Focusing on the creation of infrastructure and industrialisation has put the spotlight on the use of steel as a construction material and its availability.

Beyond doubt, India’s steel sector has come a long way. “India is now the 3rd or4th largest producer of steel in the world, making one of the bestquality steels globally,” observes Manish Garg, Chief Executive Officer, Interarch Building Products.

That said, is the present installed capacity enough to cater to thescale and size of the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP), or do supply delays occur?

“We normally get the steel on time but the delivery cycles are long; for instance, steel mills supply once in 45 days,” shares Garg.

“Demand-supply gaps in structural steel procurement and price fluctuations have delayed several of our projects,” says Abhishek Sanyal, Director, Force Structural Engineers. “Sometimes, the procurement of enabling structures like gantries was slower than anticipated, which delayed the execution. Or the price of steel saw sudden increases, necessitating the reworking of design and construction philosophies.”

A point of concern surrounding the availability of steel in India, albeit minor, is the ability of countries like China to deliver high volumes of fabricated steel parts at relatively cheaper rates, adds Sanyal. “Indian manufacturers and fabricators need to counter this situation by boosting their capacity.”

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