Industry Odisha Bureau, Aug 25: Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP), a unit of Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) has maintained a strong focus on direct order fulfilment to support timely sales realisation, improve working capital efficiency and strengthen cash flow.
During July 2026, RSP despatched 364,649 tonnes of saleable steel. Of this, 300,911 tonnes were despatched directly against customer orders, while 63,738 tonnes were dispatched through the stockyard route, officials informed.
Direct order fulfilment thus accounted for approximately 82.5 percent of the total despatches during the month, they said.
The plant’s focus on direct order fulfilment is aimed at ensuring that finished products are dispatched against confirmed customer orders, thereby facilitating faster sales realisation and reducing dependence on stockyard movement.
“This approach is expected to contribute to improved inventory management, stronger cash flows and greater financial flexibility for the organization,” a company official said.
During the period from April to July 2026, the steel plant despatched a total of 13,28,999 tonnes of saleable steel. Direct order fulfilment accounted for 11,28,691 tonnes, representing approximately 84.9 percent of the total despatches during the period. The remaining 2,00,308 tonnes were dispatched through the stockyard route.
The plant’s niche products, including CRNO and Pipes, continued to record a higher level of direct order fulfilment, at 90.4 percent, while the corresponding figure for non-PET products stood at 81.4 percent. The performance reflects RSP’s emphasis on aligning production and despatches with customer requirements and market demand.
The sustained thrust on direct order fulfilment demonstrates RSP’s commitment to customer-focused operations, efficient working capital utilisation and improved financial performance. By strengthening the linkage between customer orders and product despatches, the plant is advancing towards a more responsive, efficient and financially sustainable sales and distribution process.
Meanwhile, the mechanical shop of RSP has once again demonstrated its engineering expertise and innovative problem-solving capabilities by undertaking the in-house manufacturing of a critical Turn Table (TT) Roll required for the plate mill. The initiative will save around Rs 25 lakh for RSP while ensuring timely availability of the critical spare.
The Turn Table Roll is essential for the smooth movement and production of plates in the Plate Mill. The existing roll had become severely worn out and required replacement.
The required roll was 8 metres long, 550 mm in diameter and weighed nearly 13 tonnes. A specialised taper turning operation was required over a length of 4 metres, reducing its diameter from 550 mm to 490 mm, according to the RSP officials.
Recognising the urgency and the opportunity to develop the component using in-house capabilities, the responsibility was entrusted to the mechanical shop. The team studied the detailed drawing and machining requirements and assessed the available facilities at the shop.
A major challenge faced by the team was that the Long Lathe Machine available at the Mechanical Shop had a taper turning facility for a maximum length of only 1 metre, whereas the TT Roll required taper turning over 4 metres. The Mechanical Shop team rose to the challenge by carrying out necessary modifications in the taper turning attachment gear based on detailed engineering calculations to achieve the required taper over the extended length.
The development work is currently in progress and the completed TT Roll will shortly be handed over to the plate mill for utilization, they informed.
The in-house development will bring a substantial saving of around Rs 25 lakh to RSP, besides reducing dependence on external procurement and ensuring timely availability of the critical spare.
