Founder
Steel Plant Specialities LLP, founded by metallurgists from IIT in 1985, is engaged in manufacturing innovative products to increase productivity of metal-forming industries. Today SPS is a preferred supplier, and in many cases, the sole supplier of its products to leading Organisations in hot forging, heat treatment, hot rolling, die casting and metal working in India as well as selected European countries.Its unique range of products includes: Anti-scale protective coatings, Forging Die Lubricants, Decarburization Control Coatings, Refractory Coatings, Anti-Nitriding stop-off coatings, Cleaning Liquids, Die Spray Systems, EP Grease, and so on. Enhanced productivity, minimal losses, substantial savings and conservation of environment are the multi-pronged benefits enabled by the use of the revolutionary products manufactured by SPS. In an interview, director Srikar Shenoy narrates the saga of evolution of this innovator that provides panacea to the steel-making industry and brings savings galore to the nation. Excerpts:
Q. Steel Plant Specialities (SPS) has been a key player in the metallurgical industry since 1985. What inspired its founding, and how did it evolve into the company it is today?
SPS was incorporated in 1985 by my father S.P.Shenoy, a Metallurgist from IIT, Mumbai, and an alumnus of Banaras Hindu University. During his tenure as a senior metallurgist with a reputed steel plant, my father and his colleagues observed that rejections due to oxidation and decarburization resulted in huge losses in the steel-making Organizations. They consulted with their contacts in chemical engineering and tribology, and developed formulations in the form of coatings to prevent rejections due to oxidation and decarburization. Thus, with a sound knowledge and experience of Metallurgy, Chemistry and Tribology, SPS started developing products to prevent rejections.
This systematic problem-solving methodology was much appreciated by the metal-forming industry. Within a few years, SPS was supplying customized products to solve problems of complex metallurgical processes in hot rolling, hot forging and heat treatment. Metallurgical problems faced by the industry are always the starting point of our product-development process. Due to good results achieved therein, customers started involving our team for solving issues like low die and tool life in hot forging, high energy consumption in furnace operations and so on.
Since the time I joined SPS in the year 2003, my role is to visit metal-forming industries, understand the problems faced by them and document the correct inputs for our technical development team. After the products are developed, I assist in correct implementation on customers’ sites along with our team of trained engineers, who also hold an average 20 years of experience in the hot forging and hot rolling industry.
Q. Your range of innovative products has proven vital in increasing productivity across metallurgical industries. Could you elaborate on how these products contribute to efficiency and cost reduction?
Here are some of the well-documented prestigious accomplishments and case studies of SPS that also answer your question:
- SPS is the only Indian manufacturer to successfully develop and supply graphiteless, eco-friendly lubricants for hot extrusion and continuous hot forging applications. Increase in forging die life by more than 30% and reduction in lubricant consumption by 25% as compared with imported lubricantsare some of the benefits that are certified by customers that are regularly using SPS products.
- Success of the Chandrayan project was highly prestigious for our nation. SPS contributed to this project by developing coatings that are used to prevent rejections in critical heat treatment operations of aerospace grade steel.
- Furnace refractory coatings developed by SPS have enabled substantial savings in fuel consumption and reduced maintenance issues in billet-reheating furnaces and heat treatment furnaces. Jindal Group, Mahindra & Mahindra and such industry leaders have certified that the return-on-investment by the use of these coatings is 1 month only. This is by way of fuel saving in furnace operations. Reduction in fuel consumption is a major step in the direction of sustainability.
Q. SPS’s eco-friendly products stand out in the industry. How important is environmental sustainability to your company, and how do your products align with this vision?
SPS has systematically phased out the manufacturing of carbon-intensive products and moved towards carbon-free and sustainable products. In the case of hot forging and extrusion, heavily polluting oils and graphite/ carbon-based products were used earlier. SPS has been able to replace up to 70% of such applications with carbon-free, non-polluting and sustainable products. This has not only contributed to the environment but also opened up new business for us in developed nations that are highly conscious of using sustainable products.
Q. As a preferred supplier to many leading companies, both in India and Europe, what do you think sets SPS apart from competitors in the metallurgical sector?
This can be summed up in 2 Cs: Customization and Commitment. Customization of products to suit each technical requirement; and Commitment of teams in product development andaccurate implementation of the product usage in customer’s Plants.
Q. SPS offers a wide range of products, from anti-scale coatings to forging die lubricants. Could you discuss the R&D process that drives the innovation behind your product portfolio?
Metallurgical problems faced by the hot-forming industry are always the starting point of our R&D process. Once the problem statement is well-defined with required data, our team of Metallurgists, Chemical Engineers, Polymer Engineers and Tribologists commences work. Testing of newly developed formulations are done in our well-equipped laboratory. For facilities that are not available with us, reputed external laboratories are engaged. BFI Germany is an applied-research oriented laboratory that has assisted us. After the successful initial testing in laboratory, we carry out controlled tests at the customer’s Plant. Once successful and when the customer confirms that desired results are achieved, the scaling up and regular usage of the product is established.
