Posted on 29 Jan 2026
Tata Steel (Thailand) Plc (TSTH), the local unit of India's largest steelmaker, says a fresh wave of Chinese steel exports is intensifying competition in Thailand, even as the company looks to higher value-added products and the pace of domestic infrastructure works to shape market prospects in 2026.
TSTH president and chief executive Tarun Kuma Daga said weakening demand and pricing pressure in China are pushing mills there to ship more steel overseas.
"China will continue exporting steel across the world at an enhanced level, due to weakening domestic demand and pricing competition," Mr Daga said.
"They will increase steel exports a lot globally."
Thailand has already felt the impact. Imports of wire rod during January–November 2025 exceeded 1.4 million tonnes, of which 983,000 tonnes came from China, according to company data.
The influx has added pressure to domestic producers, particularly in long steel segments.
Mr Daga said the direction of Thailand's steel market in 2026 will depend heavily on public investment.
"We all want the steel business to grow," he said. "But it all depends on Thailand's infrastructure projects, both existing ones and new ones, and the speed of execution of ongoing projects."
Regarding the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, Mr Daga said TSTH does not directly export steel to Europe, but supplies customers whose finished goods are shipped there.
"We will closely monitor the impacts along their value chain. It may take another 6-7 months to see more clearly how this will affect the market," he said.
For the third quarter of the company's 2026 fiscal year (October-December 2025), TSTH posted revenue of 5.78 billion baht, down from 7.38 billion baht in the previous quarter, but slightly higher than 5.67 billion baht in the same period a year earlier.
Cumulative profit before earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation for the first three quarters of fiscal 2026 stood at 2.16 billion baht.
The company will see a leadership transition next month, with Anurag Pandey appointed as the new chief executive of Tata Steel (Thailand) from Feb 1. Mr Pandey has worked across multiple Tata Steel business units in India for 32 years and relocated to Thailand in December 2025.
He acknowledged the challenges ahead.
"Competition in the steel business is certainly challenging, especially against steel coming from Chinese mills," Mr Pandey said.
"We want to focus on high value-added products, including cut-and-blend services, particularly in wire rod, to create more value for customers."
Source:Bangkok Post
