chemical world - april 2012

INDUSTRY WATCH - Chemical World April 2012

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EDITORIAL

5April 2012 | Chemical World

EditorialAdvisory Board

Pothen P aul Former Chairman,

Aker Powergas Pvt Ltd

D P Misra Director, TCE Consulting Engineers Ltd and Former

Director General, ICC

P D Samudra Executive Director (Sales) &

Member of the Board, Uhde India Pvt Ltd

Missing the catalytic component

Manas R [email protected]

The goal post seems to be shifting…The Union Budget 2012-13, far from taking

any proactive policy measure to revitalise the Indian growth engine, turned

out to more or less maintain the status quo of the current policy regime. The

impact, it has left most of the industry observers wanting for more, who have

been hoping to see increased economic acceleration, perhaps as a precursor to the 2nd phase

of economic liberalisation that the country embarked on two decades ago.

One can choose to call it either a missed opportunity or, a cautious approach, this

year’s Budget is way off target from the viewpoint of the industry’s expectations in terms

of reversing the slowing pace of growth by virtue of big-ticket reform mechanisms. Rather,

the government seems to have settled for a guarded approach towards shoring up weak

investment sentiments and unveiling only a handful of anti-deficit measures that comprise

hike in service and excise taxes.

Besides, the budgetary proposal to amend the Income Tax Act with retrospective

effect has perhaps made the biggest dent on the long-term fiscal credibility of

India story, not only outside but inside the country as well. It has come as a

bolt from the blue when the national economy is pitted against tapering

growth on one side and growing maturity of Indian manufacturing on

the other and hence, rising confidence in attracting higher foreign

investment into this domain.

That said, the immediate future of the country’s economy seems

to be full of internal challenges, not withstanding the headwind

from the West. According to Moody’s, in the absence of new

policy initiatives, it will take a combination of improved economic

growth, corporate profitability, lower global commodity prices and

exchange rate stability to meet the government’s fiscal deficit

target in 2012-13.

From a sectoral perspective though, there have been a few

budgetary proposals that would aid further growth potential

of the chemical industry in India. Considering the scope of

this space, the few that can be touched upon here include

thrust on fortifying the agrochemicals segment; extending

weighted deduction of 200 per cent for R&D expenditure in

an in-house facility for an additional period of five years beyond

March 31, 2012; setting up ` 5,000-crore venture fund for MSME

sector; among others.

All said and done, the need of the hour is to exercise

ample jurisprudence and make sure that the India growth story

stays on course.


Note: ` stands for Indian rupee, $ stands for US dollar and £ stands for UK pound, unless mentioned otherwise

Details on page no. 32, 71

Highlights of Next EditionEight things that Indian chemical industry

need to do to be globally competitive

Insight & Outlook: Alternative Energy/Fuels

Budget Special : Budget 2012-13

Special Focus: IT for Chemical Process Industry

Cloud computing ................................................................

Cloud strategy ....................................................................

IT & automation ................................................................

Data security ........................................................................

Interface - Dhruv Singhal, Cloud Computing Lead, Oracle India ........................................................................

Roundtable ..........................................................................

In Conversation With

34

36

38

40

Ravi Kapoor,Managing Director, Heubach Colour Pvt Ltd ............................ 22

34

Renewable energy ...............................................................

Biomass energy ...................................................................

Solar sector ..........................................................................

Coatings industry ...............................................................

Ammonium nitrate .............................................................

Hydraulic system maintenance ...........................................

Budget Analysis - Chemical industry ................................

Budget Impact - Oil & gas ................................................

Budget Views .....................................................................

48

26

28

30

50

52

Automation TrendsWireless technology: Enhancing communication for better productivity .........................................................

Energy ManagementWind power: Generating cost-competitiveness through specialty chemicals ................................................

Policies & RegulationsDuty Drawback Scheme: A booster dose for chemical exports? ..........................................................

StrategyCollaborative policy: A win-win proposition to gain competitive edge .....................................................

Tips & TricksHazardous chemicals: Safety tips for ensuring accident-free transit .............................................................

Cover visual: Mahendra Varpe

Regular SectionsEditorial ........................................................................ 5

News, Views & Analysis .............................................. 10

Technology & Innovation ............................................ 18

Technology Transfer .................................................... 20

Projects ........................................................................ 69

Event List .................................................................... 71

Book Review ................................................................ 73

Products ...................................................................... 74

List of Products .......................................................... 85

List of Advertisers ...................................................... 86

62

64

66

67

68

42

4354

Facility Visit: UNP Polyvalves (India) Pvt Ltd

Redefining reliability with innovative f low control solutions ........................................................ 44

58

56

8th Anniversary

Special

48 52


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Business InsightsTechnologies

Opportunities

NEWS, VIEWS & ANALYSIS

Chemical World | April 201210

APPLICATION LAB

GE’s new lab to help reduce turnaround time GE’s Measurement & Control

business recently inaugurated a

validation laboratory in Bengaluru.

The new facility is the fourth-of-its-

kind in the world for GE and the only

lab in India to support the repair and

calibration of Kaye validation products.

The GE Kaye product range is

designed to meet the most demanding

industrial requirements for process

improvement, thermal validation and

reporting. The lab operations will help

reduce turnaround time for customers

from three months to just one week.

With this, GE has expanded

its capability to support critical

calibration of equipment like validators,

temperature baths, ice point reference

pressure sensors, temperature loggers

and intelligent RTDs. “The new

lab supports GE’s ‘In Country, for

Country’ strategy to build on capabilities

and resources within India. It reinforces

Measurement & Control’s vision to

improve the health and productivity of

its customers’ most critical industrial

assets and systems through the

application of smart, differentiated

and integrated technology,” said

Ashish Bhandari, Regional General

Manager, Measurement & Control,

GE Energy India.

Mahua Roy

The K K Modi Group company, Indofil

Industries, which recently made an

announcement to set up India’s first

green energy carbon disulfide (CS2)

production plant in Dahej, is planning

to build new facilities for manufacturing

agrochemicals. “The company has

acquired two more sites where it plans

to set up manufacturing facilities for

multipurpose agrochemicals synthesis

plant in SEZ, Dahej, and specialty

chemicals in GIDC, Dahej.

Total investment in Gujarat

will reach to over ` 500

crore in three to four years.

This will generate large

employment directly and

indirectly as many vendors

have also set up their units

around Dahej,” said Rabi

Mishra, Executive Vice

President, Manufacturing

& Supply Chain, Indofil

Industries.

The company has already entered

into a 51:49 joint venture ( JV) with

Shanghai Baijin Chemical Group (SBC)

for CS2 manufacturing. SBC, which is

among the three global leaders in CS2

technology, operates seven plants and

have pioneered natural gas-based non-

catalytic CS2 production technology.

The JV company, Indo Baijin, will

manufacture 50,000 MT CS2 annually.

Through this backward integration,

Indofil would strengthen its supply

chain ensuring a consistent supply

of CS2, irrespective of domestic and

international supply.

Mishra added, “The plant will be

the biggest CS2 production plant in

the world and thereby strengthen our

production capacity for years to come.

It would help us plan production, set

targets and forecast bottom line better,

thus helping the company achieve its

$ 1 billion target by 2015.”

The state-of-the-art

eco-friendly manufacturing

unit is a key strategic move

to ensure consistent supply of

CS2, which is a raw material

for Indofil’s products such

as Mancozeb. “At present,

80 per cent of India’s CS2

is imported from various

parts of the world. Hence,

the new unit at Dahej

would substitute for some

of these imports. There are

few domestic manufacturers, who produce

mainly for captive use. Logistics accounts

for about 40 per cent of CS2 cost. Hence,

this move will not only help Indofil but

also other Indian players importing CS2,”

Mishra opined.

About 50 per cent of the CS2

produced at Indofil’s new eco-friendly

facility will be used for internal

consumption, while it plans to sell the

rest to other companies.

Rakesh Rao

EXPANSION SPREE

Indofil Industries plans more facilities in Gujarat

PRODUCT LAUNCH

Himadri Chemicals to introduce specialty products

Rabi Mishra

Himadri Chemicals is planning to

introduce few specialty products in its

portfolio, which include advanced carbon

material, needle pitch coke, phenolic

fractions, carbon fibre and mesophase

pitch, etc. “Most of these products will

be targeted for exports and there will

be huge demand for some products in

the domestic market also,” said Anurag

Choudhary, CEO, Himadri Chemicals

and Industries Ltd. Currently, it is

carrying out expansion of its coal tar

production. As of now, its capacity of coal

tar production is 2,50,000 mtpa, which is

expected to reach the target of 1 million

mtpa by 2016. “For this total expansion,

an investment of ` 1,900 crore is required,

which will be generated from internal

funds and external debts. This expansion

will take place in a phased manner,” said

Choudhary. The first phase will expand

from 2,50,000 to 4,00,000 mtpa, which

will be completed by December 2012. The

second phase will be from 4,00,000 mtpa

to 5,50,000 mtpa by the next 24 months.

Himadri Chemicals already exports to the

Middle East, European, South American

and South East Asian countries.

Prasenjit Chakraborty

Anurag Choudhary



WACKER Chemie AG, which reported

sales of Euro 4.91 billion in 2011, has

announced its plan to invest about Euro

1 billion for further production capacity

expansion in 2012. “Our strategic focus is

to continue growing organically. This year,

we are investing around Euro 1 billion

– with a focus on production capacity

expansion to meet rising customer

demand. Even though substantial

economic uncertainties

exist and underlying

conditions are not easy, I

am optimistic that 2012

could be a successful

year for WACKER,” said

Rudolf Staudigl, CEO,

WACKER Chemie, in a

press statement.

In 2012, major shares

of WACKER’s investments

will be in the business

divisions WACKER

Polysilicon (64 per cent), WACKER

Silicones (14 per cent) and Siltronic (13

per cent). All in all, WACKER plans

to invest a similar volume of capital

expenditures in 2013.

Florian Degenhart, Corporate

Communications, Media Relations,

WACKER Chemie AG, said, “The

emphasis of WACKER’s current

investment spending over the next two

years will be on expanding polysilicon

production operations at WACKER

Polysilicon. The company’s key project

here is the construction of a new

polysilicon facility in the US State

of Tennessee.”

However, WACKER is also investing

in other regions. It is building two new

production plants at Nanjing (China)

for both the WACKER Polymers and

WACKER Biosolutions business division.

Among emerging economies, India

is one of the fast growing markets for

WACKER. Elaborating

on its plan for India,

Degenhar t noted ,

“WACKER will continue

its growth strategy in

India. The country’s

industrial and economical

development provides

excellent opportunities for

all of WACKER’s products,

starting from silicones to

dispersible powders. Key

markets for WACKER in

India are the electronics, personal care,

automotive, transportation & distribution

and the construction industry.”

WACKER has been expanding its

business in India for last few years. In 2011,

WACKER started a new compounding

plant for ready-to-use silicone elastomers

on the premises of Wacker Metroark

Chemicals Pvt Ltd, near Kolkata, in order

to supply the Indian market more swiftly

and flexibly with high-quality WACKER

silicone products.

Rakesh Rao

EXPANSION BOOST

WACKER to invest Euro 1 billion for expansion PERFORMANCE REPORT

User-industries facilitate the growth for LANXESS in IndiaIn 2011, LANXESS India registered

growth of around 32.3 per cent in

sales. Its sales grew from ` 1,090.5

crore in 2010 to ` 1,464 crore in 2011.

Commenting on the performance,

Venkatesh Sankaran, Executive Director

& Chief Financial Officer, LANXESS

India, said, “We have achieved a

consistently healthy growth in India,

despite uncertain global economic

conditions. In the performance polymers

segment, performance butadiene rubbers

(PBR) has emerged the strongest,

followed by technical rubber products

(TRP). High growth was also seen for

semi-crystalline products (SCP). This is

a healthy indicator of the growing user-

industries such as automobiles, tyres,

electrical and electronics that have kept

the demand buoyant.”

He added, “The performance

chemicals segment, led by rubber

chemicals (RUC) also grew remarkably

well. This segment caters to a range of

industries like leather, agro-chemicals,

pharmaceuticals, paints and coatings

etc.” The growth of business units

PBR, SCP and RUC confirms that

the automobile industry in India

continues to grow and will demand

better performance and technology

as the focus on fuel efficiency and

safety increases.

At the recently held HPCI Congress

in Mumbai, Clariant introduced a new

range of ingredients and colours focussed

on boosting the performance, efficiency,

safety and environmental compatibility

of applications, across the broad spectrum

of the home and personal care (HPC)

industry. Company officials maintained

that they view skincare and hard surface

care applications as the biggest opportunity

area in the HPC industry. The three

new lines of vegetal-based biopolymers

for skincare and haircare contain active

ingredients and sensory boosters. All

these are extracted from fungal sources

that are non-GMO, inexhaustible, quality

constant, traceable and renewable.

The Vitipure™ range finds applications

in skincare. Velsan® provides a natural,

vegetal replacement for silicones in

skincare and haircare. Zenvivo™ is the only

available vegetal Chitosan. It can be used in

mouthwash and deodorant applications or

boost preservation of cosmetics. “Within

the personal care market in India, there is

strong growth in demand for nourishing

products with a natural and biological

positioning. The introduction of our new

vegetal-based biopolymer lines in India,

together with our recently inaugurated

Consumer Care formulation laboratory in

Kolshet (Thane), enhances our capability

to support customers,” said Dr Alexander

Snell, Head of ICS Business, Clariant

Chemicals (India) Ltd.

Mahua Roy

ECOFRIENDLY INGREDIENTS

Clariant launches natural ingredients and colours for home and personal care industry

Rudolf Staudigl



Damco, one of the leading third party

logistics providers in the world, recently

launched Damco Dynamic Flow Control™.

The product has been configured based

on the needs of retail,

lifestyle and technology

companies. “It is our clear

ambition to grow in the

chemical sector business

to over $ 1 billion by 2015.

In order to achieve this,

we have clearly identified

the sub-segments within

the industry where we can

add value to our clients’

businesses. By offering differentiation

into or out of key growth markets,

particularly emerging markets, we see

that we have a unique proposition as a

global organisation,” said Rolf Habben-

Jansen, CEO, Damco. The product caters

to the exact requirement of customers.

“As an integrated solutions provider,

we constantly look

to take ownership

in developing new

innovations, systems

and processes that

keep our clients’ supply

chains competitive. An

example of this is the

Damco Dynamic Flow

Control model. To the

extent that this new

solution can add value to the chemical

sector, we are obviously interested in

exploring this further,” said Jansen.


LOGISTICS SOLU TION

Damco Dynamic Flow Control™ to add value to chemical logistics

Rolf Habben-Jansen

STRATEGIC MOVE

Omkar Speciality Chemicals acquires LASA LaboratoryOmkar Speciality Chemicals

Ltd (OSCL), one of the leading

manufacturers of specialty chemicals,

such as selenium derivatives, iodine

derivatives, molybdenum derivatives,

cobalt bismuth derivatives and

pharma intermediates for life-saving

drugs, has recently forayed into

pharmaceutical business with its

acquisition of LASA Laboratory Pvt

Ltd. Located at Mahad in Raigad

district, south west of Maharashtra,

LASA Laboratory has been one of the

established players in the anthelmintic/

veterinary API segment having state-

of-the-art API manufacturing facility.

“There is a colossal demand in the

API manufacturing space, and with

Indian drug manufacturing sector

gaining international prominence,

the acquisition of LASA Laboratory

was the right move for our group to

venture into the pharma business. It

is also a part of our group’s forward

integration strategy,” said Pravin S

Herlekar, Chairman & Managing

Director, OSCL. He added, “Our new

API division is already operational

and will initially focus on continuing

the existing API business of LASA

Laboratory, which has massive demand

in India and abroad.”


Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers Ltd

(RCF) announced collaboration with

Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT),

Mumbai. RCF’s Board of Directors has

donated ` 4 crore towards research of

fertiliser technology, environmental

engineering and other cutting-edge

technologies. ICT ranks first in India

and fourth globally towards chemical

technology education. Prof G D Yadav,

Vice Chancellor, ICT, said, “The creation

of endowment is a rich tradition of ICT.

My own position is that of R T Mody

Distinguished Professor of ICT, which

was created 1933. I believe that several

such endowments and infrastructural

help coming from industry will continue

to make ICT a vibrant place.”

In the presence of the Chief Minister

of Maharashtra, Prithviraj Chavan; and

Rajesh Tope, Minister for Higher and

Technical Education, Government of

Maharashtra; Professor Yadav and R G

Rajan, Chairman and Managing Director,

RCF, signed the Memorandum of

Understanding. Chavan was appreciative

of the efforts taken by Professor Yadav.

The Maharashtra Government is also

considering giving a special status to ICT

for its spectacular performance.

Mahua Roy

INDUSTRY ENDOWMENT

RCF donates ` 4 crore to ICT

Prithviraj Chavan (centre) attending the ICT function

The Alkali Manufacturers’ Association of India (AMAI) organised a seminar on

‘Open access & wheeling of power: Regulations & issues’ in New Delhi, recently.

Dr Pramod Deo, Chairman, Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC)

inaugurated the event. The seminar highlighted matters related to power. Eminent

speakers from regulatory bodies, power exchanges, power trading companies etc

discussed various aspects on the issue. One of the issues discussed in the seminar

was the plight of the open access consumers. “Open access consumers are expected

to pay higher energy & fixed charges, as compared to only grid power users.

It is discriminatory and should be rationalised,” said the AMAI press release.

Infrastructure was another critical issue, which the seminar discussed at length.

According to the press release, “There is an urgent need to upgrade the power

grid system in order to reduce the transmission losses and also ensure speedy

transmission of power from the surplus areas to the areas suffering on account of

power shortage.”

SEMINAR

Chlor-alkali association’s seminar discusses critical issues of power



CONTRACT AWARD

Steam Project in Middle East to source water technology from AquatechAquatech, one of the global leaders

in water purification technology,

has been awarded a contract to

provide water treatment services

to enhance the heavy oil extraction

rate in the Amal Oil Fields in the

Sultanate of Oman. Aquatech will

be constructing a 237 cu m/hr

produced water softening plant for

the facility. The facility is owned by

Petroleum Development Oman, the

premier hydrocarbon exploration and

production company in the Sultanate

of Oman.

Aquatech will be involved in the

supply of ion exchange technology-

based super softening plant for

treating produced water, which

is high in Total Dissolved Solids

(TDS) and temperature. The treated

water will be fed to the steam

generators for generating steam,

and then be injected into the heavy

oil wells to enhance the extraction

rate of oil. The technology involved

will include a nutshell filtering unit

(NSK), followed by a primary strong

acid cation unit & a polishing strong

acid cation unit (SAC), and finally

by a weak acid cation unit (WAC).

The end-product will have hardness

reduced to less than 1 ppm, and will

be used for process water.

“Aquatech is recognised as a

leader for our experience in the oil

& gas industry and our expertise

in treating challenging waters. The

awarding of this contract reflects our

excellent track record in successfully

executing projects having high

specification requirements, especially

in the Middle East region, in similar

applications,” said Vikrant Sarin,

Manager - Technical & Business

Development (Industrial Solutions),

Aquatech Eastern.

Mahua Roy

LANXESS has

signed a Memorandum

of Understanding (MoU)

with India Rubber Expo

(IRE) 2013, India’s

largest rubber exhibition,

organised by All India

Rubber Industr ies

Association (AIRIA). As

a part of this agreement,

LANXESS will be the

main sponsor for IRE

and will have a sizeable presence at the exhibition. It takes due note of the growth

potential of the rubber sector, particularly in line with automobile and export segments,

which have been witnessing a double-digit growth year-on-year (YOY). Along with

the IRE 2013, LANXESS Rubber Day would be organised on January 21, 2013,

in Mumbai, with the support from AIRIA. This is the second time LANXESS is

hosting Rubber Day in India – a platform for exchange and discussion on vital topics

around synthetic rubber and its applications in a fast growing India.

Ashok Mittal, Chairman, IRE 2013, said, “We are glad to have LANXESS to be

the main sponsor of the show. Its involvement and support to the show will make

IRE 2013 reach new heights only to be witnessed and acknowledged by the global

rubber industry.” LANXESS is represented in India through its five business units –

performance butadiene rubber (PBR), butyl rubber (BTR), technical rubber products

(TRP), rubber chemicals (RUC) and specialised rubber chemicals, release agents and

additives from LANXESS owned subsidiary Rhein Chemie (RCH). The array of

products from these business units offers industry applications in sealing, damping,

transportation, and specifically, in tyres.

COLLABORATION

LANXESS signs MoU with India Rubber Expo

Dr Joerg Strassburger (third from right), MD and Country Representative, LANXESS India, with the

organising team of IRE 2013

R Mukundan, Managing Director, Tata

Chemicals Ltd, has been elected as the

Deputy Chairman of the Confederation

of Indian Industry (CII), Western Region,

for 2012-13. Mukundan

also headed the Global

Chemicals business of

Tata Chemicals and has

held responsibilities as

Chief Operating Officer

- Chemicals Business

(India) and Head of

Mithapur Chemical

Complex.

Mukundan joined

Tata Administrative

Service in 1990, after

completing his MBA from FMS, Delhi

University and BE-Electrical Engineering

from IIT, Roorkee. During his 18-year

stint with Tata Group, he has held various

responsibilities including strategy &

business development, corporate quality,

corporate planning, projects, etc, across

the chemical, automotive

and hospitality sectors of

the Tata Group. He has

been on the Executive

Committee of various

industry forums including

Indian Chemical Council,

Automotive Component

M a n u f a c t u r e r s ’

Association, Alkali

M a n u f a c t u r e r s ’

Association of India, etc.

He is a member of the

CII National Council and has chaired the

CII National Committee on Chemicals

(2011-12).

