钢铁产业是我国重要基础产业。近年来，钢铁需求下降、环境资源约束给钢铁行业带来较大挑战。如何看待钢铁行业的市场形势？市场的变化又带来哪些新机遇？钢铁企业是如何应对的？笔者进行了采访。

河钢集团唐钢公司正在生产高强汽车板产品。赵 辉摄01创新赋能：加强新材料、新工艺、新技术研发，增强市场竞争力

Using an all-scrap electric arc furnace for smelting, the entire process reduces carbon emissions by a certain percentage. A steel plate the size of a yuan coin can bear the weight of two elephants... At the "black light factory" of Baosteel's cold rolling mill, staff informed me that the ultra-low carbon emission steel they produce via the all-scrap electric arc furnace smelting technology is greener and of higher strength, enhancing both its "green content" and "gold content."

The global launch of products such as grain-oriented silicon steel, breakthroughs in key core technologies like cold plates for carrier rockets and ultra-high-temperature deep-sea special threaded oil pipes... By continuously increasing R&D investment, Baosteel has reaped a wealth of innovative achievements. "We closely focus on high-end manufacturing, strengthen originality and leadership, develop high-end products including ultra-high-strength steel and grain-oriented silicon steel, and continuously research and reserve more advanced new material technologies to enhance the company's profitability," said Wang Juan, Vice President of Baosteel.

Strong toughness and good formability can help reduce the weight of cars by more than %... At Tangshan Iron and Steel Company of HBIS Group, the custom-produced ultra-thin high-strength quenched and partitioned steel products of . mm thickness are continuously rolling off the production line for automotive enterprises.

Quenching and partitioning steel is an advanced high-strength steel among the third generation of automotive steels, meeting the current development requirements of lightweight and green in the automotive industry. This technological breakthrough has expanded the order range of Tangsteel in the field of high-strength quenching and partitioning steel. Kuang Shuang, the executive deputy director of the Technology Center of Tangsteel Company under Hegang Group, said that in the face of fierce market competition, the company is targeting market demand, continuously advancing the research and development of key core technologies, and firmly committed to producing high-end products. In recent years, Tangsteel has achieved positive results in the development of high-end products, and the types of hot-rolled steel it can produce have increased from several to several compared to previous years.

研发新工艺、攻克新技术、推出新产品，这两年，新质生产力正在钢铁领域加快发展。

Creating a powerful "heart" for domestic large aircraft. The manufacturing of aircraft engines requires alloys that can operate for extended periods under high temperatures and certain stress conditions. Panzhihua Steel has made breakthroughs in key technologies for high-temperature alloy products, providing wide cold-rolled sheets of high-temperature alloys for the engines of domestic large aircraft, successfully replacing imports.

Enhancing the strength of new energy vehicle wheels. The world's highest strength steel for automotive wheels, developed by Tai Steel, has been successfully applied to new energy models of renowned domestic and international automotive brands. This innovation ensures the safety, lightweight, durability, and aesthetic appeal of the wheels, while doubling their strength and reducing their weight.

Assisting in the "Weight Reduction" of Power Transformers. Transformers are crucial equipment in the power system. Shougang has successfully developed the first high-strength steel for transformer casings in the country, achieving a weight reduction of more than % per transformer casing, significantly lowering the manufacturing costs of transformers.

“新一年，钢铁企业将进一步加强新材料、新工艺、新技术研发，开发生产更多能有效满足新领域发展需要的技术含量高、附加值高的新产品，进一步增强市场竞争力。”中国钢铁工业协会副会长兼秘书长姜维表示。 02结构调整：制造业用钢需求保持增长，建筑用钢需求有望边际改善 ‍‍

In the year, influenced by the deep adjustment of the real estate market, the proportion of steel used in China's construction industry further decreased to %. Meanwhile, the demand for steel in the manufacturing sector continued to grow, with its share increasing from % in the previous year to % in the current year, becoming a significant force driving demand growth. According to calculations by the Metallurgical Industry Planning and Research Institute, the steel consumption in the automotive and home appliance industries increased by .% and .% year-on-year, respectively.

The Politburo meeting on [specific date] last year deployed a package of incremental policies aimed at boosting the economy and optimizing its structure, which has uplifted market expectations for the steel industry. Jiang Wei analyzed that the continuous implementation and effectiveness of policies such as "dual emphasis" and "dual innovation" have effectively driven the growth in steel demand for industries like infrastructure, machinery, automobiles, and home appliances.

Steel enterprises have a personal understanding of this. Wang Juan informed the author that in the fourth quarter of the year, the order volume for home appliance steel products at Baosteel Co., Ltd. saw a significant increase, with some products doubling in order volume compared to the same period last year.

How should the steel industry adjust and actively respond to adapt to changes in demand?

Exploring New Spaces. In recent years, with the accelerated development of prefabricated buildings, the steel structure industry has seen significant growth opportunities. In the year, China's steel structure processing volume reached . billion tons, a year-on-year increase of .%, accounting for about % of the crude steel production, with the proportion increasing year by year. "Considering only steel structure bridges, if % of new domestic bridges in the future adopt steel structures instead of reinforced concrete, the annual new steel demand will exceed million tons," said Zhang Longqiang, President of the Metallurgical Industry Information and Standards Research Institute. Promoting the application of steel structures will help stabilize the steel market for construction, expand steel demand, and cultivate new industrial growth points.

