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editorial Vol. 10 | ISSuE 08 | AprIl 2011
Managing Director: Dr pramath raj Sinha Printer & Publisher: Kanak Ghosh Editorial Group Editor: R Giridhar Associate Editor: p K Chatterjee Sub-Editor: reshmi Menon dEsign Sr. Creative Director: Jayan K Narayanan Art Director: Binesh Sreedharan Associate Art Director: Anil VK Sr. Visualisers: pC Anoop Chief Designer: N V Baiju Sr. Designers: prasanth Tr, Anil T, Joffy Jose Anoop Verma, Chander Dange & Vinod Shinde Designers: Sristi Maurya, Suneesh K, Shigil N & Charu Dwivedi Chief Photographer: Subhojit paul Photographer: Jiten Gandhi brand managEmEnt General Manager: Nabjeet Ganguli salEs & markEting National Manager - Sales: pranav Saran (09312685289) National Manager - Events & Special Projects: Mahantesh Godi (09880436623) Assistant Brand Manager: Arpita Ganguli GM South & West: Vinodh Kaliappan (09740714817) Coimbatore: D K Karthikeyan Kolkata: Jayanta Bhattacharya (09331829284) Production & logistics Sr. GM - Operations: Shivshankar M Hiremath Manager - Operations: Rakesh Upadhyay Assistant Production Manager: Vilas Mhatre Logistics: Mp Singh, Mohamed Ansari officE addrEss Nine Dot Nine Interactive pvt ltd Kakson House, A & B Wing, 2nd Floor 80 Sion Trombay road, opposite r K Studio Chembur, Mumbai 400071. Board line: 91 22 67899666 Fax: 91 22 67899667 For any information, write to info@industry20.com For subscription details, write to subscribe@industry20.com For sales and advertising enquiries, write to advertise@industry20.com For any customer queries and assistance, contact help@9dot9.in Printed and published by Kanak Ghosh for Nine Dot Nine Interactive pvt ltd Plot No. 725 GES, Shirvane, Nerul, Navi Mumbai 400706. Board line: 91 22 67899666 Fax: 91 22 67899667 Editor: Anuradha Das Mathur Plot No. 725 GES, Shirvane, Nerul, Navi Mumbai 400706. printed at Silverpoint press pvt. ltd, Plot No. A-403, TTC Industrial Area, MIDC, Mhape, Navi Mumbai 400709.
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Plugging the
talent SHoRTAGE T he dream run for the manufacturing industry could come to an abrupt halt—unless it find a way to attract and retain talent. That’s because the IT and ITES industry will once again mop up the best people. This year the IT services industry collectively plans to hire more than 200,000 people. The first stop for recruiters fanning across the nation are the engineering colleges. Fresh graduates from the top-tier institutions are lured by the relatively high wages, prospect of overseas postings, comfortable offices, five-day working weeks—and the promise of stock options. Few want to join the manufacturing industry. Experienced hands are being recruited into consulting positions. This is an enormous problem because India’s manufacturing industry is growing rapidly, and is also modernizing at a frantic pace. Companies are putting in more automation and deploying sophisticated software to streamline operations. These organizations need trained and qualified people to use these technologies effectively. They also need young people who can innovate and invent, and develop better products for the market. They need people who can eventually take over from today’s managers, and run manufacturing operations. A small (and diminishing) talent pool compels the industry to either settle for lower skilled people, or offer greater compensation. Neither is a sustainable option. Companies need to figure out how
industry 2.0
R giridhar editor@industry20.com
to get engineers more enthused about the manufacturing industry. The manufacturing industry needs to get more involved with engineering colleges—in framing curricula, teaching as adjunct faculty, facilitating plant visits, engaging in projects and sponsoring research. Senior managers from top companies need to articulate the achievements and success of the industry, and show how it offers good career options to talented people. They need to explain the impact of new technologies and systems on manufacturing processes, and how companies plan to nurture a culture of innovation and design. Manufacturing industry needs to refurbish its image as a dowdy, boring and staid environment. To handle the growing attrition of experienced managers and engineers, manufacturing companies will need to think actively about equipping them with skills that will enable them take on larger roles within the organization. They will need to provide greater business exposure to engineering and manufacturing experts through initiatives like job rotation, and create structured programs that will enable them progress as rapidly as peers in the IT industry. Industry-wide programs to recognize and reward high achievers would also act as an incentive to retain people. The key imperative is to act quickly to fix the problem, or repent at leisure.
- technology management for decision-makers | april 2011
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contents manufacturing technology 20 Protecting Electrical Machinery Monitoring relays not only provide a maximum degree of safety for machines, plants, systems and people, but also ensure less cost.
facilities & operations 32 Lightning-fast Materials Testing A new, reliable ultrasound-based process increases the testing rate a hundred fold.
supply chain & logistics 46 Framing Sourcing Strategies Raw material sourcing efficiency is key to success of a manufacturing organisation.
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Bridging The Skill Gap
The shortage of truck drivers is likely to pose a serious threat to the transportation industry.
36 Managing Melting Operations cover story
Modern aluminium foundry design technology helps save energy, reduce pollution, prevent loss and improve productivity at various stages of foundry operation.
Cover design: Baiju N.V.
information technology 53 Business Intelligence Market on Higher Growth Path In India Business Intelligence is growing as a vital tool for smarter, more agile and efficient business.
management & strategy 54 Boosting Technology Development Of MSMEs The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) is introducing various schemes for upliftment of this sector.
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Patenting For Success
Patenting involves competitive strategies in today’s business world.
departments
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Editorial ......................................01 Industry Update......................... 04 Event Report ............................. 08 Soft Talk ..................................... 12 Technology Update.................... 14 Market Dynamics ...................... 16 Opinion ...................................... 34 Advertisers’ Index ..................... 62
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54 - technology management for decision-makers
Product Update ......................... 63
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industry update Lapp Group To Build 2nd Manufacturing Unit In Bhopal
(L-R) Srinivas P Kamisetty, MD, Lapp India; Siegbert E Lapp, Director, Lapp Holding AG and Frank Imkamp, CEO & President Asia-Pacific, Lapp Group
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ermany-based Lapp Group is setting up a manufacturing unit in Pilukedi, Rajgrah District in Bhopal with a total investment of `150 crore. Lapp is a leading manufacturer and suppliers of high flexibility cables, cable accessories and industrial connectors. Spread over 30 acres, the facility will be the second manufacturing unit of the company in India besides another
one in Bangalore where its corporate headquarters Lapp India is located. The Bhopal facility is expected to be the largest manufacturing unit of Lapp Group in the next five years. The new facility will house three building units with an individual manufacturing apparatus in each. In the first phase, the unit will employ around 100 people and once fully functional it will have approximately 400 number of people.
Speaking during the occasion, Siegbert E Lapp, Director, Lapp Holding AG, said, “India’s thriving economy is showing a promising outlook and I believe, it is the ‘Future Market’ of the connectivity solutions industry. With the estimated market size of approximately 3 billion Euros, we have a lot to do for the market.” Frank Imkamp, CEO & President– Asia-Pacific, Lapp Group, said, “We have witnessed 30 per cent year-onyear growth in India and it is one of our focused markets. The investment that we are making in the new facility will help us cater to the growing customer demands and our revenue is expected to rise 4 fold in the next four years.” Meanwhile, plans are also underway to develop six warehouses and distribution centres, 16 service points for customising the products for customer needs as value-additions. Besides, over 1/4th of the site space will be conserved as green space to grow trees. The company is also planning to follow environment friendly initiatives such as rainwater harvesting, ground water recharge and deploy of solar power.
Wilo Sets Up Manufacturing Plant At Kolhapur GE Plans Multi-modal years’ time to expand capacity and upilo SE recently inaugurated its Manufacturing Plant
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hi-tech manufacturing plant at Kolhapur in Maharashtra. The pump and pumping system manufacturer set up the new plant with an investment of Rs 100 crore. The new unit will manufacture standardised water handling pumps and pumping systems. The plant will also produce the latest range of Wilo products for the domestic market as well as for its subsidiary Mather & Platt Pumps Ltd for the global market. The company has targeted a turnover of Rs 150 crore a year from the Kolhapur plant with 80 per cent of it coming from domestic sales. It has also earmarked an investment of over Rs 200 crore in the next five
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grade technology, plant and machinery both at Kolhapur and Pune. The company also has set up a research and development (R&D) centre at Pune, the first such Wilo facility outside of Germany, where 40 engineers are working on new generation product development. In India, Wilo operates through its subsidiary Mather and Platt Pumps, a manufacturer of centrifugal pumps up to 50,000 m³/hr, valves up to 2600 mm diameter and pumping systems for water supply, irrigation, energy, industry, building sector and wastewater fields. The company also specialises in the field of fire fighting systems from small buildings to large industrial plants.
- technology management for decision-makers
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E is planning to set up a multimodal manufacturing facility in India to support its Indian businesses and exports. The new plant, involving a total investment of $50 million, will primarily serve the company’s energy business. The company is also likely to increase its investment in the facility to $200 million in the future. The company is aiming to grow its India business by 30 per cent year on year as it sees lots of opportunities in selling equipment and services related to its energy business and increasing demand from aviation sector in India besides its financial services business.
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industry update TCI Launches New Cargo Service
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by this rail service. The ransport Corposervice between Bangalore ration of India and Guwahati will cover Limited (TCI), various states like Karnahas started a rail cargo taka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, express service from Assam and other North Bangalore to Guwahati. Eastern states. The first Under the service, TCI and last mile delivery of Freight, the surface the cargo will be undertransport division of TCI taken by a dedicated fleet will run a weekly cargo through road by TCI. train leaving every SunVineet Agarwal, Exday from Bangalore. ecutive Director, TCI says, For the new service, Vineet Agarwal, Executive “Keeping in mind the needs TCI has taken a Cargo Director, TCI of our customers and Express Train on lease growing trade between South and North for three years, which has a capacity East India, we have started this service of 21 VP’s (20 Parcel vans+1 SLR) and between Bangalore and Guwahati. This can carry weight up to 468 tonnes. The is a multimodal service, which includes average transit time for covering the the best of road and rail logistics for a distance will be reduced by 4-6 days; seamless, safe and reliable service.” from 10-12 days by road to 5 days
ICSA Implements Softlink’s Logi-Sys
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nternational Clearing & Shipping Agency (ICSA) group, an international logistics service provider, is implementing the next-generation LogiSys, a comprehensive ERP for logistics from Softlink. ICSA is the flagship company, which acts as the focal point of the group’s activities. The group’s range of services covers various aspects of the logistics domain with the flexibility to tailor services
to suit the requirement of each client. They also operate one of the largest fleet of transport vehicles in South India with about 200 vehicles of various types and capacities—including cntainer terminal operations for DP World Terminals in the ports of Chennai and Vallarpadam. According to the company, they selected the Softlink solution to integrate its operations and roll out a unified service optimization plan.
Agility Expands Cross Border Services
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gility, a global logistics provider, is expanding its South East Asian cross border trucking operations—as demand grows for road services to connect countries across the region and into China. In 2009, China became ASEAN’s (Association of South East Asian Nations) largest trading partner, accounting for 11.6 per cent of ASEAN’s total trade, while in the first eight months of 2010 trade between ASEAN and China was 47 per cent higher than the volume for the same period in 2009. The company’s expanded cross border service provides a viable option for trade within this area, and helps further develop growth. Mike Gildea, Agility’s Chief Executive Officer of South East Asia, says, “Customer demand for cross border logistics in South East Asia has been growing dramatically year-after-year as more manufacturers relocate to the region to take advantage of the increasing connectivity and lower labour and land costs.” “Developing a cross border service will create jobs in the region and help the local economies grow. We are discovering that many customers find the door-to-door option suitable to provide the optimum solution for their supply chain needs,” he adds.
DHL Partners With Singapore Airlines
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HL Global Forwarding Singapore, the freight forwarding arm of DHL, has been awarded a prestigious business win with Singapore Airlines. According to the development, DHL will manage global transportation of all in-flight amenities from Singapore Airlines—mainly through its distribution hubs in China, Germany and Singapore—to all of its network destinations and offices in the world. The current contract covers both ocean freight and air freight services.
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As part of the contract, DHL will also provide all inland transportation services to Singapore Airlines’ China and Germany hubs through its supply chain unit. The operations commenced as of 15th January this year at Singapore Airlines’ hub in Singapore, and are expected to roll out in China and Germany in April and May 2011, respectively.
- technology management for decision-makers
Sam Ang, CEO, Southeast Asia, DHL Global Forwarding
“We are confident that DHL can help Singapore Airlines deliver reduced costs and enhanced logistics efficiency—in order to meet global passenger demands. This further reinfoces our footing in international aviation logistics,” says Sam Ang, CEO, Southeast Asia, DHL Global Forwarding.
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event report
Tracing The FuTure Of Manufacturing While the Indian manufacturing industry is witnessing a momentous growth journey, apart from technology and engineering skill related issues, there are several other apparently secondary pain points—which are concomitantly growing. Besides addressing traditional issues, this time Industry 2.0 Manufacturing Conclave 2011, drew a special attention on those areas.
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op level decision makers and field experts from the manufacturing industries in and around Mumbai recently congregated in the Industry 2.0 Manufacturing Conclave 2011. The annual meet successfully built an open platform for the industry runners and decision makers—to draw ideas from the proven practices for tackling their extant problems, to gain exposure on the forthcoming challenges and the ways to tackle them. The full-day knowledge sharing conclave commenced with the presentation of Satish Kumar Agarwal, Chief –
Corporate Manufacturing, Apollo Tyres. In his talk, titled ‘Driving Quality and Excellence through the Organization’, Satish focused on various aspects of quality enhancement in a manufacturing organization. Bhushan Deshpande, Managing Consultant - MES, Global Business Services, IBM delivered his presentation on ‘Using Technology for Manufacturing Excellence.’ He drew attention on the latest potentials of IT in enhancing organizational efficiency. Harbax V Manuja, Solution Specialist, IBM, spoke on ‘Using Analytic Tools
to Improve Manufacturing Operations.’ He explained the role and capability of the latest analytic tools that can enable organizations to successfully expand their business. Through his presentation—titled ‘Going Global: Strategies for Achieving a Global Manufacturing Footprint,’ Biswanath Bhattacharya, Director, KPMG Advisory Services, vividly painted a picture of the emerging competitive business scenario that the progressive Indian manufacturers are going to witness soon. ‘Data Centres Mean Business’ was the topic addressed by Amit Verma, Country DC Engagement Manager, APC/Schneider Electric. He explained the needs and potentials of owning efficient data centres for every manufacturing organization. In one of the multi-track sessions, Pramod Deo, Assistant Vice President - DSM, Reliance Infrastructure
Voices from some attendees The manufacturing conclave was up to my expectation. I liked the presentations on analytic tools and data centres. dineSH V pai
a r TipniS
Swapnil CHogle
GenerAL MAnAGer -OperAtiOns KLt AutOMOtive & tubuLAr prOducts Ltd.
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K S SawanT
vice president -MAnufActurinG reLiAnce industries
sr GM (prOductiOn) GrAuer & WeiL (indiA)
According to me some presentations were excellent. For example— the talk on driving quality and excellence through the organization.
“The event was very good. I could learn more about new manufacturing practices and technology.”
“I got a wonderful opportunity to network with industry experts.” Sarbdeep S HanSpal
AGM – OperAtiOns KLt AutOMOtive & tubuLAr prOducts
- technology management for decision-makers
MAnAGer – it Ate enterprises
I came to know about new technologies. However, I have enjoyed an excellent presentation on intellectual property issues. Overall, the event met my expectation.
Photos by Jiten Gandhi
“The content of the event was very good. All the lectures were informative.”
