Meeting with BSIET to strengthen strategic and technology cooperation

Fred Martin, Global Head of John Cockerill’s Metals Business, visited Beijing Shougang International Engineering Technology to strengthen strategic and technology cooperation.

On January 13, 2026, Fred Martin led a senior delegation to visit Beijing Shougang International Engineering Technology Co., Ltd. (BSIET) for an inspection and technical exchange. Wu Liyun, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of BSIET, warmly welcomed the delegation. The two sides engaged in in-depth discussions focused on deepening strategic cooperation and advancing the deployment of low-carbon and innovative technologies.

Senior representatives and technical experts from BSIET’s Strategic Technology Department, Steel Rolling Division, Industrial Furnace Division, and Market Development Department participated in the discussions, laying a solid foundation for future cooperation.

At the opening of the forum, Wu Liyun welcomed John Cockerill’s representatives and provided a comprehensive overview of BSIET’s development history, core business strengths, and recent achievements in green and low-carbon transformation. As a benchmark enterprise in iron and steel engineering and technology, BSIET has made significant progress in areas including green metallurgy and intelligent manufacturing. Its technological achievements span high-efficiency power generation from surplus gas, energy-saving retrofits of heating furnaces, flue gas desulfurization and denitrification, and direct reduced iron (DRI) solutions.

BSIET has also successfully developed China’s first green and intelligent seawater desalination plant featuring “black-screen operation and unattended operation.” With more than 140 invention patents and multiple national- and ministerial-level technical awards, BSIET continues to lead industrial transformation and upgrading. Internationally, the company has accumulated extensive experience through landmark overseas projects, including a 3-million-ton short-process integrated steel plant in Kazakhstan.

Fred Martin expressed sincere appreciation for BSIET’s warm reception and highly commended the company’s leadership role in driving transformation within the global iron and steel industry. He introduced John Cockerill’s industrial development strategy and highlighted two breakthrough technologies: Jet Vapor Deposition (JVD®) and Volteron.

In downstream processing, Jet Vapor Deposition (JVD®) introduces a breakthrough technology which uses the deposition of zinc in a vapor state under vacuum. JVD offers many OPEX, productivity & strip quality advantages compared to  Hot Dip Galvanizing Lines (HDGL) or Electro Galvanizing Lines (EGL) and will become the new standard.

In addition to the common advantages such as better corrosion resistance for the same coating thickness, better weldability, less powdering, better zinc yield (99.5% vs 93% in HDG), better flexibility (coating on demand on one or 2 faces) the most significant gains are obtained for :

• Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS) or Ultra High Strength Steel (UHSS) where coating of 2000Mpa Martensitic products without H2 embrittlement (EGL) or bad coating due to alloying elements (HDGL),
• Exposed products for Automotive thanks to the outstanding surface aspect when comparing to HDGL or EGL,
• Galvanizing on hot rolled products since coating is performed at low temperature which provides significant energy gains vs HDGL,

Since conventional galvanizing line speed limitation, which was 200 mpm can be easily doubled, the JVD can be coupled to a Continuous Annealing Line to optimize the productivity. JVD can be also be used as a stand-alone line with products coming from CAL, Batch Annealing Furnaces or Hot Rolled Pickling Line to provide optimum flexibility.

Volteron, John Cockerill’s breakthrough ironmaking technology, enables carbon-free iron extraction through low-temperature iron electrowinning. By producing high-purity iron plates directly from iron ores using green and renewable electricity, Volteron eliminates the need for coal, natural gas, or hydrogen and represents a significant step toward truly carbon-free steel production. The technology offers outstanding performance in energy efficiency, carbon reduction, and emissions mitigation, aligning closely with BSIET’s strategic focus on green and low-carbon development.

Based on BSIET’s business portfolio and technical requirements, the technical teams from both sides conducted targeted exchanges on application scenarios, performance advantages, and integration pathways for the two technologies. Discussions focused on the potential application of JVD technology in high-end steel coating solutions, leveraging BSIET’s expertise in steel rolling and industrial furnace technologies. In parallel, the two sides explored the synergies between Volteron technology and DRI projects in the context of low-carbon metallurgy.

Fred Martin noted that John Cockerill views this visit as a key step toward establishing a long-term, stable strategic partnership with BSIET. By combining technological expertise and resource strengths, both parties aim to accelerate the deployment of cutting-edge low-carbon technologies and jointly support the high-quality development of the global iron and steel industry.

The visit further strengthened mutual understanding and established an efficient communication platform for future collaboration. Looking ahead, John Cockerill and BSIET plan to deepen cooperation in areas such as green and low-carbon metallurgy and international project development, jointly exploring new pathways for the sustainable transformation of the iron and steel industry and contributing to global industrial decarbonization.