PPMAI seeks change in stainless steel quality control order

By OEM Update Editorial March 14, 2017 12:57 pm IST

Process Plant and Machinery Association of India (PPMAI) which represents the capital goods and process equipment manufacturing and exporting industry in the country has written a letter Union Ministry of Steel to issue exemption notice to customs department for easy imports of the new stainless Steel grades not included in Bureau of India Standard (BIS) standard 6911 under Stainless Steel Products Quality Control Order.

“BIS standard 6911 does not include about 40 major new grades which are currently being used globally and by the domestic capital goods manufacturing companies for the high end industrial applications. The exemption notification by steel ministry to customs department for these grades will ensure easy imports and ease of doing business,” said PPMAI General Secretary, V P Ramachandran in his letter.

“PPMAI has requested the Steel ministry to modify the Stainless Steel Products Quality Control Order to ban / stop influx of seconds, defectives and non-standard stainless steel products in all grades of stainless steel from foreign and domestic sources. These products are mostly being used for consumer utensils and low end industrial application. It accounts for more than 60 per cent of Indian market and surprisingly has not been included in the quality control order,” said Ramachandran.

PPMAI has also requested extension of date for implementation of stainless steel products quality control order 2016 at least for another 6 months as the process of issuing registration, license and stamping instruction by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is still on and may take time to complete.

“We want exemption for the companies who have applied for BIS Certification not others,” said Ramachandran. He further warns, “If the extension is not granted by six more months to those mills which are set to receive the BIS license in January, the capital goods industry will come to a grinding halt. The manufacturing index which has been falling in the past few months will further fall and non extension of the quality control will deal a fatal body blow to the capital goods industry.”