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SAIL partners ABB India to drive digital transformation in steel manufacturing
Industry News- May 22,25
Two companies will explore developments for Rourkela Steel Plant to improve productivity and efficiency of operations. Data-driven models will be used to assess opportunities for optimising ironmaking and steelmaking in line with sustainability improvements.
Bengaluru, 22 May 2025
Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), a Maharatna central public sector enterprise, has entered a strategic partnership with ABB India to digitally transform steel production at the Rourkela Steel Plant in Odisha. The collaboration aims to optimise ironmaking and steelmaking operations by creating digital twins of blast furnaces and the basic oxygen furnace units of the steel melt shop, enabling advanced data-driven decision-making.
This Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) comes at a critical juncture for the Indian steel industry, which faces mounting environmental regulations, rising costs, and growing demand. Rourkela Steel Plant, which produced 4.08 million tonnes of saleable steel in FY25, plans to increase its capacity to around 9 million tonnes by 2030. The digitalisation partnership with ABB is a key step towards achieving that target while improving operational efficiency and sustainability.
Under the agreement, ABB India will apply its automation and digitalisation expertise to develop mathematical models that offer real-time insights into plant performance. These insights are expected to enhance furnace operations, boost product quality, extend asset life, and reduce the plant’s environmental impact.
Biswa Ranjan Palai, Executive Director (Works), SAIL, said, “This collaboration marks a milestone in modernising our steel production systems. The digital twin initiative will empower us to make real-time operational decisions, improve productivity and maintain our competitive edge in the global market.”
Kapil Agarwal, Senior Vice President and Local Division Manager, Process Industries, ABB India, added, “Through this partnership, ABB reaffirms its commitment to digital innovation in India’s core industries. Our goal is to revolutionise steelmaking using advanced models and digital twins that enable leaner, cleaner, and more intelligent operations.”
India’s steel sector is on an upward trajectory, with domestic demand forecast to grow by 9–10% in FY25, and long-term annual growth estimates ranging between 5% and 7.3%, according to ICRA and Deloitte. As Indian steelmakers invest in capacity expansion and energy efficiency, digital transformation is becoming central to achieving global competitiveness.
The partnership also coincides with ABB’s 75th anniversary in India, underlining its longstanding contribution to industrial automation, electrification, and digital innovation across key sectors including steel, cement, mining, and energy.
SAIL’s Rourkela Steel Plant, which began operations in 1959, remains at the forefront of India’s steel manufacturing with its wide product range of flat, tubular, and coated steels, and specialty steel for defence. With a current capacity of 4.2 million tonnes per annum, the plant is gearing up for the next phase of growth backed by digital technologies.
SAIL
ABB India
Rourkela Steel Plant
Biswa Ranjan Palai
Kapil Agarwal
steel industry
digital twin
ironmaking
steelmaking
Rourkela Steel Plant
digital transformation
steel manufacturing
blast furnaces
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