This is our Fifth Anniversary Edition!  I sincerely hope that C&ACER continues to serve the entire coatings and anti corrosion community well and this journal will be the main vehicle of presenting ideas and research work in the area.

   Things seem to moving fast in India! The Government of India has set a target of 300 million ton steel production by 2025 to become the second largest steel producer globally. Today, the Indian Steel Industry rides high on the wings of optimism. Its spiraling growth rate at 9 – 10 percent is poised to grow at an even faster rate. Production level is soon expected to cross the 100 million ton mark leveraged by developmental needs of the burgeoning Indian economy – currently the second fastest growing economy in the world.

   Huge investments in the rail, power, petroleum, port, and the roads sectors amongst others are set to boost steel consumption. If we see the consumption pattern, the per capita consumption of steel in India is only 50 kg, whereas the global consumption is 225kg. In China the per capita consumption is 515kg annually. This shows, there is a huge latent opportunity for the steel industry in India.

   What does this mean for the coatings and anti corrosion industry; an exponential growth in business.   On an average, one ton of steel has about 30 sq m of surface area. Each sq m requires about 1 liter of paint. So, one can well imagine the amount of sheet shot, garnet, copper slag, paint, etc., that would be required for taking care of 300m tons of steel. Besides, the industry is also expected to open up employment to a good number of skilled hands like blasters, painters, coating inspectors, and quality control personnel in the coming years. In this issue, we discuss how these developments would abide for the coatings and anti corrosion industry.

   We also have our regular gamut of columns and features like educational features, technical features, company profiles, and institutions, etc.

   Let me take this opportunity once again to thank our readers, our advertisers, our well wishers who have remained steadfast with us in our journey.

Jolly Lonappan

Editor-in-Chief