China continues to produce more steel than the rest of the world, COMBINED

[TaiShang]

Ballpoint pen breakthrough wins acclaim

By Li Xuanmin Source: Global Times Published: 2017/1/9

Part will replace imported component, saving $15m annually

Chinese citizens on Monday hailed the realization of domestically produced points for ballpoint pens, following media reports saying that a factory in Taiyuan, North China's Shanxi Province has acquired the technique of producing a kind of stainless steel that is critical to manufacture the part.

China has more than 3,000 pen manufacturers that make about 40 billion pens a year, domestic news portal guancha.com reported on Monday. But for decades, domestic companies still had to import stainless steel used for making the pens' points from Japan and Switzerland due to the lack of a key precision machining technique that can produce steel plates of ultrathin and high hardness, and that has cost $15 million each year, said the report.

The indigenous production of the steel material by Taiyuan Iron and Steel Co (TISCO) has ended the situation.

TISCO, with the support of the Chinese government, began research into suitable steel products in 2011, and finally drafted the standardized manufacturing procedure last year, said the report, citing Wang Huimian, a senior engineer at TISCO. The documented procedure was reviewed and approved by the Technical Committee on Steel of Standardization Committee of China in January.

Some domestic ballpoint pen producers have already started purchasing the steel product, the report said.

It is estimated that the homemade material will be able to completely replace the imported one within the next two years. Also, localized production will cut the production cost by at least 5 percent, the National Business Daily reported on Monday.

A report about the news on People's Daily's Weibo account has received more than 10,000 forwards and 30,000 likes as of 8 pm Monday.

A Beijing-based resident surnamed Wang said she is thrilled to learn of the technological breakthrough. "I'm giving 'Made in China' the thumbs up," Wang told the Global Times on Monday, "It never rains but it pours."

A netizen named Balabila said the emergence of the steel product can be regarded as a completion of the domestic industry chain. Another netizen named Fanhuadezhi agreed. "China is already a leading player in mass manufacturing, but in terms of precision machines and special materials, it still lags significantly behind its foreign counterparts,"he wrote in his Weibo account, describing it as a "milestone" in China's precision machining.

In line with the central government's "Made in China 2025" goal, the country is making strides into high-tech and innovative sectors. Premier Li Keqiang said Monday that innovation is always prioritized in China's overall development strategies and will contribute to domestic economy, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

 

[ohmrlobalobayeh]

There used to be a thread on this, but i cant find it. Mods might wanna merge this thread with that.

This is the followup after the Premier's rant on how he find Chinese-made pens to be not to his liking:


Pen power: China closer to ballpoint success

It has sent rockets into space, produced millions of the world's smartphones and built high-speed trains. But until now, one bit of manufacturing had perhaps unexpectedly eluded China: the ballpoint pen.

A year ago Premier Li Keqiang went on national television and bemoaned the failure of his country to produce a good quality version of this seemingly-simple implement.

Locally-made versions felt "rough" compared to those from Germany, Switzerland and Japan, Mr Li complained.

High precision
The problem was not the body of the pen, but the tip - the tiny ball that dispenses ink as you write.

It might be something we take for granted, but making them requires high-precision machinery and very hard, ultra-thin steel plates.

Put simply, China's steel has not been good enough. And it has struggled to shape its pen tips accurately.
.

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image captionLi Keqiang has held a few pens in his time as Chinese Premier
Without that ability, China's 3,000 penmakers have had to import this crucial component from abroad, costing the industry a reported 120m yuan ($17.3m; £14.3m) a year.

But according to People's Daily, the state-owned Taiyuan Iron and Steel Co thinks it has cracked the problem, after five years of research.

The first batch of 2.3-millimetre ballpoint pen tips has recently rolled off its production lines, the paper says.

And once lab tests are completed, it's expected China could phase out pen tip imports completely within two years.

Symbolic
On one level, whether China can make a great pen is not hugely important in the scheme of things.