C r TalaTHi
vp -- OperAtiOns Mirc eLectrOnics
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Adroit Mentors SaTiSH Kumar agarwal
bHuSHan deSHpande
Harbax V manuja
biSwanaTH bHaTTaCHarya
major S m a naHri
Swapna nigalye
pramod deo
panKaj Kumar laVania
amiT Verma
maniSH adVani
maHua roy CHowdHury
r maHadeVan
ViSHal d meHTa
balaji SaHu
chief – cOrpOrAte MAnufActurinG ApOLLO tyres
Photos by Jiten Gandhi
prOcess exceLLence indiA heAd, JOhnsOn & JOhnsOn MedicAL-indiA
heAd – MArKetinG MAhindrA speciAL services GrOup
MAnAGer - deMAnd side MAnAGeMent, reLiAnce infrAstructure LiMited
pArtner, sOLOMOn & rOy inteLLectuAL prOperty services
and Swapna Nigalye, Manager - DSM, Reliance Infrastructure, delivered a presentation on ‘Energy Strategy & Management for Manufacturing’. Major S M A Nahri, Process Excellence India Head, Johnson & Johnson Medical-India, talked on ‘Transforming the Organization for Lean Manufacturing.’ Pankaj Kumar Lavania, Plant Head, CEAT, stressed on the need of embracing ‘Agile and Flexible Manufacturing’ practice. In the other multi-track session focusing on the associative pain points of the manufacturing industry : Manish Advani, Head – Marketing, Mahindra Special
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MAnAGinG cOnsuLtAnt GLObAL business services ibM
AssistAnt vp/dsM/ ee/ec ceLL, reLiAnce infrAstructure LiMited
directOr cAreer Avenues (indiA)
sOLutiOn speciAList ibM
pLAnt heAd ceAt
seniOr MAnAGinG cOnsuLtAnt, ibM
Services Group, made his detailed presentation on ‘Security Risk Management in Manufacturing Organizations.’ Mahua Roy Chowdhury, Partner, Solomon & Roy Intellectual Property Services, descriptively explained the need of IP awareness to play safe in the international business arena. R Mahadevan, Director, Career Avenues (India), delivered a talk drawing attention on ‘Effective Recruiting, Retaining and Managing People.’ ‘Imperatives for Green Manufacturing and Building a Business Case’ was the topic discussed by Vishal D Mehta, Senior Managing Consultant - Sustain-
industry 2.0
directOr KpMG AdvisOry services
cOuntry dc enGAGeMent MAnAGer Apc/schnieder eLectric
heAd – MAnufActurinG, GAbrieL indiA
ability and Manufacturing, IBM. His presentation highlighted the needs of the hour and the ways to go green. Balaji Sahu, Head – Manufacturing, Gabriel India, talked on the need for ‘Implementation of Lean Manufacturing’ in Indian manufacturing organizations. He addressed the topic from a very ground level, where the primary thought of lean manufacturing finds its origin. The eventful day of Industry 2.0 Manufacturing Conclave 2011 concluded with the distribution of Manufacturing Awards. The entire event was supported by APC and IBM.
- technology management for decision-makers | april 2011
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event report
Coping With the Changing SCenario Top brasses from the Indian Logistics & Supply Chain industry recently participated in an interactive knowledge sharing forum, in Mumbai. They were exposed to various techniques to cope up with the ever growing complexities in the field.
(L-R) Dr Umesh Bahadur, Professor and Head of Operations Management, SP Jain Institute of Management & Research; Kamlesh Upadhyay, Dy GM – Supply Chain, Raymond Apparel Limited; Rajiv Ganore, Head – Supply Chain, Knorr-Bremse Systems and Kaushik Dutta, Assistant VP - Delivery SCM Projects, Essar Information Technology (IT), during the panel discussion on ‘Measuring the performance of supply chain.’
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ndustry 2.0 recently organized the India Supply Chain Management (SCM) Conclave 2011. The event witnessed a mammoth crowd comprising senior supply chain and logistics managers from various Indian manufacturing industries. With his introductory speech—titled ‘Using Your Supply Chain for Competitive Advantages,’ Dr. Umesh Bahadur, Professor and Head of Operations Management at SP Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR), started the day of knowledge sharing through interactive sessions. Later the event continued in two parallel tracks, keeping in view the varieties of knowledge needs among the assembled supply chain and logistics practitioners. However, again in the afternoon some common topics were addressed in a joint session. The day concluded with
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(L-R) Venkat Madhav L, Group VP – SCM, Amara Raja Johnson Controls; Vineet Mehrotra, Director (FMCG), CHEP India and Laxman Jagtap, Head Logistics and Compliance Integrated Supply chain, Honeywell Automation India, during the panel discussion on ‘Warehouse and DC planning and management.’
(L-R) Anil S Lingayat, VP (Product Supply), Godrej & Boyce; N V Chandramouli, Head of Demand & Supply Chain, DSM Anti-Infectives AMEA and Promod Kumar Vashisht, Head – Logistics, Tata Chemicals, during the panel discussion on ‘Improving and optimising your supply chain.’
the Logistics 2.0 SCM Awards presentation. In the day-long event— Vineet Mehrotra, Director (FMCG), CHEP India talked on ‘Planning Future Focused Supply Chains;’ Ankur Modi, Head–Planning & Logistics, Hindustan Unilever delivered his presentation on ‘Coordi(L-R) R Ravichandran, Deputy General Manager Head - Supply nating & Managing Complex Supply Chains;’ Sanjay Sahay, Chain & Logistics Electrical Standard Products, Larsen & Toubro; N D Wagh, Vice President & Operations Head, Kirloskar Head–SCM, Larsen & Toubro Brothers; Lt. Col. Atul Holkar, Vice President, Pepsi, Varun Bevtook up the topic ‘Identifying erages and T Gopi, Head- Logistics & Supply Chain, Piaggio & Managing Supply Chain Vehicles, during the panel discussion on ‘Effective measureRisks’ and NV Chandramouli, ment of third party logistics and outsourced providers.’ Head of Demand & Supply Head–Contract Logistics, Future SupChain, DSM Anti-Infectives AMEA foply Chain who focused on ‘Enhanccused on the issues related to ‘Developing Visibility in the Supply Chain;’ ing Talent & Enhancing Skills for SCM.’ Promod K Vashisht, Head–Logistics, Among other speakers in the conTata Chemicals who deliberated on clave, there were—Supratim Ganguly,
- technology management for decision-makers
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Adroit Mentors
dr. umesh bahadur
vineet mehrotra
ankur modi
sanjay sahay
shashank raodeo
promod kumar vashisht
supratim GanGuLy
n.v. ChandramouLi
professor and Head of operations management, spjimr
Photos by Jiten Gandhi
gm – suppLy cHain strategy maHindra & maHindra
‘Customer-driven Costeffective Supply Chains’ and Shashank Raodeo, General Manager–Supply Chain Strategy, Mahindra & Mahindra, who unfolded different techniques for ‘Managing Complex Supply Chains.’ Apart from Q&A sessions, four highly interactive panel discussions created a fabulous opportunity for the attendees to exchange views on ‘Measuring the Performance of the Supply Chain,’ ‘Improving & Optimizing Supply Chain’, ‘Effective measurement of third party logistics and outsourced providers’ and ‘Warehouse and DC Planning & Management.’ The event was supported by CHEP, Future Supply Chain and Maersk Line.
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director (fmcg) cHep india
Head – Logistics tata cHemicaLs
Head - pLanning & Logistics Hindustan uniLeVer
Head – contract Logistics future suppLy cHain
Head – scm eWac aLLoys Limited (L&t)
Head of demand & suppLy cHain dsm anti-infectiVes amea
Voices from some attendees “I learnt about various supply chain practices and technologies from this event. I would like to attend other Industry 2.0 events.”
“Industry 2.0 SCM Conclave 2011 has met my expectation.” deepak v. sawant generaL manager– projects tecHnoVa imaging systems
rajiv Ganore
generaL manager Knorr-Bremse
“The event created an excellent networking opportunity.”
“The quality of speakers in the event was excellent.”
makarand inamdar
Lt. CoL. atuL hoLkar
generaL manager (suppLy cHain management) reLiance industries
Vice president pepsi Varun BeVerages
industry 2.0
- technology management for decision-makers | april 2011
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soft talk
Optimizing Machine-level Data Collection Rockwell Automation has launched FactoryTalk Historian Machine Edition version 2.2 that adds additional functionality to help users quickly and easily optimize machine-level data collection for manufacturing intelligence.
ockwell Automation has released Factory Talk Historian Machine Edition (ME) version 2.2 software with native connectivity to the OSIsoft PI System. With the latest release, PI System users who employ Allen-Bradley ControlLogix controllers now have an offthe-shelf, machine-level historian application that can easily transfer historical data to their on-site or enterprisewide PI System.
duction data to improve product quality, speed time-to-market and support regulatory compliance. Rockwell Automation designed the FactoryTalk Historian ME application to work as a standalone, rack-mounted historian or to roll-up into a larger plant or enterprise historian systems. Data is accessible from different locations where users can view and analyze role-appropriate historical information. “Integrating data from a machine-level historian with data from a plant-level historian allows operators to locate and correct sources of inefficiencies more quickly to improve manufacturing consistency, energy use and first-pass quality,” said Frank
The native connectivity means that FactoryTalk Historian ME can automatically communicate with the PI System, allowing users to easily integrate their PI System with Rockwell Automation products to access a new level of visibility into production operations. Such scalable, historian applications allow manufacturers to rapidly tap into manufacturing intelligence and make process improvements by leveraging granular, real-time and historical pro-
Kulaszewicz, Senior Vice President, Architecture and Software, Rockwell Automation. “A plugand-play historian that automatically configures with existing equipment and effortlessly feeds additional and more granular data into these systems is a cost-effective way to gather more actionable manufacturing data to improve operations,” he added. With a modular historian, manufacturers can collect data in remote or hazardous locations
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The FactoryTalk Historian Machine Edition version 2.2 allows users to have enhanced control when data is transferred.
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and when speed and reliability is crucial, such as oil and gas, mining, pharmaceutical or water treatment applications. Additionally, machine builders can apply FactoryTalk Historian ME to pre-qualify the data collection of their machines, reducing the time required for on-site installation, configuration and validation efforts. In highly regulated industries, the application helps machine builders provide continuous uptime and reliability. Because a machine-level historian is directly connected to the application controller, network connections are not necessary to data collection. As long as the system has a power supply, data gathering is assured. “FactoryTalk Historian ME version 2.2 is a logical extension of the PI System infrastructure,” said Ron Kolz, Senior Vice President of Sales and Business Development, OSIsoft. “This new release ensures smooth and flexible data collection for the PI System and is a solution that will ultimately provide users with better access to their operational data,” he said. Users also have more control over when data is transferred, which can save time and reduce costs. Transferring data can be expensive and every communications medium has usage limits. A machine-level historian can be programmed to transmit data to avoid peak-usage hours, or can be remotely directed to halt and recommence transfer if vital information needs to be prioritized. Once communication is reestablished—information from the period of isolation is immediately accessible.
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technology update
Deploying Compostable Bags AWB and BASF are to start a pilot project with compostable bags for biodegradable waste in the district of Bad Dürkheim, Germany. Although these bags need industrial composting plants, which facility is to be provided by GML Abfallwirtschaftsgesellschaft for this project, this is a praiseworthy step towards protecting the environment.
Garbage bags made of Ecovio make the collection and disposal of biodegradable waste cleaner, more hygienic and easier.
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ASF’s biodegradable plastic Ecovio FS Film is to be used in a pilot project by the waste management service AWB, in the district of Bad Dürkheim , Germany. Starting on April 6, 2011, a three-month test will be conducted to determine whether the bags are suitable for collecting organic waste—and how these bags behave on a large scale at an organic composting plant in Grünstadt, owned by the waste management company GML Abfallwirtschaftsgesellschaft. At the beginning of the project, each of the approximately 65,000 households in the district of Bad Dürkheim will receive 10 bags free of charge by mail along with information material. Additional bags will be available at a num-
april 2011 | industry 2.0
ber of distribution points throughout the district. Residents are being encouraged to use the bags to collect food waste and then dispose of them via the organic waste bin. According to BASF, garbage bags made of Ecovio make the collection and disposal of biodegradable waste cleaner, more hygienic and easier. They not only prevent unpleasant odours and keep out insects, but also mean that it is no longer necessary to wash and clean the waste pail in the kitchen. The bags have enough wet strength, so that liquids from teabags or fruit leftovers cannot leak through and the bags remain stable, informs BASF sources. Although, the bags are not suitable for home composting, industrial composting plants can provide the conditions needed to ensure residue-free degradation. The seedling logo that is printed on the bags indicates that the bags as well as the products Ecovio and Ecoflex meet the stringent statutory requirements of European standard EN 13432, which governs the biodegradation and the compostability of packaging. “In addition, an extensive series of tests conducted by
- technology management for decision-makers
BASF at the organic composting plant in Grünstadt at the end of 2009 has demonstrated that the bags are also well-suited for the short cycle times of professional composting plants. Of the plastic bags tested, only organic waste bags made from Ecovio were degraded completely and quickly enough,” explained Jürgen Keck, Head of the Global Business with biodegradable plastics at BASF in Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF sources inform that the first Ecovio products made use of BASF’s classic, oil-based biodegradable polyester Ecoflex, Ecovio FS Film is a new development. This material is made of the partially bio-based Ecoflex FS and PLA (Polylactic Acid), which is obtained from corn starch. Because of this combination, the bags used in the Bad Dürkheim project consist of more than 50 per cent renewable raw materials. Like the biodegradable waste itself, the Ecovio molecules are broken down by microorganisms with the aid of enzymes. The decisive factor for this degradation process is the structure of the molecule, not the origin of the raw materials. At the end of the composting process, the microorganisms completely convert the bags into carbon dioxide, water and biomass. This is a key advantage in terms of waste recovery, since the waste disposal companies do not have to remove the bags labouriously. On the contrary, the bags are turned into valuable compost together with the rest of the biodegradable waste. Ecovio bags can thus help in reducing the volume of the biodegradable waste in residual waste bins, protect the environment and reduce the cost of disposing of residual waste.
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market dynamics
Increasing Constraints To Long-term Investing A recent report titled, ‘The Future of Long-term Investing’ by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in collaboration with Oliver Wyman, points out that the ability to make long-term investments is diminishing at a time—when the need for long-term capital is significantly growing.
More engaged ownership of public companies by shareholders should be encouraged.
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n 2009, long-term institutional asset owners held slightly under half of the world’s professionally managed assets—approximately US$ 27 trillion out of US$ 65 trillion. The WEF- Wyman report finds that long-term investors as a whole have been able to allocate only 25 per cent of their capital to long-term investments, and this figure is likely to fall as a result of the economic crisis and increasing regulation. The report finds that there are considerable internal challenges that must be overcome when making long-term investments. Many institutions have material short-term financial obligations that must be funded with short-
april 2011 | industry 2.0
term investments. Furthermore, investors must overcome organizational conservatism and principal-agency considerations to make long-term decisions. These additional internal con-
- technology management for decision-makers
straints make funding difficult to find for projects with short-term losses but potentially significant long-term gains. Tony Tan Keng-Yam, Deputy Chairman and Executive Director, Government of Singapore Investment Corporation, Singapore, and Chair of the steering committee for the WEF’s Long-term Investing project, says, “This report highlights the significant barriers that must be overcome in order to execute an effective longterm investing strategy and the broader economic implications of those constraints.” In addition to internal challenges, there are significant regulatory pressures that also impact the ability to make longterm investments. For instance, mark-to market accounting and strict capital requirements can limit the ability to make long-term investments and promoting procyclical behaviour on the part of the long-term investors. According to Angelien Kemna, Chief Investment Officer, APG All Pensions Group, Netherlands, “Having to account for mark-tomarket price changes for assets that we do not intend to sell for
Four Key Findings From The WEF— Oliver Wyman Survey ● Increasing constraints to long-term investing will limit the availabil-
ity of long-term capital in the global economy. ● Long-term capital is more necessary than ever to fund important
needs (e.g., infrastructure, innovation and the transition to a lowcarbon economy); it acts as a counter-cyclical force in financial markets and can impact the time horizon of corporate managers. ● Insurance and pension fund regulation may have unintended adverse consequences on economic growth. ● Long-term investors should work to better address principal-agent misalignment in their investment process.
