Innovation and digitisation

The ability to successfully implement and leverage new ideas is of paramount importance for any business.

JSW Steel recognises this fact and focusses on innovation to improve its processes, bring new and improved products and services to market, increase its efficiency and thereby, improve its profitability. The Company believes that to innovate in business is not just to do something differently, but to do or make things better. For JSW Steel, innovation helps improve sales and customer relationships, reduce waste and costs, boost market position, and improve employee engagement. In FY 2018-19, the Company filed 18 patents.

A key focus area of innovation in the Company is digitalisation, as it believes that every aspect of a business, from operations to management, can be run more efficiently using digital tools. This should be accompanied by behaviour change, thereby ensuring effective adoption of the digital tools. The digitalisation efforts have been comprehensive and extensive and a monthly session is organised to apprise the Board of new technological developments in steelmaking and allied activities. The Company has also appointed a Chief Digital Officer to oversee the activities in this domain.

The Company uses various technologies, including Industry 4.0 interventions such as machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI); big data and advanced analytics; powered simulations and optimisation engines; and computer vision. The Company has also created "connected factories" in procurement and large capital projects to track and manage various processes.

In the past two years, the Company has saved approximately `180 crore from around 100 digital projects across manufacturing, supply chain, sales and procurement. Using analytics, robotics and hybrid cloud, JSW Steel is aligning business processes to dynamic sectoral and economic realities. The Company leverages the SAP platform, enabling smooth data collation, decision making, and data security.

These interventions have helped enhance productivity, minimise human intervention, improve transparency and ensure greater safety.

IoT-driven Hot Metal (HM) ladle monitoring to reduce temperature and improve quality

JSW Steel has been successful in implementation of a live, central dashboard to monitor HM ladles, thus providing real-time ladle visibility through central dashboard and minimising ladle idle time.

Leader in the solar segment

JSW Steel is the first Indian company under technology licensing from BIEC International Inc., US to produce GL with an annual capacity of 0.825 MnT. The Company has pioneered the development of High Coating Mass GI/GL for solar projects and is the largest supplier for GI/GL requirements in the solar segment in India.

First mover advantage in the solar market

JSW Steel developed a GI material with a higher zinc coating from 0.80 to 1.50 mm as an alternative to conventional batch GI material which was used to make mounting structures in solar panels. A first-of-its-kind product in India, it has been increasingly used by customers over the past six years on account of its superior performance.

Tin Mill Black Plate using Continuous Annealing Line

Tin Mill Black Plate (TMBP) is an intermediate product for processing tinplate and acts as a raw material for electrolytic tinning process. TMBP can be produced using two methods, viz. Batch Annealing Furnace (BAF) and Continuous Annealing Line (CAL). BAF was the only method practised in India to produce TMBP till recently. However, for the first time in the country, TMBP was produced using the CAL route by JSW Steel. This method results in high productivity and uniform mechanical properties along the complete length and width of the produce, making it suitable for automatic can-making machines.

Improved hot metal quality and efficiency of BF

Real-time BF monitoring and decision support has helped improve hot metal quality and reduce fuel rate in BF. The multiple optimisation models that were installed have helped improve the productivity, quality and efficiency of hot metal at lower cost through real-time equipment monitoring.

New Hot Blast Stoves in BF

JSW Steel installed three new top combustion Hot Blast Stoves in BF-1 at Salem in December 2018. This installation has increased the hot blast temperature from 950° C to 1,180° C, resulting in reduction of coke rate by 34 kilogramme per Tonne of Hot Metal (kg/THM), increase of pulverised coal injection by 15 kg/THM and increase in hot metal production by 30 MnT/day.

Initiatives of this scale have resulted in a commendable reduction in energy consumption.

Talent management

Human capital forms an integral part of any organisation and helps drive strategic actions to achieve the end goals.

JSW Steel acknowledges this and constantly engages with individuals from multiple locations to explore their full potential and prepare them for leadership roles. The Company’s constant efforts have created an inclusive culture that does not discriminate on the basis of religion, gender, caste or disabilities and has a policy for equal opportunity for all. Besides equal employment, the workforce (including contractual workers and those with disabilities) is entitled to equal benefits, training and skill enhancement.

Learning and development – People and skills

A highly skilled workforce is of prime importance to an organisation’s competitive advantage. JSW Steel constantly organises trainings for its employees to acquire new skills and sharpen existing ones. These initiatives have resulted in improved performance and increase in productivity across operations.

In FY 2018-19, the main insights for the Company’s learning needs came from JSW Steel’s Performance Management System, Future Fit Assessment and the Great Place to Work survey. Based on their analysis, the Company launched systematic learning interventions for every grade, focussing on the next role capability building and enhancement of leadership and functional skills.

E-learning at JSW

As a part of its transformation into a truly digitised organisation, JSW Steel launched the digital learning initiatives under the “Learning Academy” umbrella. This learning management system makes bite-sized learning and assistance available to employees as and when required through exciting online course content. A wide spectrum of courses ranging from behavioural, interpersonal and functional skills are hosted on the platform. In order to provide further impetus to individual learning, renowned course packages of Skillsoft and Harvard Managementor are made available to all employees.

Key e-learning initiatives and courses

#GirlswannaLearn

A blended learning programme curated for women employees of JSW

MS Office based courses

An initiative to hone employee skills in MS Excel and MS PowerPoint

Skills 2020

An initiative where Skillsoft courses are bundled on the basis of the most important skills employees should possess by 2020 according to the World Economic Forum

Employee engagement

A motivated and engaged workforce is a key component of a firm’s success.

Recognising this fact, JSW Steel undertakes various employee engagement initiatives.

(Read more Energy management, Procurement and Talent management)

Human rights at JSW

JSW Steel respects human rights and is committed to ensuring that they are protected. To this end, the Company has a human rights policy that addresses human rights issues across the supply chain. It articulates the Company’s stand on human rights, including non-discrimination, prohibition of child and forced labour, freedom of association and the right to engage in collective bargaining. It is complemented by other specific policies such as occupational health and safety, environment, anti-corruption, etc. Officers of security agencies are trained to act in a manner that respects human rights at all times and comply with all the applicable national, state and local laws. JSW Steel contributes to the fulfilment of human rights through compliance with local human rights legislation wherever it has operations, as well as through its policies, programmes and grievance redressal mechanism.

No complaints related to child labour, forced labour, involuntary labour, or discriminatory employment were received during the reporting year and none are pending at the end of the reporting year.

Awards and accolades

Avtar Group and Working Mother Media recognised JSW Group as a part of 100 Best Companies for Women in India (BCWI) 2018 for its vision and efforts to create and sustain a work environment where women can advance and thrive.

JSW Steel also featured among the shortlisted participants for the World Steel Association Steelie Awards, where member companies are recognised for their contributions to education and training programmes and leadership in enhancing the skills of the steel workforce for today and tomorrow.

The Steel Sustainability Champions programme by the World Steel Association has recognised JSW Steel among six companies that have set the example in making tangible impacts in supporting sustainable development and a circular economy.

JSW Steel has been also awarded by the DJSI RobecoSAM Sustainability Industry Mover Award in 2018.

Key performance indicators#

Employment JSW Steel

100%

Employees receiving regular performance and career development reviews

Workforce turnover by age

# Corporate employees excluded from the given disclosures

Training hours per employee*

* The average hours of training for FY 2017-18 have been revised on account of a more robust data collection process and estimation methodology

Employment at JSW Steel subsidiaries