The increase in gauge (thickness) will allow customers to source thicker material than before which offers the potential to increase their product portfolio and source all of their requirements from one place.

Cahel Ferguson, Tata Steel Commercial Manager for narrow strip, said: “This development keeps us at the forefront of hot rolled narrow strip developments and will appeal to our existing customer base as well as allowing us to increase our footprint globally.

'The work builds on our policy of working with key customers to develop strategic capability which complements our commitment to give customers a class-leading combination of short lead times and delivery on time.”

The steel for the narrow strip is manufactured at Tata Steel’s plants in South Yorkshire, UK, before being rolled to its final size at the company’s mill in Brinsworth, Rotherham, South Yorkshire. The narrow strip is manufactured to the exacting specifications demanded by highly specialised, quality-critical sectors across the world such as cold rollers, keys, agricultural, automotive, yellow goods and aviation.

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For further information, contact Rob Simpson on +44 (0)1724 405769 or rob.simpson@tatasteel.com

About Tata Steel in Europe

The European operations of Tata Steel (formerly known as Corus) comprise Europe's second largest steel producer. With main steelmaking operations in the UK and the Netherlands, they supply steel and related services to the construction, automotive, packaging, lifting & excavating, energy & power, and other demanding markets worldwide.

Tata Steel is one of the world’s top ten steel producers. The combined group has an aggregate crude steel capacity of more than 28 million tonnes and approximately 80,000 employees across four continents.