Kobe Steel expands China plant

Kobelco Compressors Manufacturing (Shanghai) has increased production capacity at its compressor plant in Shanghai, China. A new 600 million yen ($756,000) manufacturing line has been completed and has started commercial operations.

Kobe Steel manufactures standard compressors in Japan, China and the U.S. Many of the compressor parts are sourced within China, with some models having a local content rate of nearly 90%. Screw rotors and other crucial parts are imported from Kobe Steel’s Harima plant in western Japan. “Sales in our compressor division come to about 70 billion yen per year,” says executive VP Kazuo Shigekawa, head of the machinery business.