东京讯——由于日元汇率走低等因素导致制造成本大幅上升，日本神户制钢所正考虑在海外开展并购，包括进军印度市场，以提升气体压缩机的产量。
TOKYO -- Japan's Kobe Steel is considering mergers and acquisitions overseas, including in India, to increase production of gas compressors as it grapples with high manufacturing costs due to such factors as the weak yen.
这家钢铁及机械制造企业主要向能源公司销售气体压缩机，以把握氢能与氨能领域日益增长的市场需求。
The steel and machinery manufacturer sells gas compressors mainly to energy companies to capitalize on growing demand related to hydrogen and ammonia.
“我们希望在海外扩大生产规模，尤其是气体压缩机这一我们具备竞争优势的产品领域，”神户制钢所负责财务工作的执行董事木本和彦对《日经新闻》说道。
"We want to ramp up production overseas, mainly for gas compressors, an area where we have a competitive advantage," Kazuhiko Kimoto, a Kobe Steel executive officer and director in charge of finance, told Nikkei.
目前，该公司正在考察收购印度企业的可能性，视其为极具潜力的市场。印度不仅拥有大量技术精湛的工程师，地理位置也靠近中东与欧洲等神户制钢所气体压缩机客户集中的地区。
The company is looking into acquisitions involving companies in India, a market it considers promising. In addition to having many talented engineers, the country is close to regions like the Middle East and Europe, where Kobe Steel's gas compressor customers are concentrated.
受日元贬值影响，该公司位于日本本土的主要压缩机生产基地的制造成本持续攀升。
Manufacturing costs are rising at the company's main domestic production base for compressors, partly because of the impact of Japan's depreciating currency.
为摆脱日本本土市场萎缩带来的影响，神户制钢所致力于推动机械业务实现全球化发展。该业务板块涵盖气体压缩机等产品，资本利用效率极高。预计到2027年3月结束的财年中，其机械业务的资本回报率可达12%，而材料业务板块的回报率仅为4%。
The company is aiming for global growth in its machinery business, which does not depend on the shrinking market in Japan. The segment, which includes compressors, is highly capital efficient. Kobe Steel expects a 12% return on invested capital in the fiscal year ending March 2027 for its machinery business, compared with 4% for its materials segment.
今年4月至9月期间，神户制钢所预计钢铁业务将出现25亿日元（约1580万美元）的税前亏损，而去年同期该业务则实现了85亿日元的税前盈利。目前，公司提升盈利水平的举措尚无法抵消运输成本及炼焦煤等关键原材料价格的上涨压力。
The company expects a pretax loss for its steel business of 2.5 billion yen ($15.8 million) in the April-September period, compared with a pretax profit of 8.5 billion yen in the year-earlier period. Efforts to improve earnings have not kept up with rising costs of transportation and key materials like coking coal.
“原材料价格上涨的影响大约需要六个月时间才会体现在售价上，”木本说道，“这导致了巨额损失。”自今年年初以来，神户制钢所已宣布将其所有钢铁产品的价格上调，每吨涨幅超过2万日元。该公司计划在截至2027年3月的财年中，实现钢铁业务140亿日元的税前利润，这一数值几乎是当前水平的四倍。
"It takes around six months to reflect raw material cost increases in sales prices," Kimoto said. "This creates big losses." Since the start of this year, Kobe Steel has announced price hikes of more than 20,000 yen per metric ton for all of its steel products. The company aims to generate 14 billion yen in pretax profit from its steel business in the fiscal year ending March 2027, nearly quadrupling on the year.