SAIL to export 10% of total output to new markets in Africa, Asia

Steel giant to target higher volumes, deeper reach in retail sales; will also work to improve logistics

Public sector giant Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) is looking to ramp up its presence in the global markets through exports. Ten per cent of SAIL’s saleable steel production will be targeted for the new markets overseas, including Africa, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, a company executive said.

“SAIL is also streamlining its channel management to address the needs of customers in untapped geographies. In the times to come, SAIL would focus on retail sales with higher volumes and deeper reach along with exploring effective ways of transportation and logistics,’’ SAIL chairman P K Singh said. SAIL’s new marketing strategy is aimed at gaining a competitive edge in the market. 

“For SAIL, the new marketing strategy, with customer retention through enhanced customer experience as its mantra, is a way to consolidate its market leadership and is a crucial tool for the turnaround of the firm in the near future,” the chairman said. 

On the market competition, he said, “big challenges offer great opportunities. Capacity addition by other companies enhances market competition and in such a scenario SAIL’s intelligent workforce, experienced manpower and new assets are great advantages.”

Singh said that while retaining its core marketing values, SAIL was strengthening its market-centric and consumer-oriented approach for reaching out to more customers. 

“At SAIL, customer-value management is supreme. With the stabilisation of most of our new and modernised mills, we are diversifying our product basket with several value-added and ready-to-use products,” he said.