APPOINTMENT

R Mukundan is new Deputy Chairman of CII-Western Region

R Mukundan



INGREDIENTS BUSINESS

Hair conditioning, skin fairness and dishcare to boost Indian HPC industryThe ` 45,000-crore domestic home

& personal care (HPC) industry

will see trends skewing towards

hair conditioning, skin fairness and

dishcare, as per insights provided by

Farooq Alam, Regional Marketing

Manager India, Dow Personal Care,

at the recently concluded HPCI

Congress, Mumbai. The haircare

market is seeing differentiated products

with non-ionic ingredients, which are

replacing traditional silicone.

In skincare, Alam remains

optimistic about fairness-based

applications. “Fairness applications

will not be limited to just creams,”

he added. The fairness products can

be categorised into three deliverables:

first where rapid or immediate visible

effects will be demanded, second

where added properties along with

fairness will be delivered, and third

wherein long-term authentic effects

will be assured.

In the home care segment, dishcare

is seen as an upcoming field. “It is an

exciting area to be in. Nowadays, as

consumers shift to liquid applications,

due to the convenience it provides,

we at Dow are flooded with a huge

traffic of requests to deliver suitable

ingredients.” He opined that hard

surface cleaning/kitchen cleaners will

be the next big thing in homecare.

Mahua Roy

AspenTech, one of the leading providers

of software & services to the process

industries, announced releases of

products within the aspenONE software

suite: Aspen Plus, Aspen PIMS and Aspen

Petroleum Scheduler & Aspen InfoPlus.21.

Aspen Plus software significantly

improves the user experience for its process

simulator for the chemical industry. The

completely redesigned user interface

and workflow improves engineering

productivity. It enables easy and intuitive

access to the most comprehensive physical

properties database, the industry-leading

capital cost estimating product, and the

most complete heat exchanger thermal

and mechanical design products.

Aspen PIMS and Aspen Petroleum

Scheduler improve collaboration between

refining planners and schedulers. Through

tighter petroleum supply chain integration,

refiners can increase their profitability by

optimising the accuracy and productivity

of planners and schedulers. In addition,

enhanced analytics provide planners and

schedulers with better decision support

to rapidly respond to changing market

conditions, or upsets in their operations.

The new release improves collaboration

by sharing operating targets between

planning and scheduling functions for

closer alignment of plan.

Aspen InfoPlus.21 brings enterprise-

scale search and high performance trending

to Manufacturing Execution Systems.

Process manufacturers can improve their

business performance by quickly finding

and analysing their operational data for

fast and easy trouble shooting. By instantly

representing what is happening in the

plant, engineers are better able to improve

manufacturing performance.

ASSET OP TIMISATION

AspenTech launches new software to aid process industry

CynarPlc, a leading technology company in

the waste-to-energy market, has awarded a

$ 11-million contract to Rockwell

Automation to design and build a new

end-of-life, plastic-to-fuel conversion plant

in Bristol, UK, for SITA UK Ltd.

Cynar has developed a technology

that converts end-of-life plastics into fuel.

“Our technology represents a unique and

profitable way to significantly decrease

the amount of end-of-life plastics that are

disposed of in landfills and incinerators,”

said Michael Murray, CEO & Chairman,

CynarPlc.

He further added, “Rockwell

Automation strengthens our technology

by providing complete design, engineering

life-cycle maintenance and local support.

We will have a process technology solution

that will enable us to rapidly deploy our

technology globally.”

The Rockwell Automation Global

Solutions team has worked with Cynar

over the past two years developing the

engineering, modularisation and process

improvements of Cynar’s waste end-of-life,

plastic-to-fuel conversion plant.

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

CynarPlc awards $ 11-million waste-to-energy process order to Rockwell Automation

ONLINE TOOL

Cole-Parmer relaunches its websiteCole-Parmer released a new version of its

website (ColeParmer.in) with reorganised

menus, enhanced filtering capabilities, and

time-saving user functionality to streamline

the overall web experience. Thousands of

additional filters allow customers to choose

the product characteristic most important

to them and narrow their selection within

seconds. Quick views also enable shoppers

to expand on product details without navigating further. Clear customer favourites

– including customer-written product reviews, product ratings, Q&As, and live chat

– remain on the site. In redesigning the site, Dave Trebacz, Director - Global Customer

Experience and eBusiness, Cole-Parmer, said, “We listened to customers and re-

evaluated every page. Our greatest challenge was keeping our own biases out of the way.

Instead, we focussed on customers’ needs.”



RECOGNITION

IFC recognises Meghmani Finechem Ltd for promoting gender equalityInternational Finance Corporation

(IFC), a member of the World

Bank Group, has honoured India’s

Meghmani Finechem Ltd, a subsidiary

of Meghmani Organics Ltd based in

Gujarat with the annual IFC CEO

Gender Award, noting the company’s

pioneering work in opening up India’s

chemical sector to women employees.

The award presented on

International Women’s Day recognises

companies for promoting gender

equality in the workplace. The winners

of this year’s CEO Gender Award were

chosen from among 27 nominees from

across the world. Anil Chandramani,

Chief Investment Officer, IFC, said,

“Despite the fact that the chemical

sector pays higher wages, there was no

women participation in this sector in

India due to traditional cultural and

legal restrictions. Thus, in 2008, IFC,

along with Meghmani Finechem Ltd,

began to look for opportunities to

promote women’s employment in the

sector for its developmental impact and

also as a way to benefit the business.”

Deval Soparkar, Head - Corporate

Communications, Meghmani Finechem

Ltd, said, “Meghmani Finechem Ltd

has considered the following sectors

to train its women employees that

include, research and development,

design, administration, human resource

development, store, purchase, marketing

and in the process for data analysis,

trouble shooting, inventory control,

audit of quality, environment, safety

and health management system. By

hiring women in the chemical industry,

there will be an increase in the talent

pool leading to stronger workforce.

This will also have a positive impact

on the economic conditions of women,

which will further lead to improvement

in their families’ livelihoods.”

Avani Jain

Pepperl+Fuchs recently inaugurated

the Indian headquarters for its Factory

Automation (FA) division at Gurgaon.

Since more than two decades of its direct

engagement with the Indian market,

the company has come a long way in

being part and parcel of imbibing the

psyche and wares for automation in the

manufacturing environment. With the

opening of the new FA headquarters, it

has further reinforced its commitment

to the Indian market. Michael Fuchs,

co-owner, and Dr Guenther Kegel,

Managing Director and CEO,

Pepperl+Fuchs group of companies

inaugurated the new facility along

with Matthias Gunkel, FA Business

Head, Asia, and Ingo Jannes, Director

- Finance, Asia.

Dr Kegel said, “The new FA

headquarters is a state-of-the-art facility

with a well-laid out office, testing,

conferencing, integrated ERP and meeting

facilities. A country of the size and legacy

as of India has its own dynamics and

the decade of engagement with India

has been a good learning experience. The

manufacturing environment in India is

bound to adopt appropriate automation

in times to come.” With its latest

acquisition of Siemens range of sensors,

the company is now the single-largest

owner of technology and product variants

for ultrasonic range of sensors.

Ravi Agarwal, Director and Head -

FA Business, India, said, “The new facility

is designed to land the latest technology,

applications and products from the mother

company of Pepperl+Fuchs in Germany

and Singapore, and relay the same to all

over India. It is armed with a full-fledged

training facility and latest equipment to

train customers and to realise appropriate

application solutions.” Pepperl+Fuchs

is one of the leading manufacturers of

electronic sensors and components for

the global market of automation.

NEW FACILIT Y

Pepperl+Fuchs opens new headquarters for factory automation

Pepperl+Fuchs management team

Dow Corning, one of the leading

players in silicon-based technology

and innovation, has inaugurated

its Business and Technology

Centre (BTC) in Singapore. This

is a significant step towards the

company’s sustained efforts to

meet growing customer needs

for silicone products and services

in an emerging economy such

as ASEAN/ANZ. The facility will provide state-of-the art research and

development support for innovation and sustainability initiatives throughout the fast-

growing region.

The BTC will be staffed by scientists, engineers, marketing and sales & business

support professionals whose goal is to help local industries accelerate innovation and

sustainability through silicone- and silicon-based products that are unique to the region.

The ASEAN/ANZ region consists of Dow Corning’s presence in Indonesia, Malaysia,

Singapore, Thailand, The Philippines, Vietnam; and Australia & New Zealand. The

increasing regional needs for sustainability through silicone innovation necessitated

Dow Corning to establish a BTC.

NEW FACILIT Y

Dow Corning inaugurates technology centre in Singapore

Dow Corning official addressing the media

TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION


Tri-Mer Corporation, a developer of

advanced technologies for the control

of volatile organic compounds (VOCs),

fine particulate and industrial gases,

has introduced UltraTemp Filtration,

a hot gas filtration system that

filters fine particulate to extremely

low levels. The unique composition

of the ceramic fibres gives these

filters an exceptional ability to

capture fine particulates at the fibre

surface, without blinding. They are,

thus, easy to clean using standard

pulse-jet techniques. Being fibrous,

rather than granular, the filter

elements are also lightweight and

robust for installation and handling.

They have high porosity with low

resistance to flow, which minimises

the number of elements required for

a given application.

The UltraTemp Filtration system

provides optimal filtration for gases

between 400°F and 1000°F and, in

most cases, can be applied to hot gas

streams up to a maximum operating

temperature of 1650°F. Typical

filtration results are 0.001 grain/dscf

(2 mg/Nm3); many results are a

fraction of this typical value.

UltraTemp Filtration is compatible

with heavy inlet loadings, often above

1 grain/dscf (2300 mg/Nm3). Certain

applications involving three or four

times this inlet loading still achieve

outlet levels of less than 0.001 grains/

dscf. The ceramic filters are almost

completely chemically inert and highly

corrosion-resistant. Applications of

the Tri-Mer UltraTemp Filtration

system include glass production,

waste incineration and biomass

pyrolysis. The system is also an

excellent way to achieve ICI boiler

MACT compliance for coal, biomass

and wood. Other applications include

metal smelting, mineral processing

and chemical production.

Ceramic fibre technology facilitates advancement in hot gas filtration

Material Transfer & Storage

has introduced the Material

Master Hazardous Location

Conditioning System. Made to

safely and efficiently return

solidified material to a free-

flowing state, the system

features a rotary lift table

that positions the bag for

conditioning on all sides,

including top and bottom.

They also feature a compact

footprint and machine

guarding for operator safety. A hydraulic lift table with manual rotary deck

(standard) or powered rotary deck (optional) can be incorporated into the bulk

bag conditioner.

This heavy-duty rotary-lift feature allows the operator to target the

pivoting conditioning arms towards the most troublesome areas of the bag

by adjusting the height of the lift table. The resulting benefit is a thorough

conditioning of even the most problematic materials. An optional stainless

steel deck cover protects the pallet contact surface, and an accordion style lift-

table skirt is available to provide additional protection to the hydraulic and

mechanical components of the lift table. Material Transfer custom-designs

machines that cater to specific application needs. Transparent polycarbonate,

acrylic, or flattened expanded metal guarding can be affixed to three sides of

the unit for enhanced safety of plant personnel. Light curtains or photoelectric

through-beam sensors can be installed on the load side of the conditioner unit

allowing unobstructed loading and unloading access. These safety features

ensure that the unit will halt operation if the beam is interrupted during an

equipment cycle.

Material Transfer’s bulk bag conditioner efficiently returns hardened bulk bags to free-flowing state

Omega Engineering has launched the FFB-8 bath series.

FFB-8 is a precision fluidised bath, with exceptional

temperature stability and uniformity, which make it the ideal

choice for critical temperature sensor calibration and heat treatment

processes. It provides a wide operating range of 50°-700°C

(122°-1292°F), PID temperature control, and built-in dust extraction

and collection system. This unit is suitable for many other applications,

including thermal testing of sensitive components such as semiconductor

devices, wire products, delicate transducers, and also can be used as a constant

temperature environment for chemical reactions. Because the fluidised

bed is a fine, dry powder, it does not have surface tension effects of liquid

baths and will not wet any immersed components. The FFB-8 model offers

a fast, safe and clean option that is non-abrasive to devices or parts put into

the bath, including those that are highly polished.

Omega Engineering’s bath series offers temperature stability and uniformity

TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION


Meriam Process Technologies

has released the MDT500 digital

transmitter, a new addition to its laminar

flow element line. The transmitter

delivers impressive system accuracy of

+/- 0.8 per cent full scale or better.

The unit offers a fast response time

of less than 0.1 seconds. With long-

term stability and no moving parts,

the unit is maintenance-free. Laminar

applications include leak detection,

calibration reference standards, critical

gas flow measurements, combustion

air flow to engines and many more.

MDT500 provides a wide flow

range, while maintaining accuracy

and there is no drift over time

and temperature. It delivers best

repeatability and is also independent

of orientation. The transmitter offers

linear response, and a low head loss

model is also available. Meriam

products are used around the world

for applications as diverse as chemical

processing, oil and gas processing &

transportation, respiratory therapy,

automotive test cell measurements,

laboratory experimentation and

military & commercial aviation.

Meriam’s new digital transmitter provides high accuracy

A new model VB-10-316S sanitary vee-cone

blender with 10 cu ft (283 litre) capacity has been

introduced by Munson Machinery. A Munson vee-

cone blender comprises two inclined cylinders that

rotate, causing bulk material to fall and converge

during half of the rotation, and divide during the

other half. This achieves uniform blends more

rapidly than standard double cone blenders, while

requiring significantly less horsepower/kilowatts

than ribbon blenders and other agitated machines. The smooth internal surfaces of

vee-cone blender, with no internal baffles, shafts or bearings, allow unobstructed

material flow, as well as complete discharge through a gate valve.

The absence of residual material, together with easy access to internal surfaces

through the discharge valve and doors at the ends of the inclined cylinders,

allows thorough sanitising in minutes, preventing cross-contamination between

changeovers. Models are available with usable capacities ranging from 1 cup

(0.5 litre) to more than 200 cu ft (5,663 litre). Uniform blends are typically

achieved within 5-15 minutes with equal efficiency at fill volumes from 100

per cent to 25 per cent of rated capacity, depending on material. Suitable for dry

and granular materials, vee-cone blenders provide a tumbling action that is gentler

than agitated machines in which blades, paddles or plows are forced through

stationary material, resulting in varying degrees of degradation, depending on

material. Since the gentle action of a vee-cone blender may be insufficient to

break down soft agglomerates, an intensifier bar can be utilised to impart the shear

needed to reduce these materials.

It can also be equipped with a liquid dispersion intensifier bar positioned

within the mixing chamber to distribute liquids throughout the batch more

thoroughly and rapidly, thus reducing cycle times. The blender is widely used in

the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, food, chemical, plastics, ceramics and powder

metal industries.

Munson’s vee-cone blender enables to get uniform blend faster

Emerson Process Management’s industry-first measurement

validation diagnostic is now available on the Rosemount

848T FOUNDATION fieldbus temperature transmitter.

This new diagnostic detects temperature

measurement and process abnormalities,

which allow users to take preventative

action to avoid unnecessary shutdowns,

process inefficiencies as well as take care of

safety issues.

Temperature sensors, such as

thermocouples and RTDs, can degrade

over time due to harsh process conditions,

vibration and other factors. By evaluating the variation in the

temperature, measurement validation can detect abnormalities

related to degraded sensors, as well as electronic interference,

corroded termination points, loose electrical connections and

process upsets. By alerting the user about these issues, degraded

temperature sensors can be replaced before they fail or other

preventative action can be taken, resulting

in fewer process shutdowns, more efficient

processes and increased safety. Measurement

validation also calculates the process rate of

change, which can detect runaway reactions

before alarm conditions are met.

For over 50 years, Emerson’s Rosemount

temperature portfolio has provided reliable

temperature measurement to the process

industry, and with over 2,00,000 temperature transmitters

delivered a year, Rosemount temperature transmitter is recognised

as one of the leading technologies in the process industry.

Emerson’s temperature transmitters improve processing efficiencies

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER


As part of our endeavour to spread the technology culture, this section provides a means to promote and facilitate exchange of select technologies.

We strive to bring together suppliers of such technologies with suitable users for negotiations and industrial collaboration.

TECHNOLOGY OFFERED

Activated carbon An Iranian firm is willing to offer

activated carbon from coconut shells.

Areas of application

Food processing, pharmaceuticals, etc

Forms of transfer

Technology licensing

Ethanol An Iranian company is offering ethanol

from molasses using the fermentation

of sacharomyces cerevisiae. Ethyl

alcohol is widely used for making many

organic chemicals.


Chemical and energy industries

Forms of transfer


Furfuryl alcohol technology An Indian firm offers technology

for producing furfuryl alcohol f rom

furfural by liquid hydrogenation as

well as vapour hydrogenation, with a

capacity of 6,000 tpa to 24,000 tpa.


Furan polymers, sealants & cements,

urea-formaldehyde, & phenolic resins

and foundry cores

Forms of transfer

Consultancy, technical services,

technology licensing

Precipitated calcium carbonate An Indian consulting company for the

chemicals, minerals & food processing

industries is offering precipitated

calcium carbonate and turnkey

projects for the same.


Plastics, paper, paints, rubber, inks

Forms of transfer

Consultancy, technical services

Phosphate estersAn Indian firm is offering technology

for manufacturing phosphate esters

like tributyl phosphate.

Area of application

Specialty chemicals

Forms of transfer

Joint venture

Sodium hydrosulfite An Iranian company is willing to

manufacture sodium hydrosulfite using

chemical compounds. It is widely used as

a stripping agent in dyes and in chemical

industry.

Area of application

Chemical industry

Forms of transfer


Sodium silicate recovery from rice husk ashAn Indian firm is offering technology

to recover sodium silicate from rice

husk ash. The technology claims to

offer better ROI than other processing

methods.

Area of application

Chemical industry

Forms of transfer

Consultancy, technical services,

turnkey, etc

Sodium sulfide An Iranian firm is willing to offer sodium

sulfide, which is used mainly in textile

industry, paper mill, artificial silk and

curriery.


Leather industry, textiles, curriery

industries, paper mills, etc

Forms of transfer

Turnkey

Synthesis routes for organic chemicals An Indian firm is offering consultancy

in design of synthesis routes for organic

chemicals.


Pharma industry, specialty chemicals,

plant protection chemicals, etc

Forms of transfer

Consultancy

Transformer oil unit An Indian company is willing to offer

consultancy for making a transformer

oil unit with domestic coal f rom

its wastes.

Area of application

Transformers

Forms of transfer

Consultancy, technical services

Zinc phosphatiser/rust converter (Ferphos)An Indian firm offers technology

to produce Ferphos – an unique

chemical formulation that acts as a

zinc phosphatiser cum rust converter.

Ferphos is an innovation and

improvement over existing phosphating

products/technologies practised around

the world. Ferphos solution does

not die, ie even after prolonged use

and does not require daily addition

of chemicals and hence it results in

zero effluence. Ferphos solution also

acts as a rust converter when brushed

on rusted iron products. It is an ideal

substitute for sane/shot blasting.


All iron and steel products including

aluminium, SS, GI products

Forms of transfer


TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER


Share and Solicit TechnologyThe mission of Chemical World is to spread the technology culture. Here is an opportunity to be a part of this endeavour

by sending your technology on offer or technology requirements. If you belong to any of these two categories, you are invited to furnish the techno-commercial details for publication. The write-up needs to be as per the format of this section with information

about the particular technology offered or requested, its areas of application and forms of transfer. Contact us:

Chemical World, Infomedia 18 Ltd, ‘A’ Wing, Ruby House, J K Sawant Marg, Dadar (W), Mumbai 400 028 Tel: 022-3024 5000, 3003 4672, Fax: 022-3003 4499, Email: [email protected]

Calcium carbonateA Saudi Arabian company needs the

technical know-how for producing

calcium carbonate from limestone.


Industries like chemical, textile, etc

Forms of transfer

Others

Glyoxal An Indian company is looking to

switch the production technique for

manufacturing 40 per cent glyoxal from

its existing acetaldehyde-based method

to the MEG-based glyoxal production.


Pharma & textile

Forms of transfer

Others

Inorganic chemicalsAn Indian company is interested in

seeking the technology & process know-

how for production of potassium nitrate,

chromium acetate, and magnesium

hydroxide suspension. The company

already produces inorganic chemicals and

wants to add several other items.

Area of application

Chemical industry

Forms of transfer

Others

LimeAn Indian company seeks to adopt new

cost-effective technologies, which can

reduce carbon emissions and earn carbon

credits, for manufacturing lime.


Quick lime and hydrated lime

Forms of transfer

Others

Lime plantA group of businessmen in Zambia is

interested in setting up an 800 t/d of

quick lime and 200 t/d of hydrated lime

plant.

Area of application

Mining

Forms of transfer

Others

Manufacture of sodium hydrosulfiteA company based in Pakistan is interested

in establishing a joint venture for the

manufacture of sodium hydrosulfite

in Pakistan with either a Chinese or

European manufacturer, who has the

technological know-how and expertise in

the field.


Industries like textile, paper and food

Forms of transfer

Others

Quaternary ammonium chlorideAn Indonesia-based company is

planning to diversify into manufacturing

of quaternary ammonium chloride. It

is seeking technology along with the

supply of critical plant and machinery

for the manufacture of the chemical

3-chloro-2hydroxypropyl trimethyl

ammonium chloride that is produced

from epichhlorohydrin.Area of application

Chemical industryForms of transfer

Technical know-how, consultancy

Solvent dyesAn Indian company has recently installed a manufacturing capacity of 2,400 mtpa and is looking to diversify its product range by including various solvent dyes in its product portfolio. The company is seeking process consultancy for this project.Areas of application

Plastics, petroleum, solvents, etcForms of transfer

Others

Treatment of pollutants discharged during PTA productionA Chinese organisation is looking

for a recycling and pollution-free

treatment technology to tackle the

wastewater, exhaust gas, waste slag and

noises generated in PTA production,

thereby shifting from reduction of

pollutant discharge to zero-discharge.


