The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated a ramp up of our country’s healthcare infrastructure. To aid the frontline healthcare professionals in their efforts, Tata Steel along with other Tata Group companies including Tata Projects and Tata Consulting Engineers have demonstrated both agility and collaborative spirit by working together on a 500-bed Greenfield hospital project being developed over a 5-acre site in Kasargod in Kerala.
With design specifications and inputs from Tata Projects and Tata Consulting Engineers, Tata Steel is supplying a range of modular pre-fabricated Completely Built Units (CBUs) to be used primarily as quarantine and isolation cabins, rest rooms, canteens and other service units within the hospital.
These pre-fabricated units are being produced by Tata Steel’s brand Nest-In, its Tubes Division and its New Materials Business in collaboration with eight manufacturing partners across the country. Besides steel, Tata Steel is using Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) to manufacture quarantine units for the first time in India. FRP is positioned as a new-age alternative building material that has compelling pros that makes it a viable mass-production solution for the future.
Commenting on this unique project and successful use of FRP in the production of quarantine units, Dr Debashish Bhattacharjee, Vice President, Technology & New Materials Business, Tata Steel, said: “While our Nest-In business had experience of manufacturing modular steel enclosures, we innovatively made use of FRP material in this project. FRP sandwich sheets were used for the walls and roof. The doors were also made of FRP, which is a more durable material than traditional options. The design was optimised to keep the price point similar to that of an all-steel unit. New Materials Business, together with Nest-In and with professional support from the Product Application Group and Logistics team, provided key support to meet Tata Steel’s commitment for timely supply of COVID-19 cabins to Kasargod.”