Moving towards the mid-to-high end. "In recent years, the demand for high-quality steel in our country has been steadily increasing. Tang Steel has been striving to enhance the competitive advantage of product differentiation by adjusting the variety structure and resource allocation. Guided by the ranking of product profitability, the company has restructured its product portfolio, reducing the production of rebar and increasing the output of sheet metal, thereby boosting the production of high-profit steel for manufacturing," said Li Kun, Deputy Director of the Marketing Department at Tang Steel. Throughout the year, the sales of products such as container plates and galvanized high-strength steel have increased by % and % respectively, year-on-year.

展望2025年，姜维认为，钢铁消费需求减中有增、增中有质，不同品种需求将继续分化，其中，随着促进房地产市场止跌回稳的措施显效，建筑用钢需求有望边际改善；制造业成为支撑钢材需求的主要动力，尤其是新能源、高端装备制造、光伏产业等加快发展将拉动相应品种钢材需求。 03经营优化：行业进入“减量发展、存量优化”阶段，要坚持稳健经营，实现高质量发展

Over the past year, the steel industry has effectively met the higher demand for steel materials driven by the economic transformation and upgrading of our country. The trend of 'stability' continues, 'new' momentum is growing, and 'positive' factors are accumulating," said Yao Lin, Vice President of the China Iron and Steel Association. At the same time, it is also important to recognize that factors such as weak demand and declining steel prices have brought certain pressures to steel enterprises.

In the year, the national cumulative production of crude steel reached . billion tons, a year-on-year decrease of .%, achieving the expected target of reduced output. Simultaneously, influenced by insufficient effective demand and other factors, the apparent consumption of crude steel for the year dropped to . billion tons, a decrease of . billion tons from the peak of the previous year. Overall, the decline in steel consumption was greater than the decline in production, and the market situation of strong supply and weak demand remained unchanged. In terms of price, the average value of the China Steel Price Index (CSPI) for the year was . points, a year-on-year decrease of .%.

"The year is a critical one for the deep adjustment of the steel industry, with increasing downward pressure on traditional steel-consuming sectors and raw material prices that are more likely to rise than fall. The characteristics of the industry entering a phase of 'reduced volume development and optimization of existing stocks' are becoming increasingly evident," Yao Lin believes.

Facing the new situation, on one hand, we must strengthen our confidence. "China's per capita steel stock and cumulative carbon dioxide emissions are relatively low compared to developed countries. For a considerable period, China, still in the process of industrialization and urbanization, will remain the world's largest steel consumer and producer," said Jiang Wei. "In recent years, the production and operation of steel enterprises have been relatively stable, with overall asset conditions maintaining a good level, providing a solid foundation for development," said Yao Lin.

On the other hand, it is essential to adhere to prudent management to achieve high-quality development characterized by higher efficiency, greater added value, and superior services.

Maintain resilience and strictly control production capacity. Yao Lin stated that market-oriented and legal methods should be adopted to close the entry of capacity and smooth the exit channels, to solve the balance between the total supply and demand of steel. "At the same time, strengthen the monitoring and analysis of industry operations, guide enterprises to promote product structure adjustments, and reasonably arrange production rhythms to avoid homogenization and 'involution-style' vicious competition." Zhang Haideng, a first-level inspector at the Raw Materials Industry Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said that the Ministry is organizing relevant units to study and revise the implementation measures for steel capacity replacement, focusing on supply-demand balance, green and low-carbon development, structural adjustment, layout optimization, and mergers and acquisitions as directions for industrial upgrading, to further optimize and improve differentiated capacity replacement policies.

Optimize services and respond to demands. To bridge the "last mile" in serving customers, Tang Steel has established steel processing and distribution centers in Tianjin, Jilin, Zhejiang, and other locations, offering one-stop services in sales, processing, and storage. Acting as a link between steel enterprises and customers, these processing and distribution centers eliminate the intermediary steel traders, selling steel after cutting and processing, thereby achieving upstream and downstream integration and providing customers with more convenient and precise services. Kuang Shuang stated that Tang Steel now participates in the preliminary design of customer products in advance, directly connecting the steel research and development design process with customer needs. "For example, in the design of automotive components, we engage in pre-design for customers at the very beginning of car development, enabling production line engineers to quickly understand the market and build product advantages with a targeted approach. This customized service has strengthened Tang Steel's relationship with customers, with orders for ultra-high-strength steel increasing by more than %."

Expanding Overseas and Opening Up Markets. To address the decline in demand from some downstream industries, many steel enterprises have seized export opportunities to explore overseas markets. Last year, China's cumulative steel exports reached a certain number of billion tons, a year-on-year increase of a certain percentage. Internationalization is an important means to respond to the changing laws of the steel industry's development, adapt to the new trend of low-carbon transformation, and optimize global resource allocation. "Baosteel has always attached great importance to international development. In the first three quarters of last year, Baosteel's steel export contracts reached a record high of a certain number of million tons," said Wang Juan. Baosteel will continue to consolidate and efficiently utilize its overseas marketing network, leverage its technical and quality advantages, and persistently increase the sales of high-value-added and high-tech products in overseas markets.

Source: People's Daily

Editor: Li Xinrui

Review Liu Jiajun

Planning by Chen Xiaoli