ASTEC IRIE CO., LTD.

About ASTEC IRIE

Our company, headquartered in Kitakyushu City, is a comprehensive steel and environmental solutions provider that has supported Japan's iron and steel industry for over 100 years since its founding in 1910. Our core business encompasses processes central to iron production, such as hot metal pre-treatment at steelworks, finishing and inspection of steel pipes, and plant engineering. Our strengths lie in our high level of on-site technical expertise and reliability.

Since the start of the 1990s, we have expanded our business domains by leveraging the technology and expertise cultivated in our iron and steel operations. Specifically, we have diversified into the environmental and recycling sectors, including the production of iron powder and ferric chloride solution, non-ferrous metal recycling, and PCB waste treatment. In particular, our initiatives in resource circulation, such as ferric chloride solution recycling and urban mining recycling, are highly compatible with Kitakyushu City's ‘Environmental Model City’ initiative.
As a company that has long walked alongside regional industry, we aim to contribute to building a sustainable society while striving to balance our competitiveness as a manufacturer with environmental conservation.

Mr. Yasuda (right), Mr. Takahashi (center), and
Mr. Mizue (left) of ASTEC IRIE Co., Ltd.,
whom we interviewed.

Former Central Office and Factory Exterior (1955)

What kind of international cooperation and overseas business expansion has your company undertaken to date?

With the aim of providing local support for Japanese companies, our company previously established a recycling plant in Shanghai, China, and gained experience in overseas expansion of waste liquid treatment and recycling-related businesses. While we encountered numerous trials and errors due to understanding local needs and differences in business practices, we accumulated significant insights alongside the unique challenges inherent in overseas business. Currently, having changed our business model, we continue to export iron powder for ferric chloride solution recycling to local companies.
Furthermore, our recently developed urban mining recycling system has garnered significant international interest. Following our participation in the Horasis Asia Meeting held in Kitakyushu City in November 2022, we initiated feasibility studies for operations in Nigeria. With support from JICA, we conducted on-site investigations. Although we did not proceed with the sale of equipment, we established new connections with local suppliers, yielding tangible results in material procurement for our existing operations. Overseas projects often involve unforeseen circumstances, but we will continue to pursue them with flexible responses and a tenacious approach.

Currently, rather than expanding overseas directly, we are developing international business centered on stable material supply to our key domestic clients. While historically reliant on Chinese suppliers, we have recently focused on developing alternative sourcing locations. This led to the commencement of procurement from Vietnam in 2025. Our accumulated experience is now steadily translating into new initiatives.

Discarded electronic circuit boards

Recovered gold from filtration

Scene from the investigation in Nigeria

What are your company's future prospects?

Our company was founded as a subcontractor for cargo handling at the Government-owned Yahata Steel Works and has developed with the iron business at its core. Currently, Nippon Steel has announced its policy to transition from blast furnaces to electric arc furnaces by 2030, making adaptation to these changes in the industrial landscape a crucial management challenge. Whilst steadily advancing forward-looking considerations, we will continue to diversify our procurement sources, including overseas, to support stable business continuity in the immediate term.
We also have an interest in sourcing used electronic circuit boards overseas. However, based on our experience in overseas operations to date, we consider it essential to cultivate the ability to accurately assess quality and reliability. Moving forward, we will further deepen collaboration with partners both domestically and internationally, flexibly responding to change and steadily building a sustainable business foundation.

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