OPEN Explores Steel Structure Technology Innovation

On September 17, the academic exchange meeting of the Structural Special‑Committee under Nantong Civil Engineering & Architecture Society was successfully held at OPEN Nantong Factory. Representatives from more than ten member units and over twenty industry experts of the society visited the site. They conducted on‑site inspections of two core R&D achievements of OPEN — the Jiajia Frame Structural System and European‑style Steel‑Frame System. In‑depth discussions were carried out focusing on topics including steel‑structure technology iteration, cost reduction & efficiency improvement and low‑carbon green development, pooling wisdom for innovative practices in the building steel‑structure sector.

Accompanied by OPEN’s technical staff, the expert group toured the production workshop. They observed production processes up close, including corrugated‑plate forming, automatic assembly‑and‑welding production lines for Jiajia beams and Jiajia columns, as well as grinding, shot‑blasting and painting procedures. They gained a comprehensive understanding of OPEN’s process standards and quality for steel‑structure manufacturing, and fully recognized OPEN’s product‑manufacturing capability and quality performance.

At the exchange meeting, Mr. Wu, Chief Engineer of OPEN Group, introduced OPEN’s innovation‑R&D journey, its long‑term investment in research and development as well as corresponding achievements.

The Jiajia Frame Structural System developed in recent years adopts a composite‑structure form of corrugated steel plate plus concrete. It features favorable load‑bearing capacity and seismic performance. Formwork and temporary supports are eliminated during construction, enabling safe and efficient on‑site erection. The system can be widely applied to multi‑story frame‑structure buildings. Covering a total applied‑project area of over 4 million square meters, it has won unanimous recognition from project owners and the industry, and delivered sound social and economic benefits.

The newly‑developed “European‑style Steel Frame” represents a major innovation for traditional portal rigid frames. Adopting corrugated web plus concrete‑filled‑steel‑tube composite flanges, under the same load‑bearing condition, its torsional stiffness is more than 30 times higher than that of ordinary H‑section steel, with its stable bearing capacity improved by around 40 % and carbon‑emission reduction of 20 %‑30 %. It is widely suitable for various large‑span portal‑rigid‑frame buildings.

During the interactive discussion session, participating experts held lively exchanges on technical points including welding procedures for Jiajia columns, end‑section reinforcement details for Jiajia beams, reinforcement layout rules for components, and the evolution direction of European‑style steel frames. Drawing on test data such as low‑cycle reversed‑loading and fire‑resistance performance, together with practical engineering experience from projects including Nantong Yongfeng Project and Shanghai Cold‑Storage Project, OPEN’s technical team gave detailed replies to each question raised by experts.

Structural experts from the society spoke highly of OPEN Nantong Factory and specially praised its clean and tidy site environment. Meanwhile, they gave high recognition to OPEN’s two differentiated product lines. The experts hold the view that composite‑structure products are forward‑looking and represent the future development trend of the industry.

Both sides reached a consensus on the follow‑up optimization roadmap for European‑style steel frames. They will explore an innovative solution of replacing concrete‑filled steel tubes in compression zones with reinforced‑concrete flanges, so as to further cut steel consumption and amplify the product’s cost‑competitive advantages.

From every welding procedure in the workshop, to every joint detail on design drawings, and further to completed buildings upon delivery, OPEN adheres to innovation‑driven development, technology‑rooted R&D and industrial‑oriented practice.

This exchange event serves not only as a concentrated showcase of OPEN’s solid technical strength, but also as an open platform for peer practitioners to exchange ideas and pursue collaborative progress. Going forward, OPEN will keep its door open for technical exchanges. Industry partners are warmly welcome to visit our front‑line production sites for joint technical research and solution development. Together we will advance high‑quality innovative development of the steel‑structure building industry.