Dsp Aims At 110% Capacity Utilisation

The Durgapur Steel Plant (DSP) of the Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL), which achieved a major turnaround in the previous fiscal by notching up a cash profit in excess of Rs 50 crore, plans to enhance overall capacity utilisation to 110 per cent.

The continuous casting plant was operating at 126.4 per cent of its installed capacity in July, while the merchant mill was working at 111.1 per cent of its rated capacity.

The blast furnace No 3, currently under modernisation, is also expected to be back in operation in January 2002.

The turnaround at DSP was brought about by a number of factors such as high capacity utilisation, improved market realisations for DSP's long products and stringent cost control measures.

DSP has achieved the highest converter lining life in the country. Its Converter No.3 topped 2,508 heats in its latest campaign. The average lining life, which was 1,132 heats in the year.

Cost control measures helped DSP to reduce costs by Rs 125 crore in 2000-2001, over and above that of Rs 150 crore in 2001-2002. During the current fiscal it aims at reducing cost by another Rs 100 crore.