Jindal Stainless has been recognised with two honours at the People Matters Infini-T Awards 2026, winning the Gold Award in the HR Operations category and the Silver Award in Digital Adoption & Change Leadership. The awards highlight the company's efforts to transform its human resources function into a digitally enabled, scalable and employee-centric ecosystem across its operations.

The recognition reflects an organisation-wide transformation implemented across 17 entities, covering more than 12,700 employees (direct as well as indirect) across corporate offices and manufacturing facilities. Jindal Stainless complemented its technology rollout with a structured change management programme involving employee co-created workflows, certified change champions, pilot deployments and extensive engagement initiatives to drive organisation-wide adoption.

Operational Efficiency Gains

The transformation has delivered measurable outcomes across talent acquisition, employee experience and HR operations. Time-to-hire has significantly reduced, while the digital recruitment process enabled the company to process more than 11,000 candidates and optimise recruitment costs, resulting in cost savings in external consultant spend.

Employee satisfaction from HR process and tools increased from 45% to 87%, while employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) rose to 64. These metrics indicate a significant shift in employee perception following the digital overhaul.

AI and Automation Integration

The company enhanced HR service delivery through AI-powered automation and end-to-end digitisation of employee processes. A 24x7 AI-enabled HR assistant now resolves more than 95% of routine employee queries, while self-service workflows have enabled 100% employee-led leave and attendance management without manual HR intervention.

Integrated digital systems across HRMS, payroll, SAP, banking and enterprise platforms have streamlined employee lifecycle processes, reducing monthly HR helpdesk tickets by 91%. This efficiency gain has enabled the HR function to support the company's growing workforce without a corresponding increase in administrative headcount.

What the Numbers Show

The data reveals a strong correlation between automation and administrative load reduction. With the AI assistant resolving more than 95% of routine queries and self-service tools handling 100% of leave and attendance management, the 91% drop in helpdesk tickets suggests that nearly all manual HR interactions have been successfully migrated to digital channels. This allows the HR team to focus on strategic initiatives rather than transactional tasks, supporting scalability without linear headcount growth.

Speaking on the recognition, Chief Human Resources Officer Sushil Baveja said, "Digital transformation creates lasting value only when it improves everyday experiences for employees. Our focus has been on building HR systems that are simple, accessible and scalable while ensuring that people remain at the centre of every change. By combining technology, AI-enabled automation and strong change management, we have enhanced operational efficiency while delivering a more seamless employee experience."

About Jindal Stainless

India's leading stainless steel manufacturer, Jindal Stainless, had an annual turnover of ₹42,955 crore (USD 4.86 billion) in FY26 and an annual melt capacity of 4.2 million tonnes. It has 16 stainless steel manufacturing and processing facilities in India and abroad, including in Spain and Indonesia, and a worldwide network in 12 countries, as of March 2026.

Jindal Stainless Limited has filed its Integrated Annual Report for the financial year 2025-26, reporting strong consolidated financial results and outlining a strategic roadmap for sustainable growth. The filing was made pursuant to Regulations 30, 34 and 53(2) of the SEBI Listing Regulations. The report, titled "The Metal of Progress. The Strength of Tomorrow," emphasizes material durability, lifecycle value, and recyclability as critical components of India's infrastructure ambitions.

FY26 Financial Performance

The company delivered robust financial results for FY26, supported by disciplined execution and a focus on value-added products. Consolidated revenue grew 9.3% year-on-year to ₹42,955 crore, while EBITDA rose 19.2% to ₹5,560 crore. Profit After Tax increased 27.4% to ₹3,185 crore. Finished goods sales volume reached a record 2.57 million tonnes, up 8.1% from 2.37 million tonnes in FY25.

Capital expenditure during FY26 stood at ₹2,700 crore, part of a broader ~₹5,700 crore strategic investment programme. Return on Equity improved to 17.5% from 16.1% in FY25, while Return on Capital Employed stood at 18.9%. The balance sheet remained strong with a net debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15x.

