Dastur

What Dastur does

Dastur (legally M. N. Dastur & Company (P) Ltd.) is a privately held, family-controlled consulting engineering firm founded in 1955 in Kolkata, India, by Dr. Minu Nariman Dastur, a pioneering metallurgist and MIT doctorate. The firm provides integrated engineering services, operations improvement consulting, and investment advisory to global integrated steel makers, mining and minerals companies, energy and utility firms, financial institutions, and government and public sector clients across nine industry verticals including iron and steel, aluminium, copper, gasification, mining, power, infrastructure, and water. Dastur operates from more than 13 offices across India, Germany, the United States, Canada, Japan, the UAE, and Bahrain, and reports a cumulative client base of over 1,000 with 80% year-over-year retention.

The firm's technical core rests on process simulation and modelling (CFD, FEM, computational thermodynamics) integrated with AI/ML, digital twins, big data analytics, and IoT for industrial operations in metals, mining, and energy. Two subsidiaries extend capabilities: Dastur Innovation Labs (DIL), established in 2017 in Toronto, serves as the applied industrial research wing producing proprietary ML models for dephosphorization, desulfurization, tundish open eye prediction, and blast furnace thermal state indexing; and Dastur Business & Technology Consulting (DBTC), established in 2008, focuses on cross-industry advisory. The firm has positioned itself for energy transition through carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) mandates — including India's largest industrial CCUS project at IOCL Koyali, a US DOE-funded $500M carbon capture project with ArcelorMittal, and a joint CCUS policy framework with NITI Aayog — and offers energy efficiency services as a BEE-enlisted ESCO Grade 2 provider with guaranteed savings contracts.

Dastur generates revenue primarily through professional services fees on a project-based, negotiated pricing model across three service divisions: Engineering (process modelling, basic and detailed engineering, construction management, project management, inspection); Operations Improvement (process optimization, energy efficiency, digital transformation, restructuring and turnaround — delivering 10-15% EBITDA improvement claims); and Investment Advisory (project viability, M&A advisory, lender services). Notable enterprise clients include Tata Steel, ArcelorMittal, JSW Steel, SAIL, IOCL, BPCL, NALCO, NMDC, Hindalco, Vedanta, Posco, and Qatar Steel. The firm is led by Chairman & Managing Director Rustam Minu Dastur (founder's son) and President & CEO Atanu Mukherjee, an MIT-trained engineer appointed in 2020 to drive the pivot into energy, environment, digital, and operations businesses.

Name

Dastur

Legal name

M. N. Dastur & Company (P) Ltd.

Website

https://dastur.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Dastur is a privately held, family-controlled consulting engineering firm founded in 1955 in Kolkata, India, providing integrated engineering, operations improvement, and investment advisory services to global steel makers, mining companies, energy firms, and government enterprises across 13+ offices in 7 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Engineering Consulting Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainability & ESG Consulting (BPAHACAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mineral Processing Plant Design & EPCM (Flowsheet Development, Piloting & Scale-up) (IMAKALAK), Industrial Decarbonization EPC, Integration & O&M Services (Design/Build/Operate) (EUABAJAM), Sustainable & Responsible Supply Chain (ESG, Scope 3) (BPAHAHAM)

Keywords

• Engineering consulting services
• Steel plant consulting
• Industrial decarbonization services
• Mining engineering consulting
• Metallurgical process consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Kolkata

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Engineering Consulting Services: Fees for comprehensive integrated engineering services covering process modelling, basic and detailed engineering, construction management, project management, and inspection services for metals, mining, and energy projects — delivered from 'concept to commissioning'.
2. Operations Improvement Consulting: Advisory fees for operational diagnostics, process improvement, restructuring and turnaround services, energy efficiency, and digital transformation — with demonstrated ability to improve EBITDA by 10-15% for clients.
3. Investment Advisory & Project Viability: Fees for project viability studies, merger & acquisition advisory, and services for lenders' investments including independent project monitoring and due diligence reports.
4. Process Modelling & Simulation: Revenue from specialized process modelling engagements including CFD analysis, thermodynamic simulations, and digital twin development for steel, non-ferrous, and chemical processes.
5. ESCO — Energy Efficiency Guaranteed Savings: Energy savings contracts as ESCO Grade 2 Company. Three models: consultancy with client financing; guaranteed savings with client finance; shared savings with full Dastur financing through escrow account.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Dastur provides end-to-end engineering consulting, operations improvement, and investment advisory services for the steel, metals, mining, and energy industries, covering feasibility studies, process and plant design, project execution, commissioning, brownfield modernization, energy efficiency under ESCO contracts, and emerging decarbonization offerings including CCUS and hydrogen. The firm supports clients from concept to handover with proprietary digital tools, in-house R&D via Dastur Innovation Labs, and management consulting via Dastur Business & Technology Consulting.

