Senior Metallurgists Chris G. Arnejo and Maria Luisa A. Sajonas of the Metallurgical Technology Division, Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) participated in the ASEAN Senior Official Meeting on Minerals (ASOMM) Workshop on Ferrous Metals and Ferroalloys Processing at Jakarta, Indonesia from August 28-31, 2017.

Aside from the Philippines, the Workshop was also attended by delegates from Indonesia, Thailand and Lao PDR.

The highlight of the event were presentations on the current status, processing technologies, governing policies, and projected developments in the ferrous metals and ferroalloys industries of the ASEAN member countries.

The Philippine presentation emphasized the country’s goal of promoting minerals and metal-led industrialization, which includes filling-in the identified value-chain gaps in our iron, nickel and chromite mineral industries, and the establishment of an integrated steel mill plant.

Site visit at PT Krakatau Steel and PT Krakatau POSCO, Indonesia’s largest integrated steel manufacturing plants, was also undertaken.

PT Krakatau Steel is a state-owned company engaged in the production of hot rolled coils with a hot rolled mill plant capacity of 1.5 million tons per year.

PT Krakatau POSCO is a joint venture between PT Krakatau Steel and Korea POSCO, whose current cold rolled mill plant has a capacity of 3 million tons per year.

The Workshop successfully provided a platform for knowledge and ideas exchange between ASEAN member countries. It has become a gateway for possible investment opportunities in the iron and steel industry of each member country. It also strengthened cooperation and coordination among ASEAN member countries that may lead to a much more developed ASEAN region.

 The workshop participants

 

The Workshop participants at the Control Room of PT Krakatau Steel

  First Plate Product of PT Krakatau