Lightyear Exploration Manufactures Stainless Steel Tank Test Component / India Resumes BIS Certification for Stainless Steel from Taiwan, China / EU Becomes World's Largest Scrap Steel Exporter / Maruichi to Build Stainless Steel Tube Production Line

01 Lightyear Exploration Successfully Completes Manufacturing of 3.8-Meter Diameter Stainless Steel Tank Test Article for Tianbing Technology

Recently, Lightyear Exploration (Jiangsu) Space Technology Co., Ltd. successfully completed the manufacturing of a 3.8-meter diameter stainless steel tank test article. This tank was commissioned and produced for Tianbing Technology, designed according to the first-stage flight load standards of the TL-3 carrier rocket, and is intended to validate key structural performance indicators such as the strength and weight of the stainless steel expansion tank solution. Subsequently, Lightyear Exploration will also undertake the static test verification for this tank.

The completion of this tank's manufacturing marks that Lightyear Exploration now possesses the large-scale manufacturing and delivery capability for large-diameter carrier rocket stainless steel tanks. It can provide commercial rockets with highly cost-effective tank products, which will effectively fill the supply-demand gap in China's commercial rocket structural manufacturing.

By building a full-chain capability encompassing "R&D - Testing - Mass Production," Lightyear Exploration is accelerating the construction of the commercial aerospace manufacturing industry chain, injecting new momentum into the development of China's commercial aerospace industry.

02 India Resumes BIS Certification for Stainless Steel from Taiwan Region of China and Implements Temporary Exemption Policy

Recently, to alleviate domestic supply shortages and curb price fluctuations, the Indian government has resumed the standard certification process for stainless steel products from the Taiwan region of China and implemented a temporary exemption for certain imported stainless steel products. This move aims to address recent supply chain bottlenecks caused by certification delays and is seen as a pragmatic measure balancing regulation and market demand.

Since July 2025, delays in BIS certification by the Bureau of Indian Standards for stainless steel products from the Taiwan region of China severely restricted imports from major suppliers such as Yieh United Steel Corp., Tung Ho Steel, and Walsin Lihwa. This situation directly led to tight domestic stainless steel supply in India, driving up market prices and impacting small and medium-sized enterprises and downstream manufacturing industries that rely on imported materials.

Facing pressure, the Indian Ministry of Steel announced on September 22, 2025, that it would expedite and resume the BIS certification approval process for related products from the Taiwan region of China to unblock critical import channels. Subsequently, a further directive issued on October 6 announced a temporary exemption from mandatory BIS certification for stainless steel flat products conforming to standards IS 6911, IS 5522, and IS 15997. The exemption is valid until December 31, 2025.

The Indian Ministry of Steel pointed out that while local steel mills are expanding capacity, the supply of 200 and 300 series stainless steel still cannot meet market demand in the short term. The aforementioned policies aim to quickly increase supply in the short term, prevent sharp price fluctuations, and ensure the stable operation of the manufacturing and infrastructure sectors. Industry insiders widely welcomed this move, expecting the recovery in import volumes to effectively ease the upward price pressure on hot-rolled and cold-rolled coils and improve market liquidity. These measures reflect the Indian government's flexible balance between maintaining market stability and meeting domestic industrial demand, and are expected to provide a critical buffer period for local industries.

03 EU Becomes World's Largest Scrap Steel Exporter, Insufficient Domestic Demand and Quality Bottlenecks Cited as Main Reasons

According to the latest research report "EU Steel Supply Chain: Scrap Characteristics and Utilization in the Context of Global Trade" from the EU Joint Research Centre, the EU has become the world's largest exporter of scrap steel, holding a 30% market share. Data shows that EU scrap steel exports reached 16.2 million tonnes in 2024.

The report clearly states that there is no potential scrap shortage within the EU. Despite repeated political rhetoric about "resource constraints," the actual data suggests the opposite – the EU exports millions of tonnes of scrap annually, primarily due to insufficient domestic demand.

High export volumes are driven by multiple factors, the most critical being: too few scrap-consuming enterprises within the 27 EU member states. Currently, most of the EU's crude steel is still produced via the primary, high-carbon emission steelmaking route. This process imposes strict limits on the scrap addition ratio in downstream basic oxygen furnaces, leading to persistently low demand for scrap. Another constraining factor is the overall quality level of EU scrap. So-called Q3 and Q4 grade scrap (i.e., common consumer scrap and low-quality scrap) accounts for about 72% of the total EU scrap volume. This means most recycled material does not meet the quality requirements of primary steel producers; for instance, automotive steel manufacturers cannot use such scrap due to excessive copper content. This is also evident in the trade structure: only 4% of exported scrap is high-quality industrial scrap, with the vast majority being lower-grade scrap. Excessive copper content in scrap is a long-standing but often policy-neglected challenge. To ensure product quality, many EU primary steel producers (especially automotive industry suppliers) must strictly adhere to copper content limits.

04 Japan's Maruichi to Build World's Advanced All-Electric Stainless Steel Tube Production Line

Recently, Germany's SMS group announced that it has received a significant contract from Japan's Maruichi Stainless Tube Co., Ltd. to supply a fully automated stainless steel tube extrusion production line for the latter's new plant in Maebishi, Japan. This order marks a new stage in the in-depth cooperation between the two parties in the field of high-end stainless steel tube manufacturing and green, low-carbon transformation.

As one of Japan's leading stainless steel tube producers, Maruichi Stainless Tube's new greenfield project aims to create an industry-leading intelligent and low-carbon production base. Construction of the new plant is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, followed by equipment installation and commissioning. It is planned to officially commence operations in fiscal year 2027 after obtaining JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards) certification.

The core highlight of this production line is its all-electric heating system. The system consists of three parts: 1) A horizontal preheating system – uniformly preheats the billet before processing; 2) An intermediate heating system – provides flexible and precise temperature control during the piercing and stamping stage; 3) A final heating system – ensures the billet is at the optimal temperature before extrusion.

By fully replacing traditional gas heating systems with electric solutions, the new production line will significantly improve energy efficiency and temperature control precision while substantially reducing carbon emissions during the production process. This technological approach actively responds to Japan's national decarbonization industrial policy and provides a practical and feasible solution for the green transformation of the stainless steel tube manufacturing industry.