various initiatives aspects of the supply chain
Optimal management of manufacturing and shipping
In order to deliver products that meet customer requirements on time, our head office unit, which manages all our sales and marketing, coordinates product manufacturing plans throughout the Company every day, while keeping track of sales and production. The process control units in each steelworks receive the plan, and manage the progress of each single product, while keeping in mind the productivity of each manufacturing base. These units work for optimal processing from manufacturing to shipment, and delivering products as scheduled.
Solution proposals to meet customer needs
In response to the increasing demand for reduction of vehicle body weight and enhanced collision safety, we accelerated research and development, and started to make proposals not just on materials but also on the NSafe-AutoConcept (NSAC), a comprehensive solution for the development of next-generation steel vehicles, in 2019. An extended version NSafeTM-AutoConcept xEV has also been added to the lineup. We are working with our customers to develop advanced vehicles.
Reduction in vehicle body weight has long been desired by automakers but that need has been increasing in recent years, as it can contribute to reducing CO2 emissions during vehicle production as well as driving. Concerning collision safety, the evaluation method has become diversified, and the advance in material strength and structural design are required more than ever before. Ultra-high-tensile steel sheets such as 1470 MPa high-tensile sheets and 2.0 GPa hot-rolled high-tensile materials for vehicle bodies, and 980 MPa high-strength steel plates for chassis can satisfy such needs. The application of the high-tensile steel products and the proposed structure and processing method have reduced the body weight of steel cars by 30%. This has made the steel car to have the similar weight to that of an all-aluminum car and to provide higher collision safety performance.
Material makers, including ourselves, used to focus on material development but the NSAC is contributing to the car making process in the areas of material development, structural and functional design, process development, and performance evaluation in addition to material development.
Click here for details on other solution proposals.
Innovation of steel business processes by making full use of DX
Nippon Steel will promote DX to innovate all steel business processes. We are steadily making progress toward the goal of 100 million tons in global crude steel capacity and ¥1 trillion in consolidated business profit by strengthening business competitiveness and tackling the challenge of carbon neutrality, as laid out in our Medium- to Long-Term Management Plan, as well as by constructing a solid integrated business framework spanning everything from raw materials to manufacturing to distribution.
In these efforts, we use DX to swiftly implement various measures to realize “innovative evolution of manufacturing capabilities by developing smarter manufacturing,” “strengthening of customer relations by reinforcing the flexible and optimal supply system,” and “global management support through enhancement of business intelligence.”
DX-driven innovation of the supply chain and engineering chain
Click here for details on promotion of DX strategy.
Dealing with the workforce shortage in domestic logistics
Approximately 60% of our domestic steel products are transported by about 200 coastal ships, which provide the primary means of transportation for industrial logistics.
In the coastal shipping industry, as in other logistics industries, the shortage of workers has been a problem. Many operators (shipowners) in the coastal shipping industry are small or medium-sized business persons and find it difficult to recruit and train new sailors even if they are willing, because extra cabin space cannot be installed and the crew members find it burdensome to teach newcomers. The Nippon Steel Group has therefore built a practical training ship, Reimei, and started its operation as one of ways to secure crews. This practical training ship, which is well designed with cabin space for an instructor and up to five trainees students, comfortable living space, a bridge and a dining room, is greatly contributing to the development of new sailors.
Practical training ship Reimei