Business operations
Wuxi Jinyang Metal Products (WJMP), part of the Global Wires Business division of Tata Steel, is one of the most efficient and high-quality manufacturers of steel wire products in China. Its manufacturing capacity is around 120,000MT per year; this includes pre-stressed concrete (PC) strand (100,000MT), PC wire and pre-stressed high-strength concrete piles (10,000MT). The PC products are used widely in municipal projects, high-rise buildings, overpass and bridges, highways, tunnels, LNG terminals, infrastructure of nuclear power stations in China and globally. The company, headed by Tay Tuang Heong, employs 285 people at its plant in Yangjian town in Xishan district of China.

 

Strategy and challenges
WJMP is the largest PC products exporter in China; 70 per cent of the wire products are exported to more than 30 countries in the world including the US and Russia, and other countries in the Asia Pacific, Oceanic, Middle East, Latin America and South East Asia. Even with frequent changes in policies and rules, WJMP has built an extremely dynamic set-up that can cope with the changes.

 

In recent times, the company’s exports have been hit by the anti-dumping laws prevalent in the US and the European Union, its largest markets. With increasing volatility in raw material costs leading to speculation in local procurement patterns, WJMP faces the challenge of securing material while keeping inventory costs low, ensuring continuous availability and offering competitive rates.

 

Accomplishments and vision
WJMP is the only company in China to have multiple international quality accreditations such as JIS, Japan; CARES, UK; IRH, Israel; DCL, Dubai; ACRS and QDMR, Australia and SIRIM, Malaysia. It has implemented total product management and daily management processes across all functions to drive continuous improvement and has also implemented small group activity to drive innovation. WJMP aims to become a world-class PC wire producer and maintain its leadership in exports from China. Its other ambition is to fulfil Tata Steel Global Wires Business’s aspiration of becoming one of the top three global wire players with a capacity of at least 1MMT per annum by FY2014.