LECTURE � DINNER

BessemerSir Henry

5 NOVEMBER 2008

Th e Law SocietyChancery Lane, London

6.00PM for 6.30PM

TECHNOLOGY: Evolution � Mutation

Dr Tridibesh MukherjeeGROUP DIRECTOR • TATA STEEL GROUP

Iron and steel technology has evolved over agesIn the medieval period, the “Hindoos” made steel for half a million dollars a tonne. It was a metal for aggression.

Now 1.3 billion tonnes are produced to sustain the physical fabric of our civilisation. This transition has seen production processes evolving, mutating and becoming extinct. Ingots made room for slabs which today co-exists with thin slabs, which itself is worried about thin strips gaining ground

The Huntsman process is forgotten. The Bessemer converter and the open hearth process, supreme till the middle of the twentieth century, find place in the history of steel making! The blast furnace, which made its appearance in the fifteenth century, did not meet the same fate. Today many blast furnaces are under construction. This paper discusses what could be behind the longevity of some technologies.

Dr. Tridibesh

MukherjeeGroup Director • Tata Steel Group Technology and Integration

‘‘

Evolution � MutationTechnology

he was appointed Executive Director on the Board of Tata Steel. His initiatives in quality improvements have led to the development and commercialisation of diffi cult grades and registered a sea change in the company’s product mix.

Championing new initiatives like the Total Operational Performance (TOP), Strategic Sourcing, Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) and Knowledge Management (KM), he has enabled Tata Steel to emerge as a Steel company to reckon with. With his confi dence in the team that he has led with pride, he has nurtured a culture of willingness to confront new challenges and most importantly a will to win.

1ST AUGUST 2000,On

Dr. Tridibesh Mukherjee

obtained his fi rst degree in Metallurgical Engineering from Calcutta University in 1964. On completing his Master’s Degree

in 1965 and Ph.D. in 1967 from University of Sheffi eld, UK.

With the confi dence that he has imbibed and the technical foundation that he has strengthened, Tata Steel is on a globalisation journey. A technocrat with immense business acumen, he has been closely associated with the acquisitions of Natsteel Asia, Singapore, Millennium Steel,Th ailand and fi nally Corus. He currently holds the position of Group Director (Technology and Integration), responsible for all research, technology and performance improvement functions internationally across the Tata Steel Group.

Dr Mukherjee’s achievements have been nationally recognised since 1975 when he was conferred the Metallurgist of the Year Award, followed by the Vasvik

Award (1982), the Bhoruka Gold Medal (1985), the Visvesvarayya Gold Medal (1987), the Tata Gold Medal (1996) and the IIM Platinum Medal (1999). He was on the Tata Steel team that won the Franz Edelman Award for Operational Research in April 1994 from the Institute of Operations Research & Management Sciences, at Boston, USA. In 2000, he received the Government of India’s (Ministry of Steel) National Metallurgist Award for his contributions in the fi eld of production, research, design, development and environment.

Th is year, we are delighted that Dr Mukherjee has been awarded the Bessemer Gold Medal from the Institute.

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6.00 PM Drinks Reception Law Society

6.30 PM Welcome � Introduction

6.45 PM Sir Henry Bessemer Lecture Dr Tridibesh Mukherjee

7.30 PM Dinner

11.00 PM Close

5 NOVEMBER 2008

Th e Law SocietyChancery Lane, London

6.00PM for 6.30PM

LECTURE � DINNER

BessemerSir Henry

VENUETh e Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane London, WC2A 1PL Th e nearest tube stations are Holborn (Piccadilly and Central Lines) and Chancery Lane (Central Line)

TO AT TENDTickets for this prestigious event areavailable for £75.00 + VAT which includes welcome drink, admittance to the lecture, as well as dinner, wine and soft drinks.

DRESS CODETh e preferred dress code for the evening is Lounge Suit.

For further details about the event contact Jackie Butterfi eld on 01302 380906 or at jackie.butterfi eld@iom3.org

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