Tata Refractories Limited (TRL) achieves highest heats in Tata Steel LD-2 and in Steel Authority of India Limited's (SAIL) Bokaro SMS-1

27-Nov-2010

Tata Refractories Limited (TRL)

TRL has achieved the highest straight life of 99 heats in the LD-2 steel ladle of 160 MT capacity with Alumina Magnesia Carbon (AMC) bricks in the metal zone recently. It is reported that the erosion was quite uniform and the ladle was having potential to go up to 105 heats although, it was put down considering the risk factor associated to this.

In another instance, Tata Refractories Limited (TRL) achieved the highest life of 83 heats in SMS-1 ladle of SAIL’s (Steel Authority of India Ltd) Bokaro steel plant surpassing the previous best of 77 heats with its TATA FRT – 2 bricks. Following these achievements TRL congratulated Tata Steel LD-2 team and BSL Refractory and SMS-1 team of SAIL Bokaro for rendering all support.

Tata Refractories Limited (TRL) is the No. 1 refractory company in India with an annual production capacity of around 380000 MT. Its refractories works at Belpahar, Orissa is considered to be the largest among all single refractory producing units in the world. The company has a wide range of products having the ability to meet the refractories requirement for all type of industries.

Tata Refractories Limited (TRL) is the only Burnt Dolomite producing company in India and also happens to be the first refractories company to have Integrated Management System (IMS) certified encompassing ISO 9001 :2008, ISO 14001:2004 and OHSAS 18001:2007. 

Central Salt and Marine Chemical Research Institute, India expects an US patent for developing a technology of extracting Refractory Grade Magnesia from Sea Water

16-Aug-2010
An indigenous technology for extracting refractory grade Magnesia from sea water by the Central Salt and Marine Chemical Research Institute (CSMCRI) is in the process of being granted US patent which will definitely boost the production of high-grade refractory products for the steel sector.

"We have been granted notice of allowance for a US patent filed on technology for extracting high grade Magnesia of 99.3 per cent purity from concentrated sea water," institute's director Pusphito Ghosh said.

"Shortly, the US patent for this homegrown technology will also be granted," Ghosh said.

Refractories are lining materials which can not be dispensed with in order to continue any high temperature furnace or kiln operations. Such material is largely used in linings for furnaces, kilns, incinerators and reactors. High grade Magnesia is the core product used in lining of refractories at steel smelting plants. Besides, it finds application in cement, glass and copper smelting industry, industry sources said. The availability of high grade magnesia for industrial purposes is scarce and the commodity has to be imported at a high cost to meet the domestic demand.

"Relining of refractories at steel smelting plants will reduce due to our finding of high grade magnesia," Ghosh said.

"This radical change in extraction of such high purity magnesia from concentrated sea water will come as a major boost for making high grade refractory products for the steel industry," a steel ministry official said.

"The institute's process of preparation of magnesia from magnesium hydroxide was granted US patent this month. The high grade magnesia extracted through this indigenous process was of 97.3 per cent purity," Ghosh said.

CSMCRI, a laboratory of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is situated in Bhavnagar (Gujarat) has now proposed to set up a pilot manufacturing plant of around 0.4 tonnes capacity per day for this high grade Magnesia (99.3 per cent purity).

Source: PTI inputs    

US Govt Slaps Antidumping and Countervailing Duties to China and Mexico for Magnesia Carbon Refractory Brick Imports

6-Aug-2010

Magnesia Carbon Bricks

On July 27th 2010, US Department of Commerce (DOC) announced its affirmative final determinations in the antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CAD) investigations on imports of magnesia carbon (MgO-C) refractory bricks from China and Mexico. According to its reports, US DoC determined that producers and exporters from China and Mexico have sold Mag Carbon bricks in the United States at margins ranging from 128.1% to 236% and 57.9%, respectively. It also determined that producers and exporters from China have received net countervailable subsidies ranging from 24.24% to 253.87%. In the AD investigations, the Chinese mandatory respondent RHI Refractories Liaoning Co Limited received a final dumping rate of 128.1%. Another thirteen Chinese producers or exporters qualified for a separate rate of 128.1%. All other Chinese producers or exporters of magnesia carbon bricks received the China wide dumping rate of 236% based on the application of adverse facts available as the China wide entity did not cooperate with Commerce's requests for information. The Mexican respondent RHI Refmex SA de CV received a final dumping rate of 57.9%. All other Mexican producers or exporters received a final dumping rate of 57.9%. In the CVD investigation, Chinese mandatory respondent, the Mayerton Companies (Dalian Mayerton Refractories Co Limited and Liaoning Mayerton Refractories Co Limited) received a net subsidy rate of 253.87%, based on the application of adverse facts available as it failed to cooperate with Commerce's requests for information. The other mandatory respondent, the RHI Companies (RHI Refractories Liaoning Co Limited RHI Refractories (Dalian) Co Limited and Liaoning RHI Jinding Magnesia Co Limited), received a net subsidy rate of 24.24%. All other Chinese producers or exporters received a net subsidy rate of 24.24%. As a result of the final AD determinations, US Department of Commerce will instruct US Customs and Border Protection to collect a cash deposit or bond on imports of Mag Carbon (MgO-C) refractory bricks based on the final AD rates. As a result of the affirmative final CVD determination (which follows a negative preliminary determination).US DoC will instruct US Customs and Border Protection to collect a cash deposit or bond on all imports of Magnesia Carbon refractory bricks based on the final CVD rates. The petitioner for these investigations is Resco Products Inc.