Product overview

Dastur is a global consulting engineering firm founded in 1955, offering integrated services across three core divisions: Engineering Services, Operations Improvement, and Investment Advisory. The Engineering division provides comprehensive services from process modelling to detailed engineering, construction management, and inspection. Operations Improvement focuses on EBITDA enhancement through process optimization, energy efficiency, and digital transformation. Investment Advisory covers project viability, M&A, and lender services. Two key subsidiaries extend capabilities: Dastur Innovation Labs (DIL, founded 2017 in Toronto) conducts applied industrial research in ironmaking, steelmaking, CCUS, and gasification using ML/AI and computational methods. Dastur Business & Technology Consulting (DBTC, established 2008) provides industry-specific advisory to manufacturing and energy sectors. Specialized offerings include Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) consulting, Energy Efficiency Services with ESCO capabilities, and Digital Transformation leveraging IoT, sensors, and AI. The firm serves nine industry verticals: Iron & Steel, Copper, Aluminium, Gasification/Chemicals/CC, Refractories & Calcining, Power & Energy, Mining & Minerals, Infrastructure, and Water & Utilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Engineering Services End-to-end engineering services for steel, metals, mining, and energy projects covering feasibility, process design, plant engineering, equipment selection, project management, and commissioning from concept to handover.

Quantifiable outcome

• EBITDA improvement of 10-15% through implementation of robust operating frameworks
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers27 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability23 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Tata SteelflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 April 2023Tata Steel and MN Dastur & Company signed a business cooperation agreement to deliver end-to-end services from mineral reserve exploration to bankable feasibility studies and detailed project reports, with Dastur providing mine infrastructure planning and BFR support and Tata Steel contributing mineral exploration and technical services.
• NITI AayogflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 November 2022NITI Aayog and MN Dastur & Company jointly prepared a CCUS policy framework report for India, identifying the critical role of carbon capture utilization and storage technology in enabling India to halve CO2 emissions by 2050, promoting low-carbon hydrogen economy and CO2 removal.
• SAIL — IISCO Steel Plant (SAIL-ISP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 September 2022SAIL-IISCO Steel Plant signed a contract with M.N. Dastur & Co. for preparation of Pre-feasibility Report and Detailed Project Report for new stream expansion, aligned with National Steel Policy 2017 and SAIL VISION 2030 to expand capacity to 50 MT of crude steel by 2030.
• World Steel Dynamics (WSD)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 May 2018Strategic partnership bringing together WSD's global market analysis and strategic intelligence with Dastur's deep techno-economic know-how and engineering expertise to create solutions for North American steelmakers to improve profitability and competitiveness.
• ArcelorMittal USAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArcelorMittal selected by US DOE for funding, partnering with Dastur Energy, M.N. Dastur & Co., and ION Clean Energy to research industrial-scale carbon capture from blast furnace-based steelmaking operations at Burns Harbor. FEED study targets 50-70% CO2 capture from blast furnace gas.
• Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerDastur as prime contractor, with Air Liquide and Bureau of Economic Geology at University of Texas at Austin, selected to design and evaluate feasibility of India's largest industrial CCUS project at IOCL's 13.7 mtpa Koyali refinery — a pioneering carbon capture utilization and storage initiative.
• Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDastur International Inc. (prime contractor) with Lummus Technology awarded USTDA-funded study to evaluate petcoke gasification feasibility at BPCL's 15.5 mtpa Kochi refinery, enabling production of value-added petrochemicals and clean fuels including hydrogen.
• US Department of Energy (DOE) — Large Integrated Steel ProducercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDastur International Inc. and Dastur Energy Inc. awarded a US DOE-funded study to design and engineer a carbon capture project for a large integrated steel producer in North America — first Indian company to undertake an industrial-scale carbon capture project for the steel sector in the continent. Estimated project value: $500 million.
• US Department of Energy / National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC)flagshipTechnology or IntegrationDastur Innovation Labs tied up with US DOE's National Carbon Capture Center to advance commercial-scale coal gasification and CCUS technologies for the Indian market. NCCC offers knowledge sharing through its world-class neutral test centre. Dastur working on technology scaling, economic viability, investment enablement, and policy advocacy.
