Our focus on innovation has led to recognition worldwide

- Vinay Shroff, Senior Vice President-Sales & Marketing and Head-Retail, JSW Steel Ltd JSW Steel Ltd, around a $9 billion global conglomerate, is India´s leading private sector steel producer with footprints in over 140 countries. Vinay Shroff, Senior Vice President-Sales & Marketing and Head-Retail, JSW Steel Ltd, shares more on the industry and the company´s offerings... What is the mantra to sustainable growth? The biggest mantra we follow is teamwork. We are exceedingly nimble footed, fast, agile, and flexible. The ability to leverage opportunities, technologies and competencies to get things done rapidly and efficiently, makes us unique. We have a high appetite for risk. Our transparent business practices and focused approach have contributed to make every endeavour a success. What are the initiatives to boost branding and retail? We intend to reach out aggressively in rural and semi-urban areas. In the past few months, we set out to build the corporate brand ´JSW´. The ´Will of Steel´ campaign was launched, which was well-received. Subsequently, product brand campaigns were also initiated to push retail sales across urban and rural areas. We re-branded our TMT bars as ´JSW NEOSTEEL - Pure TMT Bars´ and launched a new campaign to build this brand. Also, we organised plant visits for channel partners and influencers as well as started ´JSW Shoppe Connect´ - an exclusive retail outlet for selling our products across towns and villages. We have embarked upon a comprehensive approach for branding through strengthening our corporate brand, creating awareness about our product brands, reinforced by various ATL and BTL initiatives, connecting with decision-makers and ensuring availability of our products at retail outlets. What will drive the growth of steel in India? Steel is a versatile and green material. With advancements in technology in India, it has found usages in several sectors. Also, the steel demand in solar segment for panels is bound to increase. We are the largest supplier in India for the high coating mass galvanised and Galvalume® coated steel for the panels. Affordable housing, furniture, grain silos for agri-produce storage are a few other new segments in which steel is widely used now. We are also focusing on import substitution and Make In India. The construction and infrastructure segment will continue to drive the growth of steel consumption. What is the road map of the construction industry? The industry is highly fragmented and should start integrating technologies to improve quality. It should provide end-to-end solutions to the customers. We feel responsible to promote quality construction in the country and believe we can make a difference. We have come up with a solution format branded as JSW Explore to provide customised solutions. Creating awareness will be the key for improving quality and workmanship in the construction industry. Share your thoughts on steel in architecture. The architecture and construction industry in developed nations have moved towards steel-intensive structures, because it is versatile, long-lasting and faster to construct. Steel has high recyclable and resale value. It is time to introduce this in architecture, engineering and design colleges in India, which would bring a major paradigm shift in the industry. How do you position the JSW Steel brand in terms of sustainability, innovations and CSR activities? We are pioneers in the use of innovative technology. We customise offerings to match customer expectations. Our strong focus on innovation and R&D has led to recognition worldwide. Nearly 40 per cent of our products are high value steels; we intend to take this figure up to 50 per cent. We are the first producers of Galvalume® (Aluminium Zinc coated steel) in India and pioneers of pre-coated and vinyl- coated products.Our sustainable values have led to strong partnerships among the communities we operate. We aim at developing the society along with our brand. We are building one of the best sports academies in the Vijayanagar plant with the intention of having Olympic gold medals for the country. Any upcoming ventures in line? We already have a technological collaboration with JFE Steel, Japan, to manufacture automotive steel. We have a JV with Marubeni-Itochu Steel, Tokyo, for setting up state-of-art steel processing centres and have also partnered with Severfield, UK, for advance construction technology for hi-rise steel buildings. With our new TMT bar mill in Maharashtra, JSW Steel would be the largest manufacturer of TMT bars in India. (Communication by the management of the company)