The products covered by these investigations are magnesia carbon bricks which are a type of refractory brick used in kilns and furnaces for the production of iron and steel. The merchandise subject to these investigations consist of chemically bonded (resin or pitch) magnesia carbon bricks with a magnesia component of at least 70% magnesia by weight, and with carbon levels ranging from trace amounts to 30 percent by weight. 
To know more about these products refer to our separate post 

Ideal Grain Size Distribution of Refractory Raw Materials Mixture for making Magnesia Carbon Bricks

The products covered by these investigations are currently classified in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) under the categories: 6902.10.10.00, 6902.10.50.00, 6815.91.00.00, 6815.99.2000 and 6815.99.4000. Mule the HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and customs purposes. Commerce's written description of the subject merchandise governs the scope of these investigations. Imports of certain magnesia carbon refractory bricks from China were valued at an estimated 38.1 million USD in 2009 while values of the same products from Mexico in 2009 were around 9.4 million USD.

Source: US Bureau of Census    
Related Post

• RHI AG extends contract with Voestalpine Donawitz for supplying Refractory Materials (Bricks, Castables and Mortars) worth EUR 24 million  
• Indian Steel Industry : An account of Public and Private Sector Steel Plants in India 

Refractory News: TFL Incorporated Gets Ready for Continued Growth in Precast Refractory Shape Technology

4-Aug-2010

The use of pre-cast shape technology can greatly enhance the performance of refractory linings in your equipment. TFL is a leader in developing applications for pre-cast shapes. Even the greatest refractory material in the world can give poor performance in the field if adequate care is not taken to insure proper water addition, mixing, and initial bake out. As a major supplier of quality precast refractory shapes in the Gulf Coast region, TFL Inc. has enjoyed a substantial increase in sales and company growth with an innovative technique that is simplifying the jobs of plant maintenance managers, while reducing equipment downtime and repair costs.
Precast refractory shapes are enhancing performance and offering longer service life of refractory linings in equipment designed for industries such as aluminum, steel, power generation, and minerals processing. 

The 12,000 square foot state of the art facility owned by TFL is equipped with an automated mixing station containing a digitally-controlled water meter, mix time alarm, and variable speed vibration tables -- ensuring the proper placement of refractory materials. After casting, the shapes are cured and fired to specification in a digitally-controlled furnace -- a crucial step often overlooked in field-installed linings. 

"Our manufacturing facility is suited to build virtually any size precast refractory shape required, and all of our pieces are built to meet optimum performance goals. Our engineers work closely with plant managers and maintenance engineers to custom design their shapes," said TFL President Emory Laningham. "Precast shapes offer easy installation and shortened repair times. By isolating lining areas with the use of precast shapes, repairs can be confined to the worn area alone, eliminating costly and timely tear out," added Laningham. 

TFL has been a supplier of industrial products to the Gulf Coast region since 1977, and was recently named the "Number One Distributor" for 2006 by Plibrico Company -- a world leader in monolithic refractories. TFL prides itself on being able to supply more than just "a bag of refractory." Among the many refractory-related services offered by TFL, they can provide infrared thermography, which is a process using an infrared camera and software to assist in monitoring the condition of refractory linings.

Log onto www.tflhouston.com for a complete list of TFL turnkey services.

Company Address:

TFL Inc.
14626 Chrisman
Houston, TX USA 77039
US 800-828-5002
281-590-8500

Source: HealthStip   

Refractory News: Tata Refractories Limited (TRL) and Indian Refractories Makers' Association (IRMA) join hands to impart training on Refractory Technology

