A delegation from HBIS Group Serbia Iron & Steel (HBIS Serbia), including Chief Operating Officer Vladan Mihailovic and process engineer Bojan Paunovic, visited NCUT from October 28 to 30. They were accompanied by Zhou Yongning, a business manager at HBIS Materials Technology Research Institute. Zhang Lifeng, President of NCUT, met the visitors to discuss steelmaking process optimization, steel cleanliness control, and joint research. He also presented Mihailovic and Paunovic with certificates of academic training.

The discussions addressed HBIS Serbia's production needs and drew on research at NCUT's High-Quality Steel Research Center in metallurgical process simulation, inclusion control, and continuous casting quality improvement. The two sides explored ways to combine experimental testing, numerical simulation, and industrial production to apply research findings on the production floor. At the technical meeting, Professor Zhang Haijie reported on progress in sample testing and analysis, covering the composition of molten steel and slag samples, inclusion types and size distributions, and the evolution of inclusions in cast steel products and rolled plate. Professor Duan Haojian of the University of Science and Technology Beijing presented simulations of converter tapping, focusing on tapping flow, steel-slag mixing, air entrainment, alloy dissolution, and inclusion removal. Associate Professor Wang Jujin of NCUT presented simulations of argon-stirred ladle refining, covering molten steel flow, alloy dissolution, composition homogenization, and inclusion removal. NCUT faculty member Cai Xinyu presented simulations of continuous casting tundishes, focusing on flow, heat transfer, and steel cleanliness control. Professor Chen Wei of NCUT presented simulations of continuous slab casting, covering mold flow, heat transfer, solidification, and slab quality control.

Based on earlier sample analyses and the company's production needs, the two sides discussed plans for the next stage of joint research. They exchanged views on the production data needed for modeling, the allocation of research tasks, schedules, and expected outputs, clarifying the approach to further research on process optimization and quality improvement. During the visit, the delegation toured the laboratories of the High-Quality Steel Research Center and the University's testing center to learn about NCUT's research infrastructure and materials analysis and testing capabilities.

Representatives from NCUT's Office of International Affairs, School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, and High-Quality Steel Research Center took part in the discussions.

Located in Smederevo, Serbia, HBIS Serbia traces its origins to the Smederevo Steel Mill, founded in 1913. HBIS Group acquired the mill in 2016 and established HBIS Serbia. The company has an integrated iron and steel production capacity of 2.2 million tonnes per year. Its main products include hot-rolled coil, pickled coil, cold-rolled coil, and electrolytic tinplate, primarily for the European Union market. It is an important part of HBIS Group's overseas steel manufacturing operations. During a visit to Serbia in June this year, an NCUT delegation signed a strategic university-industry cooperation agreement with HBIS Serbia and jointly established a student internship and employment base. The two sides are cooperating on innovation in green and low-carbon technologies and the joint education of professionals for green steel manufacturing.