Q. Once the R&D for a particular application is completed and your products are developed, it becomes a matter of correct implementation, training to customers and timely delivery of products on a regular basis. How does SPS ensure all of these across India and overseas?
This is established by a good dealer network of SPS at major industry cluster locations in North, South and West. SPS dealers are not just ‘stockists’ or ‘traders’. These dealers too are qualified engineers. They and their team hold a strong service-mentality that resonates with the culture atSPS. For example, our dealers in North and South are from the maintenance background and hence know the teething troubles of the hot forming industry. When SPS develops new products or upgrades existing ones, these dealers are able to technically evaluate the precise positive difference that the product is makingin the customer’s production or maintenance process. Some of the SPS dealers have been with us forover 21 years. Establishing new dealers where we do not have any at present is one of the priorities of SPS. However, more than the ability to stock products locally, SPS gives prime importance to the service-mentality, industry experience and qualifications of its dealers too. For overseas markets, majority of the sales are to direct customers as of now, except for a few South East Asian countries where SPS has found dealers of the right profile.
Q. You have a rich history of supplying to both Indian and European markets. How do you navigate the differences in customer needs and regulatory environments between these regions?
Most of our overseas business is generated through references or word-of-mouth,and our participation in selected overseas exhibitions. The problem-solving methodology remains exactly the same, be it Indian or overseas customers. As we manufacture and export non-hazardous and sustainable products, the documentation and freight is slightly easier. However, expenses have to be incurred to manage REACH regulations while supplying to Europe. These expenses are for carrying out tests and obtaining clearance reports from approved laboratories to confirm the non-hazardous nature of products, to generate safety data sheets from approved authoring agencies and such formalities involved. Over the years, we have become quite savvy with these procedures. SPS exports regularly to Europe, USA, Middle-East and South-East Asian countries.
Q. With nearly four decades of expertise, how does SPS plan to continue pushing the envelope in terms of innovation, especially with new technologies or materials?
Ideas for innovation are received aplenty as our teams are directly involved in customer’s production and quality processes. Everything we do is with an aim of catering to customer’s present and future requirements. For example, when we developed graphiteless forging die lubricants, we also started developing automated spraysystems to dispense the lubricants effectively.Same is true for anti-scale protective coatings. Our entire team pro-actively underwent training from leading spray automation experts so that we can serve our customers better. Hence, we were prepared when customers starteddiscussing automating the application of our coatings and lubricants. As there is always an interest to reduce prices of products and to enhance performance, it is a must to develop new formulations by the use of new materials and alternative materials. This is the full-time responsibility of our New Product Development department.
Q. Your team of metallurgical engineers from IITs plays a critical role in SPS’s success. How does the technical expertise of your team influence your product development and customer satisfaction?
Our Product Developmentteamserves the most important purpose of accurate understanding of each customer’s specific technical requirement, be it in hot forging, hot rolling, casting, hot stamping or any type of hot-forming process. Then, they along with the Chemical Engineering team work on formulations in the form of coatings and lubricants. Care is taken to ensure that the formulations do not create a hindrance in any other process, and also provide added value where needed. For example, a coating developed for high-temperature oxidation prevention was working well in its primary function but was acting as a barrier to metal movement during forming. Our teams brainstormed to change the formulation such that oxidation is prevented and metal-flow is enhanced. We solved a hidden problem that was not even expected and also provided an added advantage to the customer. There are so many such examples of solving more than one problem with a single formulation or product, solely because highly knowledgeable team is involved. It saves time and efforts for customers, and ensures that the most cost-effective solution is offered. In India, there are hundreds of forge shops, casting and hot rolling units that do not have engineers or qualified personnel, for various reasons. Interaction with SPS has steered a number of such organizations in the right direction technically, and eventually lead to substantial savings. SPS is not a ‘consultant’ and we do not charge fees for the advice that is offered for correct metal-forming processes. Customers see immense value in this.
Q. What are SPS’s plans for future growth, and how do you foresee your company contributing to the evolving landscape of metallurgical industries globally?
SPS is a registered small scale industry. As a policy, SPS has not chased business volume alone, but has stayed true to its commitment of developing customized products that deliver desired results. Sometimes, highly customized products do not generate very high volume of sales. For example: aerospace, titanium, Inconel and such specialized alloy steels are processed in lesser volumes in India, and hence our successfully developed products are sold in limited quantum in such niche applications. However, this factor is not a deterrent for SPS. The product mix of SPS is unique and self-propelling. Growth of SPS may be considered humble but consistent, ranging between 17% to 23% per year on average for the past 10 years. As per business projections, this average growth is poised to increase for the next two financial years.
