KOLKATA | Nov 21, 2016:  Alloy Steels Plant (ASP), Durgapur – the alloy & special steels manufacturing arm of Steel Authority of India(SAIL) has entered into an agreement for collaboration with IIT Kharagpur. The agreement comes under the prime minister’s ‘Uchchatara Aviskar Yojna’ (UAY), which is a panel of industry-sponsored, outcome-oriented research projects.

The project will involve setting up a pilot plant with a capacity of five tonne per day at ASP, Durgapur by IIT Kharagpur for joint research, while ASP will provide raw material and other inputs. The overall time frame for this UAY project will be three years.

The project has been captioned as ‘Development of Rotary Hearth Furnace (RHF) Technology for Treating Off-Grade Iron Ore Fines of Indian Origin, including Magnetite Ore.’

Incidentally, ASP, Durgapur has emerged as a key producer of special steels for the country’s strategic sectors like Defence & Railways among others. The plant has been focused on aggressive cost reduction in recent times to remain competitive in the face of sliding demand for alloy steels and low margins. The UAY project is expected to give ASP the much needed shot in the arm by way of enabling cost reduction. Analysts feel that the unit needs to be spruced up with some moderate investment directed towards upgrading its ageing facilities to remain competitive.

(Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/)