The Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (Visakhapatnam Steel Plant), is hosting the forty-sixth rolling mills operating committee meeting here on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to a press release.

The inaugural session will be held at the multi-purpose hall of Ukkunagaram Club followed by three technical sessions. A.P. Choudhary, CMD of RINL, will be the chief guest.

The committee, which was set up in 1975 with the participation of SAIL and Tata Steel Rolling Mills, now covers almost all the major steel plants in the country, both from public and private sectors. Currently, the Indian steel industry is witnessing a phase of expansion and modernisation of facilities to meet the growing demand and stringent requirements of the market. The need for adapting new technologies, higher levels of automation besides following the best practices and methods in order to improve productivity and cut costs is very essential.

Improving operating efficiency and technical indices have become more important in the present scenario due to various resources constraints being faced by various steel manufacturers with respect to raw materials and energy and increasing prices of these commodities are also severely impacting profitability, adds the release.

Rolling mills are at the finishing end of the steel making process and are equipped with most precision and controlled facilities to meet the ever-growing requirements of customers for improved products. RINL believes the meet will provide the right forum to bring all long product manufacturing rolling mills in the country together for sharing and exchanging ideas and experiences for mutual benefit. The organisers have selected the following topics for the technical sessions - reduction in generation of non-conforming products and their disposal plan, operating indices and techno-economic improvements in recent years and technology advances made in recent years and the commissioning problems.

> sarma.rs@thehindu.co.in

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