JSW Steel has commissioned 2.5-lakh tonne fresh tin-plate capacity at its Tarapur unit in Maharashtra, with an investment of ₹575 crore.
The company, which will sell tin plants under the ‘JSW Platina’ brand, plans to invest another ₹490 crore to double the capacity and tap the growing opportunity for tinplate products, with India pledging to eliminate single-use plastics by 2022.
JSW Steel currently has annual cumulative installed tinplate capacity of 3.5 lakh tonnes, of which 1 lakh tonne is through the joint venture company JSW Vallabh Tinplate.
Once the second phase of expansion is done, JSW Steel will have a capacity of 6 lakh tonne, higher than that of Tata Tinplate’s 3.80 lakh tonnes.
Assured quality
Jayant Acharya, Director, JSW Steel, told BusinessLine that the company has become the first to introduce continuous annealing technology for making tinplate products, to ensure quality packaging materials.
As a hygienic and eco-friendly packaging product, JSW Platina can reduce carbon footprint as the country moves towards reducing plastic consumption by eliminating single use plastics over next few years, he said.
The tin plate market is estimated at ₹5,500-6,000 crore. The demand for tinplate is estimated at 7 lakh tonnes per annum, and registers a growth of 6.5 per cent a year. Imports account for 3 lakh tonnes.
Acharya said most of the tinplate imported is made of recycled steel, with doubts on quality.
The government should implement BIS (Bureau of Indian Standard) standards to ensure that safety of consumers are not compromised particularly when the rural demand for canned items growing faster than expected, he said.
Amit Agarwal, CEO, JSW Steel Coated Products, said the most modern continuous annealing line process ensures high uniformity in terms of gauge and temper of tinplate.
Uniformity and precision are the most crucial differentiators for manufacturers with high-speed can lines as it helps them increase their yield per tonne while reducing rejections.
JSW Platina, a continuous annealed tinplate product, will enable customers achieve higher productivity, which in turn can have a direct bearing on the scale, efficiency, and profitability of their business.
JSW Platina has a wide variety of applications as a packaging material, ranging from food cans, juices, coffee cans, edible oils, ghee to battery, aerosol cans and crown corks.