Team News Riveting
Raipur, February 23
Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP), an arm of state-run Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), has enhanced the production of special steel grades.
The proportion of special steel grades in total volume of saleable steel in the current fiscal year period so far from April 22 to January 23 has been increased to 73.6 per cent as compared to 67.6 per cent in the entire last fiscal year 2021-22, the company said in a statement.
Besides the special grade rails including R260 grade rails produced by the Plant, the other special steel grades include special grade plates, TMT Bars and Rods and special grade semis as well.
The special grade plates include Copper Bearing plates, Boiler Quality, Ship Building Quality, High Tensile and SAILMA Grades, SAILHard GRADE, DMR 249 Gr-A plates for Indian Navy, Normalised Mild and Normalised Rolled plates, Plates thicker than 40 mm with NDT, IS 2062E 250BM(MA) and IS- 2062 E 250 Gr- C. The total volume of special grade plates produced in 2021-22 was 3,41,243 Tonnes whereas in April to Jan period of 2022-23, as much as 3,94,155 T of special grade plates have been produced.
The Plant’s Wire Rod Mill too produced special steel grades including Electrode Quality (EWNR) IS-2879 wire rods, TMT Rods, high corrosion-resistant TMT (HCRM) and earthquake resistant TMT (EQR-D) rods. The total volume of special grade Wire Rods produced from WRM in 2021-22 was 3,20,105 Tonnes whereas in April to Jan period of 2022-23, as much as 3,04,525 T of special grades have been produced by WRM.
The Plant’s Merchant Mill that produces special steel TMT bars including TMT (HCRM), TMT (Fe-600), TMT (550D) and TMT (Fe-500D) grades also produces light structural in special steel grades including Sailma 2062 410 Gr. A, 2062 Cu, IS 2062 Gr-B (B0) and IS 2062 250/350 (BR) grades. Merchant Mill that produced 4,21,930 T of special steel grades in 2021-22 has in the current fiscal year, produced 4,61,121 T in April 22 to Jan 23 period.
SAIL-BSP is proud of having provided the best and desired grades of steel for the Indian Railways, for dams, bridges and skyscrapers and for critical and important projects of national importance in defence, energy sector, space exploration etc. Steel produced by Bhilai has been used to build Indian Navy’s aircraft carrier INS Vikrant & other warships.
Enhancing the proportion of such special steel grades in desired specifications and chemistry in total volume of saleable steel produced by SAIL-Bhilai has been a thrust area since these value added grades fetch higher net sales realisation and are hence add richly to the company’s bottomline.