After a massive modernisation and expansion plan at its five integrated manufacturing facilities, Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) has embarked on reorgsing its processes and operations to expand product portfolio and penetrate new markets in the post-COVID-19 lockdown period.
Contactless working interfaces are gaining importance, said Chairman l Kumar Chaudhary. "E-commerce is evolving fast and the use of online platforms is gaining traction. Conventional businesses will have key takeaways from the current crisis, impacting the overall business scenario," he told in an interview.
Chaudhary said manufacturing businesses will gradually shift from China, the United States and Europe. India has a fairly good chance of becoming a global hub for manufacturing, given its large skilled workforce and a vibrant domestic market.
"SAIL has been continuously focussing on ramping up production from its new units which came up under modernisation," he said. "The concerted efforts to increase volumes have resulted in the company becoming the largest domestic steel producer in FY20."
The steel giant had undertaken modernisation and expansion of its five integrated steel plants at Bhilai (Chhattisgarh), Bokaro (Jharkhand), Rourkela (Odisha), Durgapur (West Bengal) and Burnpur (West Bengal) besides the Special Steel Plant at Salem (Tamil Nadu) to enhance the crude steel capacity from 12.8 to 21.4 million tonnes per annum.
"As the nation comes out victorious in fight against coronavirus pandemic, the market will definitely show green shoots of steel consumption. SAIL is fully geared up to cater to the steel demand," said Chaudhary.
As part of its corporate social responsibilities, SAIL contributed Rs 30 crore and a day's salary of employees totalling Rs 9 Crore to the PM CARES fund. It also contributed Rs 1 crore each to the Chief Minister Relief Funds of Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal in its five integrated steel plants are located.
"We stand committed to dedicate ourselves in the service of nation in every possible way and continue to be at the forefront of India's fight against COVID-19. In this direction, we have enhanced SAIL's medical facilities across our plants and units in coordination with local authorities," said Chaudhary.
Besides, SAIL has set up 330 isolation beds and 600 beds quarantine facilities for the benefit of people in regions near its plants. It has a stock of around 14,000 tonnes of oxygen to be used in case of emergency.
"We have also mobilised other facilities for medical services such as a COVID testing laboratory at SAIL's Ispat General Hospital at Rourkela and a dedicated COVID Care Centre at SAIL's Bokaro General Hospital at Bokaro."
The company handed over five ventilators to Odisha state government through its Rourkela steel plant for treatment of corona patients. It also undertook a massive programme under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana at its plant and unit locations, including two of the company's steel processing units at Kandrori in Himachal Pradesh and Jagdishpur in Uttar Pradesh.
( With inputs from ANI )