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Ailing KR Steelunion turns Net-savvy, invents Y-beam
Arpan Mukherjee
Calcutta, July 24: Ailing engineering unit KR Steelunion Ltd which was on the verge of being wound up, has stumped its competitors with a Y-shaped beam, claimed to be an engineering feat and developed by its own skeleton research and development team. The management maintains that the Y-shaped beam is better than those already in the markert like T, H and I-beams. In order to support its sales and marketing team, the company is planning its own Website, that is expected to be up by mid-August. On the new product, managing director Vinaykumar said that the Y-beam was the first of its kind to be developed in the world, having a stand-alone shape with substantial rigidity. In fact, the other profiles more in vogue are the T, H and I-beams, having a wide range of uses in the construction industry. These too, are manufactured by the company at its Kalyani plant in West Bengal. The engineering outfit slipped in the red in the late eighties and is presently berthed with the Board for Industrial & Financial Reconstruction. The management expects that the BIFR will approve its revival package at the next hearing. However, the company with funds from the promoters have posted a Rs 3.44 crore Net profit in 1998, Rs 65 lakh in 1999, and Rs 3.50 crore in fiscal 1999-2000. The company expects Rs 6 crore Net profit fiscal 2000-01. According to Vinaykumar, these Y-beams could be used largely for fencing purposes. A company statement says that a substantial rigidity exits that will miminise stress, bending, twisting and withstand wind pressure. The company maintains that the Y-beam is a substitute and cheaper than T-beams and angles. Savings through use of the Y-beam can be as high as Rs 1000 per metric tonne, the statement says. The management plans to invest Rs 3 crore by October towards manufacturing the different types of beams (known as profiles) from its internal accruals. Copyright © 2000 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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