NKK Corp. and Kawasaki Steel Corp. said Monday they have agreed to form a comprehensive business alliance with Germany's ThyssenKrupp Steel AG, focusing on steel products for automobiles.
The agreement calls for the three steelmakers to supply each other with technologies for automobile-related steel products, such as surface-treated steel sheets and ThyssenKrupp's tailor-welded blank, in order to expand their business with automakers worldwide.
The three steelmakers will also cooperate in research and development, said NKK and Kawasaki, which are slated to integrate operations in October.
Top executives of the three partners will form a joint committee to discuss strategies for the alliance, the Japanese firms said.