Summer Issue 2008 ［Vol.12 No.44］

■Stainless Steel・Aluminum Welding Special
Welding consumables for stainless steel shipments in 2007
increased 5.3% from the previous year
2008 expected to be flat-out or slightly decline
-Price revision and supply shortage anticipated-

　The 2007 production of stainless steel in Japan was at 3,493,639 tons, down by 4.8% from the previous year where steel plates were standing at 2,708,043 tons, down by 2.5% from the previous year.
The industry wide comparison demanded for stainless steel plates shows that construction leads the shares at 125,489 tons down by 12.9%. Industrial machinery follows at 101,134 tons down by 9.8%, then electrical machinery at 89,626 tons down by 10.7%, home appliances at 163,048 tons down by 5.9%. The industries with increases are shipbuilding at 39,251 tons up by 32.6%, automobiles at 359,165 tons up by 66%, railroad vehicles at 9,838 tons up by 36.6%, containers at 5,685 tons up by 15.9% and the exports at 490,698 tons up by 7.1%.

■Aluminum Welding Consumables 2007 (Jan. - Dec. )
Estimated at 1,950 tons in Japan
Dragged by escalating price with aluminum material
Fractional decrease forecasted for 2008 at 1,900 tons

Special Interview with Alco Tec, the world-leading manufacturer　●Tom Svoboda President

■Kobe Steel Ltd, Welding Company
Double-digit growth in overseas offices and exports in 2008
Enhancing the services with technical support
Apply QTQ practice on welding consumables for stainless steel

■Matsushita Welding Systems Co., Ltd.
Interview Mr. Hideaki Abe,
General Manager, Global Sales and Marketing Group

Ever growing exports with Welding robot “Tawers”, double-digit growth six consecutive years
Aiming for global No.1 brand with welding robotics and welding machines

■OTC DAIHEN Corporation　Welding and Mechatronics Company
Interview Mr. Fumiyoshi Kawahara,
General Manager of International Operation

Expanding sales with welding robots and welding machines in China and Eastern European countries
Targeting double-digit sales growth with new arc-welding robots

■OTC DAIHEN Corporation

“International Masters Conference” held
150 people gathered from worldwide

■"The 13th Beijing Essen Welding & Cutting Fair" Held
862 exhibitors with more than 37,000 visitors (actual)
gathered in Beijing, pumping up with forthcoming Olympic Games

Standing out - Welding apparatuses by Euro-American and Chinese
manufacturers designed for pipeline applications

■The 13th Beijing Essen Welding & Cutting Fair Interview

Eyes a leading position in China, providing the total solutions
ESAB Holdings Ltd.
　●Jon Templeman CEO (right)
ESAB Asia/Pacific PTE Ltd.
　●John Medforth Managing Director

Enhancing the sales channels and expand the sales of all
sorts of welding machines
Carl Cloos
　●Michael Schmidt Director Sales & Marketing

Maintaining strong sales with welding consumables serving
the energy industry
Reinforcing the sales of "TOPTIG” in Asia
Air Liquide Welding
　●Guy Lesur North-East Asia Export Manager (left)
Air Liquide Welding Shanghai Rep. Office
　●Philippe Carol Automatic and Semi Automatic Equipment Sales Maneger

■Servicing the Japanese affiliated automakers and construction machinery manufacturers who hold high market share in the world
Production facility under construction in Tangshan
China, plan to produce 30,000 tons per month.

Kuang Tai Group
Kuang Tai Metal Japan Co., Ltd.
Interview Mr. Masaaki Hirano, President

■CNC cutting machine, more than 1,000 units sold annually
Aiming the leading position in the world with large-scale positioners

Koike Sanso Kogyo & its global network
Interview Mr. Susumu Imajo, General Manager of Overseas Division

■Facility enlargement at Koike Aronson Inc / Ransome
Opening ceremony grandly held Reinforcing the production of cutting machine and welding positioners in the US

■Supplying high quality laser and plasma cutting machines
As a group company of the international major supplier of industrial gases

Nissan Tanaka Corporation
Interview Mr. Kazuhiro Yoshida, President

■Accommodating all needs in precision groove cutting
Increasing sales in overseas

Kohtaki Precision Machine Co., Ltd.

■New FCW & electorodes for low temperatures

Avesta Welding

■Japan International Welding Show 2008 Interview

Messer Cutting Systems
　●Peter E. Schaaf President & CEO

Lincoln Electric Company
　●Frank Young Vice president North Asia

Hypertherm Singapore
　●Soo Kam Tatt Asia Director

■Launching the shielding gas refining device, to materialize the highest welding quality

Matheson TRI-GAS &
Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation

■Securing gas operation
in the world
Servicing worldwide markets of semi-conductor industry and solar cells

the leading pressurized gas distributor in Japan

Tomoe Shokai Co., Ltd.
President, Sadao Fukao

■ABB visits robots showroom at Seisan Gijutsu
Establishing the system to strengthen customers' competitiveness worldwide

■Leading Lead-Free Solder Company, NIHON SUPERIOR Co., Ltd.,
To Establish R&D Center in Singapore
20th Anniversary Celebration for Nihon Superior Singapore

■Soldering joining industry shits into halogen-free, Low-Ag type

◎High quality soldering paste mixer, in the background of halogen-free trend
　THINKY CORPORATION

◎Accommodating the world demand for refined wetting balance evaluation
Solder checker SAT-5100 is
estimated highly at global market
　RHESCA Co.,Ltd. Interview Mr. Mitsuhiro Iwasawa, 　Representative Director