On August 17, according to reports from “China Metallurgical News” and the Chinese Society for Metals, SteelRanking released the 2020 World Iron and Steel Enterprise Patent Technology Capability Rankings. There is a total of 50 global enterprises shortlisted, of which 31 are from Chinese iron steel enterprises. The Shougang Group ranked sixth among the world's iron and steel enterprises and second among Chinese iron and steel enterprises. Nippon Steel, Kobe Steel, JFE Steal, Baowu Group, and POSCO were among the top 5 steel enterprises in the world.

The Shougang Group has attached great importance to intellectual property work, actively implementing the concept of innovation and development, committing to technology and management innovation for a long time and forming a batch of independent intellectual property innovation technologies with core competitiveness. As a result, the patent output capacity has continued to increase, the quantity and quality have been improved simultaneously, and the effect has continued to show. Up to now, Shougang has applied for 8,201 patents, including 4,638 invention patents and 5,260 national patent authorizations.

In recent years, Shougang has been awarded the "Beijing Advanced Unit for Patent Work" award and the "National Advanced Unit for Patent Work" award many times, and was awarded the first batch of "Beijing Patent Work Intellectual Property demonstration Unit", "Intellectual Property Application Benchmark Enterprise" and "National Intellectual Property Demonstration Enterprise" awards. Shougang was one of the 54 most patented innovative enterprises in the publication of the "Patent Innovation Index of Chinese Steel Enterprises (2019)". Up to now, more than 80% of Shougang's patented technologies have been implemented and promoted, among which 3 patents have won the "China Patent Gold Award", 14 have won the "China Patent Excellence Award", and 5 have won the Beijing Invention Patent Award.

Through years of exploration and practice, Shougang’s patent work has insisted on combining patent work with structural adjustment, product upgrading and technological innovation, has built the application-oriented, management-based, and protection-based working mechanism of intellectual property rights with creation as the core, established a sound management system, strengthened the construction of patent informatization, and continuously improved the innovation ability and competitiveness of the enterprise. It has cultivated and formed a batch of innovative technologies with core competitiveness and independent intellectual property rights in key products such as automotive plates, electrical steel, tin plates, pipeline steel, high-strength steel and weathering steel, and a series of key technological fields.

The Shougang Group has established an effective operating mechanism and implemented a multi-level patent management system by optimizing the patent management system. The hierarchical patent management network has promoted the development of the Group's patent work, and achieved a good integration of production R&D and patent management. In accordance with the "power list + professional system” form, the patent management matters have been controlled. By strengthening the construction of the new industry’s patent management system, many companies including Shougang Chengyun Holdings have achieved breakthroughs in zero patent applications. While further improving and standardizing the patent management of the iron and steel industry, the Group has sorted out the legal entities in the new industry, strengthened the system construction of each company, and standardized the patent management process. Through the organization, management, guidance and training of intellectual property rights in new industries, great progress has been made in intellectual property management. A patent information management platform and a patent database have been established. The Group's collaborative work platform has been used to establish a patent application process and hierarchically manage group company patents.

Shougang will continue to promote the high-quality development of intellectual property and enhance its independent innovation ability; vigorously improve the quality of patents and strengthen the cultivation and protection of high-value patents; form key patent layouts in key core technology areas, exert patent synergies, and promote competitiveness; strengthen intellectual property early warning and improve the ability to deal with intellectual property disputes; promote the systematic construction of group patent management and improve intellectual property operation ability.