Established in 2001, Shah Foils Limited is one of the largest manufacturers of cold rolled stainless steel coils and strips. Having an annual installed capacity of 75,000 TPA, the company has 20-Hi, 12-Hi and 4-Hi rolling mills, bright annealing, and slitter machines upgraded with the best technology to work at high-speed production. The company recently expanded into the Special Product Division,with an annual production capacity of 12,000 MT of precision stainless steel strips and in the near future is planning to set up TLR (Tension Leveller Line) to cater the growing demand of industrial customers. In a recent conversation with Tube & Pipe India, Mr. Kartik Shah, Director, Shah Foils Limited spoke about the company’s journey, manufacturing capabilities and product portfolio, recent developments at Shah Foils and his views on the future of the tube & pipe industry.
“We are supplying our products domestically, in the northern, southern and western regions of India, as well as in the international market, with a good market presence in Europe and the US.”
Tube & Pipe India: Could you please give us a brief outline of the business journey of your company along with its crucial milestones?
Kartik Shah: Shah Foils Limited was established in the year 2001, for the manufacturing and export of cold rolled stainless steel coils, strips and circles. Located at Santej, Kalol, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, the company is swiftly leaping towards growth. Today, Shah Foils Limited is a forerunner and one of the largest manufacturers of cold rolled stainless steel coils and strips with an annual installed capacity of 75000 TPA. Shah Foils’ modern infrastructure and well- trained team have proven to be strong foundations for the company.
TPI: Kindly cast some light on the manufacturing capabilities and machinery installed at your facility.
KS: At Shah Foils, we implement cold rolling of stainless-steel precision strips, precise slitting to finish size. We have 20-Hi, 12-Hi and 4-Hi rolling mills, bright annealing, and slitter machines equipped and upgraded with the best technology to work at high-speed production. We have well equipped machines backed by a team of professionals and technicians. With customer satisfaction as the ultimate goal, every requirement is met carefully considering the quality, time and place of delivery.
TPI: Tell us about your product portfolio and market footprint.
KS: Shah Foils is a leading producer of cold rolled precision stainless steel strips in grades of 200-series, 300-series and 400-series, manufactured as per ASTM, ASME, EN, JIS and other international standards. The thickness ranges from 0.08 mm to 3 mm and the width ranges from 3 mm to 620 mm. Our products’ surface finish are of types BA-soft and hard (1/4 hard, ½ hard, ¾ hard, full hard) and they possess edge conditions of types mill edge, slit edge, deburred edge, deburred and round edge.
The segments we are catering to are auto industry, industrial segment, electronic industry, electrical Industry, consumer durables and lifestyle products. We are supplying our products domestically, in the northern, southern and western regions of India, as well as in the international market, with a good market presence in Europe and the US.
The domestic demand for stainless steel was at 4 million tonnes in fiscal year 2021-2022, according to Crisil ratings. Furthermore, the demand is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9% till FY 2024-25, which is double the 4.5% pace of the past five fiscals.
TPI: Share your outlook on the tube and pipe industry. How do you see the market evolving in the future?
KS: The domestic demand for stainless steel was at 4 million tonnes in fiscal year 2021-2022, according to Crisil ratings. Furthermore, the demand is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9% till FY 2024-25, which is double the 4.5% pace of the past five fiscals. The private and public investments in infrastructure, as well as residential housing, are likely to provide a boost to the stainless-steel tubes and pipes demand.
Stainless steel is an important material in industrial applications such as building and construction, infrastructure, railways, automotive and transportation, and process industries. Additionally, stainless steel has a unique edge over carbon steel as it has a combination of properties such as pliability, strength, corrosion resistance, aesthetic properties, low maintenance cost, and average product life cycle. These properties, along with increasing penetration in numerous applications, is anticipated to drive the market growth.
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TPI: What are the recent developments at your company? Also, what are your future plans?
KS: Shah Foils has recently stepped into the field of special product division (industrial and auto/ cold rolled precision stainless steel) with an annual production capacity of 12,000 TPA. This division is a move to further diversify the company’s product portfolio and serve a larger customer base. The special product division is equipped with the specialized state of the art 20-Hi cold rolling mill with IMR shifting, AGC enabling, mill tilting and shape meter, enabling higher degree of shape and profile correction.
In the near future we are planning to set up TLR (Tension Leveller Line) to cater the growing demand of our industrial customer. Together with our advanced machines and professional team of technicians, we are capable of delivering products that meet international quality standards at the most competitive prices.
TPI: Moving forward, what is your vision for Shah Foils for further growth?
KS: Moving forward, we aim to be competitive in the market. We always focus on the best technology and all our machines have been made or adopted to keep our customer’s quality process. We believe that today we are one of the preferred choices of our business partner to major OEMs, not only in India but across the globe as well.
