Colorful, metal-roofed industrial buildings line the coast of Tokai, Japan. The city’s economy is dominated by a massive steel mill - a portion of which is seen at the bottom of this Overview. Nippon Steel, the company that owns the mill, has an annual production of more than 47 million tons of steel across its various facilities. Steels - consisting of alloys of iron and other elements, primarily carbon - is a major component in buildings, infrastructure, tools, ships, automobiles, appliances, and weapons.