Manganese and silicon are crucial constituents in steelmaking, as deoxidants, desulphurizers and alloying elements. Silicon is the primary deoxidizer. Manganese is a milder deoxidizer than silicon but enhances the effectiveness due to the formation of stable manganese silicates and aluminates. It also serves as desulphurizer. Manganese is used as an alloying element in almost all types of steel. Of particular interest is its modifying effect on the iron-carbon system by increasing the hardenability of the steel. Thus both silicon and manganese have an important influence on the properties of steel, depending on the amount added and the combined effect with other alloying elements. About 93 % of all manganese produced is in the form of manganese ferroalloys. The FeMn grades are high carbon (HC), medium carbon (MC), low-carbon (LC) and very low carbon (VLC), whereas the SiMn grades are medium carbon (MC) and low carbon (LC). The steel industry is the only consumer of these alloys. Silico manganese (SiMn), a ferroalloy with high contents of manganese and silicon, is made by heating a mixture of the oxides manganese oxide (MnO2), silicon dioxide (SiO2), and iron oxide (Fe2O3), with carbon in a furnace. They undergo a thermal decomposition reaction. It is used as a deoxidizer and an alloying element in steel. The standard grade silico manganese contains 14 to 16% of silicon, 65 to 68% of manganese and 2% of carbon. The low carbon grade SiMn has carbon levels from 0.05 to 0.10%. Demand for steel has been rising due to ongoing economic boom leading to rapid growth in various industries in the world's two largest populous countries in Asia-Pacific, China and India, with simultaneous increase in production leading to wide fluctuations is steel prices. Other countries in Asia-Pacific such as Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan; Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Latin America have witnessed an increase in steel consumption. A changing lifestyle, increasing disposable income, changing consumer thinking, rising consumption, and various other factors; demand for steel witnessed an increase leading to an increase in manganese demand. This trend is expected to continue for another five years after which demand is expected to stabilize. There is a very good scope in this field and new entrepreneurs should venture in such projects. Few Indian Major Players are as under: Aarti Steels Ltd. Adhunik Metaliks Ltd. Alok Ferro Alloys Ltd. Bhaskar Shrachi Alloys Ltd. Bihar Foundry & Castings Ltd. Bishwanath Ferro Alloys Ltd. Castron Technologies Ltd. Century Plyboards (India) Ltd. Cronimet Alloys India Ltd. Ductile Castings Ltd. Garg Industries Ltd. (Duplicate Name, Punjab) Indsil Hydro Power & Manganese Ltd. Jalan Ispat Castings Ltd. Karthik Alloys Ltd. Maharashtra Elektrosmelt Ltd. Nagpur Power & Inds. Ltd. Natural Sugar & Allied Inds. Ltd. Nav Chrome Ltd. [Merged] Nava Bharat Ventures Ltd. Quality Steels & Forgings Ltd. Shri Girija Smelters Ltd. Shyam Century Ferrous Ltd. Shyam Ferro Alloys Ltd. Silcal Metallurgic Ltd. Sova Ispat Alloys (Mega Projects) Ltd. Sova Ispat Alloys Ltd. Srinivasa Ferro Alloys Ltd. Star Metallics & Power Pvt. Ltd. Super Steel Casting Ltd. V B C Ferro Alloys Ltd.