Kobe Steel to open regional headquarters in Thailand

TOKYO, July 27, 2017 — Kobe Steel, Ltd. announces that it will open its regional headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand in August. Kobe Steel has established a subsidiary called Kobelco South East Asia Ltd. (or KSEA) to oversee operations in Southeast Asia and South Asia.

Along with regional headquarters in the United States and China, KSEA will serve as the central base to strengthen corporate governance, compliance and other aspects of business management. KSEA will also centralize financial management and further promote coordination within the Kobe Steel Group companies in Southeast Asia and South Asia.

Since the 1960s, the Kobe Steel Group has been expanding its operations in the two regions. It currently has 30 companies mainly in its materials and machinery businesses covering six countries. Recently, Kobe Steel has been accelerating business development in the area. In February 2016, Kobe Steel’s Iron & Steel Business established a joint venture in Thailand to produce and sell steel wire rods.

Since risks associated with business activities have become more complex and numerous, in addition to diverse languages, business practices and laws, a regional headquarters is required to effectively deal with these conditions and coordinate operations in the two regions.

Kobe Steel established KSEA in Thailand, as regional headquarters for Southeast Asia and South Asia, where the largest number of its subsidiaries in the regions are located. Thailand is also where Kobe Steel expects business centered on the automotive sector to grow.

With KSEA as the central base, Kobe Steel plans to strengthen business management in Southeast Asia and South Asia. It will also provide support to Group companies, promote personnel exchanges and strengthen cooperation among the Group companies. Promoting business efficiency, Kobe Steel aims to achieve continued growth in the two regions.