Chemical industry

Forms of transfer

Consultancy, technical services, etc

Information courtesy: Dr Krishnan S Raghavan, In-Charge, Technology Transfer Services Group, United Nations - Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology (APCTT), APCTT Building , C-2, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi 110 016, Tel: 011 - 2696 6509,

Fax: 011 - 2685 6274, Email: [email protected], Website: www.apctt.org

For more information on technology offers and requests, please log on to www.technology4sme.net and register with your contact details. This is a free of cost platform provided by APCTT for facilitating interaction between buyers and seekers of technologies across the globe. After submitting technology offer or request to this website, you are requested to wait for at least two weeks for receiving a response from

a prospective buyer/seeker through this website, before contacting APCTT for further assistance.

TECHNOLOGY REQUESTED

IN CONVERSATION WITHIN CONVERSATION WITH Ravi Kapoor

Environment sustainability need not be enforced but

should be a way of life


How is the chemical industry faring in the country, and particularly in Gujarat?Gujarat constitutes a significant portion of India’s

chemical industry, contributing more than 50 per

cent to it. Key growth drivers include easy and

quick availability of land, infrastructure facilities

such as adequate water, power, roads, wastewater

treatment and disposal systems, raw material &

feedstock availability, skilled manpower and quick

implementation of projects. Overall, the industry

is growing, but not at the desired pace due to

a number of reasons like slow expansion due to

infrastructure- and environment-related issues.

How is the demand for organic pigments in India? Pigments are universal products and as such are

directly related to the growth of the economy.

Organic pigments are consumed by textile, ink,

paint and plastics industries, all of which have a

huge demand in India. All these segments are

expected to grow in the region at a rate of 15-20

per cent per annum over the next few years. For

eg, the paint industry (decorative and industrial)

is expected to grow in leaps and bounds, which

has a low per capita consumption at present.

Similar is the situation with the usage of plastics

and inks in the packaging industry, which would

see growth due to a huge push towards the retail

segment.

The growth of organic pigments segment in

India has been significant. Dyes and pigments

came from the textile industry where the

chemistries were understood and practised. In

…says Ravi Kapoor, Managing Director, Heubach Colour Pvt Ltd, and Chairman – Gujarat Chapter, Indian Chemical Council. In an interaction with Avani Jain, he underlines the growth opportunities for the chemical sector, and specifically, the pigment industry, with emphasis on the sustainability approach.

Ph

oto:

Sh

ara

n G

oel


the beginning, the tendency was to

manufacture the commodity type of

pigments where the stress was on low

margins, which the Western world did

not find profitable. In the last 10 years,

both the Chinese and Indian producers

moved towards the mid-specialties &

specialties, and now this segment is

no longer dominated by the Western

world.

What has been the industry’s effort towards sustainability? The chemical industry and, specifically,

the pigment segment are likely to witness

substantial growth, based on their

emphasis on sustainability. With high

levels of awareness about sustainability,

the stakeholder will no longer permit

the attitude seen in the past. Ecology

and environmental issues will determine

the growth of this industry. This fact is

clearly recognised at Heubach, which

has been practising sustainability and

environmental management since its

inception. Even at a time when the

regulations were not as stringent as they

are today, the company recognised the

importance of this issue. For instance,

the aluminium hydroxide plant set

by Heubach reduces the solid waste

generated from the green plant by 85

per cent and provides a product, which

is useful in the pharmaceutical industry

– a true example of sustainability.

Similar is the case of the ammonia

concentration plant for concentrating the

ammonia from blue production to make

it a sellable product. It is important to

note here that this was done more than

12 years ago when the regulations were

far more relaxed than today, highlighting

the fact that environment and ecological

sustainability need not be enforced but

should be a way of life for a company.

What steps should be taken in order to boost the organic pigment industry?The last pigment molecule discovered

was more than 20 years ago, so the

R&D activities need to be increased in

order to address the current needs of

the customers. The industry must also

look at an integrated approach wherein

the feedstock going up the value chain

to manufacture intermediates needs

to be put in place in an organised

manner. This should ideally come

from the Petroleum, Chemicals and

Petrochemical Investment Region

(PCPIR) policy implementation and

cluster development, say in Special

Economic Zones (SEZs) or the new

chemical zones that are coming up in

Dahej, etc. Unfortunately, this approach

is not yet apparently being implemented

and the growth is still in fragments.

If not addressed, this issue will

hamper the rightful growth of the

industry in India.

What are your growth plans for Heubach Colour Pvt Ltd?Heubach has experienced a steady growth

over the years. It has concentrated on a clear

strategy and a business model through which

the company aims to take its marketshares

of 10-15 per cent to a global scale. Pigment

development is extremely R&D-oriented,

with Heubach spending more than 10

per cent on R&D related activities. The

company is one of the top three organic

pigment manufacturing companies in

terms of the range and application of the

products it offers. Heubach is extremely

optimistic regarding its plans and foresees a

bright future for its activities.


What motivates you the most in your life?Success stories of people involved in

constant innovations based on their

original ideas always motivate me. This

is something that I also identify with.

What was the turning point in your career?Meeting Rainer Heubach who is

presently the Chairman of Heubach

Group, and joining pigment business.

How do you deal with a tough situation?The only way to deal with a tough situation is to face it without fear and not

procrastinating about the decision.

What is that one thing important for the success of a deal?The most important thing is that the deal should make sense for both the sides,

otherwise no partnership can work. An apparent advantage for one side will

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BUDGET SPECIAL

BUDGET 2012-13BUDGET ANALYSIS CHEMICAL INDUSTRYWill it lead to a chain reaction for bright prospects? ....................26

BUDGET IMPACT OIL & GASThe wait for measures to energise market continues... ..................28

BUDGET VIEWS A growth catalyst or an inhibitor? .................................................30

Aashish Kasad

While the economic survey released before

the Union Budget 2012-2013 suggested

that there will be a shift in policy

priority from inflation to growth,

the Budget did not appear to resonate the same. The

clouds of economic slowdown continue to linger

on the economy. The Gross Domestic Product

(GDP) is estimated to have grown by 6.9 per cent,

after having grown at the rate of 8.4 per cent in

each of the two preceding years. Rather than

propelling the growth engines through robust

policies and incentivising industry to increase

domestic manufacture and, consequently supply

of goods/services, the focus appears to have been

more on reducing the fiscal deficit by shoring

up tax revenues. No dates were announced for

implementing the Direct Taxes Code (DTC) and

Goods and Services Tax (GST).

However, certain provisions have been

introduced in this Budget relating to increase

in Service Tax and Excise Duty, Advanced

Pricing Agreement (APA), General

Anti-Avoidance Rules (GAAR),

taxation of indirect transfer of Indian

assets, etc to bridge existing laws with

the impending legislations. Overall,

there were far higher expectations

from Budget 2012 to propel growth,

which have not seen the light of day.

Impact on chemical sectorThough there are no significant tax

proposals in the Budget 2012, which

would directly benefit the chemical

sector, with the thrust given to

a g r i c u l t u r e

for improving

supply of food and

combatting food inflation as

well as enhancing infrastructure,

some sectors within the chemical

industry should indirectly benefit from

the same. The fertiliser and agrochemical

sectors would particularly benefit from

certain policy announcements such as

viability gap funding for the fertiliser

sector, initiatives towards price and

investment policies for urea, increasing

overall outlay for the agriculture sector

by 18 per cent to ` 20,208 crore in FY

2012-13, etc.

Moreover, certain tax incentives have

been announced with regard to extension

of 200 per cent weighted deduction for

R&D spend for another five years, weighted

deduction for employment of skilled

manpower for manufacturing,

investment-linked deduction

of 150 per cent for

fertilisers, etc. Though

there are certain

positives in the

Budget, the sector

may face challenges

Though Budget 2012-2013 brought cheer to some segments, it did not meet the expectations of many others. With major thrust given to agriculture, the fertiliser and agrochemical sectors can yield better gains.

Will it lead to a chain reaction for bright prospects

BUDGET ANALYSIS Chemical industry



on account of the increase in the Excise

Duty and Service Tax.

It is the year for the Indian

agrochemical industry. As stated by the

Finance Minister in his Budget speech

2012, the agriculture sector continues

to remain a priority for the government.

Various policies and outlays have been

earmarked exclusively for food and

fertilisers, these being core sectors that

have an impact on the entire economy,

which should indirectly benefit the

agrochemical sub-sector.

However, there have been no

significant proposals for the other sub-

segments and allied sectors such as

pharma, petrochemicals, etc.

When it comes to Budget 2012,

there have been several hits and misses

that are mentioned below.

Policy initiativesIn terms of policy initiatives, with a

view to boost manufacturing activities

in the country, the government

has announced launch of National

Manufacturing Policy in 2011 to

encourage the setting up of National

Investment and Manufacturing

Zones across the country; raise the

share of manufacturing in GDP to

25 per cent, and create 10-crore

jobs. The chemical sector being the

backbone of the manufacturing sector

would benefit f rom this. Moreover,

there have been a plethora of incentives

lined up for fertiliser sector, for

instance, a mobile-based fertiliser

management system has been

proposed for direct transfer of subsidy

on fertilisers from manufacturers to

retailers and farmers, etc.

Direct taxWith a view to promote certain core

sectors, investment-linked deduction

of capital expenditure under section

35AD incurred in certain specified

businesses including that of fertilisers

has been enhanced from current rate of

100 per cent to 150 per cent. Weighted

deduction of 200 per cent of expenditure

with respect to in-house research under

section 35(2AB) of the Act has been

extended beyond March 31, 2012, for

five more years. Weighted deduction of

150 per cent is proposed on expenditure

incurred on notified agricultural

extension projects. Further, to generate

employment in manufacturing sector,

weighted deduction of 150 per cent

of expenditure on skill development is

proposed. These incentive provisions

are expected to bring a boost to

the industry.

With a view to remove the cascading

effect of Dividend Distribution Tax

(DDT) in multi-tier corporate structure,

holding companies will not be required

to pay DDT on dividend distributed

by them to the extent dividends were

received from subsidiaries. Moreover,

APAs are introduced to bring in more

certainty on transfer pricing, one of the

tax issues the industry grapples with.

The expectations f rom this

Budget were high in terms of policies

and single-window clearances for

development of infrastructure facilities

to boost chemical sector, including

setting up of special duty-free zones,

export promotion zones and new

chemical investment regions. To be

competitive in the export market,

export-linked income tax incentives

akin to those granted to the erstwhile

export-oriented units (EOUs) would

have been welcomed. Further, REACH

registration is compulsory and costly for

Indian companies exporting products

to Europe.

Moreover, for products to be

REACH compliant, it takes substantial

investment to reformulate chemicals.

Government should have introduced

weighted deduction on expenses

incurred with respect to REACH

compliance to incentivise chemical

exports to European Union nations.

Further, there are numerous income-

tax amendments, which have been

introduced with retrospective effect

– some of which have reversed judicial

decisions in favour of the taxpayer. This

has created a sudden anxiety among

the taxpayers in terms of stability of

laws and reliance that can be placed on

favourable judicial precedents.

Indirect taxOn the indirect tax side, peak rate

of Basic Customs Duty has been

retained at 10 per cent. As an initiative

for agriculture and agro-processing,

basic Customs Duty on water soluble

fertilisers has been reduced f rom

7.5 per cent to 5 per cent and on liquid

fertilisers from 5 per cent to 2.5 per cent.

Basic Customs Duty on chemicals like

nickel oxide & hydroxide, ammonium

metavanadate, iodine, titanium dioxide,

boric acid and sintered natural uranium

dioxide/sintered uranium dioxide

pellets has been reduced. Further,

imports of equipment for initial setting

up or substantial expansion of fertiliser

projects are being fully exempted from

basic Customs Duty for three years.

It was expected that the rates

of Central Excise Duty and Service

Tax would not be subject to any hike.

However, the rate of Service Tax has been

raised by 2 per cent upfront. Effective

rate of Service Tax has been increased

from 10.3 per cent to 12.36 per cent

with effect from April 1, 2012. General

Excise Duty has also been increased by

2 per cent. Concessional Excise Duty rates

have been increased by 1 per cent on 130

items. Further, negative list of services is

proposed to be introduced. All services

would now be taxable unless included in

the negative list or exempted.

Overall, it remains to be seen as to

whether the proposals in the Budget

will help the government in achieving

its fiscal goals and steer the country

towards economic growth.

Aashish Kasad is a Partner and

Tax Leader - Chemical Practice

at Ernst & Young Pvt Ltd. She

has over 15 years of experience

in advising companies on

international tax, transfer pricing, Indian income

tax and regulatory matters in chemicals, health

sciences, automotive and consumer product

industries. For details, contact Padma Chourey on

email: [email protected]

Chemical industry

BUDGET IMPACT Oil & gas


Mahua Roy

The oil and gas industry is

regarded as one of the most

significant contributors

to the Indian economy.

It had great expectations out of the

Union Budget; however, the industry

grossly remained dissatisfied with the

announcements made.

Impact on the refinery sectorOne of the major setbacks came in the form

of no special announcements towards the

development of the refinery sector. India

holds the distinction of being one of the

nations with the largest refining capacity.

A prime reason that had promoted major

investments in this sector was a seven-

year tax holiday, which ended on March

31, 2012. The industry was optimistic

of announcements to prolong this tax

holiday period. Echoing this sentiment,

Lalit Kumar Gupta, Managing Director &

CEO, Essar Oil Ltd, says, “Non-extension

of section 80-IB tax holiday benefit could

affect future investments in refinery

sector and, thus deprive the country from

emerging as a major global hub for export

of petroleum products.”

The eternal issue of pricingThe Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs)

have had this long-standing debate with

the ministry regarding the realisation of

fuel prices. To cut down on the massive

losses being incurred by the OMCs, they

had demanded complete deregulation

of diesel prices and a greater freedom

to decide petrol prices. “We are slightly

disappointed that the government has

overlooked the sector by delaying any

announcement on fuel price deregulation,

which could have provided a level-playing

field to the private OMCs. However, we

do believe that some action will take

place on this front soon,” adds Gupta.

OMCs incur a loss of ` 13.55 per litre of

diesel, ` 439 per LPG cylinder, ` 29.97

per litre of kerosene and ` 6 per litre of

petrol. All these total to a daily loss of

` 465 crore for the OMCs.

Infrastructure focus spells good news“It is a Budget aimed at promoting

investments in infrastructure and

achieving the growth target. There are

a slew of measures the Finance Minister

has announced, which will make resource

raising easier for the large industry as

well as small and medium entrepreneurs,”

summarised Gupta.

According to Tushar Mehendale,

Managing Director, ElectroMech,

allowing External Commercial

Borrowings (ECBs) in sectors like road

construction, coupled with increase in the

tax-free infrastructure bond allocation

to ` 60,000 crore, will definitely help

in spurring some development in the

infrastructure sector. Gupta also opines

that increased allocation for roads will

lead to a higher demand for bitumen,

which refiners will benefit from.


Announcements on diesel deregulation and emphasis

on pipeline sector staying conspicuous by their absence

in the Union Budget 2012 has upset the oil & gas industry in India. However, rationalisation of indirect taxes by removal of

Customs Duty on LNG, coal etc are seen as a welcome move.

The wait for measures to energise market

continues...POWER BOOSTERS

� Basic Customs Duty on steam

coal has been reduced from 10 per

cent to nil. Additional Customs

Duty has been reduced from 5 per

cent to 1 per cent. This benefit is

available up to March 31, 2014

� Import of dredgers is exempt from

basic Customs Duty and special

additional duty of customs

� Natural gas/Liquefied Natural Gas

imported for power generation by

generation plants is exempt from

basic Customs Duty

� Basic Customs Duty on survey

instruments, 3D modelling

software for ore body simulation

cum mine planning and

exploration (geophysics and

geochemistry) equipment required

for surveying and prospecting of

minerals reduced to 2.5 per cent

subject to specified conditions

� Import of foreign-going vessels is

exempt from additional Customs

Duty subject to payment of duty

at the time of its conversion to

coastal run, and fulfillment of

prescribed conditions

� Cess on production of crude oil

has been increased from ` 2,500

per metric tonne to ` 4,500 per

metric tonne

Source: Ernst & Young

BUDGET VIEWS


Ashish Gharpure, Director - Sales and Marketing, Aker Powergas Pvt Ltd

A growth catalyst or an inhibitor?In the backdrop of the announcement of Union Budget 2012-13, Prasenjit Chakraborty, Mahua Roy and Avani Jain take stock of the sentiments the Budget evoked among industry veterans and their views on its expected outcome.

Rating scale: 1: Unsatisfactory; 2: Below expectations; 3: Satisfactory; 4: Above expectations; and 5: Significantly exceeds expectations

Bhupendra Patel, Chairman - Gujarat Region, Chemexcil & Managing Director, Jemby Chem Ltd

Dr Kishore M Shah, President, Indian Speciality Chemical Manufacturers’ Association

Pravin S Herlekar, Chairman & Managing Director, Omkar Speciality Chemicals Ltd

The Union Budget announcement

of 2012 has largely been a balancing

act, given the constraints of the ruling

government. There are no specific

announcements in the Budget for

the chemical/petrochemicals industry.

The only welcome move that was announced was to push for

self-sufficiency in urea production. Also, there are no specific

incentives in this Budget that would encourage investment

in the chemical/petrochemical sector. As the Indian chemical

industry grapples with some unique challenges, it would have

been a welcome to see a few moves to promote investments

in this sector. The idea of PCPIRs or clustered chemical parks

should have been given a further budgetary push, which would

have boosted the investments.

The Budget announced an increase

in Excise Duty, which has brought

the hopes of the industries down, as

this should be nil for promoting the

industries. Further, the small- and

medium-scale industries will face

more difficulties as their turnover is not huge and such an

increase will make the raw materials more costly for them. Also

the industries are facing continuous competition from China;

in such a scenario this increase will have ill effects on the

chemical industry. Thus, the current Budget has not at all met

my expectations. The consequences of increase in Excise Duty

will leave a bad mark on the present and future of the chemical

industry. Moreover, extending more powers to the Inspection

Raj will create more hurdles for the industry.

The hike in Excise Duty and Service

Tax may temper demand in the

economy at a time when India Inc is

reeling under the pressure of higher

interest rates. Hike in Excise Duty will

also push prices up across the board and

erode margins. The Finance Minister has also budgeted for low

oil subsidies, which could mean a fuel price hike soon. An advance

pricing agreement is good news for MNCs investing in India.

Besides, the Budget has announced ` 5,000 crore venture fund

for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with SIDBI

to enhance availability of equity to these units. The government

has approved a policy that requires ministries and Central PSUs

to make a minimum of 20 per cent of their annual purchases from

MSMEs. This is a welcome step for MSME.

The Finance Minister could have done

much more for the chemicals and

pharma intermediaries manufacturing

sector. For an industry, which is

already reeling under price controls

and mounting threat of cheaper

intermediaries from China, increase in Service Tax and Excise

Duty are likely to have a rub-off effect on the overall industry.

The Budget does not cover any fiscal reforms in the interest of

the SME sector. The FM should have maintained a status quo

in the taxation regime instead of triggering a hike.

On the other hand, meagre reduction of basic Customs

Duty on iodine from 5 per cent to 2.5 per cent is something

the industry can cheer about. The move will marginally give

fillip to the pharmaceutical sector.

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BUDGET VIEWS


The Union Budget 2012 has failed to fulfill the overall expectations

of the chemical industry. However, there are certain promising

things in this Budget, which will help give a boost to the

agrochemical industry. Conversion of 10 million hectare forest land

into agri-land with estimate expense of ` 46,000 crore is a good

move. Providing additional support of ` 91,800 crore to enhance

agricultural productivity will boost the

agrochemical industry along with

the agriculture industry. Credit flow

increase in agri-loans from ` 1 lakh to

` 5.75 lakh crore, besides allocation of

` 14,242 crore for accelerated irrigation

benefits are positive announcements.

Rajesh Aggarwal, Managing Director, Insecticides India Ltd

The Budget turned out to be a non-event one with no

positive or favourable policy announcements. The Excise

Duty has been increased to 12 per cent from 10 per cent,

while Customs Duty has been left unchanged. But, since

India has a robust economy, it will grow, albeit at a slow

speed. Investments can be expected partially in dyes & dyes

intermediates to manufacture goods

under environment-controlled

permission, even though no special

export incentives have been given. The

government should have announced

policies to give a boost to the chemical

& petrochemical sector.

Rajiv Vastupal, Chairman and Managing Director, Rajiv Group

The Union Budget 2012 fails to meet the expectations as

nothing has been done for supporting the ailing manufacturing

sector during these difficult times. Also, there are no specific

announcements for the positive development of the specialty

chemical segment in India. There has been reduction in income

levels of the corporate entities and also in the industrial output,

as compared to projected estimates.

One of the main reasons for this is

that investors are wary of making fresh

investments. It would have been good

if some positive actions were taken

in this Budget towards changing the

mindset of investors.

Ravi Kapoor, Managing Director, Heubach Colour Pvt Ltd

Proposed pricing and investment policies for urea is a positive

step as it will help in reducing India’s dependence on imports.

Exemption of Customs Duty on fertiliser equipment and

machinery till FY 15 will surely encourage new investments

in fertiliser sector. Reduction of Customs Duty on organic,

inorganic coating materials used for manufacturing electrical

steel from 10 per cent to 5 per cent will

benefit the manufacturing companies

of electroplating chemicals. Proposed

decision to provide subsidy payments

of fertiliser to farmers through

retailers is an encouraging step for

the farmers.

V Gokuldas, Managing Director, HRS Process Systems Ltd

While there were no big, specific announcements for the chemical

industry, policies announced for infrastructure and manufacturing,

which have a significant impact on the chemical industry, and some

tax reforms like the introduction of GST will aid in development

of the chemical industry and also boost investments. However,

announcements regarding zero duty on import of chemicals, which

would have facilitated easy availability

and higher import of cheaper feedstock;

tax holidays for small- and large-scale

players; and self-assessment of imported

chemicals would have gone a long way

in providing a much-needed incentive to

the chemical industry.

