A two-day international conference on "Advances in Flat Steel Products Processing Technology (APT-FS 2024)" was inaugurated on September 20 at the Knowledge and Development Centre of Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL), jointly organized by Bokaro Steel Plant and the Indian Institute of Metals (IIM), Bokaro Chapter. The event was graced by BSL's Director In-Charge Birendra Kumar Tiwari as the chief guest. Other distinguished attendees included Executive Director (Projects and Additional Charge, Material Management) C.R. Mahapatra, Executive Director (Finance and Accounts) Suresh Rangani, Executive Director (Human Resources and Additional Charge, Works) Rajan Prasad, and several senior officials from both BSL and IIM, Kolkata.
Addressing the conference through an online platform, SAIL Chairman Amarendu Prakash highlighted the significant growth in India's per capita steel consumption, which has increased from approximately 50 kilograms to 95 kilograms over the past six to seven years. He also emphasized the goal of expanding the country’s steel production capacity to 300 million tons per annum by 2030. In addition to this expansion, he stressed the steel industry’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions, urging experts to deliberate on sustainable "green steel" production technologies during the conference.
Following a welcome address by Executive Director Rajan Prasad, a recorded message from IIM President Sajjan Jindal was presented. T. Goswami from IIM, Kolkata discussed the institute’s contributions to the industry. In his remarks, Director In-Charge Birendra Kumar Tiwari underscored steel's vital role in the nation’s progress, emphasizing the importance of making India self-reliant in steel production. He expressed confidence that the exchange of knowledge during the two-day conference would contribute towards achieving the steel industry's decarbonization goals.
The inaugural session also witnessed the release of a conference souvenir, following which Rajan Prasad spoke about the increasing needs of flat steel product processing technology. The conference will continue on September 21, with further discussions on advanced hot-rolled steel sheets, addressing double-edge defects in hot-rolled coils, and meeting strategic demands with low-cost, high-quality flat steel solutions.
Notably delegates from SAIL, Tata Steel, JSW (Bellary and Dolvi), MetconS, Sojitz India, MECON, National Metallurgical Laboratory, IIT-BHU, IIT-Ropar, IIT-Hyderabad, Jadavpur University, and international participants from CBMM (Brazil), among others, are participating in the event.
