SAIL sales sail ahead 14% in Q2

The country's largest steel-maker SAIL today reported 14 per cent growth in its sales at over 3 million tonnes during the second quarter ended September 2009, over the year-ago period.

"The company achieved record Q2 sales of over 3 million tonnes, registering growth of 14 per cent over the corresponding period last year," Steel Authority of India said in a statement.

The company said it also achieved 1.2 million tonnes special steel production — best ever in any Q2, which was 15 per cent higher than the corresponding period last fiscal.

Sale of long products, primarily consumed by the construction sector, surged by 14 per cent, in the quarter over July-September 2009.

Production of flat-rolled items, used by the auto and the consumer durables industry, surged by 13 per cent in the second quarter of the fiscal over the corresponding period last fiscal.

According to the company, it also achieved the best techno-economic factors for any Q2 in the period.

Hoping for better demand in future, SAIL Chairman S K Roongta had recently said "demand growth can touch double digit figure in the October-December period."