Vipul Shah, President, CEO & Chairman, Dow Chemical International Pvt Ltd

Rating scale: 1: Unsatisfactory; 2: Below expectations; 3: Satisfactory; 4: Above expectations; and 5: Significantly exceeds expectations

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SPECIAL FOCUS


IT FOR CHEMICAL PROCESS INDUSTRY

CLOUD COMPUTINGTaking industry to a new horizon of possibilities ..........................................34

CLOUD STRATEGYA right approach for cloud selection .............................................................36

IT & AUTOMATIONSmart solutions to become best-in-class .........................................................38

DATA SECURITY Protection against information breach ............................................................40

INTERFACE Dhruv Singhal, Cloud Computing Lead, Oracle India“Cloud computing reduces both costs and complexities” ...............................42

ROUNDTABLE Can automation provide a competitive edge to SMEs? .................................43

SPECIAL FOCUS


SPECIAL FOCUS Cloud computing


Rakesh Rao

Cloud computing is the

buzzword in today’s IT

world, with businesses

(spanning across the sectors)

looking to incorporate smarter solutions

into their IT infrastructure. Cloud

is a computing model that provides

web-based software, middleware and

computing resources on demand. “Cloud

computing fundamentally changes the

way IT services is delivered. Instead of

both owning and managing IT services,

or using an outsourcing approach built

around dedicated hardware, software

and support services, organisations

can use cloud computing to meet their

IT requirements using a flexible, on-

demand, and rapidly scalable model

that requires neither ownership on

their part, nor provision of dedicated

resources,” says Rajesh Rege, Senior

Vice President, Data Center and Cloud,

Cisco India & SAARC.

Catalysing growth Chemical business is highly globalised;

and to manage hundreds of computers

and an IT department is not only

demanding, but also an expensive

activity. Cloud-based technology can

help reduce the cost of running and

managing the IT infrastructure. Dhruv

Singhal, Cloud Computing Lead, Oracle

India, elaborates, “With costs rising

due to high and unstable commodity

prices, and escalating competition,

there is a need for greater operational

excellence in order to reduce costs for

chemical businesses. Sustainability,

R&D and manufacturing challenges are

also leading to the demand for newer

operating models. With globalisation,

consolidation and commoditisation,

chemical companies must achieve

growth through differentiation, combat

downward pressures on margins, and

optimise global supply chains.”

Experts believe that many clouds

will emerge over time and their

diversity will increase. At the same time,

organisations will opt for clouds that

meet their specific needs. While current

providers may suit some organisations,

companies that are associated with

process industry such as chemicals,

pharmaceuticals, etc will require

different options. With cloud-based

technologies catching the eyes of Chief

Information Officers (CIOs) in the

chemical industry, IT solution providers

are gearing up to meet this demand.

Rege points out, “Regardless of how

organisations want to build, deploy and

use clouds, Cisco is in a great position

to support them based on the network’s

role in cloud infrastructure, network

services, applications and solutions that

involve partners. Cisco’s cloud strategy

is to enable our customers to offer cloud

services and applications by providing

them with solutions for private, public

and hybrid clouds that uniquely

combine the unified data center and

the cloud intelligent network.”

Simplifying complex challengesSupply chain of a chemical manufacturer

often transcends the company’s

boundaries with procurement of raw

materials spread across the world. In

such a situation, it is important for the

manufacturer to harness the power of

Internet for fast and easy communication

with its vendors. It is here that cloud

computing can play a major role.

Singhal elaborates, “Supply chain,

especially within the chemical industry,

is quite complicated on account of the

collaboration required across networks

around the globe. Massive quantities

of information sharing and process

automation are required between these

networks every day. Cloud technology

can impact supply chain management

in many ways. It can help simplify

Taking industry to a new horizon of possibilitiesStill in the early stage of adoption, the chemical industry is realising the quantum of benefits that cloud computing can bring into an organisation. There are hosts of cloud solutions and vendors available in the market. However, to leverage the benefits, chemical manufacturers will have to understand its need and follow a well-thought-out implementation programme.


business relationships between chemical

companies and their worldwide vendors.

It has the power to give companies,

supply chain collaboration on an

international scale, which will help

reduce costs and risks.”

Cloud technology can improve

logistics and manufacturing operations

for chemicals businesses. “It can optimise

global logistics and transportation

costs along with chemical production

and formulation while minimising

production variance,” he adds.

Considering the global nature of

the chemical industry (with suppliers

and operations often in different parts

of the world), Rege believes that cloud

has a lot to offer to the industry. He

explains, “Cloud technologies can be used

across all departments in an organisation.

The HR department can leverage cloud

for conducting training across offices;

marketing and sales department can

leverage it to collaborate with customers

or colleagues across various locations.

Certain important applications like ERP/

CRM on a cloud model can result in

enhanced productivity for organisations.”

Are you prepared?Every organisation needs to have clarity

on the reasons for migrating to the cloud.

First, it is important to understand the

applications that organisations want to

move to the cloud. “Organisations can

start by moving non-critical applications

to the cloud in order to get a sense of the

cloud environment. Also, the integration

level that this application has with others,

which may not be on the cloud, is also

significant as it can then hamper day-to-

day operations,” opines Singhal.

Virtualisation is a key enabler of

cloud computing but managing clouds

is another crucial element. He explains,

“Managing all virtual machines and

clusters is quite complex, especially with

self-service, multi-tenancy, metering

for billing/chargeback, and other

requirements of cloud computing. To

reap the full benefits of cloud computing,

enterprises need to choose the right

management solution.”

The research-driven chemical

manufacturers deal with sensitive

information and security of this data

should be on the top-of-the-mind for

CIOs of chemical businesses while

adopting cloud technology. Singhal

adds, “It is imperative for chemical

enterprises embracing the cloud to take

an approach where security pervades

the entire architecture rather than being

bolted on as an afterthought. Enterprises

should not only look at products with

best-of-breed security in their respective

categories, but also the one where

security mechanisms are well-integrated,

enabling ease of deployment, ease of

change, and high reliability.”

On cloud nineTraditionally, IT software was designed

for providing automation solutions

within a single enterprise. However,

with globalisation the scope of IT

services has widened to include not

just information about one company,

but to provide a platform for the

company to communicate with its

offices and vendors located across the

world. And cloud computing offers a

cost-effective solution to CIOs, who

are under constant pressure to reduce

cost and improve efficiency. As Rege

rightly puts, “Considering the amount of

scalability and flexibility required in the

fast-growing chemical industry, cloud

adoption is a prerequisite.”

The chemical industry is still in the

early stages of adopting cloud computing.

Hence, it is difficult to predict the

comprehensive benefits of cloud

computing in the chemical industry.

However, it will surely change the way

IT infrastructure functions in future.


Cloud computing fundamentally changes the way IT services is delivered. Considering the amount of

scalability and flexibility required in the fast-growing chemical industry, cloud adoption is a prerequisite.

Rajesh RegeSenior Vice President, Data Center and Cloud, Cisco India & SAARC

POURING BENEFITS

According to Rege, some of the benefits that cloud computing brings are as follows:

� Reduced cost: Cost is a clear benefit of cloud computing, both in terms of

CapEx and OpEx. The reduction in CapEx is obvious because an organisation

can spend in increments of required capacity and does not need to build

infrastructure for maximum (or burst) capacity; and by utilising a cloud provider

or adopting cloud paradigms internally, organisations can save operational and

maintenance budgets.

� Flexibility: This benefit can be derived from rapid provisioning of new capacity

and rapid relocation or migration of workloads. In chemical industry settings,

cloud computing provides agility in terms of procurement and acquisition

process & timelines.

� Improved automation: Cloud computing is based on the premise that services

can not only be provisioned, but also de-provisioned in a highly automated

fashion. This specific attribute offers significant efficiencies to enterprises as

they can scale up and down as required.

� Sustainability: Through leveraging economies of scale and the capacity to

manage assets more efficiently, cloud computing consumes far less energy and

other resources than a traditional IT data center, thus reducing the overall

carbon footprint.

� Simplification: Cloud promotes simplification of the underlying IT infrastructure

resources to fewer standardised products, technologies and platforms.

Cloud computing

SPECIAL FOCUS Cloud strategy


Rakesh Rao

Cloud computing has the

potential to induce paradigm

shift in the chemical market

by ‘virtually’ changing the

way IT functions. The research-driven

chemical industry has been always at

the forefront when it comes to adopting

novel technologies and solutions to

better its manufacturing or business

processes. No wonder then that many

chemical manufacturers are exploring the

possibility of joining the cloud technology

bandwagon. While there is no doubt

that cloud can bring significant benefits,

chemical manufacturers will have to

evaluate the long-term costs and risks, as

cloud adoption is still in the early stages.

It is equally important to partner with

the right vendor and choose appropriate

technology to maximise the advantage of

cloud computing.

Know your vendorBefore deploying a cloud service, it is

important for the organisation to take

a close look at its existing IT security

processes, practices and technologies. “It

is important to get as much visibility as

possible into the cloud service provider’s

security, with the goal of trying to identify

(and secure against) variations between the

two. Before deploying a cloud service, an

organisation must take a close look at its

existing IT security processes, practices and

technologies. It is important to get as much

visibility as possible into the cloud service

provider’s security, with the goal of trying

to identify (and secure against) variations

between the two,” opines Rajesh Rege,

Senior Vice President, Data Center and

Cloud, Cisco India & SAARC.

Organisations deploying cloud-based

architecture should find out how the cloud

service provider segregates and isolates

multiple tenants – where will the data

exactly reside, who will monitor the data

etc. Adds Rege, “They should ask the cloud

provider for the results of recent security

testing or audits it has performed

related to its own infrastructure

as well as clearly understand what

the service provider’s responsibilities

and guarantees are as described in its

service level agreement. It is imperative

to get as many specifics from the cloud

provider regarding the Intrusion Detection/

Prevention Systems (IDS/IPS), firewall, and

other security appliances and technologies

they have deployed. The service provider’s

infrastructure should be protected as much

as possible from threats such as Denial of

Service (DoS) attacks, which can degrade

the performance of a cloud service.”

If one carries out in-depth analysis of

the existing IT structure and, depending

upon the current and future requirements,

a chemical manufacturer adopts clear

implementation strategy for cloud services,

then migrating to cloud does not entail

restructuring of the entire existing IT

system/structure. Cloud transforms the

economics of IT from capital-intensive

to pay-as-you-go. Rege elaborates,

“Service level agreements guarantee the

capabilities you need and when you need

them. Costs are tiered and metered to

accurately reflect your requirements and

usage. All applications, including legacy,

run more efficiently and sustainably

with greater utilisation of the underlying

infrastructure.”

Private or public cloud While public cloud is one in which the

services and infrastructure are provided off-

site over the Internet, private cloud is one

in which the services and infrastructure

are maintained on a private network.

Public clouds provide the greatest level

of efficiency in shared resources; however,

they are also more vulnerable than private

clouds. On the other hand, private clouds

offer the greatest level of security and

control, but they require the company to

still purchase and maintain all the software

and infrastructure, which reduces the cost

savings. A chemical company can face

the dilemma while selecting the type of

cloud (public or private) that is ideal for its

requirement. The right approach should

depend on an enterprise’s needs and

priorities, suggests Rege, as cloud is not

a ‘one-size-fits-all’ proposition. Different

service and deployment models can be

adopted to match the requirements of

applications across the business.

While enterprises may see tangible

benefits in using public clouds, Cisco

expects private and hybrid (a combination

of public and private) cloud models to be

more common. Rege opines, “Enterprises

may use public clouds for burst or peak

capacity and for selected services. However,

these organisations often require a

higher degree of control over their data,

applications and systems than current

public clouds allow. At scale, a private cloud

offers the efficiency and agility of a public

cloud without the loss of control.”


As chemical industry gears up to migrate to cloud-based technology platform, it is vital to adopt the right strategy to evaluate IT vendors. Equally important is the decision to select the type of cloud (public or private) required for a specific task.

SPECIAL FOCUS IT & automation



Over the years, the Indian

chemical industry has

gained maturity and

moved towards new

realms of technology to explore the

emerging opportunities. And for

gauging the progress of adoption of

IT & automation in this sector, it is

imperative to first recognise that

chemical industry has a wide spectrum

and can be classified broadly into three

sub-segments like basic, specialty and

knowledge chemicals. IT adoption varies

depending on different sub-segments.

For instance, in petrochemicals sector

that is dominated by major players,

such as Reliance Industries, Haldia

Petrochemicals, GAIL, the adoption is

at high level.

Moreover, the level of

implementation of IT & automation

within the different chemical industry

sub-segments depends upon the scale as

well as the requirement of the particular

sub-segment. “The understanding and

implementation of technology is far

higher in chemical industry compared

to other industry verticals. Historically,

companies, many of which deal with

hazardous chemicals, not only need to

have complex controls but also consider

the safety aspect. Consequently, chemical

industry is ahead of other sectors so far

as the adoption and implementation of

modern technologies, such as IT, process

automation & advanced process control

are concerned,” opines Abanibhusan

Bera, Industry Sales Manager - Oil &

Gas, ISA 84 SFS (Safety Specialist),

Rockwell Automation India Pvt Ltd.

Current scenarioWhile process automation enhances

product quality, improves process safety

& plant availability and helps in the

efficient use of resources, IT helps to

increase productivity, efficiency and

achieve regulatory compliance. Citing

an example, Bera says that IT solutions

are being increasingly implemented in

pharmaceutical industry in order to

achieve regulatory compliance, keep

pace with technological advances and

to increase productivity. Some of the

popular IT solutions implemented by

pharmaceutical industry as well as other

chemical segments include Enterprise

Resource Planning (ERP), Laboratory

Information Management Systems

(LIMS), Sales Force Automation (SFA),

Customer Relationship Management

(CRM) and Manufacturing Execution

Systems (MES).

“Now Indian chemical industry

is extensively using IT in equipment

design, chemical engineering and process

simulation for the purpose of reducing

the product & process development

time,” says Bera. In the last few years,

it has been observed that medium-sized

chemical plants are also inducting IT &

automation. This is certainly a positive

sign for the industry.

Echoing similar sentiment, Sunil

Khanna, Vice President-Strategic

Relations, India Region, Emerson

Electric Co, states, “India has certainly

made significant progress in this

field. Most of the medium and large

chemical plants today are controlled

by Distributed Control Systems with

open architecture based on standard

industry protocols. In the chemical

process industry, IT and software

systems are used in several plants for

process modelling, and IT technologies

are being deployed and integrated with

automation systems.”

He further adds, artificial intelligence

is being used for better analysis

and performance of systems. Few key

examples include historical data analysis

for preventive and predictive control,

enabling optimum use of energy & raw

materials, and shortening response time

for improvement in real-time control &

better performance.

IT BYTES

� IT adoption is encouraging in the pharmaceutical segment

� ERP, LIMS, SFA, CRM, MES are popular IT products

� Asset management is a neglected area

� Use of automation is more visible in hazardous chemical process

� Globalisation is facilitating implementation of IT & automation

Adoption of IT & automation is not new for chemical companies. What is important here is the increasing use of such technologies by the medium-

sized companies to achieve productivity, improve product quality and process safety, ensure efficient use of resources etc. All these

ultimately bring in cost efficiency and better products.


Cost advantageChemical companies, especially those

which process hazardous chemicals,

have to depend on process automation

to a great extent. Automation provides

many advantages like higher production

rates, increased productivity, efficient

use of materials, better product quality,

improved safety, shorter workweeks for

labour and reduced factory lead-times,

among others.

Process automation that controls

the different process parameters leads

to less variability in the process, thereby

manufacturing consistent quality product.

This ensures efficient use of materials

resulting in lesser scrap, which also

means reduction in product cost. Besides,

automation in chemical plants helps in

maintaining regulatory compliance by

improving safety, which in turn reduces

production downtime, prevents workplace

injuries, and eliminates associated cost of

litigation & damage to environment – all

these help chemical companies to reduce

cost in an indirect way by extensive use

of automation.

“IT not only brings down cost by

way of reducing product and process

development time but also applications like

MES provides real-time information from

automation layer including information

exchanged with ERP to the right people,

at the right time, in the right context for

better informed business decision. All

these ultimately reduce cost in some way

or the other,” points out Bera.

The result of globalisation is

perceptible in every industry of India,

and this will also impact the chemical

industry. The only difference is few sectors

made rapid progress in adopting latest

technologies and others are in the process

of doing so. “It can be said without doubt

that the economical, organisational and

technological trends will lead chemical

industry to be increasingly dependent on

the implementation of IT & automation,”

asserts Bera.

There are many examples where IT

& automation have helped in reducing

production cost. But one of the neglected

areas is plant maintenance-asset

management. A world-class plant in any

industry always gives utmost attention to

plant maintenance. “Asset management is

a neglected area. It is key to becoming

a world-class plant; and the gamut of

assets involves not just measurement

instruments, but also control valves, rotary

and static equipment and electrical assets.

When integrated with IT assets for work

order issuance and closure, it can ensure

timely maintenance of assets and prevent

potential breakdowns, thereby saving a

huge cost,” points out Khanna.

Emerging technologiesAnticipating the demand and necessity

for such products, several companies

have come out with different solutions.

For example, Rockwell has come out

with a concept for chemical process plant

called Manufacturing Convergence. It

helps enterprises meet several important

aspects like productivity, globalisation,

innovation and sustainability. It also

helps in merging manufacturing and

production systems with rest of the

corporate enterprise. “We are heavily

investing in such technologies and are

committed to invest in convergence-

ready products, services, partnerships

and expertise necessary in Information

and Communication, Control and Power

disciplines to drive convergence quickly

and effectively,” claims Bera.

Similarly, Emerson’s Plantweb

Architecture helps in bringing down

operating cost. “Our automation

solutions for the chemical process

industry have met with positive response

from customers. Plantweb Architecture has

helped several Indian customers realise

savings in operating costs. Specifically,

there have been significant improvements

in inventory control and early start-up

after a turnaround. For instance, Emerson

Process Management’s advanced controls

for incoming ammonia high pressure burn

tanks prevent the level from swinging.

By stabilising this process area in fertiliser

plants, our technologies help customers

derive great benefits downstream,”

claims Khanna.

No doubt, the solution providers have

come out with effective products for the

chemical process sector. Now, it is time

for the players (chemical processors) who

are still sitting on the fence to adopt such

technological solutions in their plants and

reap the benefits. The solution providers

must come out with easier methods to

make the players who are still dragging

their feet (when it comes to adopting IT

& automation) understand the benefits

offered by IT & automation. If this is

achieved, it will change the face of the

chemical industry.


The understanding and implementation of technology is far higher in chemical industry compared to other

industry verticals. Companies, many of which deal with hazardous chemicals, not only need to have complex controls but also consider the safety aspect. Abanibhusan BeraIndustry Sales Manager - Oil & Gas, ISA 84 SFS (Safety Specialist), Rockwell Automation India Pvt Ltd

Asset management is a neglected area. It is key to becoming a world-class plant; and the gamut of assets involves

not just measurement instruments, but also control valves, rotary and static equipment and electrical assets. Sunil KhannaVice President-Strategic Relations, India Region, Emerson Electric Co

IT & automation

Process automation that controls the different process parameters leads

to less variability in the process, thereby

manufacturing consistent quality product.

SPECIAL FOCUS Data security



Compared to other industries,

the chemical sector

is severely exposed to

industrial hazards. Hence,

implementation of security norm is not

a choice for this sector but a mandate

to ensure data security, protection against

information breach, and also safety by

avoiding industrial accidents & disasters.

StuxNet Computer worm could be a

glaring example in this direction.

“StuxNet Computer worm was

secretly launched in 2009 and uncovered

in 2010. This was apparently meant to

damage centrifuges at a uranium rich

facility in Iran. In this digital era of

internet communication, all businesses

are connected to the external world,

making them vulnerable to cyber

attacks. It can cause disaster by way of

damaging capital equipment, data and

information theft, which may entail

huge financial penalties, expensive law

suits, loss of reputation and business,”

points out Abanibhusan Bera, Industry

Sales Manager - Oil & Gas, ISA 84

SFS (Safety Specialist), Rockwell

Automation India Pvt Ltd.

Putting safeguards in placeApart from the importance of security

in chemical plants, there are many other

aspects that make data security important.

It is because businesses involve sensitive

data in the form of information, especially

trade secrets, research data, future plans

of new product launch, etc, which are

transmitted across company networks

or internet leading to vulnerability

of unauthorised access. “That is why

protecting data is of utmost importance

in chemical industry, and for that matter

any other industry connected to the

external world by employing modern

technology. If information is unprotected

and fall in wrong hands, it can bring down

business and even cause severe harm to an

organisation,” states Bera.

It is observed that automation suppliers

have been moving away from proprietary

technology to more open and interoperable

technologies in their control systems.

This trend clearly increases the potential

vulnerability of these systems to electronic

attacks and infections (cyber attacks)

via internet, and from other external and

internal network intrusions. “Such attacks

can include undirected automatic threats

such as worms, viruses and malware as well

as deliberate internal and external attacks.

Process control and safety instrumented

systems are typically used to manage and

control industrial processes & critical sites.

Security breaches in a process control system

can have disastrous implications for process

plants. And therefore, security systems must

address safety, unplanned system downtime,

potential liabilities, loss of assets, brand

reputation etc,” asserts Sunil Khanna, Vice

President-Strategic Relations, India Region,

Emerson Electric Co.

Also, it is important to note that

security measures utilised on office

data networks do not directly translate

into control or safety system networks.

Therefore, it has become increasingly

important to carefully evaluate potential

security vulnerabilities, verify that the

process control system and external

network connections are secured, and take

appropriate steps to further secure the

control system against potential threats.

Effective ways to data security There is no single solution for addressing

this challenge. However, there can be few

methods to do that. As chemical plants

use both Information & Communication

Technology (ICT) and Industrial Control

Data security is vital to protect business, reputation as well as avoid disaster. Today, the trend is more of interoperable

technologies rather than proprietary technology, which widens the scope of vulnerability. This necessitates companies

to protect their data. Interestingly, India has made significant progress in this direction.


