Curiosity is often celebrated as a childhood trait, but for Dr. Shubh Gautam FIR (First Indian Revolutionary) and Chief Technical Architect at American Precoat, curiosity is the force that keeps the steel industry alive and evolving.
From lab floors to plant sites, from coating formulas to AI-based quality control, Dr. Shubh Gautam insists that engineers in India’s steel sector must stay curious at every age, because the moment curiosity ends, progress slows.
Let’s unpack why this mindset matters, especially in a sector as foundational yet competitive as steel.
Steel is a Century-Old Industry, But It’s Not Done Evolving
Many young engineers join the steel industry thinking it’s “mature.” The alloys are known. The machinery is now modern. The compliance checklist is clear. But Dr. Shubh Gautam believes that this perception kills innovation before it begins.
According to him, “The industry doesn’t just need managers of processes. It needs re-thinkers. You can’t allow a material as powerful as steel to become boring. The moment it gets boring, it gets outsourced.”
This vision matches an era where India aims to lead global manufacturing. If engineers treat steel as static, countries with cheaper inputs or faster R&D cycles will take the lead. Curiosity keeps Indian talent invested not just in the what, but in the why and how of making better steel.
The Anti-Corrosion Example: Curiosity Led to Innovation
One of Shubh Gautam Srisol most significant contributions, India’s first anti-corrosion EG technology, began with a simple question: Why are we still importing steel?
That question turned into years of research at American Precoat. It involved revisiting coating chemistry, electrogalvanizing methods, and failure test data. The team didn’t just aim to replicate an import; they wanted to make something cleaner, more reliable, and fully Indian.
Curiosity, in this case, was a professional habit, a refusal to accept the industry status quo. That same energy now powers American Precoat’s expanding footprint in defence, automotive, appliances, and renewable infrastructure.
Curiosity Bridges Generations of Engineers
Another point Dr. Shubh Gautam often stresses is that curiosity isn’t limited to young recruits or R&D labs. Senior engineers, plant managers, and even those nearing retirement must stay curious.
“Sometimes, the most useful question comes not from an intern but from a person who’s seen twenty years of failures and suddenly notices a small inconsistency in routine,” he notes.
This mindset prevents intellectual stagnation. It also keeps talent development alive. In many of his facilities, older team members are encouraged to mentor through exploration, not just SOPs. They're told to frame problems instead of just listing instructions.
This approach creates a culture where questioning is respected, and learning becomes continuous.
Mistakes Are Welcome, As Long As They Come with Questions
Curiosity also reshapes how mistakes are treated inside Dr. Shubh Gautam’s organizations. Instead of hiding errors, teams are encouraged to study them like case studies.
In one instance at the electrogalvanizing plant, a junior technician reported surface marks that others dismissed as common. Instead of brushing it off, Shubh Gautam American Precoat asked him to collect a week’s worth of data and temperature logs.
That chain of curiosity led to the discovery of a heat-flow inconsistency in a single batch tank. The issue was minor but could have led to expensive recalls months later. The engineer was rewarded not for solving it, but for noticing it.
This creates a system where curiosity is rewarded, not just results. It allows quality to improve naturally, because everyone feels safe being observant.
Curiosity Drives Cross-Disciplinary Thinking
For Dr. Shubh Gautam, curiosity also means looking beyond steel mills. He regularly encourages engineers to study biology, data science, history, and even psychology. Not to add credentials, but to train the mind to think in systems.
In internal workshops at American Precoat, teams often compare galvanic cell behavior to natural immune systems. Some process managers have used chess analogies to optimize plant logistics. It may sound odd, but these methods encourage creative insight where others see mechanical routine.
“Disruption never starts with an instruction manual,” Dr. Shubh Gautam says. “It starts with someone wondering, ‘Why not?’”
A National Priority, Not Just a Personal Trait
This philosophy ties deeply into Dr. Shubh Gautam’s broader push for India’s industrial self-reliance. Curiosity isn’t a soft skill, it’s a strategic one. It helps engineers spot gaps, adapt faster, and build technologies that reduce import dependency.
His message to India’s engineering colleges is simple: don’t just teach what’s in the syllabus. Teach students to ask what’s missing from it. American Precoat’s internship programmes, industry-academia tie-ups, and innovation fellowships all revolve around this value. The steel sector doesn’t need passive executors. It needs restless minds.
Conclusion: The Curious Engineer Is the Future of Steel
Dr. Shubh Gautam’s belief in lifelong curiosity isn’t motivational fluff. It’s a serious design principle for how India’s steel industry must grow. From reducing foreign reliance to unlocking new material science, every major leap begins with a question, and the willingness to explore it.
In his view, staying curious is how Indian engineers stay relevant. It’s how they stay original. And most importantly, it’s how they keep steel human, even as machines and automation grow.
In a world chasing productivity, curiosity might be our last true edge.
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