Wind power generation is renewable energy that utilizes the power of the wind to turn the blades of a windmill in order to generate electrical power. Offshore wind power generation is a new trend which uses windmills that are installed in the ocean. In Japan, development of land wind power generation has progressed, and suitable locations are becoming scarce. However because there are no surrounding obstructions in the ocean, the offshore winds in Japan are particularly strong, and there are many stable areas, the potential is believed to be extremely high. There are two types of offshore wind power generation: a bottom-fixed type where the generator is anchored to the seafloor, and a floating type which floats on the ocean. At present, construction is first proceeding of the bottom-fixed type that involves lower costs.

In 2017, members of Taiwan Power Company and other offshore wind power representatives came to Japan to investigate the construction of a supply chain, and visited Nippon Steel and Nippon Steel Engineering. Because at that time NST was in charge of arranging schedules and introducing related persons, this became the start of our initiatives for offshore wind power generation. Later, the largest steel manufacturer in Taiwan, China Steel Corporation, was planning to construct a new plant for plates to be used in jackets, and NST served as a pipeline between this manufacturer and Nippon Steel Engineering, which has expertise in this area. We learned much about offshore wind power generation, and have deployed what we learned to sales activities at related companies in Europe and Southeast Asia.

Pipes for piling feature high strength, high durability, and good workability. They are primarily used in the foundations of buildings and bridges, soil improvements such as reinforcing soft ground or preventing ground subsidence, and as countermeasures against earthquakes, floods, and other disasters. Steel sheet piles have superior water-blocking performance and good workability. They are used in projects such as river bulkheads, port quays, water cut-off walls, seismic reinforcement, disaster recovery, and temporary earth retaining works. They are also used in the water cut-off walls of regulating ponds and control reservoirs that serve as countermeasures to the torrential rains that are becoming increasingly severe.

The Structural Products Sales Department sells structural products including pipes for piling and steel sheet piles, and approximately 30% of them are used in projects contributing to national resilience. In response to requests from the construction companies who are our business partners, we provide estimates for the structural products prior to the bidding for the project, and function to coordinate delivery periods, delivery plans, and other elements. In particular in national resilience projects, pipes for piling and steel sheet piles are essential for projects such as regulating ponds and control reservoirs for flood countermeasures, reinforcement of aging infrastructure, and earthquake countermeasures, and we are focusing on expanding their sales.

In June 2023, in order to systematically and steadily carry out measures for national resilience, the Basic Act was revised to establish provisions related to the National Resilience Medium-Term Plan, as well as provisions related to the National Resilience Promotion Committee. National resilience is an initiative that is essential to the sustainable development of Japan. By providing materials and work methods that utilize the strength, stable quality, and environmentally friendly recycling performance that are characteristics of steel structures, we intend to contribute to infrastructure construction from the perspectives of disaster prevention and mitigation, and thereby contribute to the achievement of a sustainable society through national resilience.

There are several manufacturers providing system architecture, however NST is capable of constructing not only single-floor facilities but also two-story buildings, and the size of our product repertoire combining foundation and steel frame systems in many variations is unparalleled in the industry. In particular, our original foundation system that can be used with a wide range of ground conditions is one area that differentiates us from other companies. It can optimize the design, shorten work periods by greatly reducing the required labor for on-site work, and also reduce costs. As a specialized manufacturer with technologies and expertise that we have developed over our history of nearly a half-century, NST has constructed 4,500 facilities and currently constructs more than 200 a year. Repeat customers who use our products time and time again have spread to all parts of the country.

In the plant and warehouse architecture field, in the target market of facilities on the scale of 700 – 7,000 m2, the share of system architecture which includes our company’s systems is estimated to be more than 30%. System architecture is now becoming the standard construction method in this field. System architecture is based on the concepts of friendly to the environment and friendly to working people, and aims to create labor-saving buildings requiring low cost, short work periods, and high quality. It is a solution to the issues facing the construction industry, and also contributes to the development of local communities, and we will continue to grow this business in the future by continually pursuing “the optimal solutions for the client.”

Carbon fibers are extremely fine fibers that are made of carbon atoms that have formed a crystalline structure. They are produced by carbonizing acrylic fibers or coal tar pitch (a byproduct of steel production) at high temperatures. Carbon fibers are lightweight and strong materials and are used in a wide range of products ranging from everyday products such as bicycles, golf clubs, tennis racquets, and other sports equipment to building reinforcements that ensure safety, as well as automobiles, aircraft, and satellites.

Wind power generation blades
The installed capacity of wind power generation primarily as a source of clean energy is expanding rapidly centering on Europe, the U.S., China, and India. Blades are becoming larger in order to increase generating efficiency, and recently large blades with diameters of more than 140 m have been developed. When the size of a blade increases, it can capture larger amounts of wind, and as a result generating efficiency is higher. However at the same time, they also involve a higher risk of blades striking the supports and being damaged as a result of flexure due to the wind force while turning. Because the use of lightweight and high rigidity carbon fiber composite materials can prevent this risk, the amounts of carbon fibers used are growing year by year.

Hydrogen tanks
Decarbonization utilizing hydrogen is being carried out in countries around the world. The establishment of a supply chain for creating a hydrogen society has become an urgent issue, and demand for the pressure vessels necessary to store and transport hydrogen is growing. By wrapping a metal or plastic liner with carbon fibers, it is possible to design and manufacture pressure vessels that are lightweight and have high storage efficiency. As a result, the demand for pressure vessels using carbon fibers is growing every year.

Fuel cells
Fuel cells are a source of clean energy that generates electricity by a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, and are primarily installed in fuel cell vehicles (FCV). Carbon fibers in a paper form are used in the gas diffusion layers that are part of a fuel cell, and the superior conductivity, drainage performance, and gas permeability contribute to improving FCV fuel efficiency and extending the lifetimes. As the use of FCV become more widespread in the future, it is expected that demand for carbon fibers will grow even further.

The Industrial Supply & Infrastructure Division supplies high-quality carbon fibers for a wide range of applications, centering on wind power and hydrogen, supporting the transition to green energy at countries worldwide together with customers and suppliers. In the future, we will continue working to construct a new supply chain and strengthen the sales system in order to meet growing demand and needs, and contribute to the creation of sustainable societies around the world.

Sales of Botanical Chicken have only just started, however we expect demand to grow in the future due to social needs such as increasing health awareness and the need to address the protein crisis. We also expect the amount of the product sold by NST to grow, and Centaco is planning to expand its plant in 2027. We have also begun creating products based on the same concept with a supplier in Brazil, and expect to begin sales to customers who prefer Brazilian chicken during the autumn or winter of 2024.
Even at volume retailers that prefer chicken produced in Japan, chicken produced overseas is gradually being introduced for sale. We will continue to promote sales of healthy, safe, and reliable chicken raised on 100% vegetable protein feed, and will contribute to “a recycling-oriented society and sustainable living” that is one NST materiality.

UNDYED® uses the colored organic cotton that was first successfully cultivated by biologist and entomologist Sally Fox. Because the UNDYED® fabric uses no chemical dyes or other chemicals and is not bleached, it does not require fabric softener, and focuses on the original texture of the raw materials. For this reason, although the shrinkage rate varies depending on the color, cotton scraps may remain, and nonuniformity of the treads may occur, we have carried out this initiative together with customers who sympathize with this concept.
The organic cotton used in UNDYED® comes in three colors: brown, green, and white. By using a method known as iron mordanting, we succeeded in producing khaki and heather grey colors, expanding the color variations and expanding the range of fashion applications.