Niobium

Industry Leader of Niobium Products in China

As the exclusive distributor of CBMM niobium products in China, CITIC Metal has partnered with the world's largest niobium supplier for over 20 years to promote niobium applications and usage in the domestic steel sector through “technology-driven marketing strategy”.

In the 1980s, CITIC Metal and CBMM built a long-term strategic partnership, leading the promotion of niobium technologies in the China market and promoting China's niobium metallurgical technology progress. As part of the cooperative efforts, CITIC-CBMM Niobium Microalloying Technology Center (hereinafter referred to as the “Technology Center”) has embarked on over 110 projects that help promote technological exchanges across the industry chain. The Technology Center has established joint labs with three top universities in China including the Central Iron & Steel Research Institute, and offers the CITIC-CBMM Wu Baorong Nb-steel Graduate Scholarship to four colleges with a concentration in steel research, including Northeastern University. The Technology Center also sponsors the National Prize for Progress in Science and Technology- Niobium Steel Development, one of the top three highest honors in the industry. Due to remarkable achievements over the years, foreign experts Mr. José Alberto de Camargo, Mr. Pascal Bodinon, and Dr. Malcolm Gray at the Technology Center were granted the “Friendship Award” by the Chinese Government and received by national leaders. Friendship Award is the highest award for foreign experts who make outstanding contributions to China's economic and social development.

Through its integrated model of production, promotion, research and application supported by research center and global platform, CITIC Metal and CBMM have created distinctive growth opportunities for high-performance metals in ways that realize improvements in the materials used by China's steel and downstream industries. China currently produces 80 million tonnes of high-performance niobium microalloyed steel every year that is widely used in high-end manufacturing sectors such as aerospace, marine engineering, automobile and transportation, energy and chemical engineering, machinery, and construction. This has well-supported the country's pressing demand of highend materials for economic growth. Nowadays China is the world's largest niobium consumer, accounting for about 25% of the world's consumption.

As a niobium technology and market leader, CITIC Metal has supplied its niobium products to medium-to-large steel companies in China, covering steel, casting and nanocrystalline materials sectors. The market share of niobium products has been maintained at around 80% over the years. CITIC Metal signed its first import contract with CBMM in late 1989 and became the exclusive distributor of CBMM in China since 1998. Its major customers include Baowu Steel Group, Ansteel Group, TISCO, and Shougang Group which account for over 80% of the country's annual consumption. In recent years, CITIC Metal has been actively making efforts to explore more opportunities in niobium new applications and usage in aluminum, nanocrystalline, magnetic materials and batteries.

In light of domestic and overseas competitions, CITIC Metal will continue to promote niobium technologies and explore China market to maintain its market share and profitability.