Chinese steel giant Baosteel has stated on its website that the massive earthquake which hit Japan last week has negatively influenced supplies of automotive steel plates and key auto components from Japan. As a result, Japanese carmakers' joint ventures (JVs) in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou - namely, Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle Company, Guangqi Honda Automobile and Guangqi Toyota Automobile - have been affected. Baosteel said that it has accordingly contacted the three companies in question and submitted proposals to deliver emergency supplies of the steel products they need.
The Japanese carmakers' joint ventures in China have three main sources of supply, namely, Guangzhou JFE, Baosteel-Nippon Steel Autoplate and imports. Baosteel-Nippon Steel Autoplate has three galvanized steel production lines, with a total annual output capacity of 1.25 million mt. In 2010, the company sold a record auto plate volume of 1.4056 million mt.