Technology Description

The technology is an alternative to the wooden logs traditionally used by the steel industry for the shipment of flat products viz. sheets/plates and coils. The product is made from bamboo, coir (the husk of the coconut fruit) or jute (crop like hemp) and is eco-friendly, biodegradable and sustainable. Unlike trees, bamboo is a grass that will re-grow after it is has been cut down on harvested. Initially, coir was used as one of the raw material for the product, however the high price of coir caused Mr. Sheth to use jute for the product to create a Coir Atlas Jute Variant product CA(JV).

Coir Atlas (CA) was invented by Mr. Himanshu Sheth a resident of Jamshedpur, India, who has been in the field of Marketing Consultancy (Industrial Products) for more than 15 years. The product was developed in response to a product request from Tata Steel in 1996. Tata Steel is the largest private sector integrated steel producer in India. Coir Atlas was created in 1996-1997. One of Mr. Sheth's important goals was creating an eco-sustainable product that was economically friendly in all stages of use, manufacture, usage and disposal. Mr. Sheth wanted to create a product that would protect and maintain the earth's green cover and reduce the felling of trees for lumber. Mr. Sheth is also interested in poverty alleviation. According to Mr. Sheth, the production of Coir Atlas, does not call for sophisticated machinery or high skills. It can be produced by forming co-operative societies or by NGOs and can create large scale employment opportunities in semi-urban and rural areas in developing countries, especially for women.

Potential Benefits of The Technology

• Eco-friendly Sustainable Biodegradable Product
• Increased Friction As Compared to Wood Runners
• Coir Atlas (Jute Variant) is found to be nearly 20% cheaper than the wooden runners.
  

Contact details:

Mr. Himanshu Sheth,
H.A. Sheth Associates
Email: ha_sheth@yahoo.com