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Six Recommendations For Long-term Investors, Regulators And Policy-makers ● Policy-makers should consider the unintended impact of regulatory
decisions on investor ability to make long-term investments. ● Policy-makers should mitigate the impact of capital protectionism
on long-term investors. ● Long-term investors should develop performance measurement
systems that balance fostering a long-term perspective with shortterm accountability. ● Long-term investors should implement compensation systems that better align stakeholders with the long-term mandate. ● Long-term investors should promote among stakeholders a better understanding of the implications of a long-term investing strategy. ● More engaged ownership of public companies by shareholders should be encouraged by policy-makers and long-term investors. * The recommendations are intended to ease the constraints on long-term investing and increase the benefits that flow from it.
many decades makes it harder for us to hold these assets through a market downturn.” Increasing constraints can prove challenging for the broader economic recovery, as there
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are significant societal benefits that can arise from long-term investing, especially in a postcrisis environment. “The world is looking to long-term investors to help fund
projects such as infrastructure that have historically been funded by Governments. However, these investors are increasingly unable to meet these needs,” notes Max von Bismarck, Director and Head of Investors Industries at the WEF. In addition to long-term projects, corporations with long-term shareholders are more likely to make significant investments in R&D and other long-term initiatives, investments that enable economic growth. Policy-makers therefore face a dilemma when regulating long-term investors. Julia Hobart, Partner at Oliver Wyman and Senior Adviser to the project, highlights “Policy-makers must integrate their dual goals of ensuring solvency and stability of individual institutions with promoting broader global economic growth. When these issues are considered separately, significant unintended effects can arise.”
industry 2.0
- technology management for decision-makers | april 2011
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manufacturing technology
ProtEcting
ElEctrical MachinEry Monitoring relays provide a maximum degree of safety for machines, plants, systems and people. They serve to indicate or even trip the circuits when the conditions go off normal. Compared to the expenditure involved in mending damaged electrical machinery and /or compensating for plant or factory accidents, deployment of suitable monitoring relays involves much less cost. 20
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- technology management for decision-makers
T
he continuity of electrical power supply is very important, especially for the industrial sector—where a stoppage of process is extremely costly. Hence, it is important to take the necessary action to prevent faults, and if these do occur, to minimize potential damage to life, equipment and property. Typically, electrical motors are used as prime movers to any machine. The motor is protected with
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manufacturing technology the help of an overload relay, which is a switchgear item. In case of type 2 coordinated feeders; this overload relay is also protected by fuse. If one takes an overall view of the system comprising machine, its electric motor, switching and protecting switchgear items, then the cost of the switchgear is the minimum followed by the cost of the motor and then the highest cost item is the machine itself. If a fault in the system damages the machine, then there is a huge loss of money compared to when there is damage to the
machines, plants and systems. This means that line and voltage faults, the effect of wear due to differential loading and insulation faults are detected early, and the appropriate response is initiated before more significant damage can occur. It also reduces the system downtime. Hence, the monitoring relays as a part of the switchgear product portfolio indirectly saves you money. Buying and installation decision for a particular switchgear device is influenced by various factors, viz., importance of the device for the installation, instal-
Phase unbalance When the voltages of the three phases are not equal, it is called the phase unbalance condition. The current increases radically in the motor windings, and if allowed to continue, the motor can get damaged. The unequal singlephase loads, open delta connections causes phase unbalance. Phase unbalance can be prevented by early detection using monitoring relays. We need to just set the percentage of voltage above which relay should change over its contacts for warning.
Single phasing or phase loss HigH
Machine DOwn TiMe Motor LOw
Switchgear LOw
The cost of the switchgear is the minimum followed by the cost of the motor and then the highest cost item is the machine itself.
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COST
motor or to the switchgear. When we use overload relay (bi-metal relay), it senses only limited parameters (phase currents) and protects the motor. But there are many parameters that need to be monitored for more accurate and effective motor and more importantly machine protection such as: 1. Line monitoring 2. Load monitoring 3. Insulation monitoring 4. Level monitoring 5. Speed monitoring 6. Temperature monitoring 7. Residual current monitoring Monitoring relays provide a maximum degree of protection for
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HigH
lation cost, the expected lifetime of the device and the future costs (e.g., repair costs, loss of production) in case of failures. Let us analyze each type of monitoring devices and the monitored parameters along with the necessity of monitoring the same.
Three phase line monitoring device
The 3-phase line monitoring device monitors phase unbalance, phase loss, phase sequence, under voltage, over voltage, under current, over current conditions and the healthiness of neutral conductor of the system.
- technology management for decision-makers
When one phase of a secondary opens, the current to a motor in the two remaining phases theoretically increases to √3 (173 per cent) times the normal current of the motor. The increase can be as much as 2 times (200 per cent) because of power factor changes. The two remaining phases can burn out in a few minutes. Where the motor has a high inertia load, the current can approach locked rotor values under phase loss conditions. During phase loss, the temperature rise may not vary directly with the motor current. In fact, the motor temperature rise may increase at a rate greater than the increase in current. The protective devices, which sense only current may not provide complete single-phasing protection, additional protective means may be necessary when a single-phasing protection is required. Generally, smaller horsepower rated motors have more thermal capacity than larger horsepower rated motors and are more likely to be protected by conventional motor running overload devices. Causes of phase loss are— breaking of single cable, blowing of only single fuse, open connection in wiring such as in motor junction box (caused by vibra-
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manufacturing technology tion), poor connections—particularly when aluminium conductors are not properly joined to copper conductors or when aluminium conductors are inserted into terminals and lugs suitable for use with copper conductors or copper-clad conductors only. Immediate detection of phase loss is needed—so as to take the corrective action and protect the motor and other equipment of the feeder.
wrong phase sequence or phase reversal Motors running in the wrong direction can damage the system or persons. Changing the phase sequence means a change of the direction of rotation of the connected device, e.g., a generator, pump or fan. Some applications— which attempt to spin the motor backwards will result in damage to the load. If the phase sequence at the terminals L1-L2-L3 is correct, the output relay picks up after the
end of set time delay and the LED is lit. If the phase sequence is wrong, the output relay remains in its rest position. The changeover contact of monitoring relay can be used to indicate this condition.
Under-voltage condition For 3 phase load (kw) = 3½ x V x I x cos ф ; For single phase load (kW) = V x I x cos ф If voltage goes below the rated value, the motor will draw the current higher than the rated value to drive the load kW attached to it. This increased current in turn overheats the motor and cables. If the voltage dips occur in the line supplies, this situation can be avoided by monitoring the under-voltage condition.
Overvoltage condition Devices are rated for a particular voltage and current values. If the voltage exceeds the rated value, then it can damage the device. Also, the insulation cannot withstand overvoltage situation.
Applications of a typical line monitoring device Measured quantity
Possible plant or system fault
Phase sequence
Direction of rotation of the drive A fuse has blown
Phase failure
Control supply voltage has failed Single-phase operation of a motor with corresponding overheating
Phase dissymmetry
Current monitoring relay
Line supplies with non-symmetrical load are detected
Undercurrent condition can lead to contactor not picking up, and thus gives difficulty in starting the motor. In the running condition also undercurrent condition is undesirable. Empty water pump can be a dangerous situation. The water typically provides pump cooling. Without the cooling water, case temperature can reach an extremely high value. If valves are opened under these conditions, and cold water is allowed to reach red-hot metal parts, the resulting
Motor draws an increased current and in turn overheats A device is undesirably reset Detection of line supply dips, especially when supplied from a battery Threshold value switch for analog signals 0 to 10 V
Overvoltage
A plant is protected against destruction due to supply overvoltages A plant or system switches-in above a certain voltage Threshold value switch for analog signals 0 to 10 V
Insulation monitoring
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The 3-phase-4 wire electrical system has R-Y-B-N conductors, where N stands for neutral conductor. Balanced system has phasor sum IR + IY + IB = IN = 0. Whenever there is the phase unbalance, the phasor sum of the current is not equal to zero. The neutral current is not zero and current flows through the neutral. Even in case of balanced load, the harmonics cause the current to flow through the neutral. The building having many computers installed, generate substantial amount of third harmonic. Third harmonic currents add instead of cancel out on the neutral wire. Therefore, in a building with a large number of personal computers installed, the neutral wire can carry much higher currents than it was designed for. So, there is a possibility of getting shock if neutral conductor is broken in case of unbalanced system. Protection of neutral is thus essential. The neutral conductor current needs to be monitored. The line monitoring device typically allows the user to set the parameters. The firmware of the processor analyses the actual values against the set values to give the indication, if the set values are exceeded.
Motor overheating as a result of non-symmetrical voltages or phase failure A phase failure is detected inspite of regenerative feedback
Undervoltage
Faults in neutral conductor
The insulation resistance for non-grounded plants and systems is monitored
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Undercurrent condition
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Havells contactors undergo stringent quality tests. The entire range of Havells contactors is made from environment-friendly virgin plastic. The range includes 3 pole & 4 pole, AC or DC Controlled Contactors, Capacitor Switching Contactors, Thermal Overload Relays and Motor Protection Circuit Breakers. The superior grade raw materials make them resistant to dust, pollution, voltage variations and they operate in varied ambient temperatures upto 55째C. The range complies to latest IEC Standards and are used in all application areas across the world.
Branch Offices: NORTH: Delhi: Tel: 0120-4771000, Chandigarh: Tel: 0172 4232400-401, Dehradun: Tel: 0135-2521025, 2521552, Haryana: Tel: 91-120 2477848 / 853, Noida: Tel: 0120-3055609/ 3055610, Ludhiana: Tel: 0161-4676001 / 6024, Jammu: Tel: 0191-2490424, Jaipur: Tel: 0141-3988210, Kanpur: Tel: 09935533751 /52/53, 0512-2690128/129/130, Lucknow: 0522-2201032,2200938. EAST: Kolkata: Tel: 033-40129851/52, Bhubaneshwar: Tel: 0674-2598104, 2598105, 2598106, Guwahati: Tel: 0361-2134521, 2458923, Siliguri: Tel: 0353-2525907, 3290402, Jamshedpur: Tel: 0657-6542492, 09234369436, Patna: Tel: 0612-3244218, 2655519. WEST: Mumbai: Tel: 022-67298600-603, Ahmedabad: Tel: 079-40061111, 40060738-740, Indore: Tel: 0731-2572340-41, 4009998, Rajkot: Tel: 0281-3013289/3013290, Nagpur: Tel: 0712-2224132, 2222692, 2222029, Pune: Tel: 020-64016413/14, Raipur: Tel: 0771-4243400 / 01, Surat: Telefax: 0261-2350137. SOUTH: Chennai: Tel: 044-28526941-44, Bangalore: Tel: 080-49075005, Coimbatore: Telefax: 0422-2305767, 2306199, 2305199, Hyderabad: Tel: 040-27533372, 27533355, 27533632, 66320407/0408/6401/6402, Kochi: Tel: 0484-4099000, 2393165, 2393068, Vishakapatnam: Tel: 0891-6514339.
manufacturing technology steam pressures can destroy the pump and pose a serious personnel hazard. Consequently, undercurrent is also equally dangerous condition as overcurrent, hence needs monitoring.
Over-current condition Over-current, because of overload or short circuit, is current which is more than the set value that leads to excessive generation of heat and the risk of fire or damage to equipment. Obviously, we need to monitor the system for over-current. In case of overload relay, the inverse time delay curve is followed. So, if the current is (say) two times the rated set value, the relay will not trip immediately. However, in case of monitoring relay—whenever the current exceeds the set value, the contact changes over after the completion of set trip time delay. These contacts can be used to give indication and / or tripping of the contactor. So, the processes and machines which cannot tolerate the current above the set value for long time—can be monitored for over-current conditions by monitoring relays.
Load monitoring relay
The load monitoring device helps monitoring the load condition viz., no load, under load and overload conditions. The load comprises the following: As shown in the graph in next page, cos φ changes significantly
below the rated load. The current (I) increases over proportionally above the rated load. However, the product (I x cos φ = the active current Iactive) indicates a linear correlation between the motor load and the measured value over the entire measuring range. Active current Iactive can thus give idea about the load condition. If the motor is running with under load, the actual active power is not equal to the apparent power, since the unused current component is converted to magnetic energy; the reactive power. This power is not useful and thus wasted. The ratio between the active kW and the apparent power kVA (i.e., power factor) can thus give idea about the load in order to guarantee proper operation of the motor within a specific load range. Thus, monitoring of active current and power factor both give better idea about the load condition. A typical load monitoring relay monitors the active current and the power factor and compares with the set values for giving the no load, under load and over load indications.
Residual current monitoring
Over a time, systems may experience insulation problems caused by humidity or severe contamination. These problems cause residual currents, which may result in fatal system damage. Using a residual current monitoring relay in combination with the summa-
Applications of a load monitoring relay Monitoring parameter Plant/system states Overload monitoring Underload monitoring close to the rated torque Monitoring the functionality of electric loads Current monitoring
Wire breakage monitoring Energy management (phase current monitoring) Threshold value switch for analog signals upto 20 mA
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- technology management for decision-makers
tion current transformer, such potential hazards can be eliminated. Generally, vector sum IR + IY + IB – IN = 0 in both the balanced and unbalanced load condition. If the difference between the current flowing out the live conductors (R-Y-B) and that returning through the neutral conductor (N) is not equal to zero, then there is a possibility of leakage current to earth, or to another circuit. Any fault to earth for example caused by a person touching a live component in the attached appliance or cable puncture can also cause leakage current in the system. This leads to vector sum of (IR + IY + IB – IN) > zero. The summation current transformer senses residual current in machines and plants. The principle of the summation CT is that—it measures sum of currents passing through RYB-N phases (IR, IY, IB and IN), and if the sum is non-zero i.e., the residual current—induces a current in the secondary winding of the CT. This current can be evaluated in the monitoring device and is used to display the actual residual current. If the measured residual current exceeds the set warning value, the changeover contacts instantly changes the switching state and an indication can be available on the display. If the measured residual current exceeds the set tripping value, the set delay time begins and the associated device symbol flashes. On expiry of this time, the associated changeover contact changes the switching state. Residual current monitoring device thus should be used along with the summation CT. Applications: This is applied in systems which are prone to residual currents, e.g., residual current caused by dust deposits or humidity, porous cables and lines, capacitive residual currents.
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manufacturing technology Insulation monitoring
To detect isolation faults within ungrounded AC or DC systems, insulation needs to be checked. The insulation resistance between the ungrounded single or threephase AC supply or ungrounded pure DC network and a protective conductor is monitored. If the resistance goes below a certain safe resistance value in ohms, it indicates that the insulation is not sufficient, and it may lead to a ground fault. The relay can give an early indication of the condition of the insulation much before a ground fault occurs. The relay applies a superimposed voltage (a voltage that is independent from the monitored network) between ground and isolated network. When a phase to ground fault occurs the insulation resistance between the phase and ground decreases, so if the resistance between the network and ground drops below the set resistance threshold value, the device trips and announces this event by way of an indication or the power supply is disconnected. Applications: It is needed in all systems requiring permanent insulation monitoring, and which are galvanically isolated from mains and supplied by an isolating transformer or by generator or by battery need monitoring.
Level monitoring
Filling the tank or container, if liquid level is below the required—or draining it if the liquid
Monitoring of active current and power factor
exceeds the needed level, is managed by level monitoring. The level monitoring devices can be used with sensors to monitor the levels of conductive liquids. The electrodes are immersed into the medium to be monitored. Current flows if the probes are immersed in the liquid, no current flows if probes fall dry, in this way we can monitor the liquid level. Depending upon the level of liquid, the monitoring relay switches on or off the motor to fill or drain off the liquid. Applications: To maintain the minimum and maximum level of liquid in the swimming pool, overflow protection, dry run protection, leak monitoring etc., need liquid levels to be checked.
damaging the load, be it the drive and/or the motor itself (if reached critical speed). The overall efficiency of the system is reduced when the motor runs at lower than the rated speed. Sensors can be attached to a motor to measure the pulses per rotation of the motor. A speed monitoring device can evaluate the speed from received pulses per rotation from sensors. Thus, it continuously monitors against the set point speed of the motor—if the lower or upper limit is exceeded. Applications: For monitoring the slip speed or tear of a belt drive, overload monitoring, transport monitoring for completeness, load shedding, standstill monitoring.
Speed monitoring
Temperature monitoring
The motor should run at rated speed during normal operation. If the motor speed exceeds the rated speed, there is a danger of
Applications of a load monitoring relay Monitoring parameter
Plant/system states No-load monitoring Underload monitoring in the lower power range
Power factor and active current monitoring
Overload monitoring Extremely simple power factor monitoring of line supplies to control compensation equipment Energy management Interrupted cable between the cabinet and the motor
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- technology management for decision-makers
The temperature monitoring device can be used for measuring temperatures in solid, liquid and gaseous media. They monitor temperatures to evaluate whether they lie within the specific operating range. The temperature in the medium can be detected by the sensors, evaluated by the device and monitored for overshoot or undershoot. When the threshold values are reached, the device switches ‘on or off’ depending on the parameterization. Applications: Motor and system protection, control cabinet
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manufacturing technology temperature monitoring, freeze monitoring, temperature limits checking for process industries e.g., in the packaging industry or electroplating, monitoring the temperature of motor, bearing and gear oil, monitoring of coolants, controlling equipment and machines such as heating systems, climate and ventilation systems, solar collectors, heat pumps or warm water supplies, temperature control of injection moulding machine.