• Lummus Technology LLCcoreTechnology or IntegrationLummus Technology (wholly-owned subsidiary of McDermott International) partnered with Dastur for process model development for gasifiers, chemical and petrochemical units, and jointly on BPCL petcoke gasification feasibility study.
• Air Liquide Global E&C SolutionscoreTechnology or IntegrationAir Liquide partnered with Dastur on the IOCL Koyali CCUS project, contributing process and engineering expertise for carbon capture, compression, and utilization technology as part of the consortium.
• Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG) at University of Texas at AustincoreTechnology or IntegrationBEG at UT Austin partnered with Dastur on the IOCL Koyali CCUS project, providing geological storage assessment and CO2 utilization expertise as part of the feasibility consortium.
• University of TorontocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Toronto provides academic collaboration for DIL through Dr. Kinnor Chattopadhyay (Associate Professor) and Process Metallurgy Research Labs. Joint work includes SPL recycling, process model development for iron and steelmaking, and metallurgical research. Also home to Dastur Innovation Labs headquarters.
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) — SDM Supply Chain ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMIT SDM Systems Thinking Webinar Series collaboration. Atanu Mukherjee delivered talks at MIT on gasification-based sustainable industrial economy. DIL team works with MIT Supply Chain Forum on supply chain optimization and simulations.
• Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST), ShibpurminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for process model development for iron and steelmaking processes, leveraging IIEST's metallurgical and materials engineering expertise.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hatch Ltd. Hatch is a Canadian employee-owned engineering and management consultancy with deep ferrous and non-ferrous metals, mining, and energy practices — closely mirroring Dastur's mix of process engineering, project advisory, and asset optimization for steel and mining majors globally.
• Tenova S.p.A. Tenova (Techint Group) provides technologies, plants, and services for metals and mining, including engineering consultancy, process optimization, and decarbonization solutions for steel producers — directly comparable to Dastur's operations improvement and engineering services portfolio.
• Danieli Corus B.V. Danieli Corus is the technology and engineering arm of the Danieli Group serving the global steel industry with process design, feasibility studies, and consulting — overlapping with Dastur's basic and detailed engineering, plant design, and feasibility work for integrated steel makers.
• CRU Group: CRU provides market intelligence, consulting, and cost analysis across metals, mining, and fertilizer value chains, including techno-economic advisory to producers, lenders, and investors — directly comparable to Dastur's investment advisory, M&A support, and project viability practice.
• Wood Mackenzie (Verisk Energy & Resources): Wood Mackenzie provides research, consulting, and advisory across energy, metals, and mining, with deep commercial and techno-economic expertise for producers, lenders, and investors — comparable to Dastur's investment advisory, lender services, and cross-commodity consulting practice.
• ERM (Environmental Resources Management): ERM is the world's largest pure-play sustainability and environmental consultancy, serving energy, mining, and manufacturing clients with EIA studies, permitting, and decarbonization advisory — directly comparable to Dastur's environmental engineering, NABET-accredited EIA practice, and CCUS advisory.
• ICF International: ICF provides energy, environment, and infrastructure advisory, including climate strategy, energy efficiency programs, and CCUS consulting for industrial clients and governments — overlapping with Dastur's CCUS, energy efficiency (ESCO), and policy advisory work for NITI Aayog and industrial clients.
• Ramboll Group: Ramboll is a global engineering, architecture, and consulting firm with strong energy, environment, and industrial decarbonization practices — comparable to Dastur's combination of process engineering, environmental engineering, and decarbonization consulting for heavy industry.

Broad incumbents

• Worley Limited: Worley is a global engineering and project delivery firm serving energy, chemicals, and resources with broader EPC and PMC capability than Dastur — comparable at the engineering services and energy transition (CCUS, hydrogen, gasification) practice level.
• AtkinsRéalis (formerly SNC-Lavalin): AtkinsRéalis is a global engineering services and nuclear/clean energy firm with resources and industrial process expertise — overlapping with Dastur's engineering services, energy transition consulting, and project advisory for heavy industry clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mndgasification

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dastur