~The Ministry of Steel has awarded Tata Steel Limited with the Prime Minister’s Trophy for 2008-09
and Certificate of Excellence for the year 2009-10~

Tata Steel Limited, Jamshedpur, was conferred with the Prime Minister’s Trophy here today for the best performing Integrated Steel plant in the country during the performance year 2008 - 2009 and Certificate of Excellence for 2009 – 2010. In recognition of its outstanding performance, the Prime Minister's Trophy was presented by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh, to Mr H M Nerurkar, Managing Director, Tata Steel.

After accepting the award on behalf of the Company, Mr Nerurkar said: "We are delighted to receive this coveted recognition. Tata Steel’s Indian operations are one of the most robust in the global steel industry. It has been our endeavour to achieve international standards of efficiency, quality, economy and sustainability in our operations. This award will greatly motivate us to create higher benchmarks in the steel industry and excel in all our endeavors."

The Company went through three rounds of rigorous assessment, adjudged by a panel of distinguished judges. The enthusiasm and involvement of its employees was highly appreciated by the panel of judges for the Prime Minister’s Trophy. This reaffirmed the belief that Tata Steel possessed a skilled workforce that has a will to excel.

Mr. P.N. Singh, President, Tata Works Union expressed his happiness on the occasion. "It's a proud moment for the Company. This award recognizes the efforts put in by our employees who work day and night to make the management's vision a reality. We would like to thank our employees for all their good wishes at this moment", he said.

Beni Prasad Verma, Union Steel Minister was happy to make the announcement and said “The Prime Minister Trophy for the year 2009-2010 is being presented to Tata Steel Ltd. Tata Steel is getting this prestigious award for the sixth time. I take this opportunity to congratulate the workforce and the management of Tata Steel Ltd on their magnificent performance.”

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, on expressing his happiness at the award ceremony & said “Congratulations to Tata Steel who has won the Prime Minister’s trophy. Wish the steel industry all the best.”

DRS Chaudhary Secretary, Ministry of Steel congratulated Tata Steel, “Receiving the trophy is a matter of great pride. Congratulations to Tata Steel.”

Tata Steel is among the world’s lowest cost producers of steel, and one of the few steel companies globally that is EVA+. The Prime Minister’s Trophy for the Best Integrated Steel Plant was earlier awarded to Tata Steel for the years 1994-95, 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2000-01, 2001-02.

As per the provision of Prime Minister’s Trophy Scheme, any company having won the Prime Minister’s Trophy in two successive years receives the trophy in the first year and a Certificate of Excellence for the next year. Therefore, Tata Steel will be receiving the Prime Minister’s Trophy for 2008-09 and the Certificate of Excellence for 2009-10.

About Tata Steel:
Established in 1907 as Asia's first integrated private sector steel company, Tata Steel Group is among the top-ten global steel companies with an annual crude steel capacity of over 26.5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa). It is now the world's second-most geographically-diversified steel producer, with operations in 26 countries and a commercial presence in over 50 countries. The Tata Steel Group, with a turnover of US$ 26.13 billion in FY 12, has over 80,000 employees across five continents and is a Fortune 500 company. The Group’s vision is to be the world’s steel industry benchmark in “Value Creation” and “Corporate Citizenship” through the excellence of its people, its innovative approach and overall conduct.

Underpinning this vision is a performance culture committed to aspiration targets, safety and social responsibility, continuous improvement, openness and transparency. In 2008, Tata Steel India became the first integrated steel plant in the world, outside Japan, to be awarded the Deming Application Prize 2008 for excellence in Total Quality Management.

About the Award:
The trophy, instituted in 1992-93 on the suggestion of the then Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao, recognises the outstanding performance of the integrated steel plants. The award is intended to spur steel plants to achieve international standards of efficiency, quality and economy in their operations. The primary objective of the scheme is to generate a sense of competition among the steel plants so that they continuously benchmark themselves with the best and improve their performances. 

As per the recommendations of the Expert Committee and amendments carried out by the Government of India, 13 main parameters have been evolved for evaluating the performance of the integrated steel plants. They are: Steel capacity utilisation, Efficiency of operations, Financial performance, Export performance, Quality of products, Environment Management, Corporate Social Responsibility, Safety, Thrust on R&D, Customer Satisfaction, Enabling Parameters, Employees’ Satisfaction Index and Observation of the Panel of Judges based on plant visits.