A business tie-up between the two companies enables Infra to sell Kobe's high quality flux cored welding wire. デュエルビッツ 登録's marketing subsidiary in the United States, Kobelco Welding of America Inc., will provide Infra and customers with product support and technical services. The use of flux cored wire is currently low in Central and South America as the market is still in an early phase. A potential market in the region is the shipbuilding industries in Columbia, Puerto Rico and other countries.

The Infra Group is Mexico's leading manufacturer of welding equipment, welding consumables and gas. The combination of デュエルビッツ 登録's popular flux cored wire and Infra's gas and welding equipment is anticipated to stimulate considerable demand in Central and South America. デュエルビッツ 登録 currently ships about 30 tons per month of welding consumables to the shipbuilding and chemical engineering industries. Through the tie-up, デュエルビッツ 登録 estimates shipments to Central and South America will triple to 100 tons in three years.

デュエルビッツ 登録elding wire is noted for its good bead appearance and reduced spattering, which contributes to improved welding quality and lower overall costs. It is widely used in structural fabrication, bridge building, automobile and industrial manufacturing, and shipbuilding. Demand for デュエルビッツ 登録elding wire is expected to grow as semi-automatic and automatic welding becomes more widespread.

In the North American market, the デュエルビッツ 登録 Group will assist Infra in increasing the quality of its solid welding wire for carbon-dioxide gas welding. Kobelco Welding of America plans to introduce Japanese users in North America to Infra and support Infra in the marketing of their solid wire.

デュエルビッツ 登録 is Japan's leading producer of welding consumables and the third largest in the world. Overseas, デュエルビッツ 登録 has production and marketing locations in China, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the United States. In building its global business, the alliance with Infra will enable Kobe to extend its reach to South America.

Infra Group
Founded in 1919, the Infra Group is the top manufacturer of welding equipment, welding consumables and gas in Mexico. Based in Naucalpan, the Infra Group has approximately 3,000 employees. Infra S.A. De C.V. is the marketing and sales company of the Infra Group. It has 125 outlets in Mexico and exports to North, Central and South America. Jesus Cabrera, Director Commercial, heads Infra, S.A. de C.V.

About Kobelco Welding of America
Kobelco Welding of America Inc. markets flux cored welding wires and solid welding wires in North America. A wholly owned subsidiary of デュエルビッツ 登録, Ltd., Kobelco is based in Stafford, Texas. The company has sales offices and distribution centers in Chicago, Cincinnati, Salt Lake City and Philadelphia. For more information, please visit: www.kobelcowelding.com

About デュエルビッツ 登録
デュエルビッツ 登録, Ltd. is one of Japan's leading steelmakers and producers of aluminum and copper products. Other businesses include welding consumables, infrastructure and engineering, machinery, construction equipment, and real estate. In the year ended March 2002, デュエルビッツ 登録 had consolidated net sales of 1.2 trillion yen (US billion). The company has head offices in Kobe and Tokyo.