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Growth and Growth

--Now and Future of Chinese Titanium Industry

Wang Xiangdong, Executive vice president and Secretary-General of China

Titanium Association (CTA)

The excellent performances of titanium and titanium alloys have long been well-

known. They have been known as "space metal" and "Ocean metal" for the

advantages of corrosion-resistant, high-strength. Titanium and titanium alloys have

been used in an increasingly wide range in the aviation, aerospace, oceanographic

engineering, chemical industry, electric power, metallurgy, sports leisure, vacuum

salt, automobiles, human biological engineering, textiles, food, construction and

other fields.

Since entering the new century, with the rapid development of the national economy,

Chinese titanium industry come into the Express highway. From 2000 to 2007, one

by one the output of Chinese titanium sponge were 1,905 tons, 2,468 tons , 3,328

tons, 4,112 tons , 4,809 tons, 9,511 tons , 18,037 tons and 45,200 tons; the output

of titanium processing material were 2233 tons, 4720 tons, 5482 tons, 7080 tons,

9292 tons, 10135 tons ,13879 tons and 23640 tons. Especially in 2007, the output

of the Chinese titanium sponge and titanium processing material had been doubled.

China have been the first of the output of titanium sponge in the world.

In recent years, China's titanium industry have made a tremendous progress in

equipment and technology. The world's largest 12 tons steam heaters and the

nation's largest ф2.56 m chloride boiling furnace have been successfully put into

use; as well as 8-10 tons vacuum consumable arc furnaces, the electron beam

cooling bed furnaces, 2,400 tons & 4,000 tons quick forging machines,ф3.0 m

Central Mill, 1000 kg Skull casting furnace purchased from abroad; built the large-

scale composite plate production line, isothermal forging series production line,

titanium rods and rolling production lines; other large-scale projects are setting up

such as a titanium strip production lines, 10,000 tons free forging unit and wide-plate

production lines.

China's private titanium enterprises have made a constantly increasing progress in

equipment and technology, and becoming more and more important in Chinese

titanium industry. They do make a tremendous contribution to expanding the

application of titanium. They are good at socialization cooperation and they are the

most dynamic. They use small capital to do great event and send titanium products

to everywhere of society.

Demands are the fundamental force for industry progress. It is hardly to answer that

how much the demand of titanium in China in the future. I want to point out : 150000

tons. This is the demand of titanium in China every year from 2015 to 2020. The

number has been calculated according to the proportion of American titanium &

steel, the output of Chinese steel in 2008. This consideration has uncertainty, but

also has some basis to a certain extent.

In recent years, non-ferrous metal prices have remained top level. In the long-term,

copper prices remained about 70,000 Yuan / ton, nickel price remained 200,000-

400,000 Yuan / ton, and titanium price from 60,000 Yuan / ton rose to about 90,000

Yuan / ton, increased by 50％. This is the real reason that the volume prices

proportion of titanium lower than the volume prices proportion of copper. Compared

with the pipe volume prices proportion, titanium pipe is same as B10 copper pipe

and industrial stainless steel tube, much lower than the B30 copper pipe. In other

words, the one-time investment of use titanium pipe is equivalent use of B10 copper

pipe, stainless steel tube and less than the use of B30 copper pipe. Titanium has

higher cost performance and great potential market than copper and stainless steel

in the advantage of corrosion resistance.

Titanium is as a steel-alloy element as vanadium and niobium, play an important

role in raising the strength and toughness of steel. The prices of vanadium and

niobium increased substantially and titanium remain a relatively lower price recently.

The application of titanium in steel has a great potential market.

China's large jets project and lunar probe program will greatly promote the demand

of the titanium and alloy material, especially the demand of high-end titanium

products.

China's oceanographic engineering, such as shipbuilding, sea water desalination,

sea farming, ocean petroleum exploitation, will propose higher demand for Titanium.

With the development of national economy, chemical industry, electric power,

metallurgy and other traditional industries have the great demand for titanium.

With the improvement of people's standard of living, the demand for titanium will be

significantly grown in sports, automotive and biological engineering.

We have enough reason to believe that Chinese Titanium Industry have a great

situation right now and must have a sunshining future. Growth and growth will be the

theme of the development of Chinese Titanium Industry.