Base Metals
Business in Base metals sector in the
country include metals such as aluminum, copper, iron & steel, lead, tin,
zinc, etc. and articles made from these metals. In all there are 1,160 public /
large private companies dealing in these products. Of these 65 companies have
invested in R&D ranging from as meager as Rs. 0.16 to a high of Rs. 76
crores in their most recent financial year. The R&D interest in this sector
is below the national average for industries in general.
The R&D investment in this sector is reflected in the following graph.
R&D Investment Trends in Base Metals Sector
The following four companies [table ] are
worth noting for their R&D interest in the sector.
Major players with R&D in the sector [2007*]
|
|
Rs.
Crores |
||
|
|
R&D
Capital |
R&D
Current |
R&D
Total |
|
Steel
Authority Of India Ltd. |
5.55 |
71.3 |
76.85 |
|
Tata
Steel Ltd. |
6.4 |
26.85 |
33.25 |
|
Welspun-Gujarat
Stahl Rohren Ltd. |
0 |
23.68 |
23.68 |
|
Hindalco
Industries Ltd. |
0.72 |
9.8 |
10.52 |
*Annualized figures
R&D achievements of SAIL is in cost
reduction, quality improvement, energy conservation, product development. The
company has set out several specific R&D efforts to accomplish the same.
Tata Steel has carried out R&D in iron ore, coal, coke, ferro chrome and
titania, and blast furnace productivity.
Welspun and Hindalco have well defined product and process development goals for their R&D programme/