Steel producers’ output, sales up in 2009; big spurt in third quarter

Despite the recession, the steel industry seems to have done quite well in 2009, with major producers like Tata Steel, JSW Steel and Rourkela Steel Plant not only registering a surge in production but also in sales – thanks largely to strong demand from the automobile and construction sectors.

Tata Steel achieved a 21 per cent rise in crude steel production at 600,204 tonnes, against the low base of 494,000 tonnes in December 2008. The company said the sale of flat products used in automobiles and consumer durables increased 90 per cent, while that of long products, primarily used in the real estate sector, rose by 56 per cent.

''Tata Steel plant now operates at the rate of 7.2 mtpa against the rated capacity of 6.8 mtpa,'' the company said on Tuesday. It also registered its best saleable steel production of 592,487 tonnes.

The company produced a best-ever 6,50,767 tonnes of hot metal during December, thus enhancing its plant's hot metal capacity to 7.8 mtpa. Sales stood at 0.636 mt in December 2009 compared to 0.368 mt in the previous year, up 73 per cent, with the steel major registering a 90 per cent and 56 per cent increase in sales of flat products and long products.

During the third quarter, Tata Steel registered a 49 per cent growth in sales over the corresponding period last year as it sold 1.597 million tonnes steel against 1.071 mt steel sold in the year-ago period. Its saleable steel production for the third quarter was up 37 per cent as it produced 1.688 mt against the 1.235 mt produced during the three corresponding months of 2008.

The Country's third-largest steel manufacturer JSW Steel Ltd also saw its crude steel output soaring 88 per cent to 14.69 lakh tonnes in the quarter ended December 2009 against 7.82 lakh tonnes in the year-ago period.