31st Announcement of 2019, deciding to impose anti-dumping duties on imported stainless steel billets and hot-rolled stainless steel plates/coils originating from the EU, Japan, South Korea, and Indonesia starting from July 23, 2019, and accepted the price undertaking proposed by POSCO. The anti-dumping duty rates are as follows: EU companies 43.0%, Japanese companies 18.1%-29.0%, South Korean companies 23.1%-103.1%, Indonesian companies 20.2%. The implementation period for the anti-dumping duties and price undertaking is 5 years.

On November 20, 2020, the Ministry of Commerce issued the 55th Announcement of 2020, deciding to conduct a review of the dumping and dumping margin period for the anti-dumping measures applicable to the imported stainless steel billets and hot-rolled stainless steel plates/coils produced by Guangqing Nickel Industry Co., Ltd. of Indonesia. On November 18, 2021, at the request of Guangqing Nickel Industry Co., Ltd. of Indonesia, the Ministry of Commerce issued the 38th Announcement of 2021, terminating the review investigation of that period.

On January 29, 2021, the Ministry of Commerce issued the 3rd Announcement of 2021. According to the announcement, after the end of the Brexit transition period on December 31, 2020, the trade relief measures previously implemented on the EU will continue to apply to both the EU and the UK, with the implementation period unchanged; for new trade relief investigations and review cases initiated against the EU after that date, the UK will no longer be treated as a member state of the EU.

On November 9, 2023, the Ministry of Commerce issued the 46th Announcement of 2023, deciding to re-investigate the original anti-dumping case and implement the findings and recommendations of the expert group report on the dispute case of "China - Anti-Dumping Measures on Stainless Steel Products from Japan" by the World Trade Organization's dispute resolution body. On May 8, 2024, the Ministry of Commerce issued the 19th Announcement of 2024, ruling to continue the implementation of anti-dumping measures in accordance with the 31st Announcement of the Ministry of Commerce in 2019.

On April 15, 2024, the Ministry of Commerce received the final review application for anti-dumping measures submitted by Taigang Stainless Steel Co., Ltd. of Shanxi, Taigang Xinhai Stainless Steel Co., Ltd. of Shandong, and Baosteel Desheng Stainless Steel Co., Ltd. on behalf of the Chinese stainless steel industry. The applicants requested to include the UK in the scope of the countries (regions) under investigation in this review. The applicants argued that if the anti-dumping measures are terminated, the dumping of imported stainless steel billets and hot-rolled stainless steel plates/coils from the EU, the UK, South Korea, and Indonesia to China may continue or recur, and the damage to the Chinese domestic industry may continue or recur, and requested the Ministry of Commerce to conduct a final review investigation on the imported stainless steel billets and hot-rolled stainless steel plates/coils from the EU, the UK, South Korea, and Indonesia, and to maintain the anti-dumping measures implemented on the imported stainless steel billets and hot-rolled stainless steel plates/coils from the EU, the UK, South Korea, and Indonesia. The application was supported by Guangxi Beibu Gulf New Material Co., Ltd., Guangxi Beibu Gulf Metal Co., Ltd., Ansteel LianZhong (Guangzhou) Stainless Steel Co., Ltd., and the Stainless Steel Branch of Jiu Steel Group Hongxing Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. The applicants did not file a final review application for the anti-dumping measures applicable to the imported stainless steel billets and hot-rolled stainless steel plates/coils from Japan.

According to the relevant provisions of the Anti-Dumping Regulations of the People's Republic of China, the Ministry of Commerce has reviewed the qualifications of the applicants, the relevant situation of the products under investigation and the same kind of domestic products, the import situation of the products under investigation during the implementation period of the anti-dumping measures, the possibility of the continuation or recurrence of dumping, the possibility of the continuation or recurrence of damage, and other relevant evidence. The existing evidence shows that the applicants meet the provisions of Articles 11, 13, and 17 of the Anti-Dumping Regulations of the People's Republic of China regarding the industry and its representativeness, and are qualified to make the application on behalf of the Chinese stainless steel billet and hot-rolled stainless steel plate/coiling industry. The investigation authority believes that the assertions of the applicants and the prima facie evidence submitted meet the requirements for filing a final review.

According to Article 48 of the Anti-Dumping Regulations of the People's Republic of China, the Ministry of Commerce decided to start the final review investigation on the anti-dumping measures applicable to the imported stainless steel billets and hot-rolled stainless steel plates/coils originating from the EU, the UK, South Korea, and Indonesia from July 23, 2024. The relevant matters are hereby announced as follows:

Note: For more information, please refer to the official announcements by the Ministry of Commerce.

