The thought was simple. The message, powerful. It encompassed the whole of mankind as the customer base. Steel was yet a commodity then. Times have changed, customer mindsets have evolved and the metal itself has been redefined. The focus however, remains – to recognise the value of customer relationships.

If pioneering steel making in India was a pathbreaking step by Tata Steel then de-commoditising steel is a quantum leap. The company has introduced brands like Tata Steelium (the world’s first branded Cold Rolled Steel), Tata Shaktee, Tata Tiscon, and many others.

Branding is only one of the many initiatives taken by Tata Steel towards unlocking customer value and product optimisation. In the late 1990s, the company undertook internal campaigns to focus the attention of its workforce on customer orientation and service. Tata Steel also made changes in its distribution system and introduced
the hub and spoke model to reduce expenditure on logistics.

With an aim to create new paradigms in steel retailing, Tata Steel launched ‘steeljunction’ - India’s first organised steel retail store. The company has also derived significant value from initiatives like Retail Value Management and Customer Value Management.

Tata Steel has successfully created high brand recall. It is continuously working towards building new business models by forging alliances with customers and suppliers to strengthen the value chain that in turn will help the company to reduce operating costs, improve service levels and offer new products and services.

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