Tata Steel Q3 sales in India rise 3.3 per cent to 1.77 million tonnes

Tata Steel, the world's seventh-largest steelmaker, has reported a 3.3 per cent increase in sales from its Indian operations, at 1.77 million tonnes in the January-March quarter, even as the company's crude steel production rose 2.6 per cent to 1.82 million tones during the quarter.

Sales in India rose 3.4 per cent for the fiscal year ended March 2012 to 6.63 million tonnes, helped by a 6 per cent jump in sales of flat products, used in automotive and white goods, the company said in a release today

Flat product sales in FY'12 increased by 6 per cent year-on-year to 3.735 million tones. Tata Steel said sales at its automotive segment in India reported the highest skin panel sales at 0.06 million tonnes against the previous best of 0.049 million tones achieved during the last fiscal. Sales of Tata Shaktee GC sheets hit a record 0.211 million tonnes in FY'12 against the previous best of 0.207 million tonnes achieved in FY10.

The long products division achieved total sales of 2.897 million tonnes (2.878 million tonnes in FY'11). The division achieved best ever TISCON sale of 2.085 million tonnes against the previous best 1.826 million tonnes achieved in FY'11.  Tiscon also crossed its one million tonne sale in the retail segment 1.111 million tonnes (previous best 0.779 million  tonnes in FY11).

India accounts for about a quarter of the group's total annual global capacity of about 28 million tonnes, which includes the Corus unit, Europe's second-largest steelmaker.

The G Blast Furnace, Tata Steel's biggest blast furnace, achieved its best ever production of 2.13 million tones, against the previous best of 2.11 million tones achieved in the previous year.