In May 1998, Muroran Works installed a near-net shape casting and compact high reduction (NCR) process in its steelmaking plant. The No.3 continuous casting machine was rearranged to cast middle cross section blooms, and a reheating furnace and a 2-passes high reduction breakdown mill were newly equipped. No.3 CCM casts square 220 mm mould size blooms and the breakdown mill reduces their cross section to square 162 mm. This combined process improved the quality of the cast billets and achieved high productivity.