Aditya Birla Group presents ‘Reinventing the Future’

A unique platform for corporates and students striving for excellence in manufacturing — 75 companies and 15 engineering institutions compete in six themes across four cities.

Manufacturing is the cornerstone of a nation’s economy and critical to its growth. The 3rd edition of the Manufacturing Today Reinventing The Future, presented by the Aditya Birla Group (ABG), succeeded in buttressing the critical role manufacturing and its professionals play in the nation’s growth.

The event, which was held in Indore, Coimbatore, Vadodara, and Bhubaneswar, witnessed the participation of several companies and a large number of prestigious engineering institutions.

Case studies on six themes — Quality, Cost Optimisation, Technology, People Initiatives, Safety, and Sustainability — helped in sharing of best practices. With a view to increase participation, one winner from each city will also participate at the national level and present case studies at the Manufacturing Today Conference &; Awards scheduled for September 2 at Pune.

AT A GLANCE

Cities: Indore (June 18); Coimbatore (July 8); Vadodara (July 29); and Bhubaneswar (August 17).   
No. of participating companies: 75   
No. of prestigious institutions: 15   
USP: One winner from each city to compete at the national level at the Manufacturing Today Conference &; Awards 2016 in Pune   
Total No. of participants: 500+

THE SIX THEMES

• Cost Optimisation
• Technology
• Sustainability
• People Initiatives
• Safety
• Quality   
   

INDORE - JUNE 18

The first of the four-city event kicked off in the commercial capital of Madhya Pradesh. Delivering the keynote address, HK Agarwal, COO, Manufacturing Pulp &; Fibre Business, ABG, exhorted the Indian youth to join the manufacturing sector in view of the plethora of opportunities expected to be generated in the coming decade.

“The government has decided to increase the share of manufacturing from the current 17.5% to 25% of the economy, which will generate a revenue of $1.1 trillion – a threefold growth in 10 years from the current $400 million. There will be a demand for all kinds of professionals and skills. I’m very excited at the prospects for the Indian manufacturing space. This will be a great driver to c;reate employment and within employment lies human progress,” he said.

SRF Ltd, the winner in Cost Optimisation category, presented a case study on how it managed to reduce packing cost without compromising on quality. Adopting the eight step problem-solving methodology of SRF management, the team did a Gemba walk to identify MUDA in its system, benchmarked systems with competitors, improved infrastructure, and implemented workable options. The result – a 24% reduction in cost and annual savings of Rs 4.75 crore.

In Technology category, the railway signalling division of Crompton Greaves, Pithampur, explained their new technology IRS Type AC (3ph, 380VAC) point machine for railway application. The company has developed 3ph, 380VAC electric point machine similar to IRS with the potential to replace existing point machines. The case study by MAN Trucks India in People Initiatives revealed how the company had adopted a scientific approach to c;reate a healthy and safe working environment in production.

The success of the endeavour had encouraged the company to extend it to non-production areas too. Gabriel India, Dewas, showcased the Safety best practices adopted by the company to make Inter Seam Welding machines safer for operators. Using technological aids such as safety curtain, flash guard, two hand push button with anti-tie logic system, and loading of parts away from the main welding zone, had helped it to prevent hazards at the workplace.

The team from Cummins Turbo Technologies (Pithampur) spoke about how the company had reduced customer disruption points and internal rejections by improving the Quality at the workplace. On the sidelines of the event, the participating institutions – IIT Bombay, IIT Indore, IPS Indore, and IIITDM Jabalpur – showcased their exhibits. The Department of Mechanical Engineering of IIT Bombay and IIT Indore were adjudged the winners.

The institutions were felicitated by Ashok Ramachandran, Group Executive President, Group HR, ABG. Addressing the gathering, Ramachandran underscored the need for corporates to promote young talent in their quest for nation building. He said that ‘Reinventing the Future’ can give voice to the youth. Giving the vote of thanks, Ratan Shah, Group Talent Mentor, Manufacturing, ABG, said that cost optimisation was a critical factor in manufacturing companies which could look at enhancing productivity through risk assessment, safety measures and technology implementation.

WINNERS AT INDORE

Cost Optimisation: SRF Ltd   
Technology: Crompton Greaves   
People Initiatives: MAN Trucks India   
Safety: Gabriel Dewas plant   
Quality: Cummins Turbo - Pithampur plant   
Regional Winner: Gabriel India

COIMBATORE - JULY 8

The Coimbatore chapter elicited wide response and proved to be highly successful in more ways than one. The event helped in highlighting the manufacturing prowess of South India and also served as a platform for showcasing and sharing of best practices.