Principle of working of an insulation monitoring relay
Thermistor motor protection
Motor windings have to be protected reliably against high temperatures. The windings of three-phase motors are coated by an insulating film that can get damaged or even destroyed immediately in case of high temperatures. To guarantee longterm availability of the motor, the windings must never be exposed to critical temperatures. If the direct temperature acquisition inside the wind-
ings of the motor is done, then continuously we can monitor the temperature. For this purpose, the motors can be equipped with temperature-dependent resistors (PTC) that can be directly installed in the motor winding and
A typical 3-phase—4-wire system
abruptly change their resistance at their limit temperature. Direct motor protection by temperature monitoring of the motor winding gives 100 per cent motor protection even under the most difficult ambient conditions, without the need to make adjustments on the device. Applications: Motor protection at high ambient temperatures, motors used at high switching frequency, for long start-up and braking procedures, motor used together with frequency converters, irregular intermittent duty, in all such cases the thermistor motor protection devices can be used.
Conclusion
It is said ‘precaution is always better than cure’, so it is always better to monitor the system for different faulty conditions and get indications before they actually damage the electrical system. Monitoring relays serve the precautionary function, and hence potential damages to the systems are averted with minimum investments. Source: Siemens Ltd.
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- technology management for decision-makers
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facilities & operations
Lightning-fast Materials Testing Ultrasound has been a valuable tool in non-destructive materials testing for years. But the demands of modern production conditions are increasing all the time. A more reliable process now delivers testing results at a rate that is up to a hundred-fold higher.
Scientists have generated 3D images with the aid of an innovative software. Also, they’ve increased the testing rate a hundredfold.
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xpectant mothers are familiar with a procedure that—when the physician examines them with an ultrasound apparatus that displays lifelike images of the fetus on the monitor. The application of this technology has been customary in medicine for years; in materials testing though, it has been used only in relatively rudimentary form to date. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Non-Destructive Testing IZFP in Saarbrücken have adapted the conventional sonar procedure—a simple ultrasound method—and have succeeded in generating 3D images with the aid of innovative software. At the same time, they have increased the testing rate a hundredfold.
april 2011 | industry 2.0
Many areas of quality assurance or production for the construction industry call for reliable testing methods—be it pipelines, railway wheels, components for power plants, bridge piers or items mass-produced by the thousands, there is a need to
ensure that deep down the items produced are free from tiny fissures or imperfections. For many years, ultrasound has proven a valuable tool in non-destructive materials testing. An ultrasonic transducer radiates sound waves into the workpiece, and the time the signals require to travel and be reflected back indicates where material defects are located. Scanning workpieces in this way is relatively time-consuming, since, an inspection tact can only register a single beam angle. Thus, many measurements must be performed to assemble the composite image suitable for evaluation of inspection results. However, this approach is too slow if ultrasound testing is to be integrated in ongoing production
- technology management for decision-makers
or applied to large components. That is why Dr.-Ing. Andrey Bulavinov and his team at IZFP have developed a method that works at up to 100 times the speed. “We no longer use the sonar method that emits a sound field in just one particular direction. Instead, we use the probe—which experts refer to as a ‘phased array’—to generate a defocused, non-directional wave that penetrates the material. What we get back are signals coming from all directions, and the computer uses these signals to reconstruct the composite image,” explains Dr. Bulavinov. In a manner similar to subterranean seismic testing, it analyzes physical changes the wave encounters in the material—diffraction and heterodyning—and uses this information to determine the conditions within the material itself. He says, “We follow the sound field and calculate the workpiece characteristics on the basis of that. Similar to computer tomography in medicine, in the end we receive three-dimensional images of the examined object— where any imperfections are easy to identify. The startling thing about this approach is that with it, a fissure is now visible even if the ultrasound was not specifically directed at it.” I-Deal Technologies, an IZFP spinoff, markets testing systems based on this principle. “The method is suitable for virtually all materials used in the aerospace as well as the automobile industry, particularly for lightweight materials,” Managing Director Bulavinov emphasizes. “Our method is even suited for use with austenitic steel—a type of steel that currently can be tested with traditional ultrasound methods only to a very limited degree,” he continues.
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opinion
F
ollowing three turbulent yet encouraging years for the global cleantech industry, oscillating traction is now crystallizing across some of the more mature cleantech markets. Against this uncertain and shifting backdrop, Datamonitor makes its top five predictions for global green business in 2011 and beyond.
Low-carbon power generation will grow at a fast pace
The global power industry is in the early stage of a massive transformation programme led by China, the US and Europe that will see it shift direction and expand radically over the coming decades.
Being released from the grip of global economic recession that precluded growth of almost all economies worldwide, now is the time for reframing the strategies for future strides in the field of clean technologies. Datamonitor, a provider of premium global business information, highlights top five green business trends for 2011. Long-term prospects continue to improve for both nuclear and renewable energy sources, supported by Government incentives and higher fossil fuel prices. From 2007 to 2035, the share of world electricity generation from renewable sources will grow from 18 to 23 per cent, with hydropower and wind expected to be the largest contributors to the increase in renewable power output. Of the 4,500TWh of new renewable generation capacity, 2,400TWh (54 per cent) will be hydropower and 1,200TWh (26 per cent) will come from wind. The International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook 2010 confirms that while forms of renewable power generation other than hydroelectricity and wind remain
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a small part of the total, biomass, waste, and tidal or wave or oceanic energy output levels are expected to increase from roughly 235 to 870TWh (a compound annual growth rate of nearly 4.8 per cent) over the projected period. In 2011, there will be more strong growth in low-carbon energy generation as the investment market is progressively opened up to institutional investors.
China will solidify its role as the world’s green superpower China is now the world’s largest consumer of energy, ahead of the US, which it also surpassed as the world’s greatest emitter of greenhouse gases. Energy is a
that Western Governments no longer attempt. China has also revealed plans to build 10 nuclear reactors at a cost of $121.5bn, in addition to 25 already under construction, in an attempt to generate five per cent of its power from nuclear by 2020. These reactors will be some of the world’s most technologically advanced (e.g., Westinghouse’s AP1000 and China Guangdong Nuclear Power Corporation’s CPR-1000, as well as other hightemperature gas-cooled reactors and fast reactors) and will deliver an eightfold increase in nuclear capacity from 10.8GW currently to 86GW by 2020. This will make China the world’s second largest
Focusing on The FuTure oF
green major strategic issue for China’s national security, economic development and social stability. As standards of living improve, so will the country’s green energy ambitions. China’s massive renewable energy programme aims to generate 15 per cent of power needs from renewable energy sources by 2020. To meet this target, more than $1tn of investment will be made. Of the various forms of renewable power generation, the outlook for wind power in China is the strongest globally. China is also expected to make an increasingly large contribution to the global solar energy market, albeit from a modest base, while deploying record levels of hydropower capacity in ways and locations
- technology management for decision-makers
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source of nuclear power generation after the US. China’s $736bn plan to develop nuclear, wind, solar, and biomass power generation will have enormous implications along the low-carbon energy value chain.
US President Obama’s environmental agenda
In 2011, the Obama administration will forge ahead with plans to curb US carbon dioxide emissions and reduce its reliance on energy imports.
However, the President’s plans to deliver legislation to Congress in installments will be met by fierce opposition from Republicans. Democrats and environmental groups should brace themselves for congressional investigations into the science behind climate change, the Obama administration’s handling of the BP oil spill, and the legality of current and proposed environmental legislation. Coupled with the administration’s failure to make progress on market mechanisms such as carbon cap-and-trade (mandated in the Copenhagen Accord), it is clear that the US’s climate change policies and its international credibility are in poor shape. There is little consolation for President Obama from a Supreme Court ruling allowing the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate
small-scale, distributed generation projects surged by 91 per cent last year to approximately E60bn (according to Bloomberg). This was mainly for rooftop and other small-scale solar projects, mostly in Germany but also in the US, Czech Republic and Italy. The creation of innovative policies in the UK such as the Green Deal (the government’s proposal to enable private companies to make energy efficiency measures at no upfront cost) and the Green Investment Bank (which creates opportunities for stakeholders to engage with and stimulate the green economy) show the way forward for other countries.
greenhouse gas emissions and a tax bill compromise allowing an extension of grants and tax breaks for green projects. The COP17 climate change conference in Durban will feel the full force of the new Republican power bloc, which will challenge any global deal as well as the Obama administration’s wider green agenda.
vehicle and component manufacturers, to the investment community and end-users. The adoption of hybrid or electric cars across the top five European automotive markets (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK) has been slow in terms of actual vehicles sold, across all five markets. Hybrid or electric cars represented less than one per cent of total new car sales and made up less than 0.5 per cent of the total car parc in 2009. Datamonitor predicts that the hybrid or electric car market will witness a strong growth over the coming four years (France, 23 per cent; Germany, 22 per cent; Italy, 19 per cent; Spain, 20 per cent; the UK, 29 per cent), which will increase slightly during the run-up to 2020.
Electric car sales will grow
The hybrid or electric car market is the subject of increasing interest from stakeholders ranging from Governments, through
Business Demand-side management and ‘smart’ networks will remain big business
Technologies that deliver ambitious reductions in industrial and commercial energy demand at minimal cost will prevail, as will those that boost decentralized and sustainable power generation and infrastructure capacity. Indeed, global investment in
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managing
melting operations Foundries constitute a big share in polluting environment, also improper designs of furnaces lead to a great loss of scarce resources. StrikoWestofen, a Germany-based company, offers modern, tailor-made solutions for melting and dosing the non-ferrous metals like aluminium, magnesium and zinc. Engineers from the company are describing various aspects of modern aluminium foundry design technology that save energy, reduce pollution, prevent loss and improve productivity at various stages of foundry operation. by klaus malpohl and rudolf hillen
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he cost situation of a foundry is largely influenced by the efficiency of the melting shop. As the non-ferrous metals processed in the melting shop are very expensive, metal loss is an important cost factor. For aluminium, a metal loss of one per cent of an annual melting output of 5,000 tonnes corresponds to a financial loss of more than 100,000 EUR. Given a yield of 50 per cent, this amount must be allocated to castings weighing a total of 2,500 t. Hence, the lost metal means extra costs of 5 to 10 cent per one kilo casting weight. This is a not to be neglected magnitude. Also, energy consumption may vary largely depending on the melting process used. Here, not only the efficiency of the plants matter, but all other factors affecting overall consumption must be considered, including all auxiliary energy sources. Likewise all maintenance-related and wear parts costs must be included in the cost considerations—as well
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as the effort associated with the operation of the plants. Considerable cost savings can be realized, e.g., when mechanical devices capable of charging complete transport container loads are used instead of manual loading. Another important aspect is the quality of the metal produced by the melting and holding plants, as this is a key prerequisite for a high-quality casting. The number of useful direct testing methods in the melting shop is very limited. This makes it very difficult to determine and document the quality, especially as there are no universal assessment criteria. Against this background, it is vital to be able to reproduce proven procedures of the overall process as reliably as possible to guarantee a uniformly high quality of the melt. This especially refers to procedures such as checking of incoming material deliveries, “gentle� melting of the raw material, correct treatment of the metal and last but not least maintenance of the melting and holding equipment.
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Picture Courtesy: www.commsp.ee.ic.ac.uk
There is no universal answer to the question as to how the melting and holding facilities in an aluminium die casting plant should be designed. As a general rule, clear separation between melting and holding is recommendable. In the melting shop, not only solid metal in the form of ingots is melted—but also the returns from the casting operation—such as ingate systems overflow recesses and scrap. Mixing virgin material and returns has a positive effect on nucleation during solidification. Further tasks performed in the melting shop include the treatment of the molten metal and the holding of the melt at pouring temperature until it is being used. The following proven rule has remained valid even for today’s foundry operations: “Fuel for melting and electricity for holding.” This rule takes into account the more favourable costs of natural gas and mineral oil versus electricity and the high thermal energy demand of aluminium melting processes. Figure 1 illustrates the specific thermal energy demand for heating up,
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melting and superheating pure metals. For unalloyed aluminium, figure 2 shows that of all the thermal energy required about 58 per cent are needed for heating up the charge to melting temperature, and 34 per cent for melting the charge down. Compared to these amounts, subsequent superheating to casting temperature takes up only a relatively small share of the overall heat requirement. If large amounts of metal are needed and a remelting shop is at a moderate distance from the foundry, the purchase of molten metal, which will be retained in holding furnaces until needed in the foundry, is a possible alternative to melting down solid metal. In this case, the melting shop’s task is limited to processing the returns arising from the foundry operations. It is recommended to remelt the returns in-house and mix them with the delivered molten metal. As mentioned above, this is an attractive option not only for cost reasons—experience from practical operation has proved that such melts
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Figure 1: Specific heat content of non-ferrous alloys
Figure 2: Heat requirement for heating up, melting and superheating pure aluminium have superior casting properties. Mixing the molten metal, which contains only very few nuclei, with the molten returns, which are rich in own nuclei, has a positive effect on the solidification behaviour—even in die casting. This procedure has led to reduced scrap rates. For melting the metal ingots and the returns, aluminium die casting shops mainly use crucible or shaft furnaces.
treated right in the crucible and, if necessary, the alloy can be easily and quickly exchanged. Crucible furnaces used in aluminium foundries as melting units usually have capacities of up to 1,000 kg (static type) or even up to 1,500 kg (tiltable type). The maximum melting rates of electrically heated furnaces amount to approx. 250 kg Al/h. Fuel-heated furnaces reach rates of up to 400 kg Al/h. Figure 3 illustrates the principle of a gas-heated crucible furnace. Due to the lateral arrangement of the fume exhaust duct into the stack, the work place is virtually free from pollutants. The crucible is equipped with a swiveling cover to save energy during holding by minimizing heat loss due to radiation from the bath surface. Crucible furnaces with the fumes being exhausted above the rim of the crucible and a hood arranged above the crucible are hardly ever in use today. A drawback of this furnace design is that the fumes come in contact with the bath, affecting negatively the quality of the melt and causing a much higher pollutant load at the work place. Figure 4 shows a tiltable electric resistance furnace complete with the tilting device and the hydraulic system. Inside the bath the thermocouple (visible in the right top of the figure), which is used to measure and control the bath temperature, is protected by a graphite sleeve against the heat of the melt. The same design is usually used with fuel-heated furnaces. In fuel-heated furnaces energy consumption per tonne of molten metal depends not only on the design of the furnace and the size of the crucible. Other important factors are the exact adjustment of the crucible to the size of the furnace chamber, correct tuning of the burners and the ageing condition of the crucible. Depending on the crucible size, cold-air burners consume approx. 130—150 m3 of gas for melting 1 t of aluminium to a temperature of 720° C. For the same task, electrically heated crucible furnaces require an energy input of some 400 kWh. In addition to these parameters, also the time needed to melt down
Crucible furnaces
The advantages of crucible furnaces are their simple operation and maintenance and the low capital investment involved. With a furnace concept on the basis of crucible furnaces, the foundry can also produce different alloys in small lots. There are virtually no restrictions as to the type of alloy. The melt can be
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Figure 3: Schematic design of a gas-heated crucible furnace
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a complete crucible charge is an important factor for the continuity of the melting operation. For example, a preheated gas-fired crucible with a capacity of 350 kg and a hot heel of approx. 20 per cent needs about 85 minute to melt down the charge. An 800 kg crucible needs 130 minutes, i.e., the difference is moderate. Using a cold crucible may prolong the melting time by more than 50 per cent. Electrically heated furnaces need about double the time required by gasfired furnaces. For larger production volumes, crucible furnaces are no longer an economic option. This is mainly due to the relatively high specific energy consumption and the manual operation of the furnaces. Manual charging causes high labour costs. Moreover, only completely dry metal may be added to the charge, as moist material may lead to explosions and hazardous situations for the operators.
shaft melting furnaces
Wherever exacting demands are placed on metal quality, melting rate and economy, die casting shops use shaft melting furnaces (figure 5). The melting rates start at approx. 300 kg/h and may even reach 7,000 kg/h in steps of 500 or 1,000 kg/h. According to the melting rate, provision can be made for holding capacities ranging from 500 to 20,000 kg in the same unit. Generally, any combinations of melting and holding capacities are feasible and realizable to suit any operating requirements. The rule of thumb here is that the size of the holding bath (in kg) should at least correspond to one to two times the melting rate (in kg/h). The most important criteria for assessing the quality of a shaft melting furnace are— • High metal quality, i.e., low gas pick-up and low non-metallic contamination of the melt • Low melting loss (low metal loss due to oxidation in the furnace atmosphere) • High thermal efficiency and low energy consumption per tonne of molten metal • High temperature uniformity of the melt ready for tapping • Simple and safe operation during charging and tapping • Easy accessibility of the furnace interior. This contributes to minimized metal loss during dross removal and facilitates cleaning of the furnace (removal of build-ups on the refractory lining) • Low maintenance requirements and long service life of the refractory lining • High degree of automation, e.g., installation of an automatic charging system, automatic burner control system as well as bath temperature control and temperature monitoring systems
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• Clearly structured visualization of the plant condition and adequate and reproducible logging and documentation • Compliance with environmental and safety regulations, specifically concerning noise immissions, exhaust gas emissions and pollutant concentrations at the work place Figure 6 shows the schematic design of a fuel-heated shaft-type melting furnace. Thanks to a special shaft geometry and dedicated burner technology, the process steps preheating, heating and melting are combined within one melting shaft. The metal charged in the cold condition at the top of the shaft is heated up while moving downwards inside the shaft. In the process, heat is extracted from the flue gases rising up from the melting process at the melting bridge, i.e., the shaft furnace operates according to the thermally highly efficient counter-flow principle. The heat transfer is by convection, guaranteeing an exchange of thermal energy already at low temperatures. When the metal reaches the melting bridge at the base of the shaft, it is through-heated well enough to enable high melting rates. Consequently, the metal is only for a very short time subjected to the high-temperature zone and the direct impact of the burner gases. This has a positive effect on the melting loss. Explosions due to moist metal in the charge are precluded. The low-dross molten metal flows from the melting bridge into the holding chamber in a turbulentfree manner, where it is held exactly at the selected tapping temperature. Larger furnace plants are usually provided with a hydraulic tilting device
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Figure 4: Electric resistance heated tiltable crucible furnace
Figure 5: Tapping of a tiltable shaft melting furnace
Figure 6: The thermal counter-flow principle of the shaft melting furnace guarantees optimal energy utilization and high metal quality.
