JP Steel Plantech Co., a steelmaking plant engineering manufacturer (hereafter referred to as SPCO; President: Nobuyuki Nada; head office: Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa), will further strengthen the domestic sales activities of the pickling and waste acid regeneration processes manufactured by the John Cockerill Group (hereafter referred to as JC; head office: Belgium). The two companies concluded a business alliance agreement in July last year. Acting as JC’s window to Japan, SPCO will support the process from design to manufacture to provide a system that will introduce and operate JC’s technologies smoothly.

On November 13 (Wed), we hosted a joint technical seminar at the Embassy of Belgium (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo) and invited about 70 people from domestic steelmaking companies to promote our technologies. After the seminar, we hosted a reception party to promote exchange. JC’s pickling and waste acid regeneration process is based on its high-level technologies, including spray pickling, and JC has a large market share not only in Europe but worldwide. In the future, the marketing activities will use SPCO’s sales channels to provide its products to customers in Japan widely.

Although we anticipate a severe investment climate for the time being, we will explain JC’s technology carefully and respond to customers’ needs in order to win contracts. In the future, we will develop a line combining SPCO’s leveling/straightening technology and JC’s technology in Europe and thus enhance our cooperation further.

· JC’s latest pickling and waste acid regeneration processes can be introduced.
·  Acting as a window to Japan, SPCO can customize JC’s products for domestic customers and deliver them.
→ We will work together to introduce European technologies to Japan smoothly.

Title: John Cockerill and Steel Plantech Joint Technical Seminar Tokyo, 2019
Date and time: 13:30 to 18:30 on Wednesday, November 13, 2019
Location: Embassy of Belgium (Nibancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo)
Program: JC’s presentation on its pickling technology and waste acid regeneration process (ARP); SPCO’s presentation on its leveling/straightening technology; and reception party

Ms. Roxane de Bilderling, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to Japan, giving a speech

Seminar session

· Comments of representatives:
Nobuyuki Nada, President and Representative Director, SPCO
“In order to respond quickly to changes in the business environment, we need to develop technologies through open innovation by finding a good partner and combining our strengths to provide products. We will partner with JC to provide better products.”

Xavier Lhoest, Vice President and Industry Department (Metals) of John Cockerill
“Our pickling technology and acid regeneration plants will be introduced in Japan, while JP Steel Plantech’s levelers and other products will be introduced in Europe, so this alliance will allow both companies to gain new access to each other’s market.” 

John Cockerill Group consists of five sectors: energy,defense, industry (steelmaking), environment, and services. The pickling and acid regeneration business to be promoted in Japan belongs to the Metal Division of Industry Department, industry (steelmaking) sector, which designs, manufactures (outsources), and installs chemical solution processes, including pickling facilities. The basic design of pickling tanks is conducted in Germany and the detailed design in France. The tanks are manufactured in France and Hungary. John Cockerill UVK in Germany has a long history of over 160 years from the establishment of its predecessor, KCH. John Cockerill Environment Hungary manufactures approx. 100 types of tanks annually, and plans to expand its factory in 2020 to double the capacity.

(Outline of the company)
Name: John Cockerill (The name was changed from Cockerill Maintenance & Ingēnierie SA in May 2019.)
Year of establishment: 1817
Head Office: Liege, Belgium
Organization: Five sectors of energy, defense, industry (steelmaking), environment, and services
Sales: 120 billion yen or more (FY 2017)
Employees: Approx. 7,000 (eight countries in the world)