Systems (ICS), it is important to consider the security for both

ICT and ICS. “In order to ensure data security in chemical

plants, businesses need to implement rules and controls around

the protection of information and the systems that store &

process this information. This is commonly achieved through

the implementation of information security policies, standards,

guidelines and procedures,” notes Bera.

One solution could be a mandatory policy by senior

management, which may state that all business information must be

adequately protected when being transferred. Besides, a supporting

data transfer standard should be in place, requiring that all sensitive

information be encrypted using a specific encryption type where

all transfers are logged. “There should be a procedure, which

provides step by step instructions for performing encrypted

data transfers and ensures compliance with the associated

policy, standards and guidelines. In the procedure, the important

stakeholder is operator. It has been found that for ensuring data

security, it is required to create a reference security plan for each

operator or infrastructure. The reference plan should include

operational and physical security, technical issues, training &

awareness, business impact measures, crisis management and

security governance,” Bera explains.

He strongly believes that proven technologies like Intrusion

Detection/Prevention Systems (IDS/IPS), Deep Packet

Inspection (DPI), Virtual Private Network (VPN) and National

Access Control (NAC) should be considered in the chemical

plants. It is also important to use products from vendors who

provide built-in-security functionalities in their products such as

communication or password storage encryption.

According to Khanna, security compliance auditing methods

and frequency, measurement of network activity, intrusion

monitoring and detection tools, current system security

configuration and access points can go a long way in facilitating

effective data security.

On the right pathInterestingly, the Indian chemical industry has made significant

progress in ensuring data security. The primary reasons are the

awareness and vast talent pool. “Indian customers are also aware

of anticipated risks and are seeking support of automation

suppliers to ensure that data integrity is maintained. Most

renowned automation suppliers provide services to ensure that

their customers are kept safe from attempts of security breach

into their systems,” says Khanna.

The chemical industry of India realises that it is imperative

to ensure data security as the whole world is looking at India

and China as future manufacturing destinations. “India is

mature in this respect. This has been possible because of

various reasons like India having a vast pool of knowledge

talent in IT, many consultants playing major role in specifying

security measures in the design & specification stage and many

more,” concludes Bera.


Data security

SPECIAL FOCUS Interface - Dhruv Singhal


How can chemical companies leverage cloud computing technology?Chemical companies are at a nascent stage in their adoption of

cloud computing. However, this industry is gearing up to make use

of the benefits of this technology. Because cloud computing is pay-

per-use, operates at high scale and is highly automated, the cost and

efficiency of cloud computing is compelling as well. In addition, as

cloud computing allows companies to manage critical applications

centrally, it further reduces both costs and complexities.

What types of services do you offer to chemical companies? Oracle offers a comprehensive set of building blocks for

developing and managing private clouds; customer options for

running Oracle technology in public clouds or on-premise;

and enterprise applications deployed on a shared services

private cloud as well as public Software as a Service (SaaS)

cloud model via Oracle On Demand. Oracle’s cloud offerings

are complete, open and integrated – spanning applications,

middleware, database, operating systems, virtualisation, servers,

storage and management of the entire stack. In addition,

Oracle has recently announced the Oracle Public Cloud, a broad

set of best-in-class, integrated services that provide customers

with subscription-based, self-service access to Oracle Fusion

Applications, Oracle Fusion Middleware and Oracle Database, all

completely managed, hosted and supported by Oracle.

How can cloud computing help in ensuring data security?The cloud environment offers enormous advantages that

vary from lower costs to massive scalability but they have

also presented daunting security risks, especially as sensitive

data moves beyond an organisation’s firewall. An additional

challenge in the cloud scenario is related to the explosive

growth in the adoption of web applications and services.

Regardless of whether applications are deployed on

premise or whether they are offered by SaaS vendors,

proliferation in the usage of applications increases the

complexity and administrative overhead of facilitating users

with the right entitlements to access various applications.

So, it is important in the cloud context that users be able to

provision their own accounts whenever possible to facilitate

better IT agility.

In addition, it is imperative for enterprises embracing the

cloud to not only monitor and enforce controls such as ‘who

is the user’ and ‘what is the user allowed to access in a cloud

environment’ but also to ensure that such compliance is cost-

effective and sustainable in the long term.

Do you see increase in usage of this technology? Chemical businesses are still in the early days of cloud computing

adoption. Some of them have started evolving their current IT

infrastructure to support cloud computing and leverage cloud

services available in the market. One potential area where

chemical manufacturers can benefit from cloud computing is

in logistics and supply chain management. Cloud providers

offer functionality, which can enable secure online tracking of

goods, thereby increasing information visibility and collaboration

between multiple organisations in the supply chain.


…says Dhruv Singhal – Cloud Computing Lead, Oracle India, in conversation with Rakesh Rao on the benefits of cloud computing for chemical industry.

Cloud computing reduces both costs and complexities

SPECIAL FOCUSRoundtable


Can automation provide a competitive edge to SMEs?

There is an increasing need for automation in chemical companies, be it big or small. The Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), of late, have started realising its importance for staying competitive in the market. Prasenjit Chakraborty finds out the progress of automation in the chemical SMEs and what restricts them from adopting it.

It is imperative to chalk out specific approaches for SMEs to examine automation as a strategy for increasing productivity and reliability

in their manufacturing operations. At present, it is more about mindset rather than finance that is restricting SMEs from embracing

automation. Automation providers also have to play greater role in convincing SMEs about the benefits of automation.

EDITORIAL TAKE

Amit KapurDirector,

Everest Group

With the global manufacturing

industry successfully implementing

automation in its manufacturing

processes, no business venture (big

or small) can afford to stay away

from these technologies if it aims

to be a successful multinational

tomorrow. With several automation

service providers offering customised

solutions for SMEs, this is the right

time to invest in those and leverage

their benefits.

SMEs in India understand the fact

that automation is of utmost importance

for a successful manufacturing

enterprise and ignorance on their part

to adopt this technology can hamper

the overall productivity. However,

it also poses challenges, as far as its

realisation by SMEs is concerned. This

includes affordability, benefit awareness

and application knowledge. Moreover,

implementing automation technology

also calls for additional time, effort and

investment towards maintaining and

updating the technology.

Omkar HerlekarWhole-Time Director,

Omkar Speciality Chemicals Ltd

While automation promises

improvement in efficiency and

management agility, SMEs face

challenges in its implementation.

They often shy away from

automation as they perceive it as a

major cost. It is also because SMEs

produce multiple products and,

hence require bigger investment

to automate their manufacturing

process. The SME fraternity in

specialty chemical manufacturing

needs to emerge from its shadow

and enhance competency to

establish a global footprint.

However, more than

80 per cent of SMEs are not

automation-enabled and most of

the operations are manual, using

low-end custom built solutions,

which are traditionally difficult to

maintain and scale. Automation

and R&D are the key enablers for

our group as it has offered us the

ability to quickly sense and respond

to the new market imperatives.

Rajive ShahDirector,

Sauradip Chemical Industries Pvt Ltd

Automation will provide

chemical SMEs an edge in this highly

competitive world as it will provide

scale of production, which can result

in significant cost reductions. Apart

from cost, automation will facilitate

better quality product and there will

be no variation in batch processing.

By adopting automation, a processor

can reduce time cycle for batches

and, hence increase production. This

is important against the backdrop of

severe competition.

There are many benefits offered

by automation that include reduction

in loss of chemicals and maintaining

cleanliness in chemical plants. When

it comes to liquid raw materials,

automation is must, as such

sophisticated equipment checks the

quantity of raw materials perfectly.

Even dispatch can be increased

by adopting automation. Taking

everything into consideration, it is

time for SMEs to adopt automation

and go forward.

FACILITY VISIT UNP Polyvalves (India) Pvt Ltd


Avani Jain

The growing chemical

industry has catapulted the

Indian industrial valves, pipes

and pipe fittings market to

new heights. Further, future investments

in chemicals and petrochemical projects

are likely to generate substantial revenues

for the industrial valves and piping

systems market, providing many avenues

for industry participants to increase

their marketshare. Leveraging on this

growth prospect is UNP Polyvalves

(India) Pvt Ltd. Headquartered in

Vadodara, Gujarat, it manufactures

various types of corrosion-free valves,

pipes and pipe fittings made of advanced

engineering plastics, ie fluoropolymer

and thermoplastic.

Urmil Shah, Director, UNP Polyvalves

(India) Pvt Ltd, notes, “The chemical

industry is growing by leaps and bounds

in India and particularly in Gujarat.

Further, the Gujarat Government is also

giving a thrust to the development of

the chemical industry. All these indicate

towards more demand for pipes and

valves in the industry as they are inert

to various chemicals, solvents and most

aggressive & corrosive applications.”

He further says, “The kinds of valves

manufactured by us are mainly used

for corrosive applications in chemical

industry. Wherever the companies cannot

employ metallic valves or piping systems,

they need to go for another material,

such as, thermoplastic or fluoropolymer

valves and piping systems.” This could

be gauged from the fact that UNP

Polyvalves has permanently resolved the

problems for piping systems of chloralkali

projects and many other chemical plants

with introduction of right material of

construction for their most aggressive

and corrosive applications.

Gaining from strength to strengthHoused in Makarpura GIDC, UNP

Polyvalves had a humble beginning. Shah

says, “The company was established in

1988. We started from manufacturing

basic thermoplastic valves, but today we

have a wide product range. In all, we

have three manufacturing units. Of the

three, this plant was started in 2007 and

has production capacity of 3,500 units

per month.”

Set up two decades ago, with

manufacturing of ball valves ranging

from 15 nominal bore (NB) to 50 NB,

today UNP Polyvalves’ valves range

comprise ball, diaphragm, butterfly, ball

check, sight glass, sampling, strainers,

lined valves, pipes and fittings, etc.

Shah notes, “When we started

manufacturing these valves, hardly any

company in India manufactured them,

and they were mainly imported from

Redefi ning reliability with innovative fl ow control solutions

With the Indian chemical industry making rapid growth strides, the demand for high-end valves and piping systems has increased in the recent past. Identifying this market trend, UNP Polyvalves (India) Pvt Ltd strives to offer the highest level of customer satisfaction through its quality and reliable products.

Valve components in process Machining and lapping of ball

Pho

to: S

hara

n G

oel


Europe or the US. Further, we also

specialise in single shot moulding capacity

up to 30 kg, which is an achievement in

itself as hardly any manufacturing unit

in India has this facility. This gives us a

competitive edge.”

The company follows a well-defined

production process. Elaborating on the

process, Shah says, “For manufacturing

a good product, the selection of raw

material assumes importance. It comes

in granule form. Along with the dye, the

raw materials are put into furnace for

more than five to six hours depending

on the size of the article, or on the

volume. After that, transfer moulding

happens. So far as transfer moulding of

fluoropolymers is concerned, it is the

most proven technology adopted by any

manufacturer across the globe.”

Once transfer moulding is done,

various engineering processes like

machining, drilling etc are performed as

per the requirement. Then the product

goes to the assembly where all the

parts are assembled. Shah adds,

“There are more than 32 parts, which

make one unit of valve. Once assembled,

every product is subjected to thorough

quality tests. Once that is done and

the product is found to be error-free,

it goes for finishing and final packaging.

After this, the products are ready

for dispatch.”

Ensuring the qualityUNP Polyvalves is stringent about the

quality of its products. The plant is ISO

9001:2008 certified and lined valves are

CE marked. Shah says, “This could be

seen through the fact that right from

the stage of receipt of raw material,

the quality check starts. With the raw

materials, there comes the Certificate

of Analysis (COA) from the suppliers.

So, as per the COA, we check the

materials for their quality, hardness etc.

Then there are regular checks during

the manufacturing process and this

regular monitoring goes on until the

products are dispatched.”

The company believes in continuous

research and development. Shah

details, “It is an ongoing process

for us as there is no end to product

development. There is always a scope

for improvement. So, we keep on

indulging in R&D activities.”

He adds further, “We have

introduced PFA-lined globe valves.

These are full control valves and

few manufacturers in India offer this.

These valves are replacement for

high-end metallic valves used in the

chemical industry.”

Envisioning growth The future of the fluoropolymer and

thermoplastic valves & piping systems

looks bright due to their increased

usage in the chemical industry. Shah

observes, “The usage of valves and pipes

is inevitable in the chemical industry.

As there will be more and more process

industries, the requirement of valves

will increase. In order to meet this

growing demand, the third plant will be

operational within next three months.”

He adds further, “Even today, the

process industry in India is dependent on

manual valves. So automation will be the

key in future. While 70-80 per cent of

valves are automated in other countries,

the case is reverse in India. So there is

great scope for automation in the valve

industry.” Keeping this in mind, the

company aims for a steady growth in the

market and wants to create good base. As

Shah concludes, “Our vision statement is

to be number one in thermoplastic and

fluoropolymer valves.”


As there will be more and more process industries, the requirement of valves will increase. In order to meet this

growing demand, the third plant will be operational within next three months.Urmil ShahDirector

Internal drilling of the valve being done The entire product range of the company

UNP Polyvalves (India) Pvt Ltd

April 2012 | Chemical World 47

INSIGHT & OUTLOOK

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY/FUELSRENEWABLE ENERGYIs India investing enough? ................................................................................................................ 48

BIOMASS ENERGY Achieving sustainability through second generation biofuels ........................................................... 50

SOLAR SECTORFive ways fine chemicals can brighten the future ............................................................................. 52

COATINGS INDUSTRYProduction fragmentation to open new avenues .............................................................................. 54

AMMONIUM NITRATETraceability with secure authentication to curb misuse ................................................................... 56

HYDRAULIC SYSTEM MAINTENANCEMaking the right move towards efficiency and productivity ............................................................ 58

INSIGHT & OUTLOOK Renewable energy


Mahua Roy

Ernst & Young ranks India

as the third best investment

destination for renewable

energy sector, next only to

China and the US. The Ministry of

New & Renewable Energy needs to be

lauded for presenting a strong case for

India by way of friendly policies and

smooth execution. “India is aggressively

moving towards becoming a global

clean tech powerhouse. It ranks fourth

among the G20 nations in terms of

clean tech investment. In 2011 alone, it

saw investments of $ 10.3 billion in the

sector, a growth rate of 52 per cent. This

greatly dwarfed the rest of the world’s

significant economies,” says Prabhakar

Nair, Head - Business Development,

Asia, LanzaTech NZ Ltd.

Bio-energy and solar fuel rural economiesThe renewable energy initiative in India

is driven by the requirement for power by

a dispersed rural base, government policy

and incentives. This initiative called

‘Power for All’ promotes sustainability and

growth from a positive economic outlook.

“The target of Power for All, along with

limitation due to import dependency for

energy as well as commitment to the

world to cut energy intensity of GDP

by 25 per cent, has forced India to

seriously look at renewable energy and

energy efficiency market. India has been

a late starter in the renewable energy

space, but has recently made substantial

efforts,” elaborates Kalpana Jain, Senior

Director, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India

Pvt Ltd. Investors and the government

have traditionally shown interests in

the opportunities provided in solar and

bio-energy sectors. The National Solar

Mission has set a target of producing

10 per cent of its energy – 20,000 MW

– using solar by 2022. This is equivalent to

18 nuclear reactors. Solar energy has seen

a seven-fold increase in funding, from

$ 0.6 billion in 2010 to $ 4.2 billion in

2011, as per figures provided by Deloitte.

Besides, India stands fourth globally

in the generation of power through

biomass, puts forward Jain. She adds,

“Biomass power projects with an aggregate

capacity of 1,083 MW through over

100 projects have been installed in the

country. For the last 15 years, biomass

power has attracted annual investments

of over ` 1,000 billion, generating more

than 9 billion unit of electricity per year.”

Having a huge potential, India is poised to

become the world leader in the utilisation

of biomass.

These two sectors have transformed

the rural section. As Nair puts it, “The

rural electrification schemes being

pursued are a clear example of localised

solutions that are better enabled by use of

renewable sources like solar or biomass,

than by conventional grid supply.”

Table 1: Status of renewable energy in India

Renewable energy Installed capacity (MW) as on August 31, 2011

Target for 2011-12 (MW)

Total achievement (MW) during 2011-12

Wind power 14,989.00 2,400 833.00

Small hydro power 3,153.93 350 111.30

Biomass power 1,083.60460

86.50

Bagasse cogeneration 1,779.03 111.50

Waste to power 73.66 25 1.20

Solar power 46.16 200 8.50

Total 21,125.38 3,435 1,152.00Courtesy: Kalpana Jain, Senior Director, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India Pvt Ltd

According to figures released by the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, FDI worth about ` 4,900 crore has been invested in India in the renewable energy sector during the last three years. As the country gradually opens up to sustainable development, it is creating opportunities for allied sectors too. For the chemical industry, this is good news.


Swaying towards wind powerThe sector to watch out for, as analysts

and industry experts put it, is wind

energy. The scenario is promising and

has a huge potential in India. Gunderao

Manurkar, Business Manager – Energy

Sector, Huntsman Advanced Materials

(India) Pvt Ltd, shares few statistics. He

says, “New capacity installation in wind

power equalled 2,100 MW. This takes

the total installed capacity to 16,200

MW. Besides, $ 9 billion is expected to

be invested in India towards wind power

development in next few years. Also,

to help grow this sector, Wind Turbine

Generator (WTG) capacity addition

in India has taken place at a CAGR of

25 per cent in the last 12 years.”

So what makes wind power such

an attractive sector? A perfect blend of

welcoming policies and inherent financial

benefits associated with power makes

this sector enjoy a significant status. Jain

elaborates the factors in favour of wind

power as, “Tax incentives (asset-based)

are plus points. Tax holiday of 10 years

can be availed of in the first fifteen

years. Also, attractive subsidised tariff

is a major advantage. Thus, policies by

high wind-potential states were able to

attract developers/investors for investing

in projects. And finally, relatively lower

risk of gestation & input, compared to

other renewable energy sources like hydro,

biomass and gestation is shorter.”

India’s position vis-à-vis other emerging economiesAs per industry watchers, China and India

remain the major destinations in Asia for

renewable energy investors. A noteworthy

change was observed in the last decade

as per a report commissioned by the UN

Environment Programme (UNEP). It

indicates that developing countries such

as Brazil, China and India invested more

in renewable energy than developed

countries like the US and the UK in 2010,

helping worldwide investment to grow

by 32 per cent and reach a record high of

$ 211 billion. The report also revealed that

$ 72 billion was invested in developing

countries in 2010 compared to $ 70 billion

in developed economies, which contrasts

with 2004, when new investments in

developing countries were about one quarter

of those in developed countries. This trend

is expected to stay, which spells good news

for the renewable energy sector in India.

In Asia, there are signs of emerging

investment interest in countries like

Thailand, Pakistan, Malaysia and Vietnam.

“Governments in Southeast and South Asia

are refining targets for renewable energy

expansion, extending subsidies and dangling

tax breaks. This comes at a time when

developed markets, particularly Europe

and the US are rolling back subsidies.

China attracted the most renewable energy

investment in 2010, securing nearly $ 50

billion, or about a third of the global total.

Free land, tax breaks, generous loans and

a favourable tariff regime are all boosting

China’s renewable industry,” says Jain.

The Chinese business environment

also provides other factors responsible for

its high growth. “In absolute terms, India’s

renewable energy investment for 2011 lags

in comparison to China by almost five times,

given the fact that China has aggressive

renewable energy targets. Also, the fact

that China’s vast manufacturing of various

renewable energy products, components and

equipment is a plus point for that country,”

opines Amol Kotwal, Deputy Director,

Energy & Power Systems Practice, Frost

& Sullivan – South Asia, Middle East and

North Africa.

Good news for the chemical industry“Investments in solar and wind energy will

receive a boost. Both expect to add more

than 20 GW capacity in 10 years. Wind

energy would be more dominant during the

12th Five-year Plan (FY 2012-17) as around

15 GW may be added, whereas solar would

be more prominent in the 13th Five-year

Plan (FY 2017-2022) period,” says Kotwal.

These two sectors of renewable energy

present a great deal of opportunities for the

chemical industry. The specialty chemicals

industry is especially expected to be part of

this ‘renewed’ future. The renewable energy

sector is all set to rise high in investments

and India is a major destination. “National

Energy Policy is an important driver for

the growth of alternative energy solutions.

These policies serve to set the objectives for

the implementation of new energy solutions

by industry. A strong national energy policy

becomes the demand driver, which companies

can use in their strategic plans to define the

tactics/investments to commercialise their

new energy solutions. Effective energy

solutions will be those that address energy

needs at a local level,” says Nair.


A strong national energy policy becomes the demand driver, which companies can use in their strategic plans to define

the tactics/investments to commercialise their new energy solutions.Prabhakar NairHead - Business Development, Asia, LanzaTech NZ Ltd

In absolute terms, India’s renewable energy investment for 2011 lags in comparison to China by almost five times,

given the fact that China has aggressive renewable energy targets. Also, the fact that China’s vast manufacturing of various renewable energy products, components and equipment is a plus point for that countryAmol KotwalDeputy Director, Energy & Power Systems Practice, Frost & Sullivan – South Asia, Middle East and North Africa

The target of Power for All, along with limitation due to import dependency for energy as well as commitment to the

world to cut energy intensity of GDP by 25 per cent, has forced India to seriously look at renewable energy and energy efficiency market. Kalpana JainSenior Director, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India Pvt Ltd

Renewable energy

INSIGHT & OUTLOOK Biomass energy


Mahua Roy

Second generation biofuels seem

to be the buzzwords in the

renewable energy sector today.

And along with this comes

the ubiquitous ‘food vs fuel’ debate. The

biofuel sector in India shot up suddenly

with tremendous investments. But the

producers concentrated mainly on first

generation biofuels, ie those produced

using food sources like sugarcane, canola,

soyabean. While these helped the biofuel

industry get a kickstart, they posed serious

challenges in terms of threat to human

food chain and ecology. And especially

in an emerging economy like India, food

security is a critical issue.

This led to the development and

promotion of second generation biofuels.

