The IIM
Indian Institute of Metals (IIM), Pune Chapter organized a two-day National Workshop on Innovations and Challenges in Steel Technology and Products (ICSTP-2010) on January 11-12, 2010 at Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA), Pune on the occasion of Fifth Dr. Dara P Antia Memorial Lecture. Nearly 100 delegates from academia, industries and research labs attended this workshop. Dr. Baba Kalyani, CMD, Kalyani Group, inaugurated the workshop. During the inaugural session, Dr. Amarendra K Singh, Convener, ICSTP-2010, welcomed the delegates and guests and outlined workshop objectives. Dr. N. B. Dhokey, Chairman, IIM Pune Chapter presented a brief account of activities of Pune Chapter and invited the Chief Guest, Dr. Baba Kalyani, to deliver the inaugural address. In his inaugural address, Dr. Baba Kalyani mentioned about the glorious past when Indian sub-continent was considered to be a world leader in the production and trade of minerals and metals. He was happy to note that there is a steady resurgence in the Steel sector during the last decade. He mentioned that Indian steel production is going to reach over 240 million tons; nearly four times the current capacity within the next decade and sustained innovation is the key to remain globally competitive. He emphasized the need for high quality steels required for our strategic sectors like nuclear, defense and space applications and was happy to note that challenges and opportunities associated with the development of steels tailor-made for these sectors will be discussed during this workshop. He also emphasized the urgent need to address the issue of manpower shortage in this rapidly growing sector. At the end of the inaugural function, Dr. Sahab Prasad, Secretary, IIM Pune Chapter, proposed a vote of thanks.
The workshop had a two day program (January 11-12) comprising of 16 lectures given by experts drawn from various fields. The panel of speakers included Prof. N. B. Ballal (IIT Mumbai), Prof. K. Narasimhan(IIT Mumbai) and Prof. N. N. Viswanathan (IIT Mumbai) from academia, Dr. Vivekanand Kain (BARC), Dr. M. Srinivas (DMRL) and Mr. P. Ramkumar, (VSCC) from national laboratories, Dr. Amarendra K Singh (TRDDC) and Dr. B. P. Gautham (TRDDC) from industrial R&D laboratory, and Mr. B. R. Galgali (Tata Motors Ltd.), Mr. D. Mazumdar (Electrotherm Ltd.), Dr. S. B. Sarkar (Gordia Special Steel Ltd.), Mr. B. D. Ginde (Hoganas), Dr. Satyam S. Sahay (John Deere), Dr. P. Sivaprasad (Sandvik Asia), Dr. R. K. P. Singh (Bharat Forge) and Mr. B. Radhakrishnan (Bharat Forge) from various industries. The major themes that were covered during the workshop included: Electric Steelmaking, Liquid Metal Refining, Continuous Casting, Inclusion Control, Sheet Metal Forming, Weight Reduction in Automotive Industry, Powder Metallurgical Technology, Process Modeling and Optimization and Steel for Critical Applications.
Dr. Pradip, Head, Process Engineering Innovation Laboratory, TRDDC, chaired the valedictory-cum-discussion session. The session witnessed very healthy and informative discussions. It emerged that there is widespread use of mathematical models in production of steel as well as manufacturing of steel products. Participants emphasized the need for a consortium approach to meet future challenges in the steel industry. Finally, Dr. Sahab Prasad thanked all the speakers and delegates. He also took this opportunity to thank all the sponsors of the Workshop, namely, Bharat Forge Ltd., Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Bluescope Steel, Metal Power, Magnum Industries, Metatech Industries, Kalyani Carpenter and Auto Controls.
Group photograph of Workshop participants
Dr. Baba Kalyani, CMD, Kalyani Group, delivering his inaugural address during the Workshop.