Amrik Singh, IRMA, chairman, said, "We should try and make our products better known and appreciated in world market. This will bring indirect benefits along with knowledge about technology sophistication in business and commercial practices."
The refractory industry has recorded an overall capacity utilisation to 47 per cent, thereby registering a nominal gain. In 1998-99, the capacity utilisation was 44 per cent. However, the more special refractories like slide plates and auxiliaries, continuous casting refractories and monolithic products, including low and ultra-low cement castables have indicated 10-15 per cent growth.
R C Jha, managing director, Rourkela Steel Plant, said, "SAIL consumes around Rs 400 crore refractories." However, it has been reported that in SAIL plants specific refractory consumption in 1998-99 was 16.8 kg per tonne as against 24.4 kg per tonne in 1991-92. The specific cost of refractories in SAIL also declined from Rs 282 per tonne of crude steel in 1995-96 to Rs 245 per tonne in 1998-99.
Moreover, between 1994-95 and 1998-99, the import of refractories increased from 16,837 mt to 42,533 mt, an increase of 153 per cent. In value terms, over the same period, the increase has been made from Rs 99 crore to Rs 207 crore, an increase of 110 per cent.
Between 1993-94 and 1998-99 the increase in import of basic refractories has been 610 per cent in quantitative terms and only 315 per cent in value terms.
"It is a matter of regret that the government waived customs duty surcharge of 10 per cent on refractories, while maintaining the same for the major refractory raw materials," said Singh. The landed costs of imported raw materials constitute 60-65 per cent of the ex-works cost of major categories of refractories.