High-tech and innovative manufacturing lie at the heart of the central government's Made in China 2025 programme - designed to help domestic growth.

Relatively low-value items, like ballpoint pens, have not been a priority.

But the pen-conundrum is a symbolic one.

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image captionEuropean firms have dominated the ballpoint pen industry at both the top and lower ends of the market
Despite producing more than half of the world's crude iron and steel, China has still heavily relied on imports for high-grade steel.

It was a failing that Mr Li said highlighted the need to upgrade China's manufacturing capabilities.

Different culture
"Historically, China has never been able to do precision engineering very well and the ballpoint pen is an example of that," says Professor George Huang, head of the University of Hong Kong's department of industrial and mechanical engineering.

"Its parts are so small and very precise, and it's not easy to solve this problem"

Precision engineering is thriving only in certain sectors such as aerospace and defence where the government has placed a high priority, says Prof Huang.

Even when it comes to smartphones and computers, the high end computer chips are usually imported from Japan and Taiwan.

Prof Huang says that China lacks a culture of excellence in precision engineering.

He uses the Mandarin term "fucao" or "floating grass", a euphemism for something that is not 100% solid or reliable.

"The culture is different from the Japanese and Germans," he says, who are known for innovation in engineering.

"We Chinese are supposed to be craftsmen, but somehow the spirit is not as good."

Additional reporting by the BBC's Tessa Wong.

 

[ahojunk]

China masters production of steel components for ballpoint pen tips
2017-01-11 13:14 | Xinhua | Editor:Xu Shanshan

A worker measures steel components for pen tips at Taiyuan Iron and Steel (Group), or TISCO, in Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi Province, Jan. 10, 2017. (Xinhua/Cao Yang)

China, the world's biggest manufacturer of ballpoint pens, has finally developed its own pen tips, ending a long-term reliance on imported ones.

Taiyuan Iron & Steel (Group), or TISCO, said it has mastered the production of steel components for pen tips after trying for five years.

Photo taken on Jan. 10, 2017 shows ballpoint pen tips made of homemade stainless steel at Taiyuan Iron and Steel (Group), or TISCO, in Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi Province. (Xinhua/Cao Yang)

A worker measures steel components for pen tips at Taiyuan Iron and Steel (Group), or TISCO, in Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi Province, Jan. 10, 2017. (Xinhua/Cao Yang)

A worker is seen on the production line of steel components for pen tips at Taiyuan Iron and Steel (Group), or TISCO, in Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi Province, Jan. 10, 2017. (Xinhua/Cao Yang)

A worker checks newly-produced steel components for pen tips at Taiyuan Iron and Steel (Group), or TISCO, in Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi Province, Jan. 10, 2017. China, the world's biggest manufacturer of ballpoint pens, has finally developed its own pen tips, ending a long-term reliance on imported ones. TISCO said it has mastered the production of steel components for pen tips after trying for five years. (Xinhua/Cao Yang)

Photo taken on Jan. 10, 2017 shows steel components for pen tips at Taiyuan Iron and Steel (Group), or TISCO, in Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi Province. China, the world's biggest manufacturer of ballpoint pens, has finally developed its own pen tips, ending a long-term reliance on imported ones. TISCO said it has mastered the production of steel components for pen tips after trying for five years. (Xinhua/Cao Yang)

 

[Shotgunner51]

Latest data: 2016 crude steel production data from World Steel Association, updated on 25 January 2017. China Mainland reached 808.37 million tonnes, Taiwan reached 21.57 million tonnes.

Data source: http://www.worldsteel.org/steel-by-topic/statistics/Monthly-crude-steel-and-iron-production.html

 

[AndrewJin]

2016 crude steel production data from World Steel Association, updated on 25 January 2017. China Mainland reached 808.37 million tonnes, Taiwan reached 21.57 million tonnes.

