April 2023, Loudi, Hunan province, China

VAMA, Valin ArcelorMittal Automotive Steel based in China, has announced the start of production for its Phase II project, which includes a second continuous galvanization line (CGL#2) with an annual capacity of 450,000 tonnes, bringing its total capacity to 2 million tonnes per year. The ceremony was attended by Vice Governor Mr. Qin Guowen, Deputy Party Secretary, Deputy Chairman, and General Manager of HNIS Mr. Li Jianyu, and ArcelorMittal Executive Vice President Mr. Brad Davey, among others.

VAMA is a leading provider of lightweight solutions and automotive steel in China, and this Phase II project aims to further promote the sustainable development of the Chinese automotive industry with an upgraded product range. The investment in Phase II will increase VAMA's capacity to produce high-quality, high-strength steels, including the 3rd generation Advanced High Strength Steel (AHSS) and Zagnelis^® coating, which are used in building safer, lighter and more sustainable cars.

The Phase II project, which started on 1 February 2021, was completed successfully on 31 December 2022, despite challenges posed by COVID-19 and the global supply chain crisis. The total investment in Phase II was RMB 1.3 billion, and it was completed in 699 days with 1,480,000 safety hours. Mr. Li Jianyu expressed his gratitude for the support and showed confidence in VAMA's future development, stating that the SOP of Phase II is another achievement of the in-depth cooperation between ArcelorMittal and HNIS, and it will contribute to VAMA's further development and the "Three highs" strategy of Hunan province.

VAMA Phase II Project adopts ArcelorMittal's optimized process routine, which includes the latest AHSS and innovative coating technologies, and with the start of production in the new CGL#2, VAMA will provide more lightweight solutions and design ideas to its clients, promoting high-quality industry development with ArcelorMittal Multi Part Integration™ and the innovative S-in motion^® NEV (New Energy Vehicle) solutions. 

VAMA has been growing rapidly and has become a leading solutions provider in China, contributing to the "Three Highs and Four News" strategies of Hunan Province and Loudi's Steel industry cluster cultivation. 

With the successful Start Of Production for Phase II, VAMA will continue to serve the Chinese automotive market with more innovative products, professional technical services, and higher quality standards. VAMA remains committed to promoting carbon neutralization projects and working with domestic automakers to realize the vision of "zero carbon footprint" with safer, lighter, and greener vehicles.

About VAMA

Founded in September 2010, Valin ArcelorMittal Automotive Steel Co., LTD. (VAMA) is a joint venture between Hunan Valin Steel Co., Ltd. and ArcelorMittal. As the world's leading supplier for comprehensive automotive steels and solution provider, VAMA adopts the most advanced technology in automotive steels production, covering all grades of automotive steels, including mild steel, DP, AHSS and UHSS, as well as Usibor^®1500 and Usibor^®2000 press hardenable steels. With its advanced lightweight products and solutions, VAMA is committed to supporting Chinese automotive industry to meet the light-weighting trend, cooperating closely with Chinese automakers to achieve the industrial goal of producing lighter, safer, greener and more affordable vehicles.