Narendran urges focus on competitiveness and reskilling at Steel Workers Meet
Jamshedpur, Aug 27: China’s overwhelming dominance in global steel production continues to cast a long shadow over the Indian steel industry, Tata Steel Managing Director and CEO T.V. Narendran said on Tuesday. Addressing the concluding session of the two-day executive meeting of the Indian National Steel, Metal, MetalMines and Engineering Employees Federation (INSMM&EEF) at Michael John Auditorium in Jamshedpur, he underlined the need for India to stay competitive through efficiency, sustainability, and embracing new technology.
“China produces more than 50 percent of the world’s steel,” Narendran began, setting the tone of his address. “Its largest steel company, Baosteel, alone produces 150 million tonnes a year—that is more than the entire steel production of India. That scale gives them enormous advantages in procurement, logistics and costs. This is the size of our competition.”
Narendran elaborated that China’s advantages go far beyond output. With ports, railways, and industrial infrastructure modernized over the last 20–25 years, Chinese producers are able to move raw materials and finished goods at much lower costs compared to India.
“Inside our factories, we are globally competitive,” he said. “But the challenge lies outside our gates. Logistics, electricity, taxes, land acquisition delays—these are costs beyond the control of companies. China has already solved many of these problems. That’s why they are able to sell steel globally at prices that we often struggle to match.”
He also noted that China’s exports alone dwarf the production of most nations. “Tata Steel is the tenth-largest steel company in the world, producing 30–33 million tonnes. But China exports nearly 100 million tonnes annually—more than three times our total production. That scale affects profitability everywhere.”
Calling for government support, Narendran said, “Sometimes, safeguards like duties are needed, but more importantly, we must continue improving our own competitiveness. China will not suddenly stop exporting steel. We must prepare ourselves to deal with that competition.”