Figure 7: Convenient charging of the shaft furnace; for tapping, a valve has been fitted.
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cover story ited in operating conditions calling for (figure 5) for tapping, smaller units low tapping rates below 150 kg/h or with a tapping valve (figure 7). frequent alloy changes, especially The plants are automated to a high from copper-containing to non-copper degree. The starting point of chargalloys and vice versa. ing can be determined either directly These shaft melting furnaces can by controlling the filling level in the be designed with one or two bale-out furnace or indirectly by evaluation of pockets (figure 8) and are frequently the exhaust gas temperature. The only used in connection with manufacturnon-automated operation is the transing cells. A ladle system transfers the port of the charge material (ingots and metal from the bale-out pocket to the returns) to the charging device. This is casting chamber. The return matedone either by manually filled chargrial arising in the cell is directly reing cars or by fork lift trucks directly into the load carrying device. ChargFigure 8: Shaft melting furnaces charged into the furnace. The resulting metal quality is suitable for many ing will then start automatically trigfitted with a lateral bale-out gered by the furnace control system. pocket for direct metal removal, series products without any additional treatment of the melt. Combining A furnace design incorporating a e.g., by a ladle a shaft furnace with a manufacturing separate burner system for the meltcell is a highly efficient solution. ing shaft and for the holding area provides the basis for continuous production of molten metal within a temperature tolerance of ± 5°C. This is the basis metal yield for the flexibility needed to supply the foundry with As mentioned above, in aluminium melting the meltmetal in such a way that equipment utilization can ing loss directly translates into a financial loss of the be optimized. foundry. On the other hand, increasing the metal yield The two-chamber furnace design consisting of a of the melting furnace has a positive effect on the melting bridge and a separate holding bath ensures return-on-investment (RoI) period of the plant and is a high quality of the tapped metal. The melt is chartherefore a decisive criterion for making the investacterized by a low concentration of suspended, inment decision. soluble contaminants; the hydrogen content is below The financial equivalent of a metal loss of one per equilibrium solubility. In such shaft furnaces typical cent at a melting rate of 1 t/h in a three-shift operadie casting alloys, such as 226, 230, 231 and 239, tion amounts to approx. 100,000 €/year. This calcucan be melted with a high metal yield and a metallation assumes an Al-ingot price of 2,000 €/t and an lurgical quality that easily meets the specifications annual melting time of 5,000 h. of the operators. Hence, this furnace type is in many In order to provide the foundries with praccases the ideal melting unit for a die casting shop. tice-proven data concerning the metal yield of a However, it is not recommendable to melt extremely StrikoMelter plant and be able to advise foundry opsmall-piece returns such as chips in a shaft furnace. erators in a highly proficient manner, StrikoWestofen The efficiency of two-chamber furnaces is also limhas drawn up a complete metal balance—taking into account the exact weight of all material inputs and outputs of the furnace. This was done with the obTable 1 jectives in mind to obtain reproducible data on the Parameter metal yield, come up with a comprehensive metal Furnace type Tower melter balance and create a reliable framework for an inAlloy 231D (AlSi12Cu1, primary alloy) vestment calculation. Melting temperature 730 °C An investigation performed in a jobbing foundry provided the results given in table 1. The obtained Ingots l 6 kg values underline the efficiency of this furnace type. It Returns 0.5 – 1.5 kg coming from the DCM, clean is to be noted that the metal loss is not determined Salt ≤ 0,1 Ma.-% of metal bath by weighing the dross removed from the furnace but Furnace weighing incoming and outgoing material during several shifts by calculating the difference between the metal fed and the metal tapped. Subsequent comparison with Metal yield the dross quantity revealed that some small amount 100 % ingots 99.75 % of metal was lost due to oxidation during the melting 50 % ingots, 50 % returns 99.4 % process. Overall, the investigation produced a closed 100 % returns 99.0 % and complete metal balance.
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The results of investigations are only to be considered as reference values for standard alloys. In practical operation, the results may be different from these values, e.g., if uninterrupted melting is not possible or the return material is of poor quality due to contaminants or high contents of oxide flakes. Another important aspect is the care exercised during dross removal. The evaluation of shift logs showed that in some cases the metal yield was up to 0.5 per cent below that of the reference measurement. In melts made of pure ingot material, this difference tends to be slightly lower, in melts with a high share of return material it is slightly higher.
energy consumption and savings potentials
The specific energy consumption of shaft melting furnace differs largely among the various furnace concepts available on the market. Independent studies give consumption rates ranging from 580 to 900 kWh/t of aluminium. As a general rule, energy consumption is influenced by the furnace size, the temperature of the melt in the bath and by the input material (alloy, lump size etc.) For the above described StrikoMelter with ETAMAX shaft, it is a specific energy consumption of 600 kWh/t for continuous operation and a melt temperature of 720°C. The figure refers to the use of ingots and bulky return material as feed stock. To reduce the energy consumption of shaft melting furnaces the following measures should be in place or tackled: • High degree of furnace utilization, if possible continuous melting operation • Shaft size adapted to the feed stock. If necessary, enlargement of the shaft should be considered • Automated charging operation • Installation of a laser in the shaft to monitor the filling level and optimize the starting point of charging • Installation of a shaft cover • Control of furnace pressure (if required) • Evaluation of the operating data • Personnel training It is generally recommendable to have a continuous melting operation, as any interruption of the process leads to a loss of thermal energy. Another drawback is that whenever the process is interrupted the molten metal resolidifies. When the process is resumed, the lost melting energy must be input again. Moreover, this “double melting” also promotes oxidation, and hence formation of dross, which has negative impact on the quality of the metal. Due to the varying metal demand in the foundry, it is naturally not always possible to optimally use the capacity of the furnace. In situations of low furnace utilization, use should be made of the holding capac-
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ity of the furnace. Then, while the melting operation is being suspended, the required amount of molten metal can be taken from the holding bath. During this time the furnace operates exclusively in the holding mode. Heat loss can be minimized by closing the shaft cover. Only when the bath is approx. 50 per cent empty should a new melting campaign start, which—depending on the bath size—should run over several hours. Material preheating is another decisive factor in optimizing energy use. The wide range of energy consumption rates of furnaces is largely due to the difference in shaft geometries and the resulting effects on the preheating of the material in the shaft. An energy-efficient shaft furnace features a ‘cold’ feeding zone, followed by a ‘warm’ shaft zone, in which the material is preheated, and a melting zone in which energy density should be as high as possible. Another important precondition for a high utilization rate of the thermal energy is a uniformly charged shaft with high filling height and high packing density. Charging of the shaft is usually by means of proven lifting and tilting devices. Charging should take place automatically, triggered by a sensor, which reliably senses the progress of melting in the shaft. To ensure that the shaft is optimally filled at all times, the shaft cross section may be scanned by a laser beam at a suitable position below the charging device. As soon as the sensor signals that the shaft is empty at that position, the furnace control system will automatically initiate the charging process. This laserbased monitoring system detects the filling level directly in the shaft, enabling the charging process to start as early as possible, independent of the form, size and bulk density of the charge material. This approach optimally exploits the advantages of the shaft principle and achieves much better energy efficiency than indirect procedures, such as furnace temperature measurements or operation based on time control. In a typical melting shop, efficiency can be further enhanced by installing a roller table as charging device, see figure 9. Charging and furnace plant control are coordinated in such a way that handling and transport of the return and ingot material take place fully automatically. This reduces to a minimum the physical labour to be performed by the personnel. The staff becomes available for other tasks. Thus, this step towards further automation also contributes to improved labour productivity.
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Figure 9: Roller is being table used as a buffer for charging containers in fully automatic charging.
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cover story The surface temperature of furnaces is often used as a measure for their radiation loss. However, this approach neglects heat losses via the furnace doors and losses during charging, which likewise must be taken into account. All these losses are factors that codetermine the efficiency of the furnace technology. Considerable amounts of heat escape through poorly sealed doors. If the doors located in the area of the hot melting zone must be opened for charging, each charging operation gives rise to enormous additional heat losses. Melting furnaces designed for charging the metal from above into the cold shaft zone by contrast suffer virtually no heat losses during charging. Eventually, the only measure for the energy performance of a furnace is the overall efficiency, which is obtained by multiplying the efficiency of the firing system by the efficiency of the furnace technology. Good shaft melting furnaces achieve efficiencies better than 50 per cent.
metal quality
Whereas in the past die casting was predominantly used for mass produced products, today the product range has been expanded to also include components which have to meet more exacting quality requirements. This is due to the development of new alloys and casting techniques for ductile, weldable and heattreatable die castings. Index > 12% Index 6% - 8% Index 1% Examples are castings for automotive engineering applications, such as car bodies and chassis Figure 10: Seccomponents made of aluminium. tions of three Typical casting defects, such as oxide inclusions vacuum density and porosity are often caused by insufficient qualtest samples ity of the molten metal. Treating the melt by purging illustrate the gases has become a proven practice in aluminium differences in foundries. The treatment is often performed at an porosity for difimpeller station while the melt is in the transfer laferent DI values. dle on its way from the melting furnace to the dosing or baleout furnace. If this process step can be dispensed with, the advantages for the foundry are multiple. It saves on time, capital investment and last but not least on energy as, whenever a melt is treated in an impeller station, it cools down. Against this background the quality Figure 11: Porous plugs installed in the of the melt in the furnace apbottom of the holding chamber improve the pears in a new light. With a quality of the melt by gas purging. sufficiently good cleanliness of 42
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the melt, the melt temperature can be reduced as a result of the fact that a treatment of the bath can be dispensed with. A simple, fast and practice-proven method for assessing the cleanliness of the melt is the vacuum density test (figure 10). It delivers the density index (DI) of the melt. This mixed parameter allows conclusions to be drawn as to both the hydrogen content and the content of inclusions of the melt, serving as an indicator for the melt’s potential proneness to casting defects. The higher the density index, the higher the risk of porosity in the casting will be. The achievable cleanliness of the melt is influenced by the melting and holding process and by the quality of the charged material. Therefore, the basis for the quality of a casting is laid as early as in the melting furnace. For standard aluminium-silicon alloys, twochamber melting furnaces of the StrikoMelter series typically achieve density indices of the melt between 4 to 8 per cent. With density indices being in this range, the produced melt is in many cases diecastable without any additional treatment. Thanks to the clear separation of the holding zone from the melting zone, a high-quality melt can be achieved even when inferior grade charge material is used. The sizing of the holding bath, especially the limitation of the bath depth to less than 600 mm, and the setting of a uniform temperature by burners featuring modern regulation technology are key factors for the attainment of a high metal quality. Additionally, with a generously dimensioned bath capacity the melt can be held long enough to favourably influence its cleanliness. Measurements at a StrikoMelter shaft melting furnace show how an optimal melting process and efficient temperature control will translate into a high melt quality. In the transfer ladle, immediately after tapping, DI values between 4 and 5 per cent were determined. The tapping temperature in this case was 740 °C. Such low DI values are usually entirely sufficient to transfer the melt directly to the bale-out or dosing furnace, without gas purging. If higher-grade castings, e.g., highly loaded ductile castings, are produced, the melt treatment may already commence in the holding bath of the melting furnace by means of porous plugs (figure 11). The main objectives pursued by inert gas purging (nitrogen or argon) is firstly to pre-clean the melt, i.e., degassing the melt at a higher rate than achievable by bath holding, and secondly to homogenize the melt. The latter also reduces energy consumption during subsequent holding. However, treatment by purging plugs installed in the bottom of the holding chamber is not recommended if the furnace is batch-charged or if the chamber must often be completely emptied. www.industry20.com
Figure 12: Decreasing density index of the melt in the holding bath as gas injection via porous plugs proceeds Additionally, with bath temperatures of 800°C and above—depending on certain alloying elements – the purging plug may be infiltrated by molten metal. This impairs the efficiency of purging and/or increases the consumption of purging gas. Figure 12 shows the curve of the density index of the melt in the holding bath of a two-chamber shaft melting furnace after start of inert gas injection via the purging plugs. After a period of deceleration the density index decreases continuously. With a low melt temperature of 700°C and very low contents of oxides and other solid contaminants an excellent final DI value below 1.5 per cent could be attained.
Chip melting furnaces
During the last few years, many foundries have heavily invested in machining equipment for reworking their castings in-house. This was and is still being done especially as a response to cater to the automotive industry’s growing demand for finish machined castings. As a result the quantities of metal chips arising in some foundries have reached dimensions, which make internal recycling in the foundries an economically attractive alternative to selling the chips to external recycling plants or secondary melting shops. Foundries generally assess the investment in a chip melting furnace under the aspect of the metal yield, as the financial bonus generated by a higher metal yield will dramatically cut the ROI period of the plant. Here it must be taken into consideration that the metal yield is determined by the specific alloy type as well as the form and condition of the chips. The higher the fine-grain fraction of the chip charge and the smaller the chip thickness, the poorer the metal yield will be. A technologically advanced chip melting system will always comprise the analysis of these critical parameters of the charge. A melting furnace intended for remelting metal chips must integrate a chip conditioning plant, which
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ensures that the chips are charged into the furnace in an as dry as possible condition. Moist chips not only reduce the metal yield. They also cause fume and soot, requiring cleaning of the exhaust gases. In principle, chips can also be melted in induction crucible furnaces. Here the heavy, partly vertical, agitation of the bath has the effect that the chips easily submerge below the bath surface. This is an indispensible precondition for low melting loss. As an alternative option, gas-heated multi-chamber furnaces have been developed featuring a holding chamber with an additional furnace pocket (open fore-hearth) for adding the metal chips. Figure 13 shows a system equipped with a circulation pump and a dedicated refractory block for melting metal chips. The refractory block and pump form an integrated unit. The pump sucks the metal out of the holding chamber of the furnace and pumps it into the block (figure 14). The pump is fitted on a steel structure. This makes it easy for the personnel to lift it out of the bath for maintenance or cleaning. In the downstream block a vortex is created, which quickly draws the chips below the metal surface, melting them under exclusion of air—as known from submerged melting. The circulating metal leads to quick thermal and chemical homogenization of the melt. The continuous movement of the melt has the positive effects that the process of heating up the melt to the required temperature consumes less energy and the tapping temperature of the melt is characterized by high uniformity. This system achieves metal yields better than 98 per cent. These values are based on comprehensive performance measurements performed at various chip Figure 13: Multi-chamber melting unit with melting furnaces. The additional furnace pocket at the side for rapid form and properties of the melting of metal chips chips—in this case mainly turnings—as well as the alloys were well suited for remelting. At the end of the melting campaign, the amount of surface dross in the bath chamber was very low (figure 15). This dross can be easily removed through Figure 14: During chip remelting the circulation the cleaning door. The repump and a dedicated refractory block ensure a sidual metal is treated by high metal yield.
