Kawasaki Steel, Stelco in Talks

TOKYO AP reported that Kawasaki Steel Corp. of Japan and major Canadian steelmaker Stelco Inc. are in talks to transform their alliance into a comprehensive partnership, a company spokesman said Tuesday.

Under a broader partnership, the two companies plan to study ways they can cooperate on developing new technologies, including steel sheets and steel bars, both for use in automobiles, said Kawasaki Steel spokesman Ryusuke Chiyonobu.

Kawasaki Steel and Stelco, based in Hamilton in Canada's Ontario state, have had business ties in steel-making technology and product development since 1990, Chiyonobu said.