Transformation of Indian Sponge Iron Industry Vis-à-vis Quality Management: A Literature Review

Abstract

Since the last 30 years, the Indian Sponge Iron (SI) industry has grown by leaps and bounds. Though the sector has undergone rapid growth in recent past, the growth graph is not likely to be sustained due to multiple geo-political and other related factors. Besides, the opening up of the economy has given unprecedented importance to the issues pertaining to quality at all levels i.e. from raw material to the product, without forgetting the actual processing that takes place in the industrial units. In view of absence of a clear cut, valid and reliable quality management framework for the SI industry, this review was carried out to determine the research gaps and further research needs specifically for this sector. The literature review indicated that there is a dearth of literature pertaining to SI industry in general and the quality management issue in this industry in particular. Hence, there is a need to identify critical factors that govern the quality in the SI industry, specifically for the Indian industries. Furthermore, the use of mathematical models are also desired so as to improve its application on wider scale.