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cover story drossing flux added in small quantities. This creates dross of relatively dry condition, which is removed via the furnace well. In multi-chamber furnaces of advanced design metal chips can be melted along with ingot and return material. A possible solution is Figure 15: Minimum formation of dross thanks a shaft melting furnace additionally fitted with a chip to sophisticated chip remelting technology charging pocket (figure 16). This combination furnace has the advantage of low specific energy consumption and provides the possibility of combining all alloy production processes in one melting unit, with a small overall footprint. If chips of different alloys or moist chips are Figure 16: Combination melter for ingot and to be melted, they should return material as well as metal chips not be mixed into a single holding chamber as it negatively affects the metal quality. In this case, it is recommended to melt the chips separately.
system. It logs furnace operation data, equipment utilization as well as metal and energy consumption figures. Then it is up to the production management to analyze and evaluate the process data. Modern furnace control systems capture, visualize and store process-relevant data. The operating panel acts as the interface between the human operator and the machine (figure 17). Operation is menudriven. Current process data are visualized in a clear structure and by self-explanatory illustrations on a colour screen (figure 18). Pop-up submenus can be opened for viewing further details. Information about the current furnace state and even current shift logs can be called up at any time at the push of a button (figure 19). If the data are logged and stored on a removal storage medium, they can be transferred by a hardware medium to a customer’s PC. Alternatively, the data logs can be transmitted from the field to the management level via Ethernet. However, efficient furnace management does not need a vast flood of data but a clearly structured presentation of the process data—which qualifies for a comparable analysis. Therefore, the external evaluation of the data is made using standard spreadsheet software. A specifically programmed, dedicated application is provided by the furnace manufacturer. As a minimum standard, furnace logs must include data about operating modes and operating times as well as temperature curves and message archives releoperational furnace management vant for quality assurance. If the furnace is equipped During the last few years, raw material prices have with a weighing cell, the amounts fed and removed been on a constant rise. The current slump is not including the amounts removed during cleaning can likely to remain for too long. This applies to both be compiled. The data are complemented by evalumetals and energy. The limited availability of these ations of fuel consumption figures. A complete data resources and the growing demand will make the cost log hence contains average energy consumptions, situation increasingly acute in the long run. This can consumptions by operating modes and the specific only be counteracted by increasing the efficiency of energy consumption, i.e., relative to the melting rate. raw material and energy use. In metal melting operaFor a clear overview it may be useful to output shift tions this primarily means that the metal yield must logs or evaluations by days, weeks, months or years. be increased and energy consumption decreased. Thus, the production management has on hand Efficient melting plant management is only posan efficient instrument to capture resource persible if suitable information is available as to the formance data and compare these with data from performance of the melting plants. The required data the past. This knowledge enables conclusions to are captured and provided by the furnace control be drawn as to the operation and condition of the furnace plant. This forms the basis for initiating targeted organizational or technical improvement measures capable of exploiting available resources in the best possible way and increasing the efficiency of production. Figure 19: Example of a shift Figure 18: High-resolution Figure 17: Modern furnace Klaus Malpohl is the Manager Development log including all important graphics enable clearly control system with operaat StrikoWestofen. Rudolf Hillen is connected facts and energy consumption structured visualization of the tor panel and process data to the Development of the Melting Technology figures furnace and the process data. acquisition at StrikoWestofen.
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supply chain & logistics
Framing
Sourcing StrategieS Picture Courtesy: www.photos.com
In today’s competitive world of business, prosperity of any manufacturing organization depends on its raw material sourcing efficiency, as to a great extent—pricing of the final product depends on the raw material’s cost. A few important elements of material sourcing strategy have been narrated in this article. by pavan. v
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T
he words ‘sourcing, purchasing and buying’ have been used in various contexts under different situations. However, for clarity, the right connotations need to be understood. • Sourcing is the process of identifying, selecting, developing suppliers for a long-term objective—based on organizational strategies covering all the aspects of risk management. This function is strategic in nature, and clearly falls in line with the organizational objectives or goals. • Purchasing function is more of tactical nature that involves developing new design or obtaining new services from the existing vendors and other issues related to already existing processes etc. • Buying involves tactical issues such as sending purchase orders, co-ordination with the suppliers for day to day production, measurement of suppliers efficiency— based on KPIs, inventory management etc. With the above background, let us look at how and what role does Sourcing and Buying play in an organization, and how the above two activities matter to the entire profitability of the organization. The following topics will be touched upon here: • Basic statistics of purchased materials • Importance and role of sourcing • Sourcing strategies • Material buying/procurement
Basic statistics of purchased materials: Typically a manufacturing organization spends anywhere between 30 to 50 per cent of its turnover for purchasing raw materials, components, indirect ma-
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terials such as consumables etc. used for production, and other services such as logistics, capital expenditure such as machinery, travel etc. Of late organizations have realized the importance of purchasing spend as it plays a very important role in the overall profitability of the organization. Savings of even 3 to 5 per cent would give a long term benefit and impact in the long run. The next section explains the role, importance and various methodologies and strategies to be adopted for effective spend management.
Importance and role of sourcing: Sourcing is a strategic activity that is in line with the organizational strategies, goals and objectives. It deals with identifying and selection of suppliers irrespective of geographical location, different cultures etc., for a long term mutual benefit. Before we get into the nittygritty of requirements before selection of a supplier, let us understand why sourcing is required (?) or the role of sourcing. Let us consider an example of manufacturing of an aircraft. There are innumerable components inside the aircraft, which come from across the globe. Now, here is the typical situation. If there are more than two lakh components that go into a jet, every part being different technically, it is literally being sourced from various parts of the globe. Precision is the most important and crucial parameter in a flying machine. Do you think every component manufacturer is capable of supplying the parts as required? No. It requires a great amount
of skill and understanding about the product as this is not just a labour oriented job work but every part needs a great depth of research having gone into it. In this example, sourcing plays an important role as identifying this kind of supplier, his ability etc., matters the most. Here one sourcing strategy doesn’t fit all. Sourcing strategies: A few very broad strategies are discussed below, which need to be considered before sourcing a supplier. • Expenditure based buying as this
gives weightage among the other small expenditure parts—Big play-
ers always have the muscle power to obtain the best price due the high volume game and they are always at an advantage. • Region based buying (APAC,
EMEA etc). Further this can be elaborated for a specific country, for example in India, logistics sector’s strength is predominantly region based—Buying a particu-
lar product can be sector based, for example; coffee is sourced predominantly from South India. Similar example fits for a supplier with a patented technology • Technology based—Cutting edge technology used for manufacturing parts. • Commodity or material specific
(Metals, consumables, plastics etc.)—Depending on the supply
and demand of the commodity, location of the suppliers or geographical location as also the availability of the material in a specific region or sector. • Based on future localization— Possibilities of localization of the materials over a period of time based on maturity on processes, technology etc.
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supply chain & logistics Details Overview
Operational details
Supplier’s side
Sourcing organization
No. of customers in the region
To which plants/factories
Commodities supplied
Similar products
Financial details of the company
Regional details
Performance (if supplying to the same organization in other regions)
Performance feedback
Details such as price, lead time etc
Details such as price, lead time etc
Contact details
Regional contact details
• Based on lot size, and price variation etc.—Depending on the type of material sourced, the price would vary based on the lot size etc, for example; the lot size for steel processing and turning components vary a lot. Before selection of the above strategic suppliers, one has to mainly consider the following parameters. • Product portfolio • Supply conditions • Price • Quality • Supplier’s reputation • Supplier’s financial stability • Supplier’s performance • Market intelligence • Who are the internal and external stakeholders and their exposure towards Buying of parts once established • Risks involved in terms of back up plan (two-supplier strategy comes into effect here) While the above is fine with the direct materials, the services sector is where typical challenges lie. Service costs hover somewhere between 10 to 15 per cent of an organization’s turnover. Service costs are usually treated as expenses rather than counted as inventory costs that for a part of input costs. Further, each service
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is unique in itself. The services of mobile phones or communication, travel etc is measured differently. We have to depend more on the customer’s feedback or perception rather than quantifying the numbers. Services sourcing should be done with the help of KPIs that includes the points given below. • On time delivery rate • Damage rate • Escalation rate • Response rate etc. Interestingly there are IT tools that help analyze the spend management and other facts.
Material buying or procurement: While we discussed a few sourcing strategies, it is also important to understand the buying part that closes the loop completely. Once the sourcing activity is completed, it is handed over to the buying team that interacts with the supplier on a day-to-day basis for fulfillment of production. Buying or procurement is more operational in nature that helps the organization in saving costs in the ways listed below.
• Expedited transports (Air freight charges) • Avoid stock out losses such as loss of customer’s production and self, machine idling, overheads etc. It is mandatory for the buying team to understand some important things such as before getting into the day-to-day operations mode. Buying requires a very strong technical background such as understanding of the product, manufacturing processes, financial analysis, statutory requirements, import-export laws etc. At the same time, it requires a set of soft skills that are absolutely important to have effective relationships with the suppliers and ensure the business relationship is kept healthy. As a part of the procurement organization, internal strategies make an important step in achieving the above goals. • Enter into scheduling agreement with the suppliers for ordering and call off strategies. • Review meetings on supplier performance that covers on-time Delivery, damage free shipments etc. • Define and agree upon a standardized process for effective day to day co-ordination. • Working on new solutions such as better packaging, returnable. • Other soft issues such as developing personal rapport etc. Summary: These solutions and strategies coupled with disciplined processes ensure effective results. Thus, contribute to the bottom line to the organization.
Ordering or call offs: • Inventory control • Avoid demurrage and detention charges
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Pavan. V is a Senior Officer at Corporate Logistics Department in Bosch Ltd., Bengaluru.
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supply chain & logistics
Truck drivers form the backbone of the logistics industry, transporting goods from one place to another. Mostly having very less or no formal education, this class is slowly and steadily declining as the next generation (children of truck drivers) are averse to take up this profession. This is not only posing a serious threat to the transportation industry, but also has brought to light their concerns and fears. by reshmi menon
Bridging The
Skill Gap T
here is no denying that the Indian trucking industry is facing a severe shortage of truck drivers. Making matters worse is the fact that the situation is likely to aggravate rather than improve in the years to come. Says Srinath Manda, Program Manager - South Asia, Middle East & North Africa, Transporta-
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tion & Logistics, Frost & Sullivan, “The issue of shortage of drivers has definitely aggravated in the recent years, as is evident from the concerns expressed by both trucking companies and the enduser companies alike in multiple industry forums, requesting for immediate measures to curtain the challenge.” The transportation industry is worried that the next
generation (children of truck drivers) are reluctant to take this as a profession. A truck driver himself doesn’t want his son to take up this profession. Their declining number is causing serious concern in the industry, who fear that their nonavailability will affect the growth of the logistics industry per se. Adds Manda, “If the same
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supply chain & logistics
“We Will be launching a driving school shortly” Chitra Shinde, Chief Operating Officer, Gati Limited, throws light on the situation in India and abroad. Q: Has Gati Limited faced this obstacle (shortage of truck drivers)? A: Not very acutely so far, as Gati has only 20 per cent owned fleet; while the rest are through vendors. In order to support the industry at large and meet internal demand, Gati will be launching a driving school as part of Gati Academy shortly. Remote speed monitoring and Vehicle Tracking Systems installed enable safety of drivers. Besides, we always follow the double-driver system ensuring adequate rest (for them). Meanwhile, we are also contemplating the idea to introduce medical cover to all drivers working with the company. Q: How do you foresee the future? A: Today the situation is such that if we don’t evolve, the sector will not be able to cash in on the growth the country will witness in the times to come. In the West and other developed markets, a long haul driver is paid more than Rs 60,000 with stringent rules on rest, logs, breath tests etc. On paying more with proper amenities—efficiency, dedication and values can be expected from these drivers.
scenario continues (deteriorates) further, this would stall the growth of truck movement volume, thereby restricting the business prospects of all manufacturing industries, apart from the stagnation in growth of transportation industry.” Though the consequences are severe, there is little that the truck drivers themselves can do to rectify the same. “There is no respect in this profession. We took it up as there was no other choice for us,” says Jagat Narayan Mishra, who has been a driver for the past 25 years.
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Lack of social status, insecurity, threat to life and the harassment by officials all in some way or the other make this an unattractive profession. “We are often ill treated. Some even think of us as thieves,” says Siyaram Yadav, a driver for the past 22 years, and who earns a meagrely `4,000 per month for his job. Lack of education has been considered to be one of the prime reasons for their neglect. Says Ramesh Agarwal, President, All India Transporters Welfare Association and Director,
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Agarwal Packers & Movers, “The logistics sector has a lot of unskilled people working for them and drivers mostly comprise a non-educated class hence they cannot fully understand the rules, regulations and paper formalities required. Often they fall in a trap to the harassment by government officials.” Though considered to be the backbone of the road freight industry, truck drivers mainly comprise the profile with the most critical skill gaps in the road freight segment, says a CII-KPMG whitepaper titled, ‘Skill gaps in the Indian logistics sector’. The profession attracts largely illiterate people with no formal training for the job. Most of them graduate from working as helpers or driving small vehicles. Moreover, poor quality of vehicles and support infrastructure (resting places, dhabas [eating joints], check posts etc.) ensure that even slightly qualified people are not keen to enter the truck driver’s profession. Even though the necessary skills required are not very high, their number and the reluctance on the part of existing drivers to undergo formal training, makes imparting necessary skills difficult, the report adds.
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“it has reached a state oF serious concern” Srinath Manda, Program Manager, South Asia, Middle East & North Africa, Transportation & Logistics, Frost & Sullivan, analyses the prime reasons for the shortage of truck drivers. Q: What are the prime reasons for the shortage (of truck drivers)? A: One of the primary reasons for this shortage is due to the rapid growth of transportation sector (both in commercial cargo transport segment and passenger transport segment) within the country. This is driven by the accelerated progress of manufacturing sector, economic progress and infrastructure development that is facilitating as well as necessitating higher scale of transportation of cargo and passengers. As a result, the volume of commercial vehicles (on road) employed by transportation sector has grown at unprecedented
Future
P V Subramani, CMD, Cargowings (Madras) and President, Chennai Goods Transport Association says that with an estimate of about 1.2 crore commercial drivers in the country, the transportation industry will continue to work in the current scenario but in the future, the situation is going to be critical. The role of the truck driver gains more significance, says Manda, as there exists a lack of desired expansion of alternate transport modes such as rail and sea in the country. With road infrastructure being given prime importance, the role
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levels or multifold over the years (especially over the past decade of 2000-2010). However, the growth of available number of drivers has been extremely slow when compared to the growth of transport sector and commercial vehicles’ (CV) sales. This has resulted in declining Driver to CV ratio over the years and reaching a state of serious concern at present. Lower availability of drivers could also be attributed to increasing drift (and preference) of new generation potential employees towards white collar and/or professional jobs - which is in a way driven by the rising literacy levels and increased employment opportunities in the service sectors like IT, ITES, BPO, Banking and Telecom. As a result, even the children of previous generation drivers have opted for other office/corporate jobs, while there has not been any notable turn-in into driving career from other professions. Q: How do you foresee the future? A: The issue could become further challenging in the coming years unless the large cargo transport companies and the Government authorities undertake rapid measures to restrict the dwindling numbers (or scarcity) of drivers. If they fail to act fast on this issue, it could have serious implications for the road transport industry in the next five years.
of road transport is likely to grow further in the years to come. “We are aware of the situation. We have at times been called for double duties due to shortage of drivers. But what can we do? With such low paid wages, who will want to become a driver?” asks Rajaram, a truck driver in Mumbai, who gets paid `3,000 per month. On the other hand Suresh Kamble, another truck driver from Mumbai, says that today’s youth are educated and they do not wish to be known as a driver. “This profession has gained such a bad reputation. Today a 10th-class pass out doesn’t even want to become a cleaner,” he points out.
“The Government can start new drivers’ training institute in every state and also introduce driver training course in ITI colleges.”
P V Subramani, President, Chennai Goods Transport Association Besides, lack of educational qualifications, living conditions, security also form prime reasons for the lack of interest to take this up as a profession. Says Chitra Shinde, Chief Operating Officer, Gati Limited, “Booming economy has thrown open more options for livelihood. Driving, as a profession is termed
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supply chain & logistics
“We Will have to produce robots to Work as drivers” Ramesh Agarwal, President, All India Transporters Welfare Association, throws light on the crisis, faced by the transportation industry. Q: How severe is the shortage of truck drivers in the country? A: Yes, this is true that there is shortage of truck drivers in the country. The chart below will give you a brief idea of the situation. Q: What could be the prime reasons for this shortage? A: The drivers do not have any social security. There is no facility of truck terminal at highways. Hence, they feel deprived from the society. Therefore, though the ratio of driver’s death has reduced from the last 10 years, there is lot more to be done to make them feel as an integral part of the society. 1982 (ratio)
1992 (ratio)
2002 (ratio)
2012 expected (ratio)
Drivers
Truck
Drivers
Truck
Drivers
Truck
Drivers
Truck
1240
1000
1000
1000
900
1000
870
1000
Q: How do you foresee the future? A: As the whole economy is dependent on the movement of goods from one place to another, it will be very difficult to cope up with the situation of deficiency of the drivers in the future. The Government should give rebate to the logistics sector to let them make themselves organized and driver’s work should be given a status of a respectful job otherwise no person will be willing to take the job of a driver in the future. If the current situation prevails, then in future to deal with the scarcity of the driver— we will have to produce robots to work as the drivers.
risky; and fatal accidents discourage people from taking up this profession. The remuneration and living conditions too does not help the sector.”
