POSCO opened its first overseas thick-plate processing center in China on Tuesday. These are steel plates thicker than 6 millimeters used in shipbuilding and heavy equipment production.

The center, POSCO-China Dalian Plate Processing Center or POSCO-CDPPC, is located on Changxing Island of the coast of Dalian in Liaoning province, Northeast China.

“China was chosen for the site of the company’s first overseas thick-plate center as the country’s shipbuilding industry is growing very rapidly,” a POSCO official said.

“The center will process plates produced by POSCO’s operations in Korea, and supply companies in China.”

The center is capable of processing 400,000 metric tons of steel plates on an annual basis, and will supply shipbuilders and producers of related equipment in the Bohai Bay area, the steelmaker said.

According to POSCO, Bohai Bay is becoming a key location for China’s shipbuilding industry with Korean firms including STX Dalian Shipbuilding Co., Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering and Samsung Heavy Industries having operations in the region. In addition, Dalian Shipbuilding Industries Co., one of China’s top three shipbuilders, is also located in the area, POSCO said.

By Choi He-suk  (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)