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Third Molybdenum and Steel International Forums, 14-15 October 2021

09/11/2021

Opening Remarks by IMOA Secretary-General, Eva Model

Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen.

As the International Molybdenum Association's (IMOA) new Secretary-General I would indeed like to thank Jinducheng, the China Stainless Steel Council (CSSC) and the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association (CNIA) Molybdenum Branch for the opportunity to give Opening Remarks at the 14^th China Tungsten, Molybdenum, Vanadium and Titanium Industry Annual Conference in 2021 here in Jilin which is run in conjunction with the 3rd Moly-High End Steel Forum of which IMOA is also a proud co-organizer. Unfortunately, due to ongoing travel restrictions relating to the pandemic, I cannot on this occasion be here with you in person however I do hope to be able to join this event in person in the future.

Firstly, I and my colleagues at the International Molybdenum Association (IMOA) indeed hope that you and your families are all keeping well and safe as all of us across the world, adjust to a 'new normal' and learning to live with Covid both now and in the future.

IMOA has over many years built strong connections with the Molybdenum, Stainless Steel and Alloyed Steel industries in China to cooperate and share technical knowledge on material selection for different applications and environments. This has included jointly organizing numerous domestic educational workshops for the architect, designer, and engineering communities.

Over the past year, some of our highlights pertaining to our activities in China include:

IMOA's Stainless Steel Architecture, Building and Construction (ABC) activities where we shared best industry knowhow and learnings with Chinese architects, designers, and curtain wall contractors in several building projects, mainly focussed on coastal cities in China's greater bay area (Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Zhuhai, and Macao) as well as a focus on Shanghai.
IMOA has also covered in its MolyReview publication articles about Qingdao's new Jiaodong Airport that promoted molybdenum-containing stainless-steel solutions for large, low slope metal roofing, and in 2019 about the "pipeline dragon" in the Tarim Basin in western China, promoting duplex stainless steels for gas pipelines, both available in English and Chinese.
IMOA also gave a presentation at the 3rd International Conference on Super Austenitic Stainless Steel and Nickel-based alloys, held in Beijing and hosted by the CSSC. IMOA's Chinese edition of the recently updated brochure 'Practical Guidelines for the Fabrication of Austenitic Stainless Steel was also available and promoted at this event.
Earlier this year, IMOA also gave a presentation that what was well received by a 180-strong in-person audience at the 'Super Stainless and Nickel-based alloy Supply Chain Service conference, held in Wuxi in March 2021.
In 2020, several Chinese industry standards recommended stainless steel as the first choice for secondary water systems in large scale renovations of housing developments in new residential and public building projects. In autumn 2020, we started cooperating with a Beijing based consultant to promote the adoption of Type 316 stainless steel for this application. During the Secondary Water Supply Equipment and Technology Conference and Product Exhibition in Shenzhen in April 2021, it was announced that Type 316 stainless steel has been mandated as standard material for tubes, joints and tanks used in all secondary water systems in the city of Shenzhen, be it external, underground or in-wall. Nationwide, this application is expected to require at least five to six million tonnes of stainless steel over the next three to five years, with some 10 to 15% estimated to be Type 316 stainless steel.

IMOA has also partnered with an influential branch of the Chinese Society of Metals, the New Steel platform, to successfully launch a series of in-depth webinars on special steels. The online delivery of these seminars will make our high-quality content available to a much wider audience in China.

Here I would like to also mention that audience-reach across our whole range of Chinese webinars increased by an order of magnitude, with over one thousand attendees joining several of them.

China's 14,500 km long eastern coastline, stretching from its southernmost Guangdong province up to its northernmost Liaoning province, is subject to corrosive conditions. Steel rebar is essential to the development of coastal concrete structures such as bridges and coastal safety systems. A 100-year service life requirement is increasingly mandated. IMOA partnered with CSSC to deliver a virtual conference presentation in November 2020 and three webinars in January and March 2021, collectively attended by thousands, highlighting the longevity benefits of using molybdenum-containing stainless steel rebar instead of plain carbon steel rebar in these environments.

Further dissemination of information about the benefits of alloying with molybdenum is also continuing on our popular WeChat channel which we recommend that you sign up to if not already signed up. To join IMOA's WeChat community, please scan the QR code that my colleague Fabio will shortly be showing you, alongside the QR code to our newly launched Chinese website.
IMOA is also delighted to be actively present at this 3rd Moly-High End Steel Forum event by way of some of today's and tomorrow's presentations on:

The key role of molybdenum in realizing the long-term sustainable operation of FGD equipment in power plants
The role of molybdenum in the optimization of gray cast iron properties
The role of molybdenum in hot-rolled thick plates for automotive stamping hardened parts
High-strength quenched and tempered boron steel: The effect of molybdenum on microstructure evolution and mechanical properties

On that note, I wish to finish off by saying that I and the team at IMOA very much look forward to further developing our collaboration and engagement with Jinduicheng, the China Stainless Steel Council, CNIA's Molybdenum Branch, and of course you -the molybdenum industry stakeholders in China, and we will actively be exploring new avenues and potential ideas with the aim of building an even stronger cooperation with you all in the future.

Again, thank you for the opportunity to give Opening Remarks at our molybdenum focussed event and I wish everyone a great and insightful conference.

A report on the wider conference can be found here.

General information for media
IMOA is a non profit trade association, representing the majority of the molybdenum industry worldwide. It works to raise awareness about the unique properties of molybdenum, its beneficial effects on materials performance, its safety in use and its contribution to sustainable development.

Molybdenum is added to alloy steels to improve strength, toughness, hardenability and weldability for numerous applications in the automotive, shipbuilding, construction, mining, chemical, oil & gas and energy generation industries. In stainless steels and superalloys, it improves corrosion resistance and high-temperature performance and finds uses in many industrial applications. It is also used in a variety of products from catalysts and lubricants to pigments and paint.

IMOA has a strict antitrust compliance policy which delegates of all meetings are required to observe. All such meetings are observed by legal counsel.

For more information please email the communications team at media@imoa.info.
For up-to-date information please follow IMOA on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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