Zeroing in on coir
A ban on the use of forest wood had forced Tata Steel, based in Jamshedpur, Madhya Pradesh to look for an alternative to replace wooden dunnages (mats) used as separators between stacks of sheet/ plate packets during shipment. The company has come out with an alternative using the eco-friendly coir mats. Developed by Vysali Coir, Coir-Atlas is capable of sustaining 25 metric tonnes of static load and 40 metric tonnes of dynamic load. It can withstand temperature extremes and is also waterproof ( Nandini Chemical Journal , Vol 7, No 4).