21-July-2010

According to a recent media release from Tata Group, Tata Refractories (TRL) and Indian Refractories Makers’ Association (IRMA) have joined hands to impart training on refractories technology. Accordingly, a three-month training programme has been started in JJ Irani Centre for Learning at TRL, Belpahar, from June 14, 2010. Ten shop floor supervisors from different refractories companies such as Orient Abrasives, ACE Caldery Limited, Maithan Ceramics, Visva Vishal Engineering, Industrial Associates, Servesh Refractories and Raj Ceramics are attending the training programme. There is a scarcity of Refractory professionals which is one of the main reasons for the big demand for trained personnel in refractory industry. Dr. Arup Kumar Chattopadhyay, MD, TRL, who is also the chairman, IRMA, has taken this initiative to meet this requirement of the industry. It is also a step towards cooperation and collaboration among refractories companies in India, opines Dr. Chattopadhyay. B.N. Ghosh, ex-director of TRL and a well known refractories expert inaugurated the training programme in the presence of A. Dasgupta, executive secretary, IRMA; S. Adak, VP, Technology, TRL; and P. Chakrabarty, GM, Technology, TRL. While the HRD department of TRL is coordinating the programme, the faculty support is drawn mostly from Tata Refractories and a few from other industries. TRL, the number one refractories company in India is also a leader in training and development activities. Equipped with a state-of-the-art learning centre, an unique refractories engineering workshop and a host of experienced and knowledgeable faculty among its executives, TRL’s training facilities and competence level are unrivalled.

Source: Tata Group | Tata Refractories | Media Releases   

Indian Refractory Manufacturers: Are They Delivering Customer Delight?

DELIGHT today is EXPECTATION tomorrow. 

And EXPECTATION today is BASIC NEED tomorrow. 

Liberalisation of Indian economy in the nineties decade has many firsts to its credit. Opening up of more than the 125 year old Indian Refractory Industry is one of them. Greater productivity, energy conservation, pollution control and environment friendly refractories suddenly became buzzwords of refractory industry too which, till the previous day was stagnating without proper investment and worn-out technologies.

Since, the number of member countries joining the World Trade Organization (WTO) has also enlarged, the global scenario has changed from protective and monopolistic industrial output to comparative and quality oriented products. Under such circumstances, the trading community and consumers have the opportunity to dictate their terms to the domestic manufacturers in terms of price and quality of the products. Under the new circumstances the refractory manufacturing units also need to improve the quality and produce at globally competitive price as also to understand ISO: 9000 Quality Assurance System. This does not mean to a mere ‘certification’ of ISO system, rather its implementation in real sense is what is required, if a company thinks of creating a niche in the industry.

Like other industries, for refractory industry also the post-liberalisation era brought along with it one more important aspect, which is the need to realize the concept of Customer Delight and, of course, how to deliver the same. First let us understand what the concept of ‘Customer Delight’ is. In today’s highly competitive marketplace, mere satisfaction does not ensure loyalty. To take potential defectors by surprise, you have to move beyond customer expectations - by anticipating her needs and then surpassing them with constantly superior products or service. That is delighting the customer. In a highly-competitive market, where switching costs are low, it makes sense to target the loyalist - the delighted customer - who will keep coming.

How does customer delight transcend customer satisfaction? The product is essentially created by a bundle of benefits that comprises the core - the key elements in a product or service; the ring of expectation - what customer expect; and the ring of enhancement - what companies add to a product or service to surpass customer expectations. As both the core and support elements, the sources of customer satisfaction, become indistinguishable with the diffusion of technology and the replication of efficient systems across organizations, the differentiation moves to the third zone. That’s what creates the zone of difference for companies competing for customer’s mind space and the wallet. 

What do we mean by Customer Delight or Customer Satisfaction :

• the fulfillment of latent needs that the customer is yet not aware of
• a quality of service that she considers is not possible from marketers
• complete personalization of standardized product or service
• solutions to problems offered by a company’s personnel at personal initiative

There are many more things like - creating customer delight, measuring delight then preparing to deliver delight. Such an approach to amaze both the customer and the competitors sows the seeds of innovation and corporate imagination. Here innovation in the field of refractories could stem from new Refractory Lining Technology or a new Refractory Product or a similar Service. Or it could be the emergence of a new technology through the convergence of technologies, as is happening in the InfoTech industry, or the miniaturization of technology. Now it is apparent that innovation can not happen without giving thrust to Research and Development activities. Since Refractory industry is no exception so, R & D is a core area where refractory entrepreneurs need to pay a lot of genuine attention. The R & D activities must be targeted not only on improving the quality of materials but also on production of cost effective materials for various applications. The main focus should be on:

• optimum utilization of indigenous raw materials
• up-gradation of refractory technologies
• development of equipment for better refractory application, repairing and lining of furnaces
• quality control and energy conservation measures
• development of new refractory products
• automation and computerization

DELIGHT today is EXPECTATION tomorrow. 

And EXPECTATION today is basic need tomorrow. 

To squeeze delight out of this relentless downward spiral, only a high-quality mechanism for listening to the customer and responding instantaneously with genuine attitude will suffice. But many entrepreneurs (I mean those Indian refractory entrepreneurs, who have at least realized the value of Customer Delight) still forget that customer delight does not end at the front office of a company; it begins here. And last but not the least, most companies talk about customer satisfaction, not about employee satisfaction. They must remember that - only happy employees make happy customers.