JFE sees H1 crude steel output at 14.4 mln tonnes,Technology

 (Reuters) - JFE Holdings Inc said on Thursday it expects crude steel output to rise to 14.4 million tonnes in the first half from 13.65 million tonnes a year earlier.

Crude output in the company's first fiscal quarter was 7.24 million tonnes, slightly higher than its estimate of 7 million tonnes, it said. The steelmaker expects second-quarter output to be about the same.

Japanese steel makers, which sell more than half of their products overseas, are struggling with weaker exports because of the slowing economy in China, the world's biggest consumer of the alloy used in construction, ships and cars.

To cut costs, JFE is planning to use more lower-grade raw materials and has said quality would not be affected because the company's technology can produce the same caliber of steel with the cheaper materials. ($1 = 78.2200 Japanese yen) (Reporting by Yuko Inoue; Editing by Aaron Sheldrick and)