The ceramic industry in the country is growing at a healthy 10 per cent per annum and the prospects are bright as the use of ceramics in infrastructure and automobile sectors is increasing, according to Y. Siva Sagara Rao, former Chairman and Managing Director of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.
He was speaking as the chief guest at a regional workshop on improving castable refractories with calcium aluminate cements organised by the Visakhapatnam Chapter of the Indian Ceramic Society and Kerneous India at Gajuwaka here on Thursday.
Vital component
He said that castable refractories being a vital component for steel, pharma, cement and processing industries, entrepreneurs should make use of modern technologies for cost reduction.
He said productionestimated at 30 million tonnes, was registering an increase 10 per cent per annum.
Kerneos India Managing Director Segi P. Idicula welcomed the fresh moves by the Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram to give an impetus to the manufacturing sector.
Steel policy
He said the projected growth of steel production was two years behind schedule and hoped that the redrafting of the steel policy would give a fillip to refractory units.
ICS Vizag chapter Vice-Chairman P.B.V. Krishna Rao, convener Atanu Datta, co-convener Prasanta Dutta and others spoke.