Balco to roll specialized product for automobile industry

Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (Balco) would be producing a specialized product in its Korba mill that would be used in the automobile sector.

Balco, in which mining conglomerate and London-listed Vedanta Ltd, earlier Sesa Sterlite, holds 51 per cent stake, would be the first in the country to produce the grade technically known as AA356.2 alloy. The company is mainly eyeing American market for the product.

"The American automobile companies had taken the sample for testing and would place order after completing the formalities," a senior company official said. The product contain high silicon content and has usage in automotive Sector mainly in alloy segment for wheel and heavy load and duty carrying capacity vehicles due to its composition.

The product has two different variants as strontium modified and strontium unmodified; however, both has same application with little variation in difference sectors. The Balco research team had developed the product. "Since, it is first time cast in India; therefore, we did not have recipe for the same and was also developed within house in shortest period of time," the official said.

Flow-ability of the cast is so high that it can even leak from mould during cast and create many other production issues. But with high technical team support with operation, it was achieved in third cast itself, the official added.

The new product would add to the Balco’s portfolio that had been producing hot rolled coils, hot rolled plates, cold rolled coils and strips, cold rolled sheets and chequered sheets. Since, the automobile sector was replacing many steel parts with aluminium, the company was optimistic about the new product.

The AA356.2 alloy would be produce in the sheet rolling shop (SRS) that company recently re-started after 11 months. The shop was shut down as it was running in huge loss following global steep fall in the price of aluminium and low demand due to dumping from China.

The company had planned to take the capacity of SRS to 100,000 tonnes per annum.