🌿 Deway Stainless Steel: Embracing a New Era of Green Intelligent Manufacturing 🚀

Imagine a vast production line with only 2 operators, who monitor production data in real-time through an intelligent control system. The factory area is spacious and tidy, with lush greenery and grass everywhere...

Recently, upon approaching Zhejiang Deway Stainless Steel Pipe Industry Co., Ltd. in Xinfeng Town, Nanhu District, the traditional impression of a steel mill has been completely overturned.

Now, keywords like green and intelligent have become the main theme of Deway Stainless Steel. With digitalization as the "boat" and greenization as the "sail," they have achieved a synergistic effect of "1+1＞2," winning a broader market space for the company.

🔢 Every Steel Pipe Has a Unique Identification Number

Deway Stainless Steel is a large high-tech enterprise specializing in the production of stainless steel and special alloy steel pipes and fittings. In every steel pipe produced, Deway's "smart manufacturing power" is hidden.

Deway Stainless Steel, always in the traditional industry field, has always attached great importance to intelligent manufacturing. However, in its early stages, due to a lack of in-depth understanding and practical experience in digital transformation, Deway often felt at a loss, like "punching a cotton ball," with nowhere to exert its strength and difficult to find a breakthrough.

As early as 2017, Deway Stainless Steel reached a strategic cooperation with an information technology company to jointly promote the construction of the enterprise's industrial internet platform and cultivate the "main battlefield" of digital transformation.

Especially through the use of the MES system, the company has achieved full-system control over the factory, realizing full-process control of process guidance, production performance, quality inspection, and product traceability. "Through the MES system, management personnel can monitor product quality by checking equipment, replacing manual inspection and patrol with product traceability, which greatly improves product quality and reduces the error rate of manual quality inspection," said Hu Kailai, General Manager of Zhejiang Deway Stainless Steel Pipe Industry Co., Ltd.

Thanks to the construction of the enterprise's digital system, now every steel pipe produced by Deway has a unique code, which can trace every link in the production process, time node, operator, and process parameter records, etc. Production efficiency has increased by 40.8%, energy utilization efficiency has increased by 15.7%, and the networking rate of key processes of the machine is 100%, transforming into a national-level specialized and new "little giant" enterprise.

🌞 Over 70% of the Production Line Uses Energy-saving Motors

Standing in the administrative building of Deway Stainless Steel and looking into the distance, you can see rows of neatly distributed solar panels covering the roof, shining like a green "treasure bowl" under the scorching sun. Roof photovoltaics convert solar energy into a continuous source of electricity, supplying the entire factory area.

"We have utilized all the idle roofs above our factory buildings, building photovoltaic panels, totaling about 70,000 square meters. The electricity generated by the photovoltaic panels during the day is basically not used up in production," Hu Kailai calculated an account, according to the enterprise's monthly electricity bill of 500,000 yuan, solar photovoltaic panels can save about half of the electricity bill for the enterprise, greatly saving operating costs.

Deway Stainless Steel not only has a green and low-carbon "appearance," but its core is even "greener." Taking the creation of a green and low-carbon factory as an opportunity, Deway Stainless Steel plays a "green march" in the entire industry chain: technical transformation of the original asynchronous motor, saving about 30% of energy per unit; refining product design, reducing the raw material usage per unit product. At present, more than 70% of the production lines of Deway Stainless Steel use energy-saving motors.

During the production process of stainless steel pipes, a lot of wastewater is often produced. How to achieve efficient recycling of industrial wastewater has become a major challenge for Deway Stainless Steel. To meet this challenge, Deway Stainless Steel has established a special wastewater treatment workshop, taking a series of innovative measures such as process optimization and equipment upgrading. At present, about 120 tons of treated wastewater are reused in the enterprise's production process every month, helping the enterprise to reduce costs and increase efficiency with "green energy."

📢 For more information and to follow the latest news on stainless steel industry, please stay tuned to our social media channels.

Jindal Stainless Urges Government to Remove Tariffs on Key Raw Materials

According to Reuters on July 21, 2024, Jindal Stainless has urged the government to remove tariffs on ferro-nickel and ferro-molybdenum in the upcoming budget to ensure the industry can obtain these key raw materials at competitive prices. The current tariff on ferro-nickel is 2.5%, and that on ferro-molybdenum is 5%.

