Mighty Metal

ALUMINIUM IS ONE OF THE MOST ABUNDANT METAL ELEMENTS ON EARTH. AS CEO OF THE BHARAT ALUMINIUM COMPANY (BALCO), VIKAS SHARMA WANTS TO DELIVER MORE OF IT TO CUSTOMERS.

- Sharon Masige

Vikas Sharma has not one, but two, big dreams. As CEO of the Bharat Aluminium Company (BALCO), he wants to reach 1.1 million tonnes of aluminium production capacity within the next 18 months. And then, “Going forward, my ultimate aim – which I have started visualising – is to take BALCO to a three-million-tonne capacity. So that it will be the largest aluminium producer in the country.” BALCO was founded as a public sector undertaking in 1965 with a vision to be a leading integrated aluminium and power producer in India. It was wholly owned by the Indian government until 2001, when a 51 per cent stake was sold to Sterlite Industries, a subsidiary of mining company Vedanta.

BALCO’s operations are in Korba, Chhattisgarh and include bauxite mines in Kawardha and Mainpat, as well as two smelters; one with a 345 kilotonnes per annum capacity and the other, 245 kilotonnes. In addition, the company has power plants to support its smelters.

Vikas joined the business in 2017, bringing more than 28 years of mining experience with him. He previously worked as COO for Smelters at Hindustan Zinc and prior to that, as Senior Vice President of JSW Steel. Having a strong knowledge of the mining sector, Vikas found BALCO to be the best next step in his career. “Any future growth, be it industrial or economical, lies with the natural resources and primary metal companies,” he says.

BALCO produces a range of aluminium-based products including ingots, wire rods, hot rolled coils and plates, cold rolled sheets and chequered sheets. Throughout its operations, BALCO has had many firsts in India. It was the first integrated aluminium site; the first to make alloy rods for the power transmission industry; and the first to roll material for the aerospace industry.