View attachment 372116

Data source: http://www.worldsteel.org/steel-by-topic/statistics/Monthly-crude-steel-and-iron-production.html

 

[ahojunk]

China to protect steel pipe companies' legitimate rights
2017-01-28 10:36 Xinhua Editor: Yao Lan

The Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said on Friday that it will take the necessary steps to protect the legitimate rights of Chinese companies following anti-dumping measures taken by the European Union.

The remarks came after Friday's decision by the European Commission to levy anti-dumping duties on stainless steel pipe products manufactured by Chinese businesses for a five-year period, with duties ranging between 30.7 percent and 64.9 percent.

Wang Hejun, head of the MOC trade remedy and investigation bureau, said that the move by the European Commission violated World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, and China was highly concerned about trade protectionism by the European Union in the iron and steel sector.

The European Commission in its investigation disregarded facts and materials provided by Chinese companies, continued to use the "unfair and unreasonable" surrogate country approach, seriously affecting Chinese companies' interests, said Wang.

The Chinese government hopes the European Union will abide by WTO rules and cease the surrogate country approach, Wang said.

Anemic global economic recovery and waning market demand were the fundamental reasons for difficulties facing the iron and steel sector, and all countries should work together to overcome these challenges and take trade remedy measures in a restrained way, Wang added.


********

Rise of protectionism in EU?
.

 

[TaiShang]

US finds on final steel dumping margins
China Daily, February 4, 2017

Workers cut steel plates at an offshore oil-drilling platform near Qingdao, Shandong province. [Photo/China Daily]


The US Commerce Department on Thursday stepped closer to placing duties on imports of stainless steel sheet and strip from China, issuing a final determination that the products were being subsidized and dumped in the US market at below fair value.

The department said it affirmed anti-dumping duties ranging from 63.86 percent to 76.64 percent on the imports, and an anti-subsidy rate of 75.60 percent for mandatory respondent Shanxi Taigang Stainless Steel Co Ltd.

The duties will go into effect for five years if the US International Trade Commission subsequently affirms its earlier finding that US producers were being harmed.

AK Steel Corp, Allegheny Ludlum IPO, North American Stainless and Outokumpu Stainless USA had brought the case seeking relief. Imports of the products from China were valued at an estimated $302 million in 2015, according to the department.

The US International Trade Commission is scheduled to make its final determination of injury to US producers on or about Mar 20.

In December, China filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization arguing against the refusal by the EU and the US to treat China as a market economy.

"The EU has continued to use the unfair and unreasonable surrogate country method and seriously harm the interests of Chinese enterprises," trade remedy and investigation bureau chief of the Ministry of Commerce Wang Hejun said in a statement.

Chen Xin, director of the business department of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of European Studies, said that China has been actively cutting back steel capacity in recent years to ease the global overcapacity.

"China's steel exports are competitive in quality and price because of the scale of economy," Chen said.

Meanwhile, the government has been making efforts to shut down outdated furnaces throughout the country to upgrade the steel industry.

The short-term goal of China's capacity reduction is to cut crude steel capacity by 15 percent, or 27 million tons, within three years starting from 2016, according to the National Development and Reform Commission. The capacity reduction goal of 45 million tons for 2016 was reached in October

 

[somebozo]

Quality of Chinese steel isnt that great and it rust very fast..we had some sheet metal work and after trying Chinese galvanized sheet we ended up importing from Belgium and Japan.

China is about quantity, not quality!

 

[TaiShang]

Quality of Chinese steel isnt that great and it rust very fast..we had some sheet metal work and after trying Chinese galvanized sheet we ended up importing from Belgium and Japan.

China is about quantity, not quality!

That's a very indefinite and unscientific proposition. Steel comes in a wide variety of properties such as strength, corrosion resistance, hardness, high temperature resistance, ductility, and you decide based on your needs.

It is likely that you have chosen the wrong type of steel for the job you intended to use the steel for.

China is capable of producing the highest standard steel of every "flavor." Otherwise, it would not have been world's greatest producer and consumer of steel with the most number of highest-longest bridges or most number of high-rises.