Abhyuday Jindal, Managing Director of Jindal Stainless Limited (JSL), said, "We propose the long-term exemption of basic tariffs on ferro-nickel and ferro-molybdenum to ensure the industry can obtain these important raw materials at competitive prices." Representing the stainless steel industry, Jindal urged the government to continue supporting the 'Make in India' initiative by encouraging innovation and sustainable practices to enhance competitiveness. He stated that reducing raw material import tariffs and providing tax incentives for R&D would greatly benefit the industry.

Jindal Stainless also seeks to continue zero tariffs on stainless steel scrap, scrap steel, and pure nickel, and to maintain a 30% export tax on chromite ore. The minister further stated that there is an urgent need to address the long-standing issue of dumping subsidies and low-quality imports from China through appropriate measures for such products, to ensure a fair competitive environment. "Individuals and businesses have high hopes for the union budget," said Jindal. "We look forward to the first comprehensive budget of this year, and I look forward to another growth-oriented budget, especially one that promotes manufacturing and infrastructure, which are important pillars of our country's progress."

Jindal Stainless is the largest stainless steel manufacturing company in Indonesia, with an annual production of about 3 million tons. The content is sourced from Reuters and does not represent the views of 51BXG.

Stainless Steel Industry News Highlights

Market Dynamics

Stainless Steel Futures: The stainless steel futures contract 2409 increased by 90 to 13,850 CNY/tonne, with the current spot-futures price difference at 120.

Foshan Market: After fluctuating, the stainless steel futures rebounded and stood above the 13,800 mark. Spot market prices for 304 cold-rolled materials showed mixed movements, with some falling 20-50 to facilitate transactions, while others slightly increased. However, trading remained quiet.

Wuxi Market: Inquiries in the morning showed that the mainstream quoted price for 304 cold-rolled four-foot materials in the private sector was 13,500 CNY/tonne, unchanged from last Friday; the hot-rolled price was 13,350 CNY/tonne, up 50 from the previous Friday.

Industry News

Ningbo Baoxin's Order Growth: Ningbo Baoxin reported a 34% year-on-year increase in BA plate order volume in the first half of the year, along with growth in other product categories.

Anti-dumping Announcement: China's Ministry of Commerce has announced the continuation of anti-dumping duties on stainless steel billets and hot-rolled coils from the EU, UK, South Korea, and Indonesia, following the expiration review investigation.

Trial Production of Stainless Steel Heat Exchanger Tubes: A 30,000-tonne/year high-end stainless steel heat exchanger tube project, invested by Zhejiang Julong Special Material Group Co., Ltd., has entered the trial production phase.

Export and Import Data: In June, the top 20 export regions for Chinese stainless steel accounted for 36.47 million tonnes, with India being the largest export destination. The top 5 import regions accounted for 12.46 million tonnes, with Indonesia being the largest source of imports.

Raw Material Related

Jinchuan Company's Nickel Price Adjustment: Jinchuan Company has adjusted its electrolytic nickel quotations downward by 1,300 CNY.

Furnace Ignition at a High-Carbon Chromium Factory: A 18,000KVA furnace at a high-carbon chromium iron factory in Inner Mongolia has been ignited, with an expected monthly output of over 3,000 tons of high-carbon chromium iron.

Import Data for Chrome and Nickel Iron: China's imports of chrome iron and nickel iron have shown significant increases both month-on-month and year-on-year.

Stainless Steel Scrap Import Decrease: China's import of stainless steel scrap has decreased significantly compared to the previous month and the same period last year.

Nickel Production Capacity in Indonesia: Zhongwei Shares has disclosed that it has built a nickel resource smelting base in Indonesia with a capacity of 200,000 metal tons.

About Americ Energy (CHINA) Co., Ltd.

Americ Energy (CHINA) Co., Ltd. is a distinguished manufacturer and distributor of an extensive array of stainless steel products, tailored to meet the varied requirements of multiple industries. Their product range includes stainless steel tubes, plates, strips, and square tubes, all adhered to the highest quality standards.

Stainless Steel Exports Boosted in the First Half of 2024

Looking back at the first half of 2024, domestic stainless steel performance was not satisfactory, but the export market has won a glimmer of opportunity in the fierce overseas market competition. From the export data in the first half of 2024, except for the impact of the Spring Festival holiday in February, other months were at a high level, and the export volume in May even set a new high since July 2022. From January to May 2024, the cumulative export volume of domestic stainless steel was about 1.912 million tons (second only to the 1.931 million tons in the same period of 2022), an increase of 12.8% year-on-year. Against the backdrop of the impressive performance of stainless steel exports, what factors have contributed to this?

