Feedback has been associated with the Mining and Metals industry for over two decades now and has successfully completed more than 125 challenging and stimulating engagements for over 30 clients. The broad coverage for market research services includes Iron & Steel, Aluminum, Zinc, Copper, etc. under different product forms such as Billet, Slabs, Wire rods, Castings & forgings, Extrusion, Pipes & tubes, Ingots, Sheet coils & foils, etc. Feedback has an ongoing relationship with 30+ leading Mining & Metal companies and is associated with 5 of the top 10 global metal companies & 7 of the top 10 Indian Metal companies.
Feedback’s industry experts, with an in-depth knowledge of the Indian, Middle East, South East Asian and North African markets; provide outcome based solutions that are practical & implementable. Feedback has structured, tested frameworks across functions to deliver value.
Within this eco-system, our expertise cuts across Technology & Equipment, mining, raw material processing, primary metals, rolling, value added, downstream products & markets. Further, Feedback has an excellent ground level understanding of all stakeholders across the value chain – technology suppliers, mining companies, metal producers, downstream processors, value added product manufacturers, distribution and channel, vendors, first users and end customers, etc.
Sub Sectors
Raw materials and consumables
- Iron ore, pellet and sinter
- Coking coal and coke
- Metallics: scrap, pig iron, DRI / HBI
- Ferroalloys: Cr, Mn, Mo, Ni, Si
- Refractories
Semi-finished steel
- Slab
- Ingot, Billet and Bloom
Long products
- Rebar
- Structural sections
- Wire rod and wire products
- Rails
Speciality steels and special metals
Stainless steel – Longs and Flats
Strip mill products
- HR Plates
- HRC / Sheets
- CRC / sheets
- Galvanised Coil / Sheets
- Pre-painted Steel
- Electrical steels
- Tin mill products
Downstream products
- Hot stamped Steel
- Tailor-welded blanks
- Corrugated Sheets / Profiles
- Casting & Forging
Pipes and tube
- OCTG and line pipe
- Seamless and welded tubes
- Hollow sections
Aluminum
- Raw materials and consumables
- Alumina, Bauxite, Scrap
- Semi Finished Products
- Ingots, Billets, Slabs, Slags & Circles
- Finished Products
- Wire rods, Wire products (conductors, cables)
- Extrusions, Profiles, Pipes & Tubes
- Rolled Products
- Coils, Sheets, Canstocks, Foils, Plates
- Castings, Forgings & Stampings
Copper
- Wire, Wire rod
- Sheet, Plate, Strip
- Casting, Powder , Tube
Zinc & Lead
- Metals and Alloys
- Iron ore
- Coal and lignite
- Ferro alloys
- Chrome
- Bauxite
- Alumina
- Copper, Zinc, Lead, Nickel
General Service Offerings
Our skills, experience and offerings span the entire value chain.
- Product Landscape
- Trade Flows
- Market Suppy
- Dimensions / Grades
- Applications
- Market Assessment
- Product Portfolio
- Capacities, Locations
- Production, Sales
- Business Model, Strategy
- Cost Structure and Pricing Strategy
- Investment Plans and Outlook
- Segment Size
- Buying Patterns
- Key Players / Locations
- Demand Assessment
- Strategic Alliances
- Industry Trends & Outlooks
- Country Development
- Sector Structure
- Business Climate Indicators
- Demand Drivers & Barriers
Specialized Service Offerings
Coal, Iron ore, Bauxite, Alumina, Base metal (Copper, Zinc, Nickel, Lead), Ferro Alloys, Chrome: Market & supply scenario, demand & supply forecasts at the global & regional level, Assessment of reserves / production / trade / demand / supply.
- Universe Structure Analysis: positioning, cost structure, comparison with peers across geographies on the basis of cost structure, operational efficiency, business models, operating margins
- Identify partners, acquisition targets and strategic investment opportunities
Assessment of global & regional availability, sources, price points, cost structure of potential mills, peer comparison
- Detailed analysis of flow of base metal concentrates, intermediate products, smelter and refinery profiles
- Trade assessment, track material movement, identification of intermediaries traders and customers, evaluate cost effective intermediary supply sources and partners.
- Internal diagnostics - Corporate vision, aspirations, challenges, growth enablers, inhibitors
- Planned and expected growth revenues, timelines
- Corporate positioning and brand association
- Industry structure analysis - Identify appropriate parameters to classify suppliers and map them on the basis of product portfolio, business interests, value addition capabilities and level of integration
- Capability analysis - map production facilities, equipment line-up , constraints & capability matrix, product application, segmental demand, product consumption norms
- Strategic market attractiveness - Feedback proprietary model in which client’s internal parameters are bench-marked against competition, variables driving demand to identify the most profitable & sustainable combination of products & services for the client
- Demand outreach - Understand cluster attractiveness, logistic requirements, new growth opportunities in terms of new customers and business, price realization (in existing and new markets)
- Review potential, alternate and new channels to market
- Distribution - unlocking potential across the value chain
- Prepare a channel strategy
- Enhance reach across attractive sectors
- Improve margins
- Improve competitive advantage
- Pricing input frameworks
- Conduct a pricing review and possible adjustments
- Segment the market, identify price components susceptible to fluctuation
- Adjust prices to increase revenues / profits
- Re-position the brand / product
- Pricing mechanism including discount structure
Some Interesting Projects
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Rebar Cost Manufacturing Model
Feedback undertook a Rebar cost manufacturing model for a leading Long Products company in India, where we assessed the fixed & variable cost components of unit production of Rebars, identified components susceptible to change and monitored them on a continuous basis to finally assess the cost of Rebar manufacturing across 15 clusters and 250 producers.
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Special Steel
Feedback provided a strategic evaluation of an optimum supply chain mechanism for Special Steel. Specifically, we evaluated direct supply versus stock & sell options. This engagement also involved evaluation of setting up warehouse facilities, location identification based on regional demand and understanding customer needs.
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Special Steel / Alloy
Feedback studied the market attractiveness of Special Steel / Alloy Steel in India for a client by assessing demand / supply scenario and conducting a through product portfolio analysis involving:
- Configuration mapping – Grade, Dia, applications and value additions
- Feasibility of producing the selected special steel grades from the existing facility
- Proposed configuration of the mill and modifications required
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Electrical Steel
Feedback provided inputs on the Electrical Steel Market Opportunity for a client that involved assessing investment options for forward integration to set up service centre facilities. This was based on an extensive evaluation of market opportunity, risks & challenges and Forward integration into manufacturing value added products
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Technology Evaluation
Feedback conducted a strategic evaluation of a new technology in a specific size range (smart range) for sintering of iron ore in India.
- Agglomeration industry structure, universe, installed capacity
- Sintering, palletizing – size wise market disposition of installed base
- Analysis of need for a smart range of technology to meet local demand
- Cost benefit evaluation
- Potential customers and demand
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New Process Evaluation
Feedback undertook a Techno-feasibility evaluation and opportunity assessment for a new process to leverage low grade iron ore and slimes in India to produce pig iron
- Iron ore reserves, demand and consumption in India
- Low grade iron ore production and reserves of unutilized low grade iron across potential states in India
- Current status of low grade iron ore, propensity to leverage low grade iron ore to produce pig iron through cost effective solutions
- Identification of suitable customer categories who could be early adopters of this technology
- Challenges and constraints, opportunity qualifiers
- Way forward