 

[Jlaw]

Quality of Chinese steel isnt that great and it rust very fast..we had some sheet metal work and after trying Chinese galvanized sheet we ended up importing from Belgium and Japan.

China is about quantity, not quality!

bullshit. Mazda cars made in Japan is a rust bucket after eight years.

 

[Dungeness]

Quality of Chinese steel isnt that great and it rust very fast..we had some sheet metal work and after trying Chinese galvanized sheet we ended up importing from Belgium and Japan.

China is about quantity, not quality!

You sound just like many of your eastern neighbor. Chinese manufacturers make products with quality levels from A to Z, and your galvanized steel supplier might have imported the cheapest product trying to fool you, and you come to the conclusion "China is about the quantity, not quality"?

 

[Jlaw]

US finds on final steel dumping margins
China Daily, February 4, 2017

Workers cut steel plates at an offshore oil-drilling platform near Qingdao, Shandong province. [Photo/China Daily]


The US Commerce Department on Thursday stepped closer to placing duties on imports of stainless steel sheet and strip from China, issuing a final determination that the products were being subsidized and dumped in the US market at below fair value.

The department said it affirmed anti-dumping duties ranging from 63.86 percent to 76.64 percent on the imports, and an anti-subsidy rate of 75.60 percent for mandatory respondent Shanxi Taigang Stainless Steel Co Ltd.

The duties will go into effect for five years if the US International Trade Commission subsequently affirms its earlier finding that US producers were being harmed.

AK Steel Corp, Allegheny Ludlum IPO, North American Stainless and Outokumpu Stainless USA had brought the case seeking relief. Imports of the products from China were valued at an estimated $302 million in 2015, according to the department.

The US International Trade Commission is scheduled to make its final determination of injury to US producers on or about Mar 20.

In December, China filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization arguing against the refusal by the EU and the US to treat China as a market economy.

"The EU has continued to use the unfair and unreasonable surrogate country method and seriously harm the interests of Chinese enterprises," trade remedy and investigation bureau chief of the Ministry of Commerce Wang Hejun said in a statement.

Chen Xin, director of the business department of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of European Studies, said that China has been actively cutting back steel capacity in recent years to ease the global overcapacity.

"China's steel exports are competitive in quality and price because of the scale of economy," Chen said.

Meanwhile, the government has been making efforts to shut down outdated furnaces throughout the country to upgrade the steel industry.

The short-term goal of China's capacity reduction is to cut crude steel capacity by 15 percent, or 27 million tons, within three years starting from 2016, according to the National Development and Reform Commission. The capacity reduction goal of 45 million tons for 2016 was reached in October

what will China do to retaliate ?

 

[somebozo]

You sound just like many of your eastern neighbor. Chinese manufacturers make products with quality levels from A to Z, and your galvanized steel supplier might have imported the cheapest product trying to fool you, and you come to the conclusion "China is about the quantity, not quality"?

No we selected the supplier ourselves and all the batch samples they provided passed the test with our lab Hoty Stanger...however the final shipment delivered..had many inconsistencies in quality...similarly we have had issues using Chinese copper tubes and these ones came from the largest manufacturer of copper tubes from China..there were inconsistencies in the gauge..so we dumped and bought from S.Korea.

Another lesson learned from dealing with China..the large govt enterprises are usually bunch of morons...when it comes to quality..gold is where private small enterprises primarily focused on western export markets.

Otherwise i have imported a lot of goods from China and provided you are dealing with the right supplier..its good quality for reasonable price..

bullshit. Mazda cars made in Japan is a rust bucket after eight years.

Nope..Madza Made in Japan is the best quality ever and it never rust..my father has a 1982 323 still in orignal paint and zero rust..and this car is kept in west coast of Saudi (Jeddah) which is heavily humid year round.

That's a very indefinite and unscientific proposition. Steel comes in a wide variety of properties such as strength, corrosion resistance, hardness, high temperature resistance, ductility, and you decide based on your needs.

