Our society is confronted with a number of issues related to environmental problems, such as global warming and serious deficiency of energy. Also in industrial circles, dynamic movements can be seen in the market, trending toward deregulation and introduction of free competition in various fields, and reconstruction of infrastructure. In this complicated social environment, new needs and systems become manifest as coexistence with regional society, total solutions, globalization, and PFI, and we recognize that the engineering industry must play an ever-greater role under these changing conditions.

   Taking advantage of a wealth of technology and know-how cultivated over the years in its shipbuilding and steel plant businesses, JFE Engineering has expanded its fields of business into energy industries, environment industries, water and wastewater, steel and steel structure engineering. In all of these business fields, we meet customers' requirements by construction of infrastructure and manufacturing plants based on public work projects. Also we have developed diverse engineering services, to solve new problems that face our clients.

   As we recognize that creation of new technologies which meet social needs is a primary task of management, we have been conducting research and development (R&D) of new products with improved cost performance to meet social requirements such as reduction of environmental loads, prevention of global warming, conversion to a recycle-based society, and creation of new energy. From now on, we will continue to strengthen and accelerate R&D based on the principle of “only one” and “number one” technologies in order to create new social needs through technological innovation.

   In product R&D, we are confident that important breakthroughs can be achieved by solving new needs, and this cannot be done without cooperation with our customers.

   We believe that the “only one” and “number one” technologies in this “Special Issue on JFE Engineering” can contribute to increased value for our customers and for society as a whole. Although this volume presents only a small part of our activities, we hope that this brief introduction will give our readers an understanding of JFE Engineering's future-oriented technologies.