Raipur: The medium to
smaller steel players of Central India, particularly in and around the steel
hubs of Chhattisgarh, need to adopt a collaborative approach to compete
effectively with the large integrated steelmakers which are aggressively going
for major capacity expansions, industry leaders said at mj STEELATHON
conference held at Raipur on Friday.
“The steel sector of Central
India should take a collaborative industrial approach as the plants are small
while ISPs are putting up large capacities. Environmental issues are also
coming up with tightening norms. The solution for the smaller players is to go
co-operative like approach for forming SPVs common facilities like a central
DRI unit,” V.R. Sharma, Managing Director, Jindal Steel Ltd said at the
conference, reflecting the theme of the conference - ‘Connecting Businesses.
Creating Opportunities’.
Niladri Bhattacharjee,
Partner, Metals & Mining Industry Leader, Grant Thornton Bharat
suggested that Central Indian players should look at the new growth sectors
beyond their traditional focus on long steels.
“Regional associations in
Vidarbha, Raipur should work with the Centre for suitable end-use sector
development - such as in Defence Production, Capital Goods, Automotive,
Warehousing & Logistics sector to create a base on which steel can thrive,”
he said.
Highlighting Chhattisgarh’s
importance to India’s evolving steel map, Vinaya Varma, MD & CEO,
mjunction services ltd said: “It is here where India’s next phase of the
growth story is being scripted. India is now looking at 600 million tons of
steelmaking capacity by 2047. And I have no doubt that Chhattisgarh will play a
key role in fulfilling this dream.”