Based on the special status of the steel industry in the national economy and national defense construction, China has always attached great importance to the development of the steel industry since the founding of the People's Republic of China. Under the correct guidance of the three generations of leadership core of the party and the country, and with the full support of the people of the country, all employees on the metallurgical front worked hard, overcame numerous difficulties, and achieved great achievements that attracted world attention.
High-speed growth in output
High-speed growth in output, becoming the world's number one, completely bidding farewell to the era when steel supply exceeded demand. In 1949, China's steel production was only 158,000 tons, less than half a day's production today, ranking 26th in the world. After the reform and opening up in 1979, steel output continued to grow rapidly. In 1996, it exceeded the 100 million tons mark for the first time, ranking first in the world. In terms of quantity, it basically met the needs of the national economy and reversed a passive situation that had lasted for 40 years. In 1999, it reached 122 million tons, ranking first among all countries in the world for four consecutive years. Its proportion in world steel production increased from less than 0.1% in 1949 to 15.8%, confirming its status as a major steel-producing country.
Improving the level of technical equipment
The metallurgical industry actively implements the policy of "using domestic and foreign resources and funds to develop both domestic and foreign markets", increases the pace of modernization, and builds It has established large-scale modern steel enterprises with world-leading standards such as Shanghai Baosteel and Tianjin Steel Pipe; at the same time, it has carried out technological transformation of old enterprises such as Anshan Iron and Steel, Wuhan Iron and Steel, Shougang, Baotou Iron and Steel, and Panzhihua Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. At present, about 30% of the equipment in China's metallurgical industry has reached the world's advanced level. There are only more than 20 sets of CSP in the world, while China already has 3 sets in Zhujiang Steel Plant, Handan Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. and Baotou Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. Although the technical level of China's iron and steel enterprises generally lags behind the world's advanced level, since the 1990s, new large-scale sintering plants, large-scale blast furnaces, steel-making molten pretreatment and out-of-furnace refining, continuous casting, hot continuous rolling, cold rolling and Part of the equipment of a large number of enterprises such as coating production lines, cold-rolled silicon steel production lines, high-speed wire rod mills, and small bar continuous rolling mills has basically reached the international advanced level.
Increase market share
The process technology structure and product structure are continuously optimized, product quality is significantly improved, and market share is increased. In 1978, backward open-hearth steelmaking accounted for 35.5% of the national steel production, which has now dropped to less than 1%. The continuous casting ratio, which marks the comprehensive technical level of the steel industry, has increased from 3.5% in 1978 to 82% now, which is close to the world average of 83% (the monthly continuous casting ratio has exceeded 84% since October 2000). Developing in the direction of high-efficiency continuous casting. At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, China could only smelt more than 100 types of steel and roll more than 400 specifications of steel. After 50 years of development and construction, it can now smelt more than 1,000 types of steel, including high-temperature alloys and precision alloys. Rolling more than 40,000 varieties and specifications of steel. The plate-to-tube-to-strip ratio has increased from 32.3% in 1978 to about 42% now. The domestic production of thin steel plates, which has been in long-term shortage, increased from 1.33 million tons in 1978 to 4.05 million tons in 2000, with the self-sufficiency rate reaching over 90%. Among them, the domestic market share of petroleum steel pipes reached 70% to 80%.
Technological Progress in the Metallurgical Industry
The comprehensive development of metallurgical science and technology and education has greatly promoted the technological progress of the metallurgical industry. China has 79 metallurgical research institutions and 325,000 engineering and scientific research personnel. At the same time, a metallurgical talent training system including higher education, vocational education and adult education has been established. At present, China has 13 general colleges and universities in metallurgy, including 8 undergraduate colleges, which train 15,000 undergraduates, masters, and doctoral students for the metallurgical industry every year. China has also trained many well-known metallurgical technology experts and academicians of the two academies at home and abroad. Over the past 20 years of reform and opening up, the industry has achieved more than 10,000 scientific and technological achievements. By the end of 1998, 7,813 patents had been applied for and 5,984 patents had been authorized.
Improving the economic benefits of the industry
Creating advanced management experience that has influence across the country has promoted the improvement of the economic benefits of the industry. Shougang's internal contracting system in the 1980s made the company the vanguard of industrial enterprise reform at that time. Baosteel has created a modern management system that is “scientific, capable and efficient”. In the early 1990s, Wuhan Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. followed the "road of quality and efficiency"; Handan Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. also created advanced management experience of "simulating market accounting and implementing cost veto". In recent years, there have been a number of advanced examples such as Jigang's "system energy saving and consumption reduction", Tangshan Iron and Steel's "benchmarking to tap potential", and Shuigang and Xuangang's "turning around losses and getting out of trouble".
Technological progress and management innovation have promoted the continuous improvement of economic benefits. The production cost reduction rate has reached about 3% every year, reaching 6% in 1999, which has advantageously digested the losses caused by the continuous price reduction of steel, brought China's steel prices in line with the international market, and improved the competitiveness of entering the WTO in the future.
In 1978, the metallurgical industry realized profits and taxes of 5 billion yuan, 19.7 billion yuan in 1998, 24.2 billion yuan in 1999, 35.7 billion yuan from January to November 2000, and an estimated 40 billion yuan for the whole year. , creating a good performance of doubling profits and taxes in two years. From the founding of the People's Republic of China to 2000, the metallurgical industry has realized a cumulative profit and tax of 526 billion yuan, creating huge material wealth for the country.