It is likely that you have chosen the wrong type of steel for the job you intended to use the steel for.

China is capable of producing the highest standard steel of every "flavor." Otherwise, it would not have been world's greatest producer and consumer of steel with the most number of highest-longest bridges or most number of high-rises.

Yes they keep the A+ for themselves and may be export the cheaper one..its honestly also the fault of buyers because they are always looking for cheapest..

 

[TaiShang]

what will China do to retaliate ?

China urges US to correct unfair anti-dumping duties on steel products
Xinhua, February 4, 2017

China urged the United States to correct its unfair decision to impose high anti-dumping and countervailing duties on imports of Chinese stainless steel sheet and strip, according to a statement released Saturday by the Ministry of Commerce (MOC).

The U.S. Department of Commerce said Thursday that it had determined that imports of Chinese stainless steel sheet and strip should be subject to anti-dumping duties from 63.86 percent to 76.64 percent and anti-subsidy duties from 75.6 percent to 190.71 percent.

China is disappointed by a series of decisions by the U.S. related to high anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties on Chinese steel products and questions its unfair investigation methods, said Wang Hejun, head of the MOC trade remedy and investigation bureau.

The United States has violated World Trade Organization rules by neglecting the abundant proof offered by Chinese companies and has treated them unfairly simply because of their state-owned-enterprise status, Wang said.

The root cause for current challenges facing the steel sector is the sluggish world economy and shrinking demand, which calls for global cooperation instead of protectionism, according to Wang.

The U.S. should abide by WTO rules and correct their unfair practices and China will take the necessary steps to protect due rights of Chinese enterprises, Wang added.

***

I also wonder what would those steps be.

@Shotgunner51

 

[AndrewJin]

China masters production of steel components for ballpoint pen tips
2017-01-11 13:14 | Xinhua | Editor:Xu Shanshan

View attachment 368185
A worker measures steel components for pen tips at Taiyuan Iron and Steel (Group), or TISCO, in Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi Province, Jan. 10, 2017. (Xinhua/Cao Yang)

China, the world's biggest manufacturer of ballpoint pens, has finally developed its own pen tips, ending a long-term reliance on imported ones.

Taiyuan Iron & Steel (Group), or TISCO, said it has mastered the production of steel components for pen tips after trying for five years.


View attachment 368186
Photo taken on Jan. 10, 2017 shows ballpoint pen tips made of homemade stainless steel at Taiyuan Iron and Steel (Group), or TISCO, in Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi Province. (Xinhua/Cao Yang)


View attachment 368187
A worker measures steel components for pen tips at Taiyuan Iron and Steel (Group), or TISCO, in Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi Province, Jan. 10, 2017. (Xinhua/Cao Yang)


View attachment 368188
A worker is seen on the production line of steel components for pen tips at Taiyuan Iron and Steel (Group), or TISCO, in Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi Province, Jan. 10, 2017. (Xinhua/Cao Yang)


View attachment 368189
A worker checks newly-produced steel components for pen tips at Taiyuan Iron and Steel (Group), or TISCO, in Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi Province, Jan. 10, 2017. China, the world's biggest manufacturer of ballpoint pens, has finally developed its own pen tips, ending a long-term reliance on imported ones. TISCO said it has mastered the production of steel components for pen tips after trying for five years. (Xinhua/Cao Yang)


View attachment 368190
Photo taken on Jan. 10, 2017 shows steel components for pen tips at Taiyuan Iron and Steel (Group), or TISCO, in Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi Province. China, the world's biggest manufacturer of ballpoint pens, has finally developed its own pen tips, ending a long-term reliance on imported ones. TISCO said it has mastered the production of steel components for pen tips after trying for five years. (Xinhua/Cao Yang)

Orders from Taiyuan Iron and Steel continue to grow, the price of imported steel for pen tips has already plummeted by 25%!

Bye Bye, Japan and Switzerland