The Stainless Steel Raw Materials Department handles nickel ore, ferronickel, ferrochrome and other stainless steel raw materials, in addition to steelmaking auxiliary materials such as molybdenum and vanadium. These materials supplied reliably to steel companies in Japan and the rest of Asia through good business relationships between the department and excellent suppliers in Japan and overseas.

Stainless steel is a steel alloy made more resistant to corrosion by adding chromium and nickel to the main component, iron. Taking advantage of its features, stainless steel is used as building materials, in railway cars, and in such familiar items as kitchen units and thermos bottles. Chromium and nickel are also used in steel for automotive vehicle bearings, in seamless pipes for oil well casings, and in other special steel, playing an important role in materials supporting industry.
Nickel ore used as a raw material of ferronickel is procured from Southeast Asia and New Caledonia, and is sold to ferronickel manufacturing companies. The department also engages in domestic trading of ferrovanadium and exports it to North and South America, and conducts mainly importing of ferrochrome and molybdenum from South Africa, the Americas, and Europe, handling everything from container cargos to bulk transactions, thereby responding flexibly to the diverse needs of customers and contributing to stable procurement of raw materials.