The yearlong celebrations to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of tubes manufacturing at Tata Steel was launched by Mr. B. Muthuraman, Managing Director, Tata Steel. The event was marked by a cake cutting ceremony and a presentation on the achievements of the Tubes Division and the challenges that lie ahead for the division. On the occasion, a commemorative logo was launched by Mr. Muthuraman, marking this great milestone. Mr. R.B.B. Singh, President, Tata Workers Union released the first issue of the quarterly technical newsletter - "Tube Tech". Dr. T. Mukherjee, Dy. Managing Director (Steel), Tata Steel inaugurated a new dot-matrix printer for printing on tubes produced by the Precision Tubes Mill.

The history of Tata Steel (The Tubes SBU) is synonymous with the growth of the tube industry in India. The need for indigenous tube making was realized as far back as 1935, when the country's tube requirements were met by imports, at a high cost to the nation. In order to make India self-reliant in this field, Tata Steel entered into an agreement in 1937 with Stewarts & Lloyds of UK to manufacture and sell tubes, made from steel supplied by the Tata Iron & Steel Co. in India. However, the World War intervened and the Indian Tube Company could only be formed and registered in 1954, 50 years ago. Year-2004, therefore, marks the completion of 50 golden years of tube making in India.

The Tubes SBU today the largest tube manufacturer in India with an annual production capacity of more than two lakh tonnes. It is the market leader, with applications of tubes ranging from plumbing, irrigation to cold storages and in closed structural (Rectangular and Square Hollow Sections) applications. Tata Pipes, the flagship brand of the Tubes SBU has grown from strength to strength and it commands a premium over competitors. The brand has become a household symbol of trust and commitment to the promise" Fit it for Life".

The successful journey across half a century has been the result of foresight, enterprise and the ability to understand and meet the ever-changing demands of the Indian market. The road ahead appears even more challenging and exciting, with many new initiatives on the anvil including modernization of the plants, expansion of capacity, new approaches to channel management and development of new businesses and product lines.

The Tubes SBU also has the distinction of being the only Indian tube company today to manufacture tubes through the unique FM (Fretz Moon) process, which gives a highly differentiated product for utility in the Plumbing and Irrigation segments. Pipes up to 50 mm NB are capable of being manufactured through this process - a process which results in pipes with no internal weld beads unlike products from other pipe manufacturing processes, which have the residual weld beads in the inner bore of the tubes. The absence of inner weld beads results in smoother flow of fluid, lesser frictional and pressure losses and reduces the possibility of choking due to accumulation of dirt.