Bokaro Steel Plant to host International Conference on Refractories

2022-09-23

Sep. 22, 2022 - SAIL-Bokaro Steel Plant, in a first of its kind, is going to host an international conference on refractories named REFIS4.0 from 23rd-24th September 2022 in association with Indian Institute of Metals, Bokaro Chapter & Indian Ceramics Society. Its opening session will feature renowned metallurgist and educator Prof. Rajiv Shekhar, Director of the IIT-ISM, Dhanbad, as chief guest. Chief patron of the conference will be Amarendu Prakash, Director in Charge of SAIL-Bokaro Steel Plant with P K Rath, ED (SRU), SAIL &  V P Upadhyaya, CGM (Refractories) being the chairman & co-chairman respectively of it. The theme of the conference is "Future of Refractories in Iron and Steel Industry". It further expands to how industry4.0 has affected the refractory industry in monolithic manufacturing & installation techniques.

It will also provide a premier interdisciplinary platform for researchers, practitioners and educators to present & discuss the most recent innovations, trends and concerns as well as practical challenges encountered and solutions adopted in the field of refractories in the current changing global scenario.

Iron and Steel Industry is the largest consumer of refractories which is a key, strategic material that determines the quality as well as the cost of steel making. The development of the refractory sector has a significant impact on the growth of the steel business. Offering high quality products at reasonable pricing is the primary challenge faced by the Indian refractory manufacturers. Aiming for an "Aatma-Nirbhar Bharat" in Steel making & giving 'Make in India" a further boost this conference will bring the Iron & Steel Industry, Manufacturers of Refractories, leading Academic Scientists, and Researchers together & feature in-depth discussions on cutting-edge strategies & practices worldwide that can be used to address the challenges like building domestic capabilities while focussing on cost & energy efficiency to enable the Indian steel industry being competitive in both domestic & international markets.

The conference has attracted an overwhelming response from all quarters of the industry. More than 400 delegates including business executives, academicians, research scholars, scientists, consultants & manufacturers from 20 organizations, both from India and abroad will gather for a brainstorming session presenting more than 40 technical papers. The response received for this conference is a reflection of its importance & the impact it will have on the future landscape of the entire iron & steel sector.