Shougang Steel celebrates its 90th anniversary on September 2, 2009. [China.com.cn]

Shougang Group, one of China's major steelmakers, celebrated its 90th anniversary on September 2 with a celebration attended by Secretary of Beijing Municipal Party Committee, Liu Qi, and Beijing Mayor Guo Jinlong. During the ceremony, awards were presented to model workers.

Shougang President Zhu Jimin said Shougang's history reflected the tremendous changes that had taken place in China's iron and steel industry and added that the innovation was the key to a prosperous future for the group.

From 1949 to 1979, Shougang developed into a major conglomerate engaged in mining, coking, iron and steel making and steel rolling.

With the start of the opening-up in 1978, Shougang adapted to market forces and by 1994 was China's number one steelmaker with an output of 8.24 million tons. Following major restructuring in 1995, the company developed into a major multinational.

Relocation from Beijing to Hebei allowed the company to build several ultra-modern plants in Qian'an, Qinhuangdao and Tangshan. Much of the new technology employed in the plants is home-grown.

Zhu Jimin told China.org.cn that Shougang produced 12.14 million tons in 2008, up from 1.179 million tons in 1978. Over the same period, sales increased from 1.4 billion yuan (US$2 billion) to 132 billion yuan (US$19.3 billion) and workers' annual average income from 739 yuan (US$108) to 46,000 yuan (US$ 6,736).

Shougang is facing a new situation and fresh challenges according to Zhu Jimin. The international financial crisis has made the task of restructuring even more urgent. Zhu emphasized the group was accelerating the introduction of new technology. The next stage in development is to turn Shougang into a world-class innovative enterprise with an environmentally-friendly development model.

"We plan to raise our core competitiveness by building new plants and merging regional companies. We will concentrate on a number of strategically vital products such as alloy welding wire, high-strength sheet steel for engineering and auto sheet," said Zhu.

Shougang's motto, "Dare to be first, be a pioneer and work hard," sums up its confidence for the future, said Zhu.

(China.org.cn by Ren Zhongxi, September 3, 2009)