1. Decline in Overseas Stainless Steel Supply and Better Demand for Exports

Since 2024, European stainless steel companies such as Outokumpu and Acerinox's Los Barrios plant have been affected by strikes, leading to a decrease in stainless steel production. The data released in the first quarter of 2024 showed a decrease of 1.3% and 6% respectively compared to the fourth quarter of 2023. After a 136-day strike, the production activities of the Los Barrios plant were almost paralyzed, and the plant had changed from five shifts to three shifts, with a significant drop in supply. It is reported that in late June, the workers of the plant finally accepted the proposed collective agreement, and Acerinox has begun to prepare for the resumption of production. The delivery times of other European steel plants have also been extended, mostly for delivery in August and September, and many distributors' inventory is lower than demand. In addition, POSCO's stainless steel equipment was inspected in May in South Korea, and the supply of stainless steel in Japan and India also declined. With the decline in supply from overseas stainless steel companies and prices on the rise, while China's stainless steel production remains high and prices are relatively weak, the demand for Chinese stainless steel has improved due to the price advantage.

2. Increase in the Proportion of Stainless Steel Processing Trade

In recent years, the performance of stainless steel exports has been good, partly because the proportion of processing trade has increased, and this volume will also be reflected in future exports, leading to an increase in the number of exports to a certain extent. According to statistics, the year-on-year increase in processing trade in 2021 was about 338,300 tons, accounting for 30.1% of the year-on-year increase in imports, which was at a high level since 2018. Since 2024, the import volume of stainless steel has increased year-on-year, and the proportion of the increase in processing trade has also risen to 29.8%. This volume, after being processed domestically, will also be reflected in subsequent exports.

3. Export Volume to Southeast Asia Sets a New High

Since 2024, the economy in Southeast Asia has been steadily recovering, and construction and infrastructure projects continue to expand, increasing the demand for stainless steel. Since March 2024, the volume of stainless steel exported from China to Southeast Asia has been growing rapidly. In May 2024, the volume of stainless steel exported to Southeast Asia was about 119,400 tons (a new high), an increase of 19.7% month-on-month and 85.5% year-on-year. From January to May, the cumulative volume of stainless steel exported to Southeast Asia was about 415,800 tons, an increase of 114,300 tons year-on-year, an increase of 37.9%. Among them, the increase in stainless steel exports to Vietnam was the most obvious, with a volume of about 44,000 tons in May, an increase of 4% month-on-month and 81.5% year-on-year. The cumulative volume increased by 44% from January to May.

4. Increase in Cold Rolled Processing and Exports to Turkey

Since 2024, the volume of stainless steel exported from China to Turkey has been gradually increasing. In May, the volume reached 52,000 tons, a historical high, an increase of 38.9% month-on-month and 133.3% year-on-year. The increase is mainly reflected in the volume of cold-rolled stainless steel. In May, about 37,000 tons of cold-rolled stainless steel were exported from China to Turkey, an increase of 29.9% month-on-month and 120.5% year-on-year. As a result, POSCO Assan TST in Turkey proposed to impose a 20% anti-dumping tariff on stainless steel from China and Indonesia. According to customs data, the increase in this cold-rolled volume is mainly due to the increase in the volume of processing and re-export. The following two charts also show a high degree of consistency. In March and May 2024, the volume of cold-rolled stainless steel processed and re-exported from China to Turkey was about 14,000 tons, accounting for about 40% of the cold-rolled volume exported to Turkey.

Overall, due to the oversupply of stainless steel in mainland China and the lack of improvement in market demand, some stainless steel companies have turned their attention to exports, where prices have a competitive advantage in the overseas market. Moreover, under the influence of the EU's anti-circumvention investigation on cold-rolled stainless steel from Turkey and Vietnam, the performance of China's stainless steel exports has been good. It is reported that the markets in Southeast Asia and the Middle East are also very active. As the consumption off-season approaches, the orders for stainless steel exports are gradually weakening. Recently, the news of "Indonesia's Yongwang suspension of production in June, or for 2 months" has caused a stir again. Can the export of cold-rolled coil plates, which accounts for 48% of China's stainless steel exports, continue to usher in opportunities?

( Source: Mysteel )

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