These are made from lignocellulosic

biomass or woody crops, agricultural

residues or waste. The industry as a

whole is aiming at developing technology

to increase the amount of biofuel that can

be produced sustainably by using such

residual non-food parts of crops (such as

stems, leaves and husks), as well as other

non-food crops, such as switchgrass,

grass, jatropha, and also industry waste

such as woodchips, skins & pulp from

fruit pressing. “Many first generation

biofuels are dependent on subsidies and

are not cost-competitive with existing

fossil fuels such as oil. Besides, some of

them produce only limited greenhouse

gas emission savings. While taking

emissions from production and transport

into account, lifecycle assessment from

first generation biofuels frequently

approach those of traditional fossil fuels,”

says Dinesh Shahra, Managing Director,

Ruchi Soya Industries Ltd. The company

is developing a rice husk-based biomass

cogeneration plant in Bihar with a 4

MW capacity. Besides, Ruchi Soya also

utilises wind power for captive use at its

seven factory locations in four states.

Significant developments in past decadeMost of the energy requirements in the

country are currently satisfied using fossil

fuels like coal, petroleum-based products

and natural gas. “Domestic production

of crude oil can only fulfill 25-30 per

cent of the national consumption. In

past couple of years, the global crude oil

prices maintained above $ 100/barrel.

This has inherently given boost to biofuel

production. Also, the government is

emphasising on blending of oil, as this is

Worldwide, India ranks fourth in generation of power using biomass. Since the last 15 years, biomass power has become an industry, which is attracting annual investment of over ` 1,000 billion. India is poised to become a world leader in the utilisation of biomass. But the focus needs to shift from first to second generation biofuels for sustainable development in future.

3 ‘E’ BENEFIT USING SECONDGENERATION

BIOFUELS

� Economic impact: This sector would stimulate innovation and spur economic growth, which could generate up to $ 15-20 billion of annual revenues in India by 2020. An inclusive business model incentivising farmers to collect and provide residues would help in growth of rural economy.

� Energy security: Next-generation ethanol could meet up to 59 per cent of India’s gasoline demand in 2020. This would help us move from a high dependence on foreign oil towards greater transport fuel self-sufficiency.

� Environmental benefits: By 2020 next-generation ethanol consumption in India could reduce road transport greenhouse gas emissions from fossil gasoline by 47-69 per cent. Furthermore, CO2 and methane emissions would also decrease as biomass residues would no longer be burned or decompose in the field.

Achieving sustainability

Courtesy: G S Krishnan, Regional President-India,

Novozymes South Asia


one of the ways to curb the huge subsidy

burden,” elaborates Shahra.

The Government of India announced

the National Policy on Biofuels in

December 2009. Also, an indicative target

of 20 per cent blending of biofuels by

2017 has been proposed. “Currently, few

states are blending using first generation

ethanol. However, even 5 per cent

blending has not been fully achieved and

to meet the ambitious target of 20 per

cent by 2017, there is a need to look at

second generation biofuels. India is in a

unique position with regard to the second

generation biofuels due to the abundant

agricultural residue availability,” opines

G S Krishnan, Regional President-India,

Novozymes South Asia.

Instead of sugar-based ethanol,

second generation biofuel companies

look forward to producing hydrocarbons.

These molecules are chemically similar

to those, which fuel aircraft, trains and

automobiles. Also, these ‘drop-in’ fuels do

not absorb water like ethanol, and are

non-corrosive. These can be put directly

into fuel tanks or pumped through

pipelines, just like regular traditional oil-

based fuels.

Targeting the bottlenecksIn spite of the high potential and bright

outlook for the industry, it faces various

shortcomings. The first and foremost issue

plaguing this industry is the efficiency of

jatropha. “The National Biofuel Policy

has envisaged using oil from non-edible

sources for use as feedstock options

in production of bio-diesel. Jatropha

plantations are the preferred source for

feedstock in the Indian bio-diesel industry.

However, oil production from one hectare

of jatropha plantation is about 3 tonne a

year. As a result, feedstock shortage has

emerged as a key bottleneck in scaling up

the capacity of bio-diesel manufacturing

units,” puts forth Dr Anjan Ray, Regional

Commercial Director, Renewable

Energy & Chemicals, UOP –

A Honeywell Company.

‘Green diesel’ can address this issue

by reducing the size of area required

for feedstock development as well as

providing wider options of feedstock.

Honeywell’s UOP is planning to launch

its new technology for the production

of green diesel in India soon. Green

diesel is similar to the petroleum diesel

in chemical composition and can

replace the conventional bio-diesel,

which has the disadvantage of limited

shelf-life. Also, it is much lower in

sulphur content.

Such feedstock-flexible technology

would make sense economically as

well. “What is required to boost

second generation biofuel processing is

adoption of technology that can be easily

and seamlessly integrated into the

existing infrastructure of refineries,”

opines Dr Ray.

Besides, inevitably, more of

government support is needed, not

just on subsidies and tax-free policies,

but also towards boosting R&D.

“We believe that more emphasis and

investment is needed towards R&D of

second generation biofuels. The sector

is still not 100 per cent organised and

needs support from the government, if

not directly in the form of subsidies but

probably in the form of support to bring

in advanced technologies from across

the globe,” says Shahra.

Coming soon: Third and fourth generation Although still a long way to go, the

future of the biofuel industry is

being envisaged. While first and

second generation biofuels account

for more than 99 per cent of current

global biofuel production, a number

of new technologies are on the brink

of commercialisation. Such third and

fourth generation biofuels are making

their presence felt in research papers.

Third generation biofuels are derived

from algae and fourth generation

ones are created using petroleum-like

hydroprocessing, advanced bio-chemistry

or other revolutionary processes. By 2022,

third- and fourth-generation biofuels

should account for 28 per cent of the

global 88.5 billion gallons of biofuel

production, as per a report published by

Green Tech market research.


More emphasis and investment is needed towards R&D of second generation biofuels. The sector is still not 100

per cent organised and needs support from the government, if not directly in the form of subsidies but probably in the form of support to bring in advanced technologies from across the globe.Dinesh ShahraMD, Ruchi Soya Industries Ltd

What is required to boost second generation biofuel processing is adoption of technology that can be easily and

seamlessly integrated into the existing infrastructure of refineries.Dr Anjan RayRegional Commercial Director, Renewable Energy & Chemicals, UOP – A Honeywell Company

Currently, few states are blending using first generation ethanol. However, even 5 per cent blending has not been fully

achieved and to meet the ambitious target of 20 per cent by 2017, there is a need to look at second generation biofuels. G S KrishnanRegional President-India, Novozymes South Asia

While first and second generation biofuels account

for more than 99 per cent of current global biofuel

production, a number of new technologies are on the brink

of commercialisation.

Biomass energy

INSIGHT & OUTLOOK Solar sector


Mahua Roy

It is inevitably a ‘sunny side up’ for

the solar energy industry. In the

past five years, the Indian solar

energy sector has attracted private

equity and venture capital investment

totalling around ` 11.8 million, as per

the Ministry of New and Renewable

Energy. In fact, this figure translates to

about 30 per cent of the total investment

made in the renewable energy sector.

“There is strong support by the National

Solar Mission in India aided by the

Central Government. With solar energy

becoming cost-competitive and the great

sunshine conditions in India, it could

become one of the first countries in the

world that could deploy utility-scale solar

power without the requirement of huge

government subsidies,” opines Eric Peeters,

Vice President - Solar Solutions & Wind

Energy Solutions, Dow Corning.

Special roles of specialty chemicalsTruly enough, friendly measures by the

government are encouraging investments

in this sector. Such regulations and policies

aside, the specialty chemicals industry

also has a huge role to play in order to

give the solar power segment a boost.

Dr Mark Morgan, Global Managing

Director – Renewables, Business Advisory

Services, IHS Chemicals, elaborates, “In

order to develop the solar energy industry

further, the domestic polysilicon sector

needs to grow. Polysilicon facilities require

a range a specialty chemicals to support

their operations. Solar cells are made from

feedstocks such as upgraded metallurgical

grade silicon, polysilicon, thin film

amorphous silicon, thin film non-silicon

metal complexes (cadmium-telluride or

CdTe, cadmium-indium-germanium-

selenide, etc) and organo-metallic species.

Manufacturing processes also require

specialty gases like silane, dichloro- and

trichlorosilane.” As of today, research

is being directed towards making solar

energy generation affordable.

Managing costs of siliconThe most significant opportunity for any

cell or module maker is to reduce silicon

costs, either through lower consumption

(grams per Watt) or lower costs of

procuring silicon feedstock or wafers,

or higher yielding processes. Besides,

advanced materials can help bring about

cost reductions either through improved

efficiencies, development of higher value

products, or cost reductions in the form of

module design improvements or improved

processing times.

Dr Deepa Khushalani, Associate

Professor, Materials Chemistry, Dept

of Chemical Sciences, Tata Institute

of Fundamental Research (TIFR)

observes, “Silicon is still the workhorse

of the solar cell industry, and so are

coppe r - ind ium-ga l l i um -se l en ide

(CIGS) and CdTe. Most of the cost of

the conventional PV is predominantly

due to the cost of these materials

and instrumentation used to fabricate

the cells. Finding cheap methods of

making high-quality thin films of

crystalline silicon, is what is needed, as

it will transfer to lowering the cost of

purchasing solar cells.”

Ongoing research activities can be

divided into five categories towards

which the specialty chemicals industry is

devising solutions.

1. Novel encapsulantsEncapsulants present an opportunity to

cut down on the costs. Ethylene Vinyl

Acetate (EVA) has been used as an

encapsulant since the last 30 years to

protect cells, as Peeters puts forward.

“While EVA performs well, it also has

some disadvantages. Thus, now more

and more companies are working on

alternative solutions like silicones.

Silicone encapsulation improves

manufacturing efficiency, durability

and cell efficiency through better UV

transparency,” elaborates Peeters.

INSIGHT & OUTLOOK Solar sector

India expects to achieve solar grid parity as early as 2017. The specialty chemicals industry is turning this into an attainable target with significant investments in research and manufacturing. Global majors are identifying opportunities for research in this area to promote smooth functionality of solar cells.


2. Fabrication of backsheetsOne of the big cost components of solar modules is the aluminium

frame. “With the current size of the market, a hundred million

modules are sold today. And every module has about 10 feet of

aluminium frame around it. It would be a cost-saving solution to

develop a frameless module that could be fixed onto the structure

of an array and eliminate the frame as support,” suggests Peeters.

New avenues towards chemical bonding need to be studied

to make this a possibility. Besides, certain specialty chemicals

can also help combat costs. “Polymethyl methacrylate specialty

films can be used in module backsheets and frontsheets,” adds

Dr Morgan.

3. MetallisationAnother significant target is reducing the cost that silver (Ag)

contributes to c-Si cell manufacturing. With recent increases in

Ag bullion costs, this area has taken on a higher priority for cell

manufacturers. Products that enable lower paste consumption for

the same cell performance, need to be innovated. Industry experts

anticipate significant future innovations on lower Ag-content

metallisation pastes and metallisation processes for advanced cell

designs that use significantly lower quantities of Ag paste.

4. Processing of polysiliconIn the current technology, silicon tetrachloride and other

chlorosilanes are generated during the manufacture of polysilicon.

These are toxic and highly poisonous. The cost associated with the

treatment and disposal almost doubles the capital investment.

“An alternative technology that eliminates purification or

even production of silicon tetrachloride would be beneficial.

Additionally, optimisation of the crystallisation surface and

improvements in the Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD)

process can ensure economics of the process,” notes David Anil

Kumar, Senior Research Analyst - South Asia & Middle East,

Chemicals, Materials & Food, Frost & Sullivan.

5. Newer avenues for materials chemistry“It is not only the specialty chemicals but also how they

are processed to yield a proper ‘architectured’ light absorber

(which is the Si/CIGS/CdTe layer), which is of importance.

If this is done effectively, then the efficiency of the solar cell

increases substantially. However, the key word is how they are

processed,” says Dr Khushalani.

She elaborates further that the biggest area of

research is finding efficient light absorbers, ie materials

that are able to absorb maximum amount of sunlight

(ranging from wavelengths of visible to near IR).

“When the material absorbs these wavelengths, it leads to

creation of excited electrons, which have the energy associated

with the respective wavelength. These excited electrons

then need to be ‘harvested’ with maximum efficiency,” she

sums up.


Solar sector

INSIGHT & OUTLOOK Coatings industry


Dr Mosongo Moukwa

Production fragmentation refers

to the activity of companies

dividing the previously unified

processes of product R&D,

manufacturing and marketing into several

relatively independent processes that are

carried out in different countries and/

or regions. This organisation model has

transformed the manufacturing process

from a central, vertically integrated

process based in a single location to a

network of processes scattered across

the globe. It has had a profound impact

on how manufacturing companies have

organised themselves and what processes

take place where. It has enabled R&D,

manufacturing, marketing, and other

stages of production to be carried out

in different countries and regions. While

some segments of the manufacturing

industry, for instance, the mobile phone

sector, have achieved a high level of

production fragmentation, the paints and

coatings industry has not been able to

display such a high level of fragmentation

due to several constraints.

Technology and competitionProduction fragmentation depends upon

the available technology. In other words,

companies will not resort to it unless

technology makes it possible to divide

production in such a way that it reduces

the cost per unit. Only for products

where the division of the manufacturing

process is technically feasible will the

production of components and the final

assembly to independent companies in

different countries and regions will take

place. This becomes more pressing when

competition intensifies.

There are essentially four basic

organisational modes that a company

can take (Figure 1). In the first mode,

a company refuses to outsource, and

confines all stages of production, including

product design, R&D and manufacturing

within the company. In the second, a

company builds its own manufacturing

facilities inside the country and outside.

In the third mode, a company outsources

and collaborates within the country.

Finally, in the fourth mode, a company

opts to outsource and collaborate outside

the country.

Going high-techCompanies operating in industries

where technology is fairly advanced opt

for the first mode in product design,

R&D and marketing, but they opt to

outsource manufacturing. The diversity

of mobile phone hardware and software

has progressed to such an extent that

it makes it possible for manufacturers

of mobile phones to adopt production

fragmentation by means of outsourcing.

The paints industryThe production of paint involves a batch

process blending of a wide range of raw

materials such as organic and inorganic

pigments, resins (otherwise known as

binders or polymers), solvents and additives

(Figure 2). The manufacture of pigmented

paints involves the dispersion of pigments

into part of the binder and solvent

components. This is performed using

high-speed dispersers or other grinding

mill devices such as sandmills, beadmills

and ballmills. Production is conducted

on a discrete batch basis in volumes

anywhere between 200 and 2,00,000 litre.

Plants tend to be multi-purpose rather

than specialised, with small manufacturers

producing a range of paints.

This reliance on batch production,

as opposed to 24-hour continuous shifts,

limits the scale of economies in paint

production process. Fixed costs that can

be reduced by increasing volumes are hard

to find. In operations, increasing large

batch size has the expected advantages

of reducing average manufacturing costs.

However, large manufacturers are then

faced with the costs of distribution

Production fragmentation to open new avenues

The changing dynamics of international trade, increasing competition, growing outsourcing phenomenon that compelled every industry to revisit production processes gave rise to the concept of production fragmentation, wherein production is sliced into several processes

located within a country as well as across countries. Though this manufacturing model proved a boon to several sectors, it has failed to

add another hue to the paints and coatings industry.


that quickly overtake the advantage of

increasing batch size.

The industry is characterised by its

low- to medium-level capital intensity,

justified by the semi-automated

production process pursued by most

industry participants. This has increased

in recent years as companies have

been forced to adopt various efficiency

improving measures in the face of a

highly competitive environment. Changes

in technology in the paint manufacturing

industry have traditionally been slow,

though the pace has picked up in recent

years aided in part by environmental

pressures.

The cost of goods sold is the single-

largest expense item, representing 60-70

per cent of sales. Included in these costs are

the cost of pigments (including titanium

dioxide pigments), which are now thought

to account for one-fifth of raw material

costs, epoxy and other resins (accounting

for as much as one-half of raw material

costs), solvents, fillers and additives. In

addition, as many of these raw materials

are petroleum-based, the expense will vary

with changing oil prices.

Packaging costs are also included in

this cost item. Therefore, the efficient

use of raw materials is a critical cost

component. The second-largest expense

tends to be labour costs (representing

more than 10 per cent of sales in some

countries), reflecting the fact that the

paint manufacturing process is only semi-

automated. Distribution and advertising

costs make up a significant proportion of

overheads incurred by operators. These

are included among ‘other costs’, as are

environmental costs, which have also

increased in recent years.

The extent of integration is generally

limited to outsourcing activities, such as

paint detackification, water treatment,

spray booth balance, paint system

cleaning, logistics and warehousing,

which offer a competitive advantage by

enabling the plant to focus on its core

competencies, in turn, improving quality

and throughput & reducing total cost.

Generally, the industry has opted for

the first or second organisational mode.

When it seeks to build partnerships, it is

for the purpose of manufacturing for local

needs. Shipping costs are prohibitive

to allow shipment of large volumes

of paints across the globe profitably.

Getting ready for the futureIn the first organisational mode, a

company adopts a vertically integrated

structure by manufacturing all components

independently, rather than outsource. In

stages with diminishing returns to scale, it

can adopt an internally integrated mode,

whereas in stages with increasing returns

to scale, it may outsource to specialised

manufacturers to increase profits.

Provided that the technology of a given

manufacturing sector allows for production

fragmentation, the extent of outsourcing

is determined primarily by the degree of

development within the industry and the

intensity of market competition.

Therefore, with increasing intensity

of competition, companies will first

divide from the whole process, stages

whose average costs decrease with

the increase of output; ie stages with

increasing returns to scale. They will

instead purchase intermediate products

from specialised manufacturers engaging

in these secondary production processes

while preserving other stages of product

development and manufacturing within

the companies.

Product fragmentation is limited in the

paints industry because of various reasons

– chemical reactions can be complex, and

the cost of shipping and transportation

make it prohibitive to ship chemical

components over long distances. What is

different in the high-tech industry is that

standardisation and economies of scale

have created favourable conditions for

vertical fragmentation and specialisation,

while at the same time enhancing the

competitiveness of some stages in the

high-tech supply chain. This situation

does not exist in the paints industry.

Maybe one day this may happen.

Dr Mosongo Moukwa is

Vice President (Technology),

Asian Paints Ltd, Mumbai.

He was Vice President (Global

Technology), Reichhold,

North Carolina. He is a member of the

American Chemical Society, the Commercial

Development and Management Association

and the Licensing Executive Society.


Building plantswithin the country

Building plantsabroad

Outsourcingwithin the country

Outsourcingabroad

Decisionson outsourcing

No outsourcing,building own plants

Outsourcing(3rd party facilities)

Figure 1: Basic organisational modes of product fragmentation

Figure 2: Paints manufacturing value chain

Additivessuppliers

Pigmentssuppliers

Polymerproducers

Monomersuppliers

Paintsproducers Applicators End-users

Solvents

Oils

Assemblers

Coatings industry

INSIGHT & OUTLOOK Ammonium nitrate


Meenaxee Padhy

The concept of traceability is

bigger and more complex than

it is commonly recognised,

yet it is simpler and easier

too! With the advent of requirements

management tools, the concept of

traceability has become matured enough to

support and enhance project management,

impact analysis, change

management, defect

management, process

improvement and team

communication. Traceability

is a vital aspect when it comes

to dealing with ammonium

nitrate (NH4NO3), a salt

of ammonia and nitric acid,

which is used widely in

fertilisers and explosives.

The commercial grade of

NH4NO3 contains about 33.5

per cent nitrogen, all of which

can be utilised by plants. It is

the most common nitrogenous

component of artificial

fertilisers. Ammonium

nitrate is also employed to

modify the detonation rate

of other explosives, such

as nitroglycerin in the so-

called ammonia dynamites

or as an oxidising agent in

the ammonals, which are

mixtures of ammonium

nitrate and powdered

aluminium. The substitution

of ammonium nitrate for

part of nitroglycerin offers

safer and less expensive

product. It is also used

in solid-fuel rocket

propellants, pyrotechnics,

and in the production of

nitrous oxide.

Being the essential

ingredient for a variety

of products, ammonium nitrate requires

utmost attention. Be it the use in fertiliser

with high nitrogen content or explosive, the

consequent requirement regarding public

safety, health and protection of workers

calls for stringent safety norms. Some of

those products could be hazardous and

could be used for purposes other than

those for which these were intended. This

could endanger the security of people and

property. Manufacturers should, therefore,

be obliged to take appropriate steps to

avoid such use, and in particular, to ensure

the traceability of such fertilisers.

Ammonium nitrate: The concern areasIn the interest of public safety, European

Union (EU) has taken initiatives to set up

Commission for establishing safety norms

with regard to ammonium nitrate usage,

transportation and storage. There is global

concern about the unscrupulous use of

ammonium nitrate, which was otherwise

meant to be used for the betterment of

society. A mere glance at the happenings

in India offers a gloomy picture of the

misuse and abuse of ammonium nitrate

as the key ingredient for bomb making,

that took heavy toll of lives. It is high

time that Centre takes a bold step

for releasing the draft rule for the

ammonium nitrate sale (No.V -

11018/5/2007-Arms: Ammonium

Nitrate Rules, 2009) under the

Ministry of Home Affairs, IS

–II DIV: Arms Section. This rule

when implemented can certainly

bring the radical change and put

a stop to the easy accessability of

ammonium nitrate for the purposes

it is not meant.

The provision for the

implementation of electronic bar

coding on the bags by manufacturers

or importers will certainly facilitate

the traceability process. In order to

maintain an audit trail of all the

bags produced or imported, the rule

stipulates that the manufacturer or

importer should ensure electronic bar

coding. Failing this, the consignment

will be deemed as invalid and will

invite penalties under the Explosives

Substances Act, 1908. The rule

also puts the onus of securing a

consignment on the permit holder.

Traceability moduleTraceability establishes the link

between upstream (backward

traceability) and downstream

(forward traceability) from a

given point of tracking and

tracing of a product. It is all

about connecting the people

associated in it as it is about

connecting all the items

together. Even though each industry type

has its own traceability requirement and

module, the core intention is to meet the

objective, which attributes to different

standards and compliances.

