India's Top PSUs 2021

India’s Top PSUs 2021 Experts’ View 27 How would you describe the journey of your company since its inception? What are some of the key milestones of the company in recent years? From a production capacity of 4 MTPA in 1970s to nearly 35 MTPA in 2021, the journey of becoming the largest iron ore producer of the country has been exceptional. During the formative years, NMDC helped develop some of the best known mines of the country such as Kiriburu and Meghataburu iron ore mines in Jharkhand (then Bihar), Khetri copper deposit and Zawar zinc deposit in Rajasthan and Kudremukh iron ore mine in Karnataka. However, our most valuable contribution is ensuring a steady supply of iron ore for the country’s infrastructure needs. Over the course of six decades, our iron ore mines in Chhattisgarh and Karnataka have become highly mechanized and sophisticated. In recent years, we have invested in the automation and digitalization of our business operations. NMDC is the first CPSE in India to implement Enterprise Resource Planning on SAP S4-HANA. The company has initiated some ambitious projects like Steel Plant at Nagarnar, Slurry Pipeline from Bailadila to Vizag via Nagarnar, and doubling of the KK Line. With NMDC Limited these projects underway, NMDC has assumed a key role in the country’s push to become an iron and steel powerhouse. What are some of the innovative initiatives taken by your company in recent years? How have those initiatives helped your organisation? As the domestic mining sector enters an era of automation driven growth, NMDC is making massive investments to enhance its technical and digital strength. We are using some of the world’s most powerful geospatial data analytics and mapping technologies for mineral exploration. We have implemented the Mine Transport Surveillance System while many other digital initiatives like: Fleet Management System, Automated Sampling System and Conveyor Belt Monitoring System etc are being planned to transform the way we perform business operations. These initiatives will not only ramp up our iron ore production capacity, but will also help us in increasing the productivity and efficiency in our operations. We plan to leverage these expertise in moving towards a multi-mineral outlook with coal, diamond, gold and other strategic minerals of national interest in our portfolio. With this purpose in mind, NMDC already has a Global Exploration Centre at Raipur, Chhattisgarh and we have also collaborated with MECL and ISRO for Joint Mineral exploration activities. What is your company’s growth strategy for the next 3-5 years? Our Strategic Management Plan - Vision 2025 targets 67 MTPA iron ore production capacity for NMDC. The growth strategy is brownfield expansion of the existing mines and developing green-field mines in partnership. The joint venture NMDC-CMDC Limited (NCL) is poised to acquire additional assets for enhanced production. At our existing mines, NMDC is rapidly bracing the infrastructure to keep up with the growth in production. We are working to ramp up the capacities of our mines in the Bailadila and Donimalai complexes to pursue our targets. NMDC has also been allocated Tokisud North and Rohne Coal Blocks in Jharkhand. We will begin commercial operations in the coming months from Tokisud North Coal and plan to achieve a cumulative production capacity of 10 MTPA from both the coal reserves. Our venture into coal is a valuable start towards creating a diverse mineral profile. The growth strategy of NMDC is dedicated to help India tap its true mineral potential. Sumit Deb Chairman & Managing Director Dun & Bradstreet