Japan's First-Half Crude Steel Output Drops Slightly to 40.4 Million Tonnes

On July 27, the branch bar line of the upgraded 1# bar production line and new high-speed wire rod project for Guangxi Guigang Steel Group, contracted by MCC Huatian, underwent a hot-load test run. The HTPS350A pre-stressed rolling mill, independently upgraded by MCC Huatian, was put into use simultaneously. As of now, the equipment is operating stably, with all performance parameters meeting standards. This marks a new technological breakthrough in China’s high-end core bar rolling equipment, further enriching the domestic high-end rolling mill equipment system and providing a mature, high-quality technical equipment solution for the intelligent and high-precision upgrading of bar production lines in China, demonstrating the formidable strength of central state-owned enterprises in empowering projects through innovation. It is understood that the main content of this project involves adding core high-speed wire rod equipment to create a 700 kt bar/wire rod combined production line, in which the branch bar line produces high-quality round bars with diameters ranging from 18 to 60 mm. The HTPS350A pre-stressed rolling mill is a new-generation pre-stressed rolling mill equipment independently upgraded by MCC Huatian based on pain points in the bar rolling industry. Compared to conventional equipment, this mill offers outstanding core performance advantages, featuring high rigidity and extremely small elastic deformation, fundamentally ensuring rolling operation stability. Compared to the previous generation, the mill has undergone structural strengthening and intelligent iterative upgrades, significantly improving its automation level. It enables remote, precise adjustment and real-time detection of roll gap parameters and pre-stress settings, notably enhancing the dimensional accuracy of finished rolled products. This new-type rolling mill was put into use as the core equipment for a two-high reducing and sizing block. The hot-load test run results show that the equipment operated smoothly throughout the entire process, with all operational indicators meeting design expectations. It perfectly matched the requirements of high-end bar rolling production, laying a solid equipment foundation for improving the production line’s quality and efficiency, and effectively assisting Guigang Steel in optimizing product quality and enhancing its core market competitiveness. As a first-tier member of the “National Team for Metallurgical Construction,” MCC Huatian will continue to delve deeply into metallurgical equipment R&D, making greater contributions to the intelligent manufacturing upgrade of the steel industry.

On July 30, the website of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Planning and Natural Resources released the list of planned commercial residential land supply for the ninth batch of 2026, involving a total of 2 land parcels, with a land area of about 31 hectares and a construction scale of about 380,000 m². These land parcels are expected to be supplied in the near future. This batch list covers both the central urban area and the multi-point areas on the plain, with one parcel each in Chaoyang District and Shunyi District, while also further improving the supporting functions of surrounding living and public services.

This week, HRC social inventory stood at 2.8229 million mt, up 52,600 mt WoW (1.90%), up 40.16% YoY, and up 45.61% on a lunar calendar YoY basis. This week, HRC mill inventory was 1.0903 million mt, down 5,700 mt WoW (−0.52%), up 9.81% YoY, and up 5.45% on a lunar calendar YoY basis. This week, total HRC inventory was 3.9132 million mt, up 46,900 mt WoW (1.21%), up 30.14% YoY, and up 31.64% on a lunar calendar YoY basis.