Steel groups - Baowu, Shougang, Ansteel and its subsidiary Pangang - were ranked among the most innovative steelmakers in terms of patents in China, according to a report released in Beijing earlier this month. The report rolled out by the China Metallurgical Information and Standardization Institute and Intellectual Property Publishing House reviewed patent data from more than 150 members of the China Iron and Steel Association, which were generated over the past five years, in a bid to assess innovation capacities of steelmakers and research institutions.