Measures
“The Associations and all the stake holder i.e., manufacturers, Government and truck operators’
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association should chalk out short term and long term plans to meet the requirement,” says Subramani. According to him, the industry will have to work together to improve the social and economic status of the drivers. Manda also feels the same. He says that logistics companies
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should strive towards transforming ‘Driver’ jobs into a professional and respectable job by creating better working conditions, pay structures, benefits and living conditions. The All India Transporters Welfare Association (AITWA) on its part has commenced a scheme for the drivers—‘Budhape ki lathi’—a form of support for helping drivers with monetary relief during their old age. AITWA has also urged the Government to introduce measures such as private highway terminal and tax holidays to provide relief to this sector. Agarwal suggests that like the Army and Armed Forces, there should be highway canteen/highway shopping centres on subsidised rates. According to Subramani the Government can start new drivers training institute in every state and also introduce driver training course in ITI colleges. “Certain standards are expected in this industry, “Companies should set minimum wage standards, compulsory medical cover, PF and other benefits. The Government too can intervene here and help achieve industry standardization to remove any kinds of disparities,” opines Shinde. With the industry gearing up to face the challenges thrown by the shortage of truck drivers, the efforts, in the long run, are hopeful of bringing about a turnaround in the number of truck drivers in the country. If not, then as Suresh Kamble, a truck driver, says, “A day will come when they (transporters) themselves will have to drive and deliver.”
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information technology
Business Intelligence Market On Higher Growth Path In India
T
he market for business intelligence (BI) software in India is expected to touch revenue of $65.4 million in 2011, up 15.7 per cent over 2010, according to Gartner. Meanwhile, worldwide BI software market revenue is expected to grow 9.7 per cent to reach $10.8 billion in 2011. BI is currently ranked number five on the list of the top 10 technology priorities in 2011, according to Gartner’s annual global CIO survey. “It is a sign of the strategic importance of BI that investment remains strong,” said Bhavish Sood, Research Director, Gartner. “This market segment has remained strong because the dominant vendors continued to put BI, analytics and performance management at the centre of their messaging, while end-user organisations largely continued their BI projects, hoping that resulting transparency and insight will enable them to cut costs and improve productivity and agility down the line.” According to Gartner, the market for BI platforms will remain one of the fastest growing software markets despite the sluggish economic growth in most regions. Organizations continue to turn to BI as a vital tool for smarter, more agile and efficient business. Decision making in India historically has been based on either ‘gut feelings’ or on the business experience of managers. BI allows enterprises to make more fact-based decisions. The application promotes revenue growth and faster innovation through shorter product and service life cycles and the ability to find where value is being created in the business.
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Sood said that the demand side of the BI platform market in 2010 was defined by an intensified struggle between business users’ need for ease of use and flexibility on the one hand, and IT’s need for standards and control on the other. “With ‘ease of use’ now surpassing ‘functionality’ for the first time as the dominant BI platform buying criterion, vocal, demanding and influential business users are increasingly driving BI purchasing decisions, most often choosing easier-to-use data discovery tools over traditional BI platforms—with or without IT’s consent,” explained Sood. Gartner has identified three major demand-side factors that continue to expand use and drive BI platform revenue growth. These include the following: Consumerisation of BI: BI tools must be simple, mobile and fun in order to expand use and value. Business users are demanding the same experience from their BI tools that they have come to enjoy with their personal tools. The need for more intuitive and interactive BI tools and applications extends to users on the go, but the vast majority of organizations have yet to embrace mobile BI. This is set to change very quickly with the proliferation of Apple’s iPhone and iPad products.
Support for Extreme Data Performance—Emerging Data Sources: Capabilities that enable the analysis of large, volatile and diverse data will open up possibilities for a broad range of new, high-value BI applications and will be another driver of BI growth. This includes in-memory technology and social and content analytics. Combining
The Indian market is growing to adapt business intelligence not only as an information delivery mechanism, but also as a vital tool for smarter, more agile and efficient business, conveys a recent study.
these capabilities with support for extreme data volumes and consumer-oriented tools opens up possibilities for a wide range of new, high-value BI applications and is believed to be another driver of growth. BI as a Decision Platform: Gartner’s user survey shows that ‘improved decision making’ is the top driver of BI purchases. Capabilities that will evolve BI from an information delivery system to a decision platform will increase the value of BI and drive its growth.
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Improved decision making is the top driver of BI purchases.
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management & strategy
Boosting
MSMEs
The employment potential as well as the overall growth in the Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sector is much higher than in the large industries. Further, the sector has been consistently registering higher growth rates than the overall manufacturing sector. Keeping in view the huge contribution of the sector in Indian economy, the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises has been implementing various schemes and programmes for the promotion and development of the sector. by uday kumar varma
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T
he Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) play a pivotal role in the overall industrial economy of the country. The MSMEs sector acts as a breeding ground of entrepreneurship, often driven by individual creativity and innovation. This sector contributes eight per cent of the country’s GDP, 45 per cent of the manufactured output and 40 per cent of its exports. The MSMEs sector provides employment to about 60 million persons through 26 million enterprises. It is increasingly recognized that while credit, marketing etc., are essential, the critical factor that drives growth is technology. In the present economic scenario
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Technology Development Of
The design awareness stage comprises various activities like seminars, workshops and diagnostic studies of the clusters. In design project funding, projects of students, consultants or designers and consulting organizations are assisted by providing 60 per cent of the project cost by way of Government grant. The scheme will initially be implemented in 200 MSME clusters. So far 43 seminars have been organized in 99 MSME approved clusters, and 15 design projects have been approved.
Marketing assistance and technology upgradation
Competitiveness in marketing is sought to be improved through the marketing assistance and technology upgradation scheme, by using latest techniques and In the present economic scenario of globalised competitiveness, it is the technological edge that will determine the winners. of globalised competitiveness, it is the technological edge that will determine the winners. In view of this reality, the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises is initiating a number of programmes and schemes for technology development of the sector. It has recently introduced ten innovative schemes under the National Manufacturing Competitiveness Programme (NMCP) covering the entire gamut of manufacturing in the sector—and aiming to develop global competitiveness among Indian MSMEs.
eliminate waste and streamline the manufacturing system. The scheme is implemented under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode. Initially, the lean manufacturing techniques have been introduced in 100 mini clusters on a pilot basis. It is expected that 1000 MSME units will be benefited for the pilot. Over 70 Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) have been formed by MSME units in various industry clusters and 42 Lean Consultants have been selected as part of the scheme implementation.
Lean manufacturing competitiveness scheme
This brings design experts in MSMEs on a common platform to enable the MSMEs to access expert advice and cost effective solutions for their real time design problems. The scheme introduced in the year 2010 comprises two major parts, namely— Design Awareness and Design Project Funding.
The lean manufacturing competitiveness scheme: Launched in 2009, this aims to reduce manufacturing waste, thereby, increasing competitiveness and productivity of the MSMEs. Under lean manufacturing, simple techniques are applied, which identify and
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The design clinic scheme:
The support for MSMEs aims to sensitize the manufacturing MSME sector in India to upgrade their technologies to reduce emissions of green-house gases, adoption of other technologies mandated as per the global standards, improve their quality and reduce cost of production etc.
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management & strategy technologies. The broad activities under the scheme include technology upgradation in packaging, development of modern marketing techniques, competition studies, state or district exhibition, corporate governance practices, marketing hubs etc. Under the scheme introduced last year, ten product groups have been identified for studies on packaging. Further, over 140 units have been identified for participation in industry fairs and exhibitions.
Technology and quality upgradation: The support for MSMEs
application, preparation of local software solution for MSMEs, construction of e-catalogue, e-commerce etc., and networking MSME cluster portal on the national level portals in order to outreach MSMEs into global markets. The scheme launched this year will initially be implemented in 100 clusters.
Tooling and training centres
The setting up of mini tool room and training centres: This scheme envisages setting up of 15 new mini tool rooms under PPP Mode, during 11th Five Year Plan period for creating tooling and training facilities in private sector. Entrepreneurs and associations would be selected through competitive bidding to set up mini tool rooms. The Government support is restricted to `9.00 Cr. on viability gap funding basis up to 40 per cent of the project cost. The scheme with a total cost of `210.00 crore (with Government contribution of `135.00 crore) was approved. The objective of the scheme is to develop more tool room facilities i.e., technological support to MSMEs, by creating capacities in the private sector for designing and manufacturing quality tools–and also to provide training facilities in the related areas. The scheme will be implemented in three models in order of preference, viz., private partner i.e., an individual, firm, company, association, NGO or society (Central PPP Model), SPVs set up by the
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Indian (MSME) manufacturing sector needs to be made competitive through Quality Management Standards (QMS) and Quality Technology Tools (QTT).
aims to sensitize the manufacturing MSME sector in India to upgrade their technologies to reduce emissions of green-house gases, adoption of other technologies mandated as per the global standards, improve their quality and reduce cost of production etc., towards becoming globally competitive. The major activities planned under the scheme include capacity building of MSME clusters for energy ef-
ficiency or clean development interventions, implementation of energy efficient technologies in MSME sector, setting up of carbon credit aggregation centres and encouraging MSMEs to acquire product certification licenses from national or international bodies. Under the scheme introduced in 2010, twenty clusters have been identified for intervention. Promotion of ICT: The promotion of information and communication tools (ICT) scheme envisages that SME clusters, which have quality production and export potential, shall be identified and encouraged and assisted in adopting ICT applications to achieve competitiveness in the national and international markets. The activities planned under the scheme includes identifying target clusters for ICT intervention, setting up of e-readiness infrastructure, developing web portals for clusters, skill development of MSME staff in ICT
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states in partnership with private partners (State PPP Model) and State Government or State agencies other than NGOs (CentreState model). Improving quality in products: The enabling of manufacturing sector to be competitive through Quality Management Standards (QMS) and Quality Technology Tools (QTT) was launched in 2009—in order to improve quality and productivity in the MSE sector. The scheme is aimed at improving the quality of products in the MSE sector, and it inculcates the quality consciousness in this sector. The major activities under this scheme are: (i) introduction of appropriate modules for technical institutions (ITIs or Polytechnics), (ii) organizing awareness campaigns for MSEs, (iii) organizing competition watch (C-Watch), (iv) implementation of QMSs and QTTs in selected MSEs, (v) monitoring international study missions and (vi) impact studies of the initiatives.
Awareness on IPR
The building awareness on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) scheme has been launched to enable Indian MSMEs to attain global leadership position and to empower them in using effectively the tools of IPR of innovative projects. The main features of the scheme are: awareness or sensitization programmes on IPR; pilot studies for selected clusters or groups of industries; interactive seminars or workshops; specialised training; assistance for grant on patent or GI registration; setting up of IP Facilitation Centre (IPFC); and interaction with international agencies. These initiatives are being taken in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode. About 112 awareness programmes and 35 seminars have been organized along with setting up of 18 IP facilitation centres.
Bar code certification
The marketing assistance/ support to MSEs: This scheme aims to popularise the bar code registration, and motivate the small and micromanufacturing enterprises to adopt the bar code certification on large scale—and to sell their value added
Bar code certification helps in selling value added products worldwide . www.industry20.com
products worldwide and enable higher export price realization. It also helps in domestic marketing (both wholesale and retail). Seventy-five per cent of annual fee (recurring) of bar code certification for the first three years are reimbursed to micro and small entrepreneurs, under the scheme. about 101 MSMEs have been benefited so far.
Nurturing innovative business ideas
The support for entrepreneurial and managerial development of MSMEs through ‘incubators scheme’ aims at nurturing innovative business ideas (new or ingenious technology, process, products, procedures etc.), which could be commercialized in a year. Under this component, various institutions like engineering colleges, management institutions, research laboratories etc., are provided funds up to `6.25 lakh for hand holding each new idea or entrepreneurs. The incubators provide technology or guidance, workshop and laboratory support, and linkage to other agencies for successful launching of the business–and guide the entrepreneur in establishing the enterprise. Under the scheme, 76 ‘business incubators’ have been set up and 190 ideas approved so far.
CDP for enhancing productivity
The Ministry of MSMEs has adopted the cluster development approach as a key strategy for enhancing the productivity and competitiveness – as well as capacity building of Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) and their collectives in the country. The cluster development initiatives are being implemented under Micro and Small Enterprises— Cluster Development Programme (MSE-CDP).
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management & strategy
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PMEGP generating employment
An area where MSMEs play a pivotal role is in employment generation. Keeping this in view, the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), a national level credit linked subsidy scheme, was introduced in August 2008 with a total plan outlay of `4485 crore towards margin money subsidy for generating an estimated `37.38 lakh additional employment opportunities during the four terminal years of XI plan (2008-09 to 2011-12). Under this programme, financial asIt is increasingly recognized that while credit, marketsistance is provided ing etc., are essential, the critical factor that drives for setting up of migrowth is technology. croenterprises—each costing up to `10 lakh in service further improving the perforsector and `25 lakh in manufacmance under PMEGP through turing sector. The assistance is KVIC like implementing E-applicaprovided in the form of subsidy tion tracking system and related up to 25 per cent (35 per cent data collection and its uploadfor special category including ing in the system, relaxation in weaker sections) of the project mandatory EDP stipulation etc. cost in rural areas while it is 15 The programme has elicited per cent (25 per cent for special tremendous response from the category including weaker secpublic. During 2009-10, 3.20 tions) for urban areas. PMEGP is lakh applications were received implemented by Khadi and Village by the various implementing Industries Commission (KVIC) as agencies of which 67473 cases a nodal agency. have been sanctioned by banks, Financial assistance is provided and disbursement could be made under backward and forward linkin 39335 cases only utilising ages to implementing agencies `742.76 crore as margin money of PMEGP for awareness camps, subsidy. The estimated employexhibitions, bankers meeting, ment generation is for 4.42 lakh workshops, entrepreneurship persons. The performance of this development programme, physical programme is likely to be still verification of units, printing of better in the current year. literature and publicity, advertisement, E-tracking etc. Uday Kumar Varma is the Secretary of the The Ministry of MSMEs has Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Entertaken a number of initiatives for prises, Government of India.
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Under MSE-CDP, financial assistance is provided for preparation of diagnostic study report with a maximum grant of `2.50 lakh, 75 per cent of the sanctioned amount of the maximum project cost of `25.00 lakh per cluster [90 per cent for cluster in NE and Hill States] for soft interventions, up to `5.00 lakh for preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR), 70 per cent of the cost of project of maximum `15.00 crore for Common Facility Centre [90 per cent for NE and Hill States] 60 per cent of the cost of project of `10.00 crore, excluding cost of land for infrastructure development [80 per cent for NE and Hill States]. After launch of the cluster mode schemes, more than 470 clusters have been covered under MSE-CDP scheme. Moreover, 124 proposals have been taken up for infrastructure development. A total of 10972 plots have been allotted to small and tiny units in these projects and employment generation of 37555 persons has been achieved. The cluster development approach has been very successful. The success is evident in six Handmade Safety Match Clusters in Tamil Nadu, where the cluster mechanism evolved—is instrumental in creating synergy among safety match clusters under community movement, scaling up their operation, creating employment opportunities. In another case of Brass and German Silver Utensils Cluster, the turnover of the cluster has increased to almost three times, cost of scrap meting has reduced and employment has increased. After certain modifications in the guidelines of the MSE-CDP and increasing awareness among various stakeholders, the scheme is poised for a big leap in the near future.
management & strategy
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SucceSS
Patenting involves competitive strategies in today’s business world. To build a successful company through protecting its patents, one needs to develop a patentfiling strategy, as well as manage their IP assets in a way that would bring revenue to the company. But above all, one should be aware of the pitfalls of the patenting system and learn to combat them efficiently by devising a wholesome, customized patent strategy. by priyanka gogoi www.industry20.com
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braham Lincoln’s words ring true when he said that the patent system is “the fuel of interest to the fire of genius.” The concept of patenting inventions can be traced back to the 14th century. The system was introduced to encourage the inventors by awarding them exclusive rights to their inventions for a specific period of time in exchange of public disclosure of the invention once the period of protection was over. During this specific period, the inventor could reap the benefits of his hard-work by exploiting his patent in
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management & strategy any number of ways. After such period was over, the knowledge of the invention is dissipated to the public, so that the public can utilize this knowledge. Patenting, in today’s world, is a different ball game altogether. Though, the basics of patenting remain the same, i.e., exclusive protection for a specific period; today, patents are used to give a company leverage against its competitors. Patents can be used to enhance the competitiveness of a business. Patents are used as
When such a product is invented, which is a leap over the existing technologies available, then it is prudent on part of the company to protect such invention. Protection is sought to keep the company ahead of others- so that none can use the patented product or process. Usually, in a company, the employee(s) who invents the product is the Inventor(s) and the Inventor(s) assign the rights to the company. Patent rules and rights are different in different countries, but in most countries, it includes a right of exclusive use of the patents for a limited period of 20 years.
