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| Dr
S K Bhattacharya makes a point |
Faced with the same challenges that the international steel
industry is experiencing - over capacity, cyclical nature of business and price pressure
coupled with rising cost of inputs - experts from Long Product manufacturing and its
technology providers came together for a two-day International Seminar on “Long
Products - The Challenges & Opportunity”. The seminar was organised jointly by
Tata Steel and Indian Institute of Metals on February 9 and 10, 2004 at Jamshedpur.
Inaugurated by Dr S K Bhattacharya, Managing Director of SAIL – Durgapur & the
President of the Indian Institute of Metals, it was presided over by Mr. B. Muthuraman,
Managing Director, Tata Steel and Vice President and Chairman of The Indian Institute of
Metals (Ferrous).
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| A quick look at the range of
issues discussed: |
Latest technology available in rolling mill
design in long products and the economies of scale in rolling
Technology available for the latest trend - endless bar and rod rolling
Advancements carried out in the area of beam blank casting and the long rails produced
Case studies of steel intensive structures in India
Latest coating techniques on steel |
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“Though the world will be witness to a 1.7% growth in
steel, India is poised for a much higher growth rate in the near future especially in the
long products area,”Dr Bhattacharya enthused. He expressed the hope that India would
soon have a steel to concrete ratio of 1.5 in construction, to be at par with the
developed nations, from its present level of 0.3. However, “supply chains in the
system and environment are a cause for concern,” he cautioned.
Stressing that “a focus on customer demands, improved
customer service, just-in-time deliveries and higher levels of tolerances” were
essential for the future growth of long products, Mr B Muthuraman, shared his belief that
“growth rate of long products consumption would be much more than flat products with
the Indian economy at its tipping point.”
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| Experts
and delegates at the Long Products conference |
The discussions during the seminar on long steel products
for construction focused on the usage of steel and the innovations adopted by a large
number of architects. Delegates, however, voiced their disappointment at the prevailing
standards for steel used in the construction sector in India.
Citing examples of how the use of direct reduced iron would
shape the future of the Indian iron and steel industry, by bringing down the capital
investment required for making steel at high economies of scale, the Chairman of the
Organising Committee and Deputy Managing Director (Steel), Dr T Mukherjee highlighted the
need to tailor technology so as to reap the maximum benefit for the nation.
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