(From left) Sarvesh Refractory director R. C. Biswas, Ucar Carbon sales director Peter Sylven and Lincs Ironmasters technical director John Davidson in Calcutta on Friday. Picture by Kishor Roy Chowdhury

Calcutta, July 8: The booming steel market has attracted Ucar Carbon of the United States, a leading manufacturer of carbon-based refractories, to the country.

It has tied up with Orissa-based Sarvesh Refractory to tap the local market. Ucar Carbon’s technology is popular in the US and China.

According to Peter Sylven, sales director at Ucar, its technology will help in expanding the life of blast furnaces to at least 15-20 years.

The average ‘campaign life’ of blast furnaces in India is about 7-8 years. Sylven claimed that it could go up to a minimum of 15 years by using Ucar’s technology. However, the cost would remain almost the same.

The US company, part of Graftech International Ltd, enjoys a majority market share in China. Every year, Chinese steel companies are adding more capacity than India’s total production.

For instance, in 2004 and 2005, all blast furnaces in China used the Ucar technology for furnace lining. Baosteel, China’s largest producer, is setting up furnaces using this technology.

“The rapid addition in steel capacity will slow down after the 2008 Olympics. It will move towards India,” said John Davidson of Lincs Ironmasters, consultants for the steel industry.

Ucar officials have been talking to domestic steel companies.

In India, blast furnaces have been small in capacity and plagued with various teething problems leading to low productivity. The tie-up with Sarvesh will help market Ucar’s products in India. Moreover, the local partner will also offer total refractory solution to upcoming projects. The company has recently acquired two units, one in Andhra Pradesh and the other in Gujarat, said R.C. Biswas, Sarvesh director.