— Shehzad Hemani, Chairman and Managing Director, Conros Group
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Will the global slowdown affect the steel industry and your company in particular?
Conros works with reliable and consistent trade partners in various markets, and though the economic slowdown has affected the industry, we envisage that there should not be a drop of more than 10-15 per cent in the demand of our products for Q1 09. However, the mills capacities are being filled up by entering potentially new markets and addition of lines for value-added products.

Is Conros taking special measures to minimise the effects of the slowdown?
Variable cost reduction and better efficiency in the day-to-day operations of the company are effective tools to counter the effects of the economic slowdown, thus producing products at the lowest possible cost which enables the sales programme to offer the most competitive prices and hence gives an edge to Conros as a new market entrant in the emerging markets.

What are your company's future plans?
Conros Group is planning to triple its pipe-making capacity by installing new equipment with combined capacity 200,000 tpa. Next, in mid-September, it plans to launch mill No.4 to produce 140,000 tpa of ERW pipes under the API standard, in diameters up to 219.1mm, of up to X52 strength class steel.

The plant and machinery for the above lines are imported from Europe and some equipment is being sourced domestically.

What is your growth target? How do you plan to increase your market share?
By 2010, Conros plans to increase its capacity from the existing 16,000 tpa to 3,60,000 tpa, and has plans to set up processing facilities for value-added products in Europe and Central America, in addition to its plans for expansion at its mill in India.

Conros, being a new entrant in the segment, has created a market niche for itself by offering high quality products at competitive prices. We not only cater to the domestic markets but are also very active in the international markets.

The mill is continuously re-innovating itself by offering new value-added products and increasing its product portfolio — offering products which are produced by a few players mainly from Western Europe. This strategy has helped Conros to a great extent and is adding value to its growing market share. Conros, through its international offices, has close proximity to customers and endeavours to offer prompt customer services.

Tell us about Conros' products and their potential.
Conros produces galvanized steel ERW pipes, mild steel ERW black pipes, red-oxide coated tubes and pipes, square and rectangular sections, mild steel flat bar and MS billets, at its state-of-the-art plant at Khopoli, Maharashtra, in close vicinity of JNPT. The plant was set up in 2005. The major products that Conros produces have good export potential. Conros currently caters to exports markets like Europe, Middle East, the Americas and Australia.