Kobe Steel (also referred to as KOBELCO), distributed this initial announcement Oct. 8, 2017, stating that materials from certain lots and locations are noncompliant to specification requirements. Kobe Steel acknowledged Inspection certificates were altered to match customer specifications and industry specification. The shipping period as stated by Kobe Steel includes various dates reaching as far back as 2007.
In the three Kobe Steel press releases to date: Aluminum, Copper, Steel Powder, Sputtering Target Materials, Steel Wires, Spring Wire, Special Steel and Stainless Steel Wire are involved. However, the situation continues to evolve and for the latest information including product involvement, please refer to the Kobe Steel corporate website for additional announcements on this issue.
The products may have been shipped under company names including Kobe Steel, Kobelco, or the Kobe Steel subsidiaries involved to date which include the following:
- Takasago Works
- Shinko Metal Products
- Kobelco & Materials Copper Tube
- Shinko Aluminum Wire
- Suzhou Kobe Copper Technology
- Jiangyin Sugita Fasten Spring Wire
- Kobelco Spring Wire
- Foshan Spring Wire
- Nippon Koshuha Steel
- Shinko Wire Stainless Company
Please be aware that Admiral Metals has not purchased any products from Kobe Steel or any of their subsidiaries directly, however we are currently working in this recent revelation to determine if it affects any of the material we have received from our mills. Once we get information back over next few weeks we can respond with a definitive response pertaining to our mills using billet from Kobe Steel.
Steve Adams
Corporate Sales Manager
