Asoke Tripathi, Vice President, and Rajib Nag, Senior General Manager, TRL Krosaki Refractories, discuss the importance of refractories to the exponentially growing stainless steel sector in India, and the challenges in meeting the rising demand.
India is aiming for a massive transformation in terms of increasing demand in infrastructure, automobile and other manufacturing industries, which will have a major impact on the demand drive of Indian Steel and Stainless-steel Industries. The projection for Indian stainless-steel production shows substantial growth over the next decade.
According to Future Market Insights (FMI), the Indian stainless-steel market is expected to grow from US$ 17,452 million in 2024 to US$ 31,905 million by 2034, achieving a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.2 per cent. This growth is driven by rapid industrialisation, urbanisation and government initiatives such as ‘Make in India,’ which aim to boost domestic manufacturing and infrastructure development. The consumption of stainless steel in India is projected to increase significantly, from 3.6 MnT in 2023-24 to 6.8 MnT by 2029-30. This increase aligns with India’s macroeconomic growth and the rising demand across various sectors, including automotive, construction and industrial application.
The Indian refractory industry is well positioned to meet the demand of country’s burgeoning stainless-steel sector. The refractory Companies in India have made significant investments in expanding their production capacities and developing high-performance refractory solutions for stainless steel plants. TRL Krosaki, for instance, the pioneer of Dolomite Refractories in India has already completed the modernisation projects to uplift the capabilities and capacities of Dolomite and other refractories manufacturing which covers state-of-the-art facilities like automated pressing units, robotics in materials handling, new generation tunnel kiln etc to meet the growing demand of Indian stainless steel sectors.
However, the major challenges associated with Indian refractory industry are ensuring sustainability both in terms of supply chain and environment. This might be further classified as constant and uninterrupted availability of high-quality raw materials, focus on 3R practices, namely Reduce-Reuse-Recycle, upgradation of manufacturing capacities and capabilities, conservation of the conventional energy and moving towards renewable energy sources and most importantly reduction of carbon footprint.
The Indian refractory Industry is ready to take up this challenge, and in this regard, it is our privilege to share that, TRL Krosaki, the only refractory company in the world with SA 8000: 2014 certification, (which signifies strong compliance and commitment towards socially acceptable practices) has not only focused to enhance the capacities, capabilities and offerings. There is an equal focus was also given towards uninterrupted supply-chain protecting the environment and ensuring a sustainable tomorrow.
In the current era of Industry 4.0, the key deliverable of Indian refractory industry is to meet the service demand of stainless steel Industry which will not only be about the products but to provide a complete understanding of the predictive maintenance and enhance the productivity of the equipments. To ensure this, Indian refractory industry is embracing automation and digitisation to enhance efficiency and sustainability. In this regards, TRL Krosaki is integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and smart manufacturing techniques into their operation and services. These advancements include real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance and process optimisation, which improve equipment reliability and reduce material wastage. Additionally, the industry is leveraging digital tools like Automated Process Optimisation (APO) systems and AI-powered predictive analytics to enhance production workflows and ensure quality assurance.
In conclusion, by balancing traditional methods with innovative technologies, the Indian refractory industry is fostering a future-ready, resilient production ecosystem to meet the increasing demand from the stainless-steel sector in India. However, the refractory industry seek support from Indian stainless-steel manufacturers to promote the usages of technologically advanced domestic refractories under the scope of government’s ‘Make in India’ Initiatives.