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Rights of the patentee or company
Patents are territorial. There is nothing called International Patent Protection.
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weapons of defence: to be ahead of others as well as to stop others from overtaking one’s progress. Companies stringently protect their IPs (Intellectual Properties) and have IP management portfolio because they realize that a single, novel patent can be the only difference between one’s company leap over others. A single example to exemplify this can be the technology of xerography developed by the Xerox Corporation that created a new industry in itself.
april 2011 | industry 2.0
During these 20 years, the patentee gets the exclusive rights to: • Enjoy monopoly rights over his invention • Cease others from making, using, selling, importing, offering for sale or distributing the patented invention without his permission • Monetize his patent by selling or licensing From the standpoint of business enterprises, these rights mean that its competitors cannot create similar products that infringe the patent; and if it does so, the patentee company can sue them. In case the competitors want to use the patented product or process, it would need to get a license from the patentee company. During this period of 20 years, the R&D team can further improvise on the patent.
Points to be taken care of while patenting
Though there are definite gains in patenting, yet a company should have a patent strategy in place. One should not patent every invention available. This is because patenting is an expensive procedure and some patents are not worth patenting. Also, as against
- technology management for decision-makers
general notion, patent protection is not international; it is a national process and one should understand the risks involved while choosing jurisdictions. One should also be aware of others IP and respect the same to safeguard oneself from unnecessary litigation or royalty payment.
Expensive procedure and way to combat it
Although patenting is necessary to create a unique position in the market, often the costs of patenting deter companies from patenting their inventions. In the US, as well as in most other countries, attorney fees are charged by the hour and it can be anywhere between $250- 500 per hour. To combat the cost, most foreign companies employ Indian IP firms such as Intepat IP Services to cut costs of patenting while maintaining the quality of their patent applications. Another strategy is to evaluate the inventions, and separate the important inventions from the non-important ones and patent the former category only. Also, one should evaluate in which countries the future of the product lies and then file patents accordingly. Filing patents on a world-wide basis is simply a waste of money.
When should a product or process be patented?
Though there is fierce competition to patent inventions and gain exclusive rights, one should not patent each and every invention. Sometimes, the product is not worth the money to be invested in order to protect it. To estimate whether your product is worth patenting, the question to be asked is- whether the product would be successful enough that competitors would want to obtain the product. If the product would generate a meager amount of profits, it is not worth patent-
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Patent procedure and in which countries should a patent be obtained?
Patents are territorial. As against general notion, a patent is protected nationally and not internationally. There is nothing called International Patent Protection. The only way of protection of patents on a global basis is to file patent in each country separately. Many have heard about the PCT (Patent Co-operation Treaty) and have a wrong notion that PCT applications are protected internationally. PCT application is preferred only because it gives extra time to the applicant in deciding in which countries he wants to file national patent application. Deciding the jurisdictions in which to file patent is an important decision. The procedure for obtaining patent is expensive and jurisdictions must be chosen with utmost care. Mostly, in such decisions, countries where the product will not be launched should not be chosen. Countries where the company will be doing business should be taken into account. One should realize where the future of the patented invention lies.
Be aware of others’ IP rights If your product becomes successful, there might be companies holding patents that can drag you into unnecessary litigation or ask you to pay royalties to the
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tune of lakhs of rupees. There are companies who patent inventions but do not utilize them. They wait for other companies to develop similar products, and once these products become successful, the patentee companies start suing them for asking for royalties. These companies are Patent Trolls. The Blackberry case made everyone aware of the perils of patent troll actions. NTP never made or sold anything but strived on licensing its patents to other companies. In early 1990s, it purchased patents relating to wireless e-mails. When Blackberry maker, RIM, started providing wireless e-mail services, NTP sued RIM for infringing its patents. What ensued was a legal battle that resulted in RIM paying NTP a one-time payment of $612.5 million. To avoid messy situations like the one illustrated above, one should be sure that the product of a company does not infringe any patent. To this end, patent search for freedom to operate can be conducted to confirm that no similar product using the same technology exists. “It is actually better to do a preliminary patent search before delving into the R&D or product developments to avoid investing money in unnecessary avenues”, says Senthil Kumar, Patent Consultant and CEO of Intepat IP Services, Bangalore.
Patenting and success
Notwithstanding the risks involved, there is a definite correlation between patenting and business success. Companies with patents are four times likely to be successful. The reasons for success, besides the exclusive rights are explained below.
IP valuation—how it can be helpful in making your business a success
Knowledge is now considered to
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ing. If it would be successful enough to justify legal expenses in defending the product, then you can consider patenting it. You can also consider patenting it if the product is successful enough to create revenues for your company by licensing it to others. Once you have decided to patent it, there are many ways of gaining revenue from it. You can license it, mortgage it or market the patent yourself.
be an asset and protected vigorously by companies in the form of IP protection. Corporate strategy includes the management and protection of IP assets. The first and foremost step in the strategy is the correct valuation of your company’s IP. Valuation is important for both licensing and investment options. Moreover, valuation is important for mergers and acquisitions (M&As). For obvious reasons, companies with technological overlap in their patents are more likely to form mergers than ones where there is no overlapping. Companies perform IP valuation of their assets and usually, segregate the IP assets into three categories: • Very valuable patents that are worth defending • Moderately valuable patents or patents that are not used or planned to be used, yet are valuable to others, and • Patents unlikely to be used and not of value
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Patent rules and rights are different in different countries, but in most countries, it includes a right of exclusive use of the patents for a limited period of 20 years.
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management & strategy Dow Chemicals, which had 29,000 patents, classified its patents in the above three classes and the first class was segregated for business growth purposes, the second offered for licensing and the third class was donated or abandoned.
Patents and investment- how to rope in investors?
Patents can bring in investment to the company. When investing in a company, an investor would want to be assured that his investment would be protected and that he would gain some returns for his investment. When patents are a part of the IP assets of a company, they form an assurance to the investors that the company would gain a unique position in the market due to its protected inventions, and there is a possibility of financial gains from the same. Analysts have also found that companies with great patents, i.e., those cited by others in their patent applications, are likely to be a better investment than those holding patents that are never cited. While investing, several questions may arise in the minds of the investors- some being: When will the validity for the patent
expire? Can the patent be reverse engineered or worked around to make similar inventions? Can it be proved invalid? These uncertainties in the minds of the investor can be removed by making a patent portfolio, wherein a patent search of similar products is done to evaluate your leverage against the currently available or patented products. The patent search report would consist of inventions consisting of similar products, and would also cite how your product is different and advantageous from the ones available in prior art.
Patents and licenses- how do they bring revenues?
After a patent is granted, the same can be licensed to others in order to create revenue for the company. Some businesses exist solely to collect revenues from the patents they license to others. Licenses can be exclusive – where there is a sole licensee who can use the patent- or non-exclusivewhere there are several licensees who can exploit the patent. The power of licensing to others may be used as a weapon to obtain royalties in cases where there are infringements of your
patent. In such infringement scenarios, the patentee company usually sends cease and desist letters and obtains injunctions against the competitor who infringes its patented product. However, if a company is not willing to defend its patents through the expensive and time-consuming process of litigation, specially when it is of the opinion that the patent is not that successful or worth as to invest money in litigation, it can bargain with the competitor and obtain royalties for the infringing operations of the competitor. More often than not, the infringing party is willing to pay royalties than get tangled in litigation procedures.
Conclusion
Patent strategy, when applied in the right way, can make your business leap light years ahead of others. For this, a patent-filing strategy and an IP management strategy should be customized according to the needs of the company. If properly executed, these strategies could lead your company to unprecedented success. Priyanka Gogoi is an IP Analyst at Intepat IP Services, Bangalore. She may be contacted through priyanka@intepat.com.
Advertiser index Busy Infotech ..................................................... IFC
Indiamart ...........................................................15
Schunk India.......................................................13
CHEP ................................................................. 31
Mahindra ...........................................................27
Siemens ............................................................ 21
Diesel ............................................ 7, 47-48, 50-52
Mitsubishi ............................................................3
Taegutec ............................................................IBC
Exxon Mobil .................................................. 8 A, 9
National Instruments ............................................5
Uniworld .............................................................29
GW Precison .......................................................BC
S & T Engineers ...................................................33
Vodafone ......................................................18, 19
Havell .................................................................25
SBI ....................................................................23
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product update Manual Limit Switch
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ayward Flow Control has launched LHB series manual limit switch product platform. The product includes a new lightweight and robust design with ease of installation and exact control. The product is available in two sizes to fit all sizes of Hayward TB series ball valves and through 8-inch of BY series butterfly valves. The two sizes, viz., LHB-1 and LHB-2, will be available with either 2 or 4 limit switches. Both sizes are available in a robust GF-PP housing with FPM seals and 304 stainless steel stem. Standard handles include T-handle or hand-lever. The other key features of the product include temperature range 20°F to 200°F, two adjustable SPDT 10 Amp @ 120 VAC switches (open/close position), integral lockout, ½-inch conduit port and terminal blocks for ease of wiring. The additional options include potentiometer, optional handles and LED for open / close indication. According to the company the typical applications or installations comprise waste and water treatment, chemical processing, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, pulp and paper, marine and corrosive environments, pools, water/theme parks and aquariums. Hayward Flow Control Tel: +1-888-4294635, E-mail: hflow@haywardnet.com
Industrial Friction Clutches
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ach III Clutch, Inc has announced new spring engaged industrial friction clutches for torque transmission in the absence of air pressure or during power-off conditions. The spring engaged clutches are available in both regular duty and heavy duty models offering fixed torque transmission from 506 to 24,375 pound inches. The clutches release when air pressure is applied to overcome spring the pressure. Catalog models currently available mount at the end of the shaft and include a finished pilot for easy mounting of a sprocket or pulley. Spring engaged friction clutches are made to order with bore and keyway sizes specified by the buyer for shaft sizes from 0.625 to 3.5 Inches. Metric sizes are also available. The advantage of a friction design, according to Peter Buckley, the company’s Senior Applications Engineer, is that “In contrast with spring engaged tooth clutches which must be engaged at zero or low speed, friction clutches slip slightly when engaged dynamically allowing engagement at any speed.” No lubrication or periodic maintenance is required. When worn, friction linings can be replaced in the field. The features of the product include soft start engagement, enclosed design, bored and keyed to suit for easy installation – no bushing required, no anti-rotation arm required and rotary air union included. Mach III Clutch, Inc. Tel: +1-859-2910849 E-mail: info@machiii.com
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Chlorine Sensor
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ensorex has launched FCL series free chlorine sensor, which measures free chlorine in real time. The new product is available in three different measurement ranges, viz., 0-2 ppm, 0-5 ppm and 0-10 ppm. According to the company, the sensor’s long-life design reduces maintenance cycles, which lowers lifecycle costs with less frequent sensor cartridge replacement and reduced technician installation time. After hypochlorous acid (HOCl) diffuses through the FCL sensor’s membrane, it is electrochemically reduced, releasing electrons and creating a current flow proportional to the free chlorine concentration in the medium outside the sensor. The low current output is then conditioned to a 4-20 mA direct output. The sensor operates at a range of 4-11 pH, a temperature range of 0-45°C and at a maximum pressure of 14.7 psig. The product is suitable for a wide range of water applications in municipal, potable water treatment, municipal wastewater, industrial plants and commercial facilities. These applications include municipal intake water, wastewater effluent, swimming pools, amusement parks, food processing disinfectant stations, aquaculture, commercial property lagoons and more. Sensorex Tel: +1-714-8954344 Website: www.sensorex.com
Piston Pumps & Motors
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aton Corporation has launched the DuraForce range of high-pressure piston pumps and motors for heavy duty application markets in India. The pumps and motors are suitable in heavy-duty mining and construction vehicles, forestry equipment, concrete pumps, primary metal production equipment and oil and gas drilling and production applications. According to Eaton, all DuraForce products are rated for 40 Bar high pressure applications with peak pressures to 500 bar. The product range includes the HPV closed circuit pumps and motors, and the HPR open circuit pumps for industrial applications. The motor products include the HMF and HMA fixed motors, and the HMV variable motors with a full range of controls. Eaton Corporation Website: www.eaton.com/hydraulics
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product update Transfer Conveyor
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leetwoodGoldcoWyard has released its latest conveying technol-ogy, viz., the Tight Pitch Live transfer conveyor. The new product is designed for companies running shrink wrap packs, corrugated 4-packs, 6-packs, 8-packs and 12-packs. “Any company running the aforementioned products has almost certainly run into a situation where product has gotten skewed due to product drag on a deadplate. The Tight Pitch Live Transfer Conveyor aims to put an end to that headache,” said a company source. The conveyor utilizes a 0.3-inch pitched chain wrapped around a ¼-inch nosebar to minimize deadplates from chain-to-chain transfers - helping to eliminate product skewing. The machine is designed to be driven off an existing chain with no need for a motor. Besides, the unit is also available as a standalone conveyor. FleetwoodGoldcoWyard Tel: +1-630-7596800 E-mail: gina.tolomeo@fgwa.com
Steam Cleaner
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aimer has launched the KleenJet Pro Plus 200S, which is a canister-based commercial steam cleaner. The product is useful for both businesses and homeowners. The vapour steam cleaner model is also suitable for light commercial work or homeowners wanting higher pressure and temperatures than other steam cleaner brands on the market. The product features true variable pressure control, which enables operators to adjust, using a dial, the pressure levels up to 75 psi depending upon specific cleaning tasks. Besides, high steam temperatures of 310°F also work effectively to dissolve dirt and other residues for effective cleaning. The steam cleaners also include an assortment of accessories/brushes, allowing users to easily switch for various cleaning applications. This includes a large rectangular floor brush with towel clips for steam mopping with included microfibre towels. Daimer Industries, Inc. Tel: +1-800-4717157 Website: www.daimer.com
Crankshaft Measurement Gauge
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dcole Corporation has introduced a large crankshaft measurement gauge for manufacturers of diesel, marine and locomotive engines and mining, oil field and power generation equipment. The new product, viz., model 100-10, features a ball bearing spindle with <0.25 µm runout for measuring crankshafts up to 4.57 meters long, with a 559 mm swing diameter, that weighs up to two metric tonnes. The machine utilizes a laser interferometer in combination with a contact follower having a 330 mm stroke, to measure 3,600 data points on pin journals for roundness and straightness with 0.5 µm accuracy. The product is equipped with a 483 mm touch screen display and a Windows-based operating system. The unit is able to execute a full crankshaft measurement within 10 minutes. The machine is built on a base of structural steel main cabinets with a large 457. mm thick surface plate. It weighs 20 metric tonnes.
Adcole Corporation Tel: +1-508-4859100 E-mail: breeceadcole.com Website: www.adcole.com
Solenoid Valve
T
he Lee Company has launched a new quiet operation High Density Interface (HDI) solenoid valve. The new 3-way valve is designed to achieve patient comfort by reducing actuation noise by 50 per cent. The new quiet operation design of the product uses ‘whisper’ technology to provide a sound level measurement of less than 37 dBA when measured at a distance of 24 inches and a valve cycle frequency of 10 Hz. The unit is available in face mount, plug-in and ported configurations. The product is suitable for medical applications flowing gas or air, such as dialysis machines, patient monitors, ventilators/respirators and other bedside medical devices. The Lee Company USA Tel: +1-860-3996281 E-mail: rfq@theleeco.com
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TaeguTec India P Ltd. Plot Nos.119 & 120, Bommasandra Industrial Area, Phase 4, Bangalore 560 099, India Tel: +91-80-2783-9111 E-mail: sales@taegutec-india.com http://www.taegutec-india.com
R.N.I. No. MAH ENG/2001/4796 Tech/MH/MR/SOUTH-127/2006-08