Original article — Japan Metal Daily (鉄鋼新聞), front page, 30 October 2026
3I Solution’s real-time elemental analyzer X1-LiNX was featured on the front page of Japan Metal Daily (鉄鋼新聞), the leading daily newspaper of the Japanese steel industry, on 30 October 2026.
Under the headline “Korean 3I Solution’s analyzer becomes the ‘key’ to upgrading steel scrap — real-time copper measurement with 0.01% precision”, the paper reported that the Japanese steel industry is paying close attention to X1-LiNX. Technology we have developed on Korean steel sites has now been introduced on the front page of Japan’s steel trade paper as a key to higher-grade steel scrap.
Why Japan is paying attention — the shift to electric arc furnaces, and copper
To cut carbon, the Japanese steel industry is moving from blast furnaces to electric arc furnaces. Making high-grade steel in an electric arc furnace requires high-quality scrap, and knowing exactly how much copper (Cu) and other tramp elements the scrap contains before it is melted is a major challenge.
The paper reported that X1-LiNX is raising expectations for exactly this challenge — in particular the analysis of shredded scrap — and that the industry is watching closely.
X1-LiNX as described in the article
- Analyzes the entire material flow on a conveyor belt in real time, without sampling — core technology: PGNAA (prompt gamma neutron activation analysis)
- Copper analysis precision of 0.01%
- 70+ elements measurable; each delivered model is optimized for up to 8 components of the customer’s process
- Belt widths of 0.6–3 m; mounts on the stringers of an existing conveyor — no civil works, weight about 2 tonnes
- Customized to each customer’s target components, measurement level and belt specifications
Expanding into the Japanese market
In September, 3I Solution exhibited at the 13th Japan Inspection Instruments Exhibition (JIMA 2026) in Tokyo, presenting X1-LiNX with a model and panels. According to the paper, Japanese blast furnace steelmakers and steel scrap professionals showed strong interest.
To enter the Japanese market, the company has signed an MOU with Hyundai Material Japan, the Japanese arm of a Hyundai Motor Group trading company, and is also considering opening a Japan office.
In the interview, CEO Shin Jun-young said, “Korea faces the same challenge,” and introduced 3I Solution as a company with technology that turns “what cannot be seen” into reliable, “visible” data.
From Hyundai Motor Group to steel sites worldwide
3I Solution began in 2018 as an in-house task force at Hyundai Steel, grew as a Hyundai Motor Group in-house startup, and was spun off in 2023 as an inspection technology company. Being featured on the front page of a Japanese steel trade paper shows that real-time elemental analysis proven on Korean steel sites is recognized as an answer to challenges the steel industry shares across borders.
3I Solution will keep contributing to better quality and lower carbon at steel, cement and mining sites with technology that makes the invisible visible. For enquiries, please contact us.
Attachment · JIMA 2026 Tokyo exhibition posters (Japanese · PDF, 9 pages · 12 MB) — company profile, X1-LiNX principle, specifications, safety and licensing, Vision-BMS, NEUTELLA