Tata Steel Ltd.

Tata Steel has indicated that its steel sales fell by 14% to 1.07 million tonne in the quarter ended December 2008, largely due to the current economic slowdown. Infact, the flat steel sales tumbled down much steeper, and the total sales would have crashed but for impressive 27% spike in long product sales to 0.48 million tonne during this period. 
 
Nevertheless, its hot metal production grew by 23% to 1.7 million tonne while crude steel production grew by 17% to 1.5 million tonne in the quarter ended December 2008.  During this period, its saleable steel production remained at 1.24 million tonne, despite planned major shut down of hot strip mill.  With production at 1.24 million tonne and sale at 1.07 million tonne, the company’s inventory of saleable steel has gone up during this period.