Hot-stamped, ultra-high-strength steel for reinforcement of body structure.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Instead of welding several pieces of steel together as reinforcement (which adds weight), those important structural elements are heated to 900 degrees Fahrenheit, then stamped into the desired shape and rapidly cooled almost simultaneously.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Conversion seems to be a big problem: in the case of the Sungshan complex, which collapsed into itself, the superintendent of the residential part of the building says a bank that rented out the first two floors had stripped the steel columns of concrete reinforcement during renovations earlier this year.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | Taiwan: The Day the Earth Moved--Page 3