amshedpur: In a significant development, Tata Steel's Jamshedpur plant has been included in World Economic Forum's (WEF) Global Lighthouse Network, a community of manufacturers showing leadership in applying 4th Industrial Revolution technologies.

Thus, Tata Steel becomes one of the few enterprises with three manufacturing sites in the Global Lighthouse Network. In a statement, the company said: "The Jamshedpur plant has been recognised as the World Economic Forum's advanced 4th Industrial Revolution Lighthouse."

Tata Steel's Jmuiden plant in Netherlands and Kalinganagar facility in India's Odisha are already members of the network. "It is a proud moment for all of us as the Jamshedpur plant joins the Lighthouse Network of the World Economic Forum. Our investments in equipment, utilities and adoption of automation along with multiple digital interventions has resulted in improved productivity across all the three manufacturing sites," Tata Steel CEO and MD TV Narendran said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated the steel maker's resolve to move towards digital manufacturing, he said. The World Economic Forum has set up the Global Lighthouse Network to bridge the gap between the manufacturing units that have adopted the 4th Industrial Revolution technologies and those who are yet to embrace it.

The companies that have been selected as a part of the network can lead the way forward towards the use of technology to transform factories, value chains, and business models. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the company leveraged its past investments in 4th Industrial Revolution technologies to ensure business continuity during lockdowns, the statement said. /BI/