Walsin Lihwa Launches "Steeval™": Empowering the Machining Industry to Seize Global Opportunities

Walsin Lihwa Launches "Steeval™": Empowering the Machining Industry to Seize Global Opportunities

At the close of 2025, the most exhilarating news in the metal processing industry is the launch of the new brand "Steeval™ Cold- Finished Bars" by stainless steel giant Walsin Lihwa. This marks not only the first major branding initiative in Taiwan's steel industry but also what observers describe as the most significant transformation of Walsin Lihwa's stainless steel business in recent years, completely redefining the service model for metal material manufacturers.

The launch event, which brought together nearly 300 domestic and international distributors, customers, and representatives from government, academia, and research sectors, signifies the starting point of a two-year transformation for Walsin Lihwa. It also underscores the company’s determination to assist downstream industries in competing on the global stage.

Despite the recent downturn in the global steel market due to overcapacity in China and India, the high-value-added market for stainless and specialty steels is rapidly taking shape. Amidst these market headwinds, a new trend is quietly emerging: providing downstream players with the means to target high-value markets and integrate quickly into supply chains such as AI, automation, energy, and automotive has become a way for steel mills to rewrite the destiny of economic cycles.

Recognizing a "Blue Ocean" in precision manufacturing's pursuit of quality, Walsin Lihwa launched the new brand "Steeval™" to align with this trend. Yu-Lon Chiao, Chairman of Walsin Lihwa, declared at the launch, "Walsin Lihwa is evolving from a manufacturer of stainless steel materials into a comprehensive solution provider. This marks the beginning of a brand-new era in the development of the metal processing industry!"

Walsin Lihwa launched Steeval™, a brand-new brand for cold finished bars, in December 2025.

From Material Manufacturer to Solution Provider: Building an Ecosystem with Industry, Government, and Academia

In practice, the cold-finished bars produced by "Steeval™" are the products closest to downstream customers within the stainless steel portfolio. Manufactured through multiple processes such as grinding and cold drawing, these bars are critical metal materials for the precision manufacturing and automation sectors. They play a vital role in advanced applications including automotive, energy, robotics, and AI servers.

"Steeval™ will assist Taiwan's manufacturing industry in upgrading from being 'manufacturing-oriented' to 'value-oriented'," said Sherry Ho, General Manager of Corporate Strategy and Supply Chain Management at Walsin Lihwa. "In precision manufacturing, customers prioritize quality over price. We will provide stable, sufficient, and reliable materials and technical services, strengthening industrial links so our users can win at the starting line of the world’s top application markets."

Imagine a future where machining operators no longer need to search the market for suitable stainless steel materials based on end-customer requirements. Instead, they can engage in "co-development" with the material source, "Steeval™." By adjusting parameters starting from the steelmaking stage, materials can be customized to meet specific end-customer demands, simultaneously enhancing the production efficiency of the machining operators.

"Steeval™" is shifting the service model co-development, collaborating with the Metal Industries Research & Development Centre (MIRDC) for technical advancement. Ho pointed out, "As an upstream player in the supply chain, we view the creation of a precision processing ecosystem as a vital mission. Beyond our existing raw material and equipment suppliers, we are coordinating support from the government, academic and research institutions, and industry associations to connect industrial needs for technical improvement. We aim to foster a prosperous ecosystem involving distributors, processors, and end-users, thereby enhancing the international competitiveness of Taiwan’s industries."

Ho noted that while Walsin Lihwa had long played the role of a "Hidden Champion," it is now adapting to market changes to become a key driver for downstream sectors. "We are changing traditional sales models through brand power and building a new ecosystem from the material source. Promoting this new brand is essential for more industrial users to recognize our capabilities."

From Hidden Champion to Brand Leadership: Introducing the FAE Program to Stainless Steel

It is not just the "Steeval™" brand stepping into the spotlight. Walsin Lihwa Vice Chairman S.C. Wang explained that the new brand represents more than just a conceptual shift; it is a driver for internal organizational change. "We are bringing our technical teams—who previously focused on lab research—to the front lines to understand end-user needs through our new FAE (Field Application Engineer) program. They must understand customers' applications surface quality after machining to provide customized metal materials."

Along with the brand launch, "Steeval™" introduced the new IMS Series with improved machinability for machining customers. Following material modification, tool life is increased by 10%–25%, surface quality after machining improves by 10%–25%, and chips are shorter and less prone to tangling. Additionally, the corrosion resistance of 303-grade steel has been significantly improved by 50%, offering machining customers a completely upgraded experience.

Furthermore, for high-cleanliness, corrosion-resistant, leak-proof, and functional turning materials required for AI quick-disconnectors, the LCS Series has been launched. Future functional enhancements for different industries will include soft magnetic alloy, wear resistance, cleanliness, and heat resistance.

Walsin Lihwa stated that the launch of the brand is just the beginning. Years ago, the material supply from Walsin Lihwa and CSC helped Taiwan’s supply chain build a world-class "Screws and Nuts Kingdom." Now, the introduction of "Steeval™" represents Walsin's commitment to working with distributors, customers, and the industry-government-academia sectors to recreate an industrial ecosystem and realize the vision of industrial upgrading in Taiwan.