For most industries, regardless of the nature of their processes, traceability is no more an option, but a necessity. This article gives insights into the means and ways of adopting traceability for the widely used chemical compound, ammonium nitrate that requires major attention for its criticality in applications.


The demand for safety and

integrity in the area of public health,

pharmaceutical, food safety, adulteration,

counterfeit, spurious activity has

significant implications towards public

concern. The government body has come

out with new regulations, safety measures

and regulatory compliances in order to

adhere to better safety and traceability

that will add more transparency to the

systems involved in the process.

The need for better and

effective solution with low-cost

investment has given rise to the promising

technology of Quick Response (QR)

Code to lead the market in terms of

traceability solution.

QR Code and its applicationsWith higher data density, lower space

occupancy, dirt and damage resistance up

to 30 per cent, the two dimensional matrix

symbology called QR Code has already

carved a niche demand in Automatic

Identification and Data Capture (AIDC)

solution. This code is omni-directionally

readable by any 2D scanner and even with

a camera enabled mobile phone. It is also

known for its versatility in application.

Generally, ammonium nitrate is packaged

in 50 kg polypropylene bags and 500 kg,

1,000 or 1,250 kg bags. It is transported

in bags or in bulk by all transportation

means (except air) in accordance with

hazardous cargo transportation rules.

Printing of QR Code on the packaging

substrate of ammonium nitrate is a tough

task. On one hand, the printing of QR

Code is required to facilitate the traceability

from a warehouse or manufacturing unit

till it reaches the end-user. On the other,

it is important to take care of the printing

with proper scannable output so that

traceability can be facilitated. Looking

at the criticality of printing aspects on

the woven bags wherein the print image

durability is a major concern, the cutting-

edge printing technology do provide

such printing systems, where the printing

image not only stays for longer time but

also facilitates all the required criteria of

traceability.

The concept of traceability with secure

authentication is a new dimension to the

existing solution. The Secure QR Code

(SQRC) is the answer to the question

The road never endsToday, applying requirements traceability

offers a high level of project control

and assured quality that is difficult to

achieve by any other means. Depending

on the use of traceability information,

organisations benefit differently. In case

of a small project, development and test

managers can check whether all customer

requirements are implemented and

tested, ensuring quality, reliable system

capabilities and characteristics. Applying

requirements traceability to the fullest gives

IT organisations even more substantial

advantages: increased quality, reduced

cost and time-to-market, and improved

risk and project management – for both

present and future projects.

Advantage at its bestFor the government and regulatory

authorities, traceability is certainly a

boon. The regulatory authorities can

enforce obligatory specific safety features

like private data in every package of

the product, along with unique product

identification code – Global Trade Item

Number (GTIN) – batch number, expiry

date and serial number of different stages

of packaging.

This will facilitate obligatory audit

by the manufacturer in order to ensure

reliability in supply chain, besides

facilitating internal restructure for efficient

and effective solution. It can open newer

avenues for challenging the counterfeiters,

preventing the revenue leakage and

provide 100 per cent accurate supervisory

control with existing manpower inputs,

which will surely rewrite the supply chain

management system.

Meenaxee Padhy is the Business

Head at M&M Technologies

Pvt Ltd, which offers solutions

such as traceability, supply

chain management and system

integration for various industries such as chemical,

food & beverages, logistics etc. For details, contact

on email: [email protected]

WHY QR CODE?The benefits of QR Code are as follows:

� High data density

� Multilingual capability & best readability

� Facilitates track and trace

� Improves production management and productivity

� Efficient shop-floor and warehousing management

� Efficient distribution and supply chain management

� Eliminates recall cost

� Meets regulatory and customer requirements

� Accelerates product planning and development cycle

� Combats counterfeit

Figure 1: A typical traceability system

Ammonium nitrate

Regulatory compliance

Regulatory need

Business need

Customer need

TRACEABILITYSYSTEM

Chain of custodian documentation

Production practice documentation

Claim authentication

Safety & quality assurance

Customer satisfaction

Validation certification

Industry standards Personnel Procedure

INSIGHT & OUTLOOK Hydraulic system maintenance


Dr Ian Davidson

Hydraulic systems are used

in nearly all industrial and

commercial market sectors,

such as machine shops,

chemical plants, general manufacturing,

power plants, and construction,

among others. And, compared to their

predecessors, today’s hydraulic units are

far more sophisticated. The need to

improve productivity and lower costs has

led to significant changes in hydraulic

component technology and system

design, creating systems that are more

compact, yet more powerful than ever.

In fact, modern hydraulic systems

feature reservoirs that are 60 to 80 per

cent smaller than those of older systems,

and operate with sophisticated computer

controlled valves as well as use ever-

increasing system pressures. These smaller,

more power-dense systems have limited

residence time to reject contaminants,

such as solid particles and air, and operate

at higher temperatures, both of which

stress the fluid and system components.

Precision hydraulic components, especially

servo and proportional valves, are also

sensitive to contamination.

So how can plant managers and

equipment maintenance professionals

ensure that they properly protect their

company’s investment in a modern

hydraulic system? Two important ways

to help enhance the performance and

durability of a company’s hydraulic

systems are to use a high performance

hydraulic fluid and institute a proactive

maintenance and oil analysis plan.

Hydraulic fluid selection By following the tips below, plant

managers, equipment maintenance

professionals or purchasing agents

can make informed decisions when it

comes to selecting the right hydraulic

oil and developing the right hydraulic

system maintenance plan to ensure

that their operations remain competitive

and productive.

Right specifications: One starting

point for selecting a hydraulic lubricant

is the original equipment manufacturers’

(OEMs’) recommendation. This may be

specific to the machine manufacturer or

the hydraulic component manufacturer.

Right viscosity: Above all, viscosity

is the most critical factor when selecting

a hydraulic fluid. It is important to

match the appropriate viscosity grade

to operating temperatures and load

conditions that a hydraulic system may

undergo on a daily basis. Without the

proper viscosity, the system will never

reach peak efficiency.

For equipment that is used outside

and subjected to both hot and cold

extremes, a high viscosity, multigrade

lubricant that features a balanced

formulation may be recommended.

Right performance attributes:

Given the higher pressures, higher

temperatures and smaller sizes of modern

hydraulic systems, hydraulic fluids must

do more than simply satisfy the correct

viscosity and OEM specification. High

Today’s hydraulic units are far more sophisticated than their predecessors. And hence, new, compact, high-pressure hydraulic systems must be protected with fundamental best practices – such as using a high-performance hydraulic lubricant and implementing a proactive oil analysis programme. The right lubricant and maintenance programme can help improve productivity through efficiency benefits, reliable equipment performance and increased machine availability.

the right move towards efficiency and productivity

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temperatures and pressures require

fluids that deliver oxidative and thermal

stability, while preventing system

deposits and providing a high degree

of anti-wear protection under these

extreme conditions. The fluids must also

possess excellent air release properties,

filterability and seal compatibility.

Hydraulic efficiency benefits

can translate to increased machine

productivity or reduced energy

consumption. Hence, some of the

best practices for hydraulic system

maintenance are elaborated below.

Keep it clean: Keeping hydraulic

systems clean is a must for all

environments. The combination of high

pressures, small reservoir size and tight

tolerance control systems make the

exclusion of contaminants crucial in all

systems. Hydraulic lubricants should be

stored in a closed container in a controlled

temperature environment with adequate

spill containment. Transferring hydraulic

lubricants should be done through the

use of a filter cart and dedicated, sealed

clean oil dispensing equipment.

Oil analysis: As part of routine

maintenance, one should be rigorous in

checking the ‘health’ of the hydraulic oil

and the hydraulic system itself. Typically, it

is advised that maintenance professionals

perform quarterly oil analysis and annual

system inspections. The oil analysis

should include a measurement of fluid

viscosity, water content, particle count

and dissolved metals to determine how

well the system is operating. Examining

changes in the oil analysis data over time,

also known as ‘trending’, is necessary

to assess the condition of the hydraulic

fluid. By trending oil analysis data, it is

possible to proactively address undesirable

conditions before they become problems.

Visual inspections Beyond oil analysis, visual system

inspections should be conducted regularly

to check and document the condition of

the hydraulic systems. Inspection data

can be used to establish the optimum

time to perform maintenance on critical

hydraulic components such as filters,

breathers, valves, heat exchangers and

pumps. Comprehensive leak detection

should also be performed, especially if

excessive hydraulic oil usage is noted

during a routine system inspection.

Pumping efficiencyBy incorporating these key best practices,

plant managers, equipment maintenance

professionals and purchasing agents can

make informed decisions that will help

maximise the performance and life of their

company’s critical hydraulic systems, besides

giving a boost to their efficiency.

Dr Ian Davidson is the

Global Industrial Marketing

Manager at ExxonMobil

Lubricants & Specialties

Company, Fairfax (Virginia).

For details, contact Karen Matusic

on email: [email protected]

Hydraulic system maintenance

AUTOMATION TRENDS Wireless technology



The chemical industry is

highly capital- as well as

resource-intensive. And there

are many dangers involved

while processing or manufacturing

chemicals. By and large, the methods for

producing chemicals are well-established

and widely known. Then what is the

USP of a manufacturer? How he or she

makes profits in the business? How safety

is ensured in a plant? One of the most

effective ways to address all the issues

is to maximise efficiency and continuity,

while paying close attention to safety.

Safety is a key attribute in the chemical

industry. Plants that are unsafe are

unlikely to make profits. In this regard,

wireless communication can make a

valuable contribution in these areas.

Technology at its bestAs the need for additional process

measurements increases, users seek a

simple, reliable, secure and cost-effective

method to deliver new measurement

values to control systems without the

need to install more wires. With process

improvements, plant expansions, regulatory

requirements and safety level demands,

users are looking at wireless technology to

address various issues.

Realising the need and potential of

wireless technology, several organisations

have come out with solutions. For instance,

WirelessHART is a wireless mesh network

communication protocol for process

automation applications. It adds wireless

capabilities to the HART Protocol while

maintaining compatibility with existing

HART devices, commands and tools.

With approximately 30 million

HART devices in service worldwide,

HART technology is a widely used field

communication protocol for intelligent

process instrumentation. With the additional

capability of wireless communication,

the legacy of benefits provided by this

powerful technology continues to deliver

the operational insight that users need to

remain competitive.

The WirelessHART architecture is

designed to be an easy to use, reliable and

interoperable wireless mesh sensor protocol.

It specifies mandatory requirements that

compatible equipment must support for

interoperability such that wireless device

types of different manufacturers can be

exchanged without compromising system

operation. The technology is popular and

on the line of customers’ expectation. “Our

experience is that with WirelessHART

devices, customers can easily monitor

their critical plant assets and gain access

to information from all areas of the plant.

With the predictive diagnostics that

are available as part of implementing

Asset Management solutions with

wireless devices, one can increase process

uptime, improve consistency and lower

the risk of abnormal situations,” explains

Dr A S Prasad, Director - Solutions

Group, Emerson Process Management

(India) Pvt Ltd - which offers a wide

range of wireless field instrumentation

& plant operations equipment and Smart

Wireless products & solutions.

Applications of the wireless

technology are growing on a daily basis,

fired by the imaginations of innovators,

who see this as a means of adding to

operators’ awareness of their surroundings

for the overall improvement of the plant

safety, productivity and efficiency. “The

more control one has over the process,

physical assets, and overall operations

of a plant, the safer and more profitable

one’s business can become. And, more

information means more opportunities for

reducing operational costs and improving

quality, throughput and availability,”

points out Dr Prasad.

Wireless technology plays an important role in ensuring chemical plant safety and profits. In this direction, WirelessHART – the first open and interoperable wireless communication standard designed to address the critical needs of the process industry – offers reliable, robust and secure wireless communication in the industrial plant applications.


In addition, plants are often struggling

to get the measurement and diagnostic

information that could ease compliance

to new environmental and safety

requirements. “All these questions are now

being answered by the WirelessHART

technology,” he claims.

Safety parametersOn-site wireless communication

facilitates quicker response to

disturbances that can harm people,

property and the environment.

Designated personnel, wherever they

are, get clear, unambiguous information

and alarms on what has happened and

where. Staff can communicate with

safety systems and processes. They can

talk one-on-one or in conference calls –

throughout the plant through concrete

walls and in noisy environments. They

can nip many problems in the bud, and

reduce the risk of accidents.

In case an accident occurs, quicker

response helps minimise the consequences

of the accident. For example, in the event

of an accidental discharge of cleaning

agent, the company can alert the sewage

treatment plant, so they can take action

and minimise the damage. In the event of

a serious accident, safety personnel can get

information about the number of staff in

the risk zone and also the exact location

of the mishap. With wireless system,

they can quickly set up conference calls

with management, outside specialists

and emergency services and can take

necessary action depending on the

gravity of the situation.

Even an engineer on the factory

floor is far more likely to identify faults

faster and put them right in a controlled

way. With wireless communication, an

engineer who notices something wrong

with a particular piece of equipment

can immediately check quality and

performance data on his handset, and can

take necessary actions at that point of

time. If required, adjustments to feedstock

levels or a controlled shut down can be

requested from the device, instead of using

the ‘emergency stop’ button. Today, in any

sector, where the focus is permanently

on manufacturing products faster and

cheaper than the competitors, optimised

production on a daily basis counts. Smart

integration of wireless communications

can make a significant contribution to

quicker response for changing conditions,

enhanced efficiency and continuity, and

safety of chemical plants.

According to Dr Prasad, adoption

of wireless technology in India is high.

“Several process plants are active users of

this technology. Even though the focus

is to win confidence of customers in

monitoring applications at this point in

time, we have absolutely no doubt that

this ‘disruptive technology’ can change the

way measurements are made and process

parameters are monitored & controlled in

the times to come,” he says. Sooner the

chemical plants adopt wireless technology,

better are the prospects for them.


Wireless technology

ENERGY MANAGEMENT Wind power


Generating cost-competitiveness through specialty chemicals

Mahua Roy

According to the study by

LBNL, the cost of power

generated through wind is

now comparable to that from

imported coal and natural gas-based plants.

As a result, wind power can play a noteworthy

part in addressing the challenges of energy

security & environmental pollution, and

that too in a cost-effective

manner. Specialty chemicals

have a significant contribution

in making wind power available

at an affordable price and also

maintaining the functionality

of turbines.

Growing emphasis on wind power

Kevin Lambrych, Global Wind Energy

Program Manager, Ashland Performance

Materials, while providing a steady

comparison of the various renewable

energy measures available to us, says, “If

you look at power generation from wind,

solar, hydro, geothermal, and biomass, all

except biomass have the advantage of

generating power without CO2 emission.

Advantage of wind over solar is that the

sun only shines half the time and, today

the cost of energy (COE) for solar is

around twice that of wind. Hydropower

affects the ecosystem, requires substantial

upfront investment and, typically, projects

must be completed in a single phase.

On the other hand, wind farms can

be established incrementally and easily

expanded for future needs. Geothermal

energy sources are not accessible in all

regions and there have been occurrences

of the geothermal steam source shifting

or running out, significantly degrading

the power plant’s performance.”

As its popularity has grown, wind

power has become increasingly cost-

competitive with traditional energy

sources like coal. The market for wind is

about five times larger than that for solar,

as per Eric Peeters, Vice President - Solar

Solutions & Wind Energy Solutions,

Dow Corning. “The main advantages of

wind energy are that it is utility scale,

available 24 hours a day and relatively

predictable, especially for offshore. This

has made it attractive from an electricity

generation perspective, as wind turbine

arrays can be connected directly into

the grid. The other factor that makes

wind attractive is that this technology is

relatively mature,” he adds.

India ranks fifth in the world when it

comes to cumulative installed capacity for

wind power. As per Gunderao Manurkar,

Business Manager – Energy Sector,

Huntsman Advanced Materials (India)

Pvt Ltd, “Wind Turbine Generator

(WTG) capacity addition in India has

taken place at a CAGR of 25 per cent

in the last 12 years. Multi-megawatt

turbines (1.5 to 2.1 MW) are being

used increasingly with greater hub height

installations. Larger diameter rotors are

also an upcoming trend. The shift towards

larger WTGs is the result of improved

infrastructure available to handle bigger

turbines and improved economics of the

sector.” These trends can be transformed

into further opportunities for the specialty

chemicals sector.

Longevity of the turbinesThe estimated life span of an individual

wind turbine is 20-25 years. Specialty

chemical manufacturers are complementing

the research of power generation industry

to address this critical issue. “Wind farm

operators estimate that a wind turbine will

have a life span of more than 20 years.

Solutions need to be developed so that

As per a recent study by Lawrence-Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), 3,000 GW is the potential for wind power generation in India. This massive figure spells good news for the chemical industry too. Read on to find out more…

To d a y ’ s r e s i n s , adhesives and coatings need to meet the challenge of a 20-year life span requirement;

this means they must have acceptable fatigue performance.Kevin LambrychGlobal Wind Energy Program Manager, Ashland Performance Materials


a turbine actually lasts as long as this. It

needs to be manufactured more efficiently

and, thus will operate more economically.

The longevity of wind energy plants and

their efficient production are key factors in

improving the economic efficiency of wind

power,” elaborates Chris Titmarsh, Regional

Head Asia-Pacific, Amine Solutions,

Regional Business Unit Intermediates,

BASF. He adds that BASF’s broad range

of hardeners, accelerators and additives for

the professional processing of epoxy resins

can reduce the manufacturing process of

rotor blades by up to 30 per cent.

Also, 30 per cent of a wind blade’s

mass is resin. Therefore, the resin plays

a significant role in the blade cost and

performance. Says Lambrych, “Today’s

resins, adhesives and coatings need to

meet the challenge of a 20-year life span

requirement; this means they must have

acceptable fatigue performance. Today,

Ashland is actively involved in innovating

the next generation of resin technologies

that will offer improved performance,

while maintaining the advantage of

cost and productivity compared to

other materials.”

However, as technology continues to

mature, the 20-year span will eventually

elongate. Hence, companies would need

to concentrate on increasing the rotor size

for more efficient, lower cost of energy

turbines. Another issue is the operation

of turbines in extreme climatic conditions.

As Peeters puts it, “Turbines are getting

bigger and are moving into more harsh

operating conditions, such as offshore

and colder climates. Thus, choosing

materials that support the scalability

of larger drivetrain turbines, and those

which protect against harsh environments

and operate in sub-zero temperatures

is critical to the power generators.”

Dow Corning provides solutions by

way of industrial lubricants and

silicones, which are effective over wide

temperature ranges.

Adhesives play a vital role in developing

new structures & designs for wind blades,

stress & forces applied during service are

critical. “Several epoxy & polyurethane

adhesives are formulated to bond the

inner reinforcement material as well as for

the shells. There is an increasing demand

from customers for adhesives with high

flexural strength, high toughness and a

service temperature from -40° to +80° C,”

says Manurkar.

Bringing down cost of wind power generationIf lowering the cost of power production

is the question, then specialty chemicals

is the answer! Combined efforts of the

power generation industry and specialty

chemicals have helped make wind power

generation extremely cost-effective. In

these days where prices of non-renewable

as also renewable energy sources keep

soaring, specialty chemicals are helping

ensure that wind power generation does

not join the ‘expensive’ league. “A wind

turbine’s COE is related to its upfront

installed cost, durability and efficiency

of converting wind energy into electrical

power. Also, a material supplier is not

only able to help control quality, but also

improve productivity through solutions

that reduce blade production cycle time

and minimise cost, thereby providing a

competitive advantage to the fabricator

and ultimately advancing the entire

industry. At the end of the day, it is

all about reducing the cost of energy

produced by wind turbines compared to

alternatives,” adds Lambrych.

Companies are rapidly aligning their

business models to address this key

issue of bringing down the overall cost.

Peeters also echoes the same sentiment,

“Our innovation model is focussed on

developing materials that help the

industry lower the COE. Cost of energy

production in this industry is largely a

factor of turbine reliability. This is either

because of operation and maintenance

cycles or because of replacement costs.”

Specialty chemicals can address these

issues efficiently.

This also translates into good news

for India as the Ministry of New &

Renewable Energy estimates that wind

energy is the fastest growing renewable

energy sector in the country. With a

cumulative deployment of over 13,000

MW capacity, it accounts for nearly

70 per cent of the installed capacity

in the renewable energy sector in the

country. “With plants increasing in size

and performance, the requirements to

be met are becoming more demanding.

Moreover, customers expect the plants to

be more durable even when conditions are

as harsh as in offshore wind farms. The

demands on the systems and materials

being used keep increasing accordingly.

Innovative chemical system solutions are

gaining importance in this area because

they can be customised to suit specific

requirements,” adds Titmarsh.


Wind farm operators estimate that a wind turbine will have a life span of more than 20 years. Solutions

need to be developed so that a turbine actually lasts as long as this.

Chris TitmarshRegional Head Asia-Pacific, Amine Solutions, Regional Business Unit Intermediates, BASF

Wind turbine generator capacity addition in India has taken place at a CAGR of 25 per cent in the last 12 years. Multi-

megawatt turbines (1.5 to 2.1 MW) are being used increasingly with greater hub height installations.Gunderao ManurkarBusiness Manager – Energy Sector, Huntsman Advanced Materials (India) Pvt Ltd

Choosing materials that support the scalability of larger drivetrain turbines, and those which protect against harsh environments

and operate in sub-zero temperatures is critical to the power generators.

Eric PeetersVP - Solar Solutions & Wind Energy Solutions, Dow Corning

Wind power

POLICIES & REGULATIONS Duty Drawback Scheme


Avani Jain

The exports

industry saw major

changes towards the end of

last year with the popular

export incentive, DEPB scheme, which

had been prevalent since the mid-

1990s, replaced by the DDS. The shift

to the new scheme has made the export

incentive structure more compliant with

international best practices.

Under the DDS, exporters can avail

of the reimbursement of taxes, ie Customs

Duty, Excise Duty and Service Tax after

the actual export has taken place, while

under the DEPB scheme, exporters get

immediate benefit at the time of export as

per the rates notified from time to time for

each commodity by Director General of

Foreign Trade (DGFT) on the Free On

Board (FOB) value of the exports. This is

not the actual tax paid by the importers but

paid on ‘deemed’ value of the components.

Satish Wagh, Chairman, Chemexcil, notes,

“The DEPB scheme was withdrawn

primarily due to financial constraints and also

due to so-called non-conformity with WTO

provisions. However, in the presence of

complicated Indirect Tax structure and other

State levies, it was not the appropriate time

for discontinuance of the DEPB scheme.

It must also be noted that while framing

the Drawback rates, the DEPB rates were

reduced substantially and the reduction was

almost to the extent of 3 per cent. And in

today’s competitive world, 3 per cent of FOB

value means a lot for the exporter.”

Critical analysis DDS is facing criticism from across

industries as it imposes a cash flow burden

on exporters. So, an efficient disbursal of

the drawback amount without delays is

essential for its proper working. Another

disadvantage is that the scheme does not

include the indirect taxes paid on capital

goods and state taxes.

Further, the rates offered under DDS

are less when compared to DEPB rates.

Wagh says, “It must also be noted that

the rates fixed under All Industry Rates

of Drawback are normally valid for a

period of one year (this year, new rates

may be revised in June after the Budget is

passed) and, hence they do not take into

account the adverse changes subsequently

noticed/experienced.”

Despite the disadvantages, DDS does

offer benefits. The scheme ensures the

rebate of the duty chargeable on materials

components and packaging materials

used in exports and, thus, neutralises the

incidence of both Customs and Excise

duties on exports. This is ensured by fixing

the rate of drawback for different export

products in the form of a schedule through

a statistical survey.

Impact on chemical exportsDDS has affected the exports of all

the industries including that of the

chemical. Wagh notes, “The exports have

decelerated post-September 2011, though

it cannot be directly attributed to shifting

from DEPB to Drawback scheme.”

He adds further, “If All Industry

Rates of Drawback are suitably amended

after taking

into account the

impact of Central

as well as State levy,

Drawback would be beneficial

in the long run. However, a small

percentage of Drawback like 1 per cent

of FOB value does not serve the cause of

export. The minimum rate of Drawback,

therefore, should be revised to 2 to 2.5

per cent of FOB value, keeping in mind

the turbulence in international markets.”

Long way to goChemical industry is already facing

stiff competition from China and any

reduction in incentives will harm it.

Chemical exports require better support as

the cost for manufacturing has increased

due to overall rise in cost on account of

increase in Excise Duty, Service Tax, oil

price, interest cost, freight cost, etc. The

SME sector is also badly hit and deserves

better encouragement as there is potential

to increase chemical exports from the

SME sector. Wagh notes, “Thus, for the

companies to remain competitive in the

global market, the Drawback rates should

be revised upward and the rates must take

into account the impact of high taxation

in general, as India is still one of those

countries, which charge high tariffs.”

He concludes, “Simply put, the rates

should be revised upward and there

should be a guaranteed system to process

the drawback claim by direct credit

within maximum seven days from the

date of export. Besides, Drawback is

post-export instrument and, hence any

delay of whatever nature adds to the cost

of exporter.”


The replacement of Duty Entitlement Pass Book (DEPB) scheme by Duty Drawback

Scheme (DDS) has sparked a debate among the industry regarding its impact. The majority believe that it would bring a setback for the export prospects of the

chemical industry.

STRATEGYCollaborative policy


Avani Jain

Today, the pace of business

is so rapid that companies

need to continuously review

their growth strategies so as

to remain competitive. Of the different

strategies adopted by companies,

collaboration seems to be the buzzword

in the industry these days.

Narendra R Mehta, Managing

Director, Fibro Organic (India) Pvt

Ltd, says, “Collaboration often enables

businesses to pursue a common goal. It

is more common among complementary

businesses and not direct competitors.

However, it is possible to negotiate business

collaboration even with competitors so as

to avoid damaging conflicts such as price

wars etc. These days, it is often seen that

two smaller businesses collaborate so as

to get a larger marketshare and earn good

reputation in the market. This is because,

if they operate individually, they would

not be able to sustain themselves for long.

But if they tie-up with other companies

having the same scale of operations, they

are likely to succeed in the long run as

this will make them big enough to survive

competition from the multinationals.”

He adds further, “Not only the Indian

companies are entering into collaborations

with foreign companies but also the

multinationals are increasingly shifting their

base to India by entering into collaboration

with Indian companies as a result of

availability of motivated and creative work

force & low labour and equipment costs.”

Extending benefitsThrough collaboration, companies can

boost their R&D activities. By sourcing

and acquiring knowledge from dispersed

geographic locations, companies can go

for more innovations of higher value at

lower costs. Mehta notes, “Collaboration

helps companies in carrying out extensive

research projects that are not otherwise

possible for a company. This is due to the

reason that often research activities require

high expenditure, technical know-how etc,

which a company might not have. In such

a scenario, collaborating with a counterpart

may offer great help.”

Collaboration often helps companies in

taking up larger projects, ie a single company

might not be able to handle a project,

which requires multiple permissions from

the government and huge investments. But

when two companies come together, their

resources increase and this can help them in

handling prestigious and good projects.

Despite the aforesaid benefits,

the success of collaboration and the

frequency of collaborative agreements

depend on the type of collaboration.

Ravi Kapoor, Managing Director,

Heubach Colour Pvt Ltd, says, “There

have been a few collaborations in the

dyes segment, which are significant.

But the overall mergers and acquisition

activity in the area of colorants has been

limited. The main reason for this is the

scale of operations as well as the low

technologies coupled with low stress on

safety, health and responsible care related

issues. These issues are being addressed,

but more needs to be done on this front

to have a vibrant atmosphere for these

kinds of activities.”

The joy of togethernessEvidently, the age of collaborative

business is dawning. Small and midsize

businesses that have got themselves

into collaboration agreements by way of

mergers and joint ventures are seeing

startling results. Further, the companies

collaborating with multinationals can

also foresee a good future for themselves.

Thus, collaboration can offer competitive

advantage, provided companies develop

distinct organisational capabilities and

the right framework to facilitate mutually

beneficial collaborative activities.


With increasing competition and soaring prices, companies are adopting innovative ways to deal with the two issues. One such way is going for mergers and joint ventures. These days, companies are adopting collaboration as a strategy to explore new business and research opportunities not only within the country but also abroad.

competitive edge

proposition to

TIPS & TRICKS Hazardous chemicals


Safety tips for ensuring accident-free transit

The rapid growth of chemical industry has necessitated adequate and efficient logistics support. In fact, logistical challenges are applicable for all commodities, but more critical to chemical sector considering the nature of the cargo. To mitigate such impediments, logistics providers need to take several measures for the welfare of human beings as well as environment.

It is important to check

the labels on containers

and follow handling

instructions. Use protective

clothing and equipment such as masks

and gloves. One must not drink or smoke

when handling chemicals.

It is essential to keep

hazardous substances away

from children, food, animal

feed, seeds, fertiliser or

flammable materials such as petrol or oil.

Condition of container

should be checked

thoroughly before

starting the journey. If

any container is damaged or leaking, it

needs to be placed inside another secure

container. It is mandatory to put a label

on the outside of the container describing

the contents.

For storing of hazardous

substances, it is imperative

that the storage areas are

kept dry, well-ventilated

and securely locked. Storing of chemicals

should be done in labelled containers

(ideally their original containers), with

lids tightly closed.

In case of any warning

s i gna l s r ega rd ing

accidents on account of

hazardous chemicals,

instructions must be given to concerned

department to eliminate any potential

hazards immediately or within a

definite period.

Every goods carriage

carrying dangerous or

hazardous goods should

display a distinct mark

of the class label appropriate to the type

of dangerous or hazardous goods. Every

package containing such goods shall display

the distinct class labels appropriate to the

type of dangerous or hazardous goods.

In the case of packages,

which represent more than

one hazard, such packages

shall display distinct labels to indicate

the hazards.

Every vehicle carrying

chemicals, which are

dangerous or hazardous

in nature, should be fitted

with a tachograph, an instrument to

record the lapse of running time of the

motor vehicle; time speed maintained,

acceleration and deceleration etc, and a

spark arrester. The vehicle should have

valid registration and permit.

The vehicle should be

safe for the transportation

of the said goods and

equipped with necessary

first-aid, safety equipment, tool box and

antidotes as may be necessary in any

accident scenario.

The owner or transporter

should ensure that the

information given by

the consigner is full

and accurate and that the driver being

deputed for transportation is trained

to handle & transport such hazardous

materials.

The owner of the

vehicle carrying dangerous

chemicals and the consigner

of such goods should lay

down the route for each trip.


1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11


The growth of the chemical

industry coupled with new

product developments has

led to an increase in the

proportion of hazardous chemicals

in total freight traffic. There is a

rising demand to store and distribute

such products in most conducive

environment. Hazardous materials

transportation risk management

involves establishing, organising,

planning, executing and monitoring a

set of operations that aim to decrease

the probability of accidents and reduce

the relevant potential consequences.

Given below is the safety checklist

for storing and transportation of

hazardous chemicals.

PROJECTS


Chlorinated polyvinyl chloride

Trience Specialty Chemicals Pvt LtdProject type

New facility

Project news

Trience Specialty Chemicals Pvt Ltd,

a joint venture between Meghmani

Organics Ltd and Japanese Mitsui &

Company Ltd and Kaneka Corporation,

will invest over ` 240 crore for setting

up a chlorinated polyvinyl chloride

(CPVC) manufacturing facility at Dahej

in Bharuch district. The plant is expected

to commence production in 2014 and

will initially manufacture 20,000 tonne of

CPVC annually, which can be increased

up to 40,000 tonne per annum later.

Project location

Dahej, Gujarat

Project cost

` 240 crore

Implementation stage

Planning

Contact details:

Meghmani House

Shree Nivas Society

Paldi, Ahmedabad 380 007

Tel: 079-26640668/669


---------------------------------------------

Coal tar

Himadri Chemicals and Industries LtdProject type

Capacity expansion

Project news

Himadri Chemicals is mulling ` 1,900-

crore investment in the next four years

for coal tar capacity expansion and

also for foraying into new by-products

such as pitch coke. This expansion will

be implemented in phases and funded

through a mix of internal accruals and

debt. The company will invest ` 1,200

crore to expand coal tar capacity to one

million tonne by 2015, from the present

2.5 lakh tonne.

Project location

West Bengal

Project cost

` 1,200 crore


Planning

Contact details:

Himadri Chemicals and Industries Ltd

Fortuna Tower

23-A, Netaji Subhas Road

8th Floor, Kolkata 700 001

Tel: 033-22304363, Fax: 033-22309051


---------------------------------------------

Di-ammonium phosphate

Gujarat State Fertilizers and ChemicalsProject type

Capacity expansion

Project news

Gujarat State Fertilizers and

Chemicals (GSFC) has announced

its plans to expand the capacity of its

Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) unit

at Sikka in Jamnagar district. GSFC will

invest ` 250 crore to expand capacity by

0.4 MT to produce complex fertilisers

(blend of nitrogen, phosphorus and

potassium). The expansion is to be

completed by 2014-15.

Project location

Sikka, Gujarat

Project cost

` 250 crore


Planning

Contact details:

Gujarat State Fertilizers & Chemicals Ltd

P O Fertilizernagar 391 750

District Vadodara, Gujarat

Tel: 0265-2242051, Fax: 0265-2240966


---------------------------------------------

Liquefied natural gas

Gujarat State Petroleum CorporationProject type

New facility

Project news

Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation

(GSPC) plans to commission the

liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal

with a capacity of five million tonne

per annum at Mundra by 2015-16.

The entire project cost is estimated at

` 3,500 crore. GSPC is now looking at

preparing detailed project report of the

proposed LNG terminal, which will be

third such project in the state. The EPC

contract will be floated in six months to

one year’s time.

Project location

Mundra, Gujarat

Project cost

` 3,500 crore


Planning

Contact details:

Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation Ltd

GSPC Bhavan

Behind Udyog Bhavan, Sector - 11

Gandhinagar 382 010, Gujarat

Tel: 079- 66701001, Fax: 079-23236375


---------------------------------------------

Oil & gas

Oil and Natural Gas CorporationProject type

Capacity expansion

Project news

State-owned Oil and Natural Gas

Corporation (ONGC) will invest

about ` 2,600 crore in the third phase

of development of C-series natural gas

fields off the west coast. The company

board has approved advancement of

development of C-26 cluster (consisting

of C-23, C-26 and B-12-1) fields of

phase-III development of C-series

fields, to pre-monsoon 2014 instead of

2018 envisaged earlier.

Project location

Not known

Project cost

` 2,600 crore


Planning

Contact details:

ONGC

New projects and expansion activities are the barometers of industrial growth. These also present business opportunities to service providers like consultants, contractors, plant & equipment suppliers and others down the value chain. This feature will keep you updated with vital information regarding new projects and capacity expansions being planned by companies in the chemical and allied industries.

PROJECTS


Basement, Old Secretariat Building

Tel Bhawan, Dehradun

Tel: 0135-2793959

Fax: 0135-2793415


---------------------------------------------

Pharmaceuticals

Shasun Pharmaceuticals LtdProject type

New facility

Project news

The Chennai-based Shasun

Pharmaceuticals is planning to invest around

` 250 crore in the next fiscal for setting

up a greenfield facility and other capital

expenditure. The company has commenced

construction of its greenfield facility in

Visakhapatnam. The project entails an

investment of ` 100 crore and is expected

to be commissioned by October 2012.

Project location

Visakhapatnam

Project cost

` 100 crore


Work in progress

Contact details:

Shasun Pharmaceuticals

3rd & 4th Floor, ‘Batra Centre’

28, Sardar Patel Road

Guindy, Chennai 600 032

Tamil Nadu

Tel: 044-43446700, Fax: 044-22350278


---------------------------------------------

Phosphoric Acid

Punjab Chemicals & Crop Protection LtdProject type

New facility

Project news

Punjab Chemicals & Crop Protection

Ltd plans to set up a phosphoric acid

unit with a capacity of 1,800 tpa at

Tarapur, Maharashtra. The company has

different business units like agrochemicals,

pharmaceuticals, industrial chemicals etc.

Project location

Tarapur, Maharashtra

Project cost

Not known


Planning

Contact details:

Punjab Chemicals & Crop Protection Ltd

Oberoi Chambers II, 5th Floor

645/646, New Link Road

Andheri (West), Mumbai 400 053

Tel: 022-26747900, Fax: 022-26736193/78

E-mail: [email protected]

---------------------------------------------

Purified terephthalic acid

Indo Rama Synthetics (India) LtdProject type

New facility

Project news

Indo Rama Synthetics (India) Ltd and

Indorama Ventures Public Company Ltd

(IVL) of Thailand have signed an MoU

to set up a state-of-the-art integrated

facility in India to manufacture Purified

Terephthalic Acid (PTA), Polyethylene

Terepthalate (PET) and Polye Staple

Fibre (PSP) plants. The MoU signed

is the single-largest Thai investment

in India. The project would involve an

investment of $ 700 million and is likely

to commence production in three years.

Project location

Not known

Project cost

$ 700 million


Planning

Contact details:

Indo Rama Synthetics (India) Ltd

20th Floor, DLF Square

DLF Phase II, NH 8

Gurgaon 122002, Haryana

Tel: 0124-4997000, Fax: 0124-4997070


---------------------------------------------

Super Phosphate

Liberty Phosphate LtdProject type

Capacity expansion

Project news

Liberty Phosphate Ltd, the largest

producer and supplier of single super

phosphate (powder & granulated),

plans to boost its production capacity

from 5,62,000 mtpa to 9,24,000

mtpa. Currently, the unit at Udaipur

in Rajasthan is operating at existing

capacity of 2,64,000 mtpa of SSP/GSSP.

The company has applied for capacity

expansion at its unit in Kota in Rajasthan

from 1,32,000 mtpa to 1,98,000 mtpa

of SSP/GSSP. Environment clearance

is under process. Besides, the company

plans to expand capacity at its Pali unit

in Maharashtra from 66,000 mtpa to

1,32,000 mtpa and to install SSP plant of

1,32,000 mtpa capacity at its Rae Bareilly

unit at Uttar Pradesh.

Project locations

Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh

Project cost

Not known


Planning

Contact details:

Liberty Phosphate Ltd

5, Readymoney Terrace, 3rd floor

167, Dr Annie Besant Road

Worli, Mumbai 400 034

Tel: 022-24900103/4

Fax: 022-24900106


---------------------------------------------

Refinery-cum-petrochemicals complex

GMR HoldingsProject type

New facility

Project news

The GMR Holdings Pvt Ltd

will invest ` 30,000 crore to set up a

15-million tonne per annum greenfield

refinery-cum-petrochemicals complex,

including an integrated investment park

at Kakinada. GMR Infrastructure would

invest an additional ` 3,000 crore in a

multi-product Special Economic Zone in

the PCPIR.

Project location

Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh

Project cost

` 30,000 crore


Planning

Contact details:

GMR Group

IBC Knowledge Park, Phase 2, ‘D’ Block

9th Floor, 4/1, Bannerghatta Road

Bengaluru 560 029

Tel: 080-40432000


EVENT LIST


NATIONAL

Lab Expo & Conferences PuneIndustrial fair for lab equipment,

technology and instrumentation; April

20-22, 2012; at Auto Cluster Development

& Research Institute Ltd, Pune

For details contact:

Harish Arora, Paramount Exhibitors

679, Phase 7, S A S Nagar, Mohali 140 110

Tel: 0172-2274801

Fax: 0172-2274803


Aquatech IndiaFocussed trade show on advanced

technologies for wastewater management;

April 25-27, 2012; at Pragati Maidan,

New Delhi


Sunil Chhibber

Inter Ads-Brooks Exhibitions (India)

Plot No 859, Phase-V Udyog Vihar

Gurgaon 122 001

Tel: 0124-4524105, Fax: 0124-4381162


ChemProTech India 2012International exhibition on chemical

processing technology and equipment

to be held concurrently with Chemspec

India 2012; April 26-27, 2012; at Bombay

Exhibition Centre, Mumbai


Krunal Goda

Koelnmesse YA Tradefair Pvt Ltd

#1102, 11th Floor, DLH Park, Near

MTNL Office, S V Road, Goregaon (W)

Mumbai 400 062

Tel: 022-2871 5207, Fax: 022-2871 5222


India Oil & Gas Review Summit 2012International conference and exhibition

showcasing latest trends in oil & gas

industry; September 06-07, 2012; at

Hotel Taj Lands, Mumbai


Oil Asia Publications Pvt Ltd

530, Laxmi Plaza, Laxmi Industrial Estate

New Link Road

Andheri (W), Mumbai 400 053

Tel: 022-6681 4900, Fax: 022-2636 7676


Automation 2012Conference and exhibition showcasing

latest technologies in the fields of factory

automation, process automation and

control systems, robotics & drives, field

instrumentation & smart sensors bus

technologies, software solutions, wireless

technologies, etc; September 07-10, 2012;

at NSE Complex, Mumbai


IED Communications Ltd

64, Empire Building

D N Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001

Tel: 022-22079567, Fax: 022-22074516

Email:[email protected]

Informex India 2012A tradeshow for bringing together

buyers and sellers of chemicals, chemical

technologies and related services; September

12-14, 2012; at Nehru Centre, Mumbai


UBM India Pvt Ltd

Sagar Tech Plaza A 615-617, 6th Floor

Andheri-Kurla Road

Saki Naka Junction, Andheri (E)

Mumbai 400 072

Tel: 022-6612 2600, Fax: 022-6612 2626/27


India Chem 2012Premier tradeshow for the chemical

industry in India; October 04-06, 2012;

at NSE Exhibition Complex, Mumbai


Mehul Tyagi, FICCI

Federation House, 1 Tansen Marg

New Delhi 110 001

Tel: 011-2376 5081/2373 8760

Fax: 011-2335 9734


Watertech Expo & ConferenceAn event to be held concurrently

with Wastetech, Cleantech and

Pollutech focussing on technologies

for waste, wastewater and recycling;

November 02-04; at Ahmedabad


Exhiference Media Pvt Ltd

B-2 Basement, Kalyan Tower

Near Vastrapur Lake, Ahmedabad 380 015

Tel: 079-4003 9444/9431

Fax: 079-4003 9431


CPhI India 2012International exhibition on pharmaceutical

ingredients, machinery, equipment,

outsourcing and bio-solutions; November

21-23, 2012; at Bombay Exhibition

Centre, Mumbai


UBM India Pvt Ltd

Sagar Tech Plaza A 615-617, 6th Floor

Andheri-Kurla Road, Saki Naka Junction

Andheri (E), Mumbai 400 072

Tel: 022-6612 2600

Fax: 022-6612 2626


For details

Infomedia 18 LtdRuby House, 1st Floor, J K Sawant Marg, Dadar (W), Mumbai 400 028.

• Tel: 022 3003 4651 • Fax: 022 3003 4499 • Email: [email protected]

India’s premier industrial trade fair on products and technologies related to Machine Tools, Hydraulics & Pneumatics, Process Machinery & Equipment, Automation Instrumentation,

Packaging & Auxiliaries, IT Products, Electrical & Electronics, Material Handling and Safety Equipment.

AHMEDABADGujarat,

Oct 5-8, 2012

PUNEMaharashtra,

Nov 2-5, 2012

CHENNAITamil Nadu,

Nov 22-25, 2012

LUDHIANAPunjab,

Dec 21-24, 2012

INDOREMadhya Pradesh, Jan 11-14, 2013

AURANGABADMaharashtra, Feb 1-4, 2013

RUDRAPURUttarakhand,

Feb 23-26, 2013

EVENT LIST


INTERNATIONAL

AnalyticaEvent to showcase technologies for

analysis, quality control, laboratory

technology; April 17-20, 2012; at

New