In his keynote address, Thomas Varghese, Business Head, Textiles, Spinning &; Acrylic Fibre, ABG, emphasised the need for companies to harness innovation to survive in a dynamic world. Platforms like Manufacturing Today Reinventing The Future helped in sharing and learning of best practices to better productivity through operational efficiency, technology, safety, etc, he added. Stating that customers are the focus of evolution, Varghese warned that companies which refuse to change with the times will pay a price eventually. Customer centricity, investment in people/facility/business process to promote innovation, partnership beyond transaction and embracing technology will be the key for achieving organisational excellence, he added.

The team from V-Guard presented a case study on the company’s Sustainability efforts and how it had helped achieve operational excellence through zone systems. JK Tyres team made a presentation on ‘Automation for vehicle movement monitoring – Enhancing employees’ workplace safety with RFID techniques’. The team gave an overview of the problems, including human errors, it had to face and how an automatic audio/visual alarm system developed by the company had helped achieve zero accidents. SRF-TTB chose People Initiatives for its case study which stressed the importance of building a strong team and retaining talent. The team provided an overview of its RINEW (Respect, Integrity, Non-discrimination, Excellence, Well-being) policy to foster employee engagement at the workplace. Roots Industries India revealed how the company had eliminated terminal connector bend defect in its manufacturing through the use of Poka Yoke method and reaped multiple benefits like ontime delivery and savings on raw materials. Pricol chose Technology for its case study and depicted how it successfully improved productivity levels through elimination of rejections in Kubota cluster assembly.

SRF-TTB emerged winner at the regional level. IIT Madras, Government College of Technology, and Coimbatore Institute of Technology (CIT) emerged winners in the institution category.

WINNERS AT COIMBATORE

Technology: Pricol   
People Initiatives: SRF-TTB   
Sustainability: V-Guard   
Safety: JK Tyres   
Quality: Roots Industries India   
Regional Winner: SRF-TTB

VADODARA - JULY 29

The third leg of the event proved to be equally successful like the Indore and Coimbatore editions, with delegates and company representatives exploiting the opportunity to the hilt to reinvent their future. In his keynote address, Dilip Gaur, MD, Grasim Industries and Head - Pulp &; Fibre, ABG, underlined the importance of manufacturing and how global companies had cemented their leadership through IPR and owning ''means of production''.

"Indian companies ought to look at quality of production in order to achieve NMP targets. The key technologies that will influence manufacturing in the next few years will be 3D printing, robotics and automation, agile product development, networking of hardware and digital manufacturing. We also need a globally competitive MSME sector which will, in the future, be active champions of innovation, skill development and world-class manufacturing practices.

Lowest cost positioning alone is not enough. Our focus should be to become Germany of the East and not to end up as a factory to the West," Gaur said. Indian companies should think long term, win on innovation and not cost alone, aim for perfection, seamlessly collaborate across the supply chain, change rules of engagement, and leverage Big data/IoT/data analytics, he added. Facets Gems Polishing Works presented a case study on Cost Optimisation and showed how the adoption of DMAIC methodology helped it reduce diamond processing cost by optimising polishing process.

HNG Float Glass spoke about cost saving on packing. Presenting its case study on People Initiatives, CEAT Tyres revealed how it had increased employee engagement score from 41% to 92.3%, and reduced attrition from 44% to 6.96%. Apollo Tyres, Vadodara plant, talked about fostering a new culture through employee participation in its case study. In its case study on Safety, Asian Paints talked about reducing injuries and increasing safety. JCB''s case study in the Quality category dwelled upon the company’s efforts to meet the increase in demand of fabricated chassis supply from 100/month to 300/month. The presentation talked about the company’s ‘Back to Basic – A Proactive Approach’ and improvements in functional parameters.

Essar Steel''s case study on Sustainability showcased how the company had reduced imported clay consumption by 40%. Mahindra Intertrade, which won awards in Safety and People Initiatives, talked about its Safety and Health Management System at its MIL-Vadodara and fostering workplace engagement through its Rise philosophy. Rotex Automation sought to reduce AFSOV assembly line rejections. Babaria Institute of Technology (BITS), Vadodara, was the winner in the college category.

