AM/NS India Commissions Nation’s First Advanced High-Strength Steel Line for Auto Sector

With the inauguration of a newly commissioned Continuous Galvanizing Line (CGL), ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India) is now the only plant in India producing Advanced High-Strength Steel (AHSS) with strength values of 1,080 MPa and above. This latest high-strength steel is vital to automotive crash safety, fuel efficiency, and sustainability, all of which will be of even greater significance ahead of the CAFE Phase-III norms coming up for implementation in India by April 2027.

The new CGL will produce flat steels coated with Zinc (GI) and Galvannealed (GA) coatings, including products under license from global steel giants ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel. These grades of steel provide recyclability, good formability, and light-weighting properties, allowing the automotive manufacturers to align with emissions targets and enhance crash performance.

With a capacity to produce 2 million tonnes of steel per year, the new line is expected to greatly reduce the high-grade steel imports into the country meant for vehicles. This is the first significant step in the direction of self-sustenance for advanced automotive materials.

“This line is capable of producing the highest-strength steel ever manufactured in India,” Dilip Oommen, CEO, AM/NS India, said. “We’re now equipped to deliver world-class products that meet the evolving needs of the Indian automotive industry. Backed by our parent companies, we’re raising the bar for domestic steel production.”

The initiative forms part of a grand ₹ 60,000-crore expansion plan under which AM/NS India is aiming to increase the capacity of its Hazira facility from 9 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) to 15 mtpa eventually and up to 24 mtpa in the long run. All these expansions have room for sterling work in both upstream and downstream steelmaking infrastructure.

While Hazira is a growing ambition, AM/NS India has started expanding its plans for implementing an integrated steel plant in Andhra Pradesh, the land acquisition for which is in progress, and intends to undertake similar projects in Odisha as well.

The Move is consistent with India’s Make-in-India agenda and speaks volumes of the growing demand for high-performance materials in automobiles, especially in the context of ever-tightening efficiency and safety regulations.