India’s Kirloskar Ferrous Industries Limited (KFIL) has restarted its steel casting manufacturing facility in the western state of Maharashtra after a brief shutdown owing to the shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), the company said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday, March 31.
The company said that the Solapur unit shut down two of its high-pressure moulding lines on March 17 as supplies of LPG had been stopped, but the unit has now been brought back into production using alternative fuels like oxy-acetylene and diesel.
The company linked the LPG shortfall to strains on global energy markets stemming from the ongoing Middle East conflict, which has put persistent pressure on fuel availability and costs across international supply chains.
LPG plays an essential role in iron casting operations, where it is used in high-pressure moulding to maintain the precise temperature and process conditions needed to produce castings consistently and to specification.
The company management is looking to secure alternative LPG sources or switch to a substitute fuel to keep the plant running, it said.
KFIL manufactures grey iron castings and pig iron, supplying primarily to customers in the automotive and industrial machinery sectors.
