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Tata Steel Completes 100 Years of Production with A-F Blast Furnace

12/19/2011 - Tata Steel celebrated this week the completion of 100 years of production for its A-F Blast Furnace at the company’s plant in Jamshedpur. The plant is to reach an annual capacity of 10 million tonnes in a few months when it commissions its ‘I’ Blast Furnace.

Tata Steel announced this week the completion of 100 years of production for its A-F Blast Furnace at the company’s plant in Jamshedpur. The blast furnace originally became active on December 10, 1911 when it was blown in for the first time.
 
Ironmaking in India took a new shape with the blowing of the ‘A’ Blast Furnace at Tata Steel’s Jamshedpur plant. The journey continued as the company started up its ‘B’ Blast Furnace in 1912, ‘E’ Blast furnace in 1919 followed by the ‘C’  and ‘D’ Blast Furnaces in later years. In 1058, the company commissioned its ‘F’ Blast Furnace, which remained the company’s largest furnace until the commissioning of ‘G’ Blast Furnace in 1992.
 
In this long and eventful journey, the company rebuilt its ‘G’ Blast Furnace in 2005, expanding the furnace’s annual capacity from 1.0 to 1.8 million tonnes. In 2008, the company commissioned its ‘H’ Blast Furnace, which had an annual capacity of 2.5 million tonnes. The company is hopeful that continuing improvement in technology and raw material will allow it to continue to improve its operational excellence in ironmaking.
 
The company noted that the Jamshedpur Works will reach an annual capacity of 10 million tonnes within a few months when it commissions its ‘I’ Blast Furnace. The company celebrated the historic occasion by assembling all of Tata Steel’s present and past Iron Makers at the company’s A-F Blast Furnaces department.
 
“This  is indeed a momentous occasion for all the employees of Tata Steel, however,  the bigger challenge that lies in front of us is to equip ourselves with a  better method of using our raw materials, considering the volume and the cost,” said honorable chief guest Mr. HM Nerurkar, Managing Director of Tata Steel, while addressing the gathering. “I am sure that with the advanced use of technology and a committed workforce, we are empowered to solve such challenges that lie ahead.”
 
Guest of honor, Mr. Raghunath Pandey, President of Tata Worker’s Union stated, “The hundred-year celebration also marks the hundred years of healthy relationship that the Company Management has nurtured with its Union. It’s only on the basis of a committed workforce that the company could achieve so magnanimously.”
 
Dignitaries and many senior officials of the company, Office Bearers of TWU, Union Committee Members and other employees of Coke, Sinter and Iron Division were also present to celebrate the occasion.
 
Tata Steel is the world’s 7th-largest steelmaker.