The 3,600-acre Hazira Complex near Surat, Gujarat, signifies the acme of both Essar’s manufacturing prowess and its people commitment. Not only is it synonymous with India’s second-largest single-location steel plant, but is also home to Nand Niketan, which can easily count among the world’s finest industrial townships.

At an annual capacity of 10 million tonnes, the Hazira Steel Plant is no less than a manufacturing marvel. It is supported by an end-to-end infrastructure setup that includes a dedicated port and a captive power plant. While the first phase was commissioned in 1995, the plant has gone through several rounds of expansion in response to market needs. Essar has invested continuously in making value additions to its core product line. Today, the plant manufactures cold rolled coils, galvanized sheets, steel pipes of various diametres, as well as extra wide plates—all of which help it reach out to a wide spectrum of industries and applications, like Automotive, Engineering, Railways, Shipbuilding and White Goods. Most of these products are developed through in-house research. They serve as an import substitute and have tremendous export potential. Hazira also has a Steel Service Centre to meet the customised needs of clients. It has a Research & Development team that makes products for specialised applications, like interstitial-free steel for auto and auto components, high-end API grade steel for the petroleum industry, high-strength steel for Defence applications, as well as steel conforming to the ABS standard for the shipbuilding industry. Today, value-added products constitute more than 60 percent of Essar Steel’s total revenues.

The soul of Hazira lies, however, in Nand Niketan, a 200-acre township that more than 5,000 Essarites call home. It has been built with an attention to detail that would put to shame many smart cities of today. It has well-appointed dwelling units, verdant lawns, numerous gardens and parks, a shopping mall with a food court, an international school, a variety of sporting facilities, nine restaurants, places of worship, a sports stadium, an amphitheatre, a dairy, a stable, a kennel and even a boxing ring! The community life in the township is enriched by the presence of several clubs and groups for the residents, the most distinguished of which is the senior citizens’ Silver Club, a brainchild of Essar Founder-Chairman Shashi Ruia. The township observes stringent environment norms, with advanced waste and water management systems. Nand Niketan is ISO 14001 certified—an achievement few townships in India can lay claim to.

The Hazira Complex is a true symbol of Essar’s pride—pride not just in its entrepreneurial abilities, but also in the human values that define us as an organisation.

*Essar Steel was sold to ArcelorMittal under the IBC (Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code) process. Essar Steel Limited and its subsidiaries are financially and legally independent from Essar, and the company is currently known as AM/NS (ArcelorMittal/NipponSteel)