‘Doctor Steel’: How JJ Irani transformed Tata Steel

Vijay C Roy

In the late 1980s and the early 1990s, Tata Steel was a rusting plant. Having first produced steel in Jamshedpur in 1912, the company was continuing with dated technology and facilities. Not only this, Tata Steel had a poor standard on the people productivity front and was labelled as one of the most expensive steel producers in the world. Mckinsey, at one point, called it an inefficient operator in a sunset industry. The steel produced by it was not cost-effective, was plagued by quality issues and unable to meet the standards required to take India ahead.

Eight decades on, in 1993-94, it was employing around 78,000 people and producing 2.45 million tonnes of crude steel per year. At the same time, some of the Japanese and European companies had 10 times the productivity. Things changed after that, and one man deserves the credit for it.

Jamshed Jiji Irani, fondly known as ‘Doc’, reinvented and transformed the company. From an old-fashioned and outdated entity, it became one of the most modern. Currently, Tata Steel India produces around 20 million tonnes of crude steel with around 32,000 people on board.

The late JJ Irani is renowned for his pivotal role in transforming Tata Steel into the world’s lowest-cost producer of steel and leaving an indelible mark on the city of Jamshedpur. His memoirs, ‘Doctor Steel’, stand as a testament to his illustrious career and the profound impact he had on both the corporate world and the community. It offers a rare insight into his life as a person, CEO, friend, technocrat and leader.

During his more than four-decade stint with the Tata Group, Irani’s contribution to the steel sector has been the most phenomenal, earning him the title of ‘Steel Man of India’. As managing director of Tata Steel, beginning 1992, he astutely shed flab to make the company more profitable. Irani was one of the pioneers of the total quality movement (TQM) in the country and a champion of green initiatives.

Under his leadership, Tata Steel ushered India into a new age of economic growth. But his story doesn’t end there. He was keenly involved in the 1990s’ economic liberalisation. He held positions on various Tata boards, and was part of the Confederation of Indian Industry and several government-appointed committees. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan and an honorary knighthood by the British government for his work.

NK Sharan, senior vice-president, Tata Business Excellence Group, who collaborated with Dr Irani on the book, shares valuable insights into the creation of this compelling work.

Irani started his professional career with the British Iron and Steel Research Association in Sheffield in 1963, but always yearned to contribute to the nation’s progress. He returned to India and joined Tata Steel (formerly TISCO) in 1968 as assistant to the director in-charge of research and development, when JRD Tata was chairman. He went on to occupy the position of chief metallurgist (1971), general manager, operations (1978), and president of Tata Steel in 1985. He became joint managing director in 1988 and MD in 1992 before retiring in 2001. Post-retirement, he became director of Tata Sons and chairman of TQMS (Total Quality Management Services, now called Tata Business Excellence Group). He hung up his boots in 2011. JJ Irani passed away in 2022.