WINNERS AT VADODARA

• Cost Optimisation: Reliance Industries
  • Concept Business Excellence + Facets Gems Polishing Works
  • HNG Float Glass
• People Initiatives: CEAT Tyres
  • Apollo Tyres
  • Mahindra Intertrade
• Safety: Gabriel Dewas plant
  • Asian Paints
  • Mahindra Intertrade
• Quality: Rotex Automation
  • JCB India
• Sustainability: Essar Steel India
• Regional Winner: Asian Paints

BHUBANESWAR - AUGUST 17

The last leg of the four-city event witnessed cities saw enthusiastic participation from companies based in eastern India. Delivering the keynote address, Ashok Kumar Bal, CEO, India Mining Operations, Essel Mining &; Industries Limited, said, “Manufacturing has always been the engine of growth and its importance or significance to the economy doesn’t need much elaboration. In the Indian context, manufacturing accounts for 16% of GDP, services 55%, agriculture 17%, and everything else comes under the rest.”

Emphasising that the economic power of a country commensurates with its manufacturing sector, he said, the industrial revolution had boosted the economic output of the UK to 500% between 1870 and 1900. He also cited the examples of Germany, Japan, USA, South Korea and China where manufacturing had become the backbone of the economy. The highpoint of the event was a panel discussion in which Dr Subhasish Das, President, Himadri Chemicals &; Industries Ltd; Arun Misra, VP, Project Gopalpur, and MD, Tata Steel Special Economic Zone Ltd, Tata Steel Ltd; Prashant Satpathy, Honorary Secretary, UCCI; Ashok Kumar Bal, CEO, India Mining Operations, Essel Mining &; Industries Limited; and Prashant Kumar Hota, group executive VP, CSR and education, and Odisha head of corporate communication, Jindal Steel &; Power Ltd, participated.

The discussion on Smart Manufacturing Reinventing the Future - Manufacturing: Key driver for sustainable economic resurgence of Eastern India and Odisha, was moderated by BS Pani of Span Resources Management Services. Hota pointed out that a plant does not come up on the strength of engineers alone, it needs a social licence to operate. Satpathy highlighted the plight of MSMEs in India, saying high attrition rates were proving to be a bane of the sector.

Misra lamented that Indians lacked ambition which had resulted in outsiders owning and operating factories in the country. “We have chosen to be educated and become back office workers instead of industrial owners. But that is thankfully changing,” he said. Das, while pointing out that there were no good or bad companies, said, “Most companies in India are either person driven or process driven.”

Highlighting the shortage of skilled manpower in India especially in the eastern region, Bal said, “The demand for manpower is growing at 8% and supply is 6.3%. The gap needs to be closed, and more so in eastern India.” JSPL, Bargil plant, which won in the Cost Optimisation category, talked about its efforts to enhance productivity of furnaces with good quality palates using the DMAIC technique. Paradeep Phosphates, which was also adjudged the winner in the category, highlighted the methods of sustainable throughput which had resulted in cost optimisation through improvement in the system draft at the DAP plant.

Paradeep Phosphates was adjudged the winner in the Sustainability category for its case study on conservation of natural resources through use of ETP treated water at the Phosphoric Acid plant. Tata Steel Ltd’s Gopalpur plant won the award for Safety for its case study on how Zero Loss Time Injury was achieved by inculcating safety habit during the construction of the ferro alloy plant.

Jindal Stainless Steel Ltd which won in the Technology category, elaborated the methods to reduce H2S impurity in coke oven gas below design value. Essar Steel India, Visakhapatnam, which was also adjudged the winner in Technology, talked about technology advancement for sustainable iron ore beneficiation and pelletisation. Jindal Stainless Steel, which was declared the best in Quality category, enlightened how SS Grade 409L is a viable solution for automotive application. Paradeep Phosphates, which won in Technology, showed how cooling of gypsum slurry temperature can help prevent failure of HDPE pipeline.

The National Institute of Science and Technology was declared the best among institutions.

The success of the Reinventing the Future event in the four cities has helped in riveting the spotlight on manufacturing and its importance in nation’s growth. This initiative will go a long way in changing the manufacturing landscape of India and make it an aspirational job sector for professionals.

WINNERS AT BHUBANESWAR

• Technology: Jindal Stainless Steel Ltd
  • Paradeep Phosphates
  • Essar Steel
• Sustainability: Paradeep Phosphates
• Safety: Tata Steel Ltd - Gopalpur Plant
• Cost Optimisation: Jindal Steel &; Power
  • Paradeep Phosphates
• Quality: Jindal Stainless Steel Ltd
• Regional Winner: Paradeep Phosphates – Technology

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