On 18 September Sumitomo Metal Industries Ltd (Sumitomo Metals), Sumitomo Metals (Naoetsu) Ltd (Naoetsu), and Sumitomo Metals (Kokura) Ltd (Kokura) received three awards at the 32nd Technical Development Awards from the Japan Institute of Metals as the Sumitomo Metals Group. The awards were presented for the following technologies: the “Development of new continuous casting technologies for very thick plate (PCCS method)” by Sumitomo Metals; “Development of stainless steel foils for bipolar plates of polymer electrolyte fuel cells” by Sumitomo Metals and Naoetsu; and “Development of a new class of steel requiring no normalizing heat treatment before nitrocarburization for the application of high strength nitrocarburized crankshafts” by Sumitomo Metals and Kokura. In the case of the last technology, Sumitomo received the award jointly with Honda R&D Co. Ltd.
