The steel demand of ASEAN countries in near future is supposed better despiting the current demand is weak. Many ASEAN Member States are expanding the construction of infrastructure and industrial projects, including the healthy development of the automobile industry.In order to meet demand, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia are all expanding the steel production capacity. Because Chinese economic slowdown leads to the drop of the steel export ,Japanese and Chinese steel mills are planing to depend on the demand of Southeast Asia to find a way out.

In the ASEAN countries, the rapid development of the Thai automotive industry attractes a lot of attention. Accordind to the states of the Thai Industries Federation ,Thailand has produced 1.27 million vehicles in this year from January to July, an Year-on-year  increase of 33% .And this year's target production are 2.2 million. Japan Iron and Steel Federation statistics show that Japanese exports 115,000 tons of galvanized steel plate to Thailand In September of this year, an link increase of 17%  and an year-on-year increase of nearly 50%. There are some reasons accounting for this the year-on-year big increase .  On one hand,it stems fron the floods in in Thailand in September last year. It is affirmatively relevant to the vigorous development of the automotive industry in Thailand .

Japanese steel mills is planning to expand investment in the region, because they are optimistic about the future steel demand of the ASEAN market.JFE Steel Corporation and Marubeni-Itochu Steel Company (MISI) claim that they will invest a total of $ 50 million in order to increase the shares of theirs and Thailand's largest manufacturers of cold rolled Shah Varia Steel Industries, Inc. (SSI), a joint venture company - cold-rolled steel in Thailand (TCRSS)

                                                        From XINSTEEL NEWS