Asia's first-ever Continuous Galvanized Rebar manufacturing facility launched by Madhav KRG Group in association with International Zinc Association, initiative supported by Hindustan Zinc Limited

International Zinc Association (IZA), leading industry association dedicated exclusively to the interests of zinc in collaboration with Madhav KRG Group (one of the largest steel manufacturing company in North India) and initiative supported by Hindustan Zinc Limited has launched Asia's first-ever Continuous Galvanized Rebar (CGR) Manufacturing Facility today.

International Zinc Association (IZA), leading industry association dedicated exclusively to the interests of zinc in collaboration with Madhav KRG Group (one of the largest steel manufacturing company in North India) and initiative supported by Hindustan Zinc Limited has launched Asia's first-ever Continuous Galvzed Rebar (CGR) Manufacturing Facility today.

The plant was virtually inaugurated by Dharmendra Pradhan - Union Minister of Steel, Petroleum and natural Gas, Government of India (GoI) along with Sunil Duggal - Group CEO-Vedanta Limited and CEO-Hindustan Zinc and Andrew Green - Executive Director, International Zinc Association, Global and other representatives.

The first-of-its-kind facility, situated near Gobindgarh in Punjab, will produce a new product, Continuously Galvzed Rebar (CGR). CGRs are value added rebars for higher life and low maintenance of infrastructure to provide significant cost savings compared to other corrosion resistant rebar systems. It offers on-site formability of the finished product, superior corrosion resistance in concrete at a price cheaper than other corrosion resistant rebar (Epoxy Coating & CRS rebar).

With an annual capacity of over 30,000 tonnes, the plant will manufacture ZNCOAT TEMPCORE TMT BARS under the brand name - JYOTI - a name that is now synonymous with excellence in steel manufacturing. This will be the first brand in Asia to apply CGR technology that will not only be superior but will also enhance life span of the rebars thereby reducing the overall maintenance cost.

"Unlike painting and epoxy which are solely barrier-type coatings, CGRs are known to provide superior corrosion protection - both barrier and sacrificial - that further enhances the lifecycle of the underlying steel. I would like to thank the entire team of International Zinc Association and Hindustan Zinc Limited for their support in helping us bring this technology to India that will further help minimize the damage cause by corrosion and put India on the global map for its sustainable usage of zinc," said Sudhir Goyal - Managing Director, Madhav KRG Group, while commenting about the new facility.

Addressing the audience, the steel minister Dharmendra Pradhan assured the industry of full support from the government and deliberated on how zinc will play an important role towards building infrastructure for the nation. "As India is on its way to large-scale infrastructure expansions, use of galvzed rebar in construction is set to rise. India has a coastal line that extends over. 8000 kms. Coastal areas are prone to corrosion because of salty atmosphere leading to frequent maintenance requirement thereby adding to loss of material and impact on the productivity. Galvzing ensures that the zinc coating is of a standard quality and offers resistance to erosion so that there is no risk of cracking due to bending."

"Galvzed steel and rebars are environment friendly and cost effective and possess properties that enhances life of any structure with minimum maintenance. The commissioning of the new CGR facility will further increase the usage of zinc in steel industry and will support the much awaited need of supplying galvzed rebar in the construction industry. I would like to congratulate the entire team International Zinc Association and Madhav KRG Group for their efforts in setting up the first-ever Continuous Galvzed Rebar (CGR) facility in Asia that will not only boost to domestic steel market but will also put India on the global map, aligning it to GoI's efforts in making India self-reliant or Aatmrbhar Bharat," added Pradhan.

"Infrastructure, especially around the coastal areas face maximum risk of corrosion owing to humidity and constantly changing climate. A long-term answer to this far-reaching problem is use of zinc protected steel during the structure's initial construction stages, i.e. Galvzed rebar that not only ensures longevity of the structures but is also significant initiative towards safety. It's time to mandate use of galvzed coated rebar's in all infrastructure projects," said Sunil Duggal - Group Chief Executive Officer-Vedanta Limited, and CEO-Hindustan Zinc, while speaking on the occasion.

"In the last ten years, Indian zinc demand grew at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4-5 per cent. However, usage of galvzed rebars and especially CGRs has been limited despite the fact that it bonds in par with concrete than uncoated rebar, thereby doubling the life of big concrete structures. As the government of India looks to strengthen Indian infrastructure, it calls for the need to adopt durable and proven corrosion protection methods, like structure galvzation. With continuous support from players like Madhav KGR and Hindustan Zinc Limited, we are confident of the shift to better national practices to help support India's efforts towards sustainable evolution." said Dr Andrew Green, Executive Director, International Zinc Association (IZA) addressing the audience.

Galvzing has been used for more than 100 years to protect structures exposed to different environmental conditions from corrosion. Realizing the importance of this technique, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had outlined a plan to spend about USD 1.5 trillion earlier this year, to upgrade and build infrastructure over the next five years to shore up economic growth, boosting the outlook for zinc, use of galvzed steel to prevent corrosion.

Over 1,000 delegates (India and International) including ministry officials, opinion leaders, zinc producers, galvzers, end users of galvzed products, industry executives from Railways, highway authorities, NHSRPL and design consultants attended the launch event.

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( With inputs from ANI )