Key Operational and Strategic Developments

Jindal Stainless strengthened its manufacturing capacity during FY26 by commissioning its 1.2 MTPA stainless steel melt shop in Indonesia through joint venture PT Glory Metal Indonesia ahead of schedule. This increased the company's combined global melting capacity to 4.2 MTPA, including 3.0 MTPA in India. The company also progressed with the commissioning of a 1.1 MTPA Hot Rolled Annealed Pickled (HRAP) line and a 0.17 MTPA Cold Rolled Annealed Pickled (CRAP) line at Jajpur, Odisha.

The company is targeting an increase in CRAP capacity from 2.05 MTPA to 2.67 MTPA by FY28, and sales volumes of 3.5 MTPA by FY29. It also deepened its portfolio of specialised stainless steel solutions across defence, aerospace, mobility, railways and industrial applications, securing its first commercial aerospace order for India's Small Satellite Launch Vehicle programme.

Dividend and Capital Allocation

The Board recommended a final dividend of ₹3 per equity share (150%) of face value ₹2 each for FY26, subject to shareholder approval at the ensuing AGM. An interim dividend of ₹1 per share (50%) was declared in January 2026, resulting in a total dividend of ₹4 per equity share (200%) for FY26 — an increase of approximately 33.33% over the total dividend of ₹3 per equity share declared for FY25. The record date for the final dividend is Friday, August 21, 2026, with payment on or before October 1, 2026.

ESG and Sustainability Highlights

Sustainability remained integral to the company's strategy. Jindal Stainless advanced its 315.6 MW solar-wind hybrid renewable energy project with Oyster Renewable Energy, its largest renewable energy investment to date. Renewable sources accounted for nearly 47% of total electricity consumption across its Hisar and Jajpur facilities. The company maintained approximately 70% recycled scrap utilisation in its Electric Arc Furnace-based manufacturing process and continues progressing towards targets of reducing Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 50% by 2035 and achieving Net Zero by 2050.

The Hisar facility achieved Zero Waste to Landfill (ZWTL) Platinum+ certification with a 99.99% waste diversion rate. GHG emission intensity was reduced by 18.14% from FY23 (2.15 tCO2e/tcs) to FY26 (1.76 tCO2e/tcs). The company scored 78 on the S&P Global DJSI Corporate Sustainability Assessment, earning recognition as an 'Industry Mover' and 'Sustainability Yearbook Member'.

CSR initiatives reached over 1.19 lakh individuals across healthcare, education, livelihoods, sanitation, and women's empowerment. Community healthcare initiative Niramaya reached more than 16,000 individuals across Hisar and Jajpur. The education and skilling initiative, Stainless Academy, impacted over 82,000 people in the fabricators ecosystem alone.

Consumer Engagement and Brand Building

Consumer engagement gained momentum during the year with the launch of the company's first national brand campaign featuring brand ambassador Ranveer Singh. The expansion of the Jindal Saathi programme and continued growth of the Jindal Saathi Pragati loyalty platform reflect the company's evolution towards a stronger B2C business model and efforts to build greater awareness and adoption of stainless steel across India.

46th AGM and Governance

The 46th AGM will be held on September 2, 2026 via Video Conferencing. Key ordinary business includes adoption of standalone and consolidated financial statements for FY26, declaration of the final dividend, and re-appointment of Mr. Ratan Jindal as a Director liable to retire by rotation. Special business includes ratification of remuneration of ₹4,75,000 payable to M/s Ramanath Iyer & Co., Cost Accountants, for FY26-27. Remote e-voting commences August 29, 2026 at 9:00 am and ends September 1, 2026 at 5:00 pm. The Board comprises eight members with 50% Independent Directors and 25% Women Directors. The company secured 1st Rank in the Corporate Governance category for the third consecutive year at the India Corporate Governance & Sustainability Vision Awards 2026.

What the Numbers Show

The divergence between revenue growth (+9.3%) and PAT growth (+27.4%) highlights significant operating leverage achieved through volume expansion and cost discipline. With finished goods sales volume rising 8.1% to a record 2.57 MTPA, the company successfully converted top-line growth into disproportionate bottom-line gains, further supported by a reduction in net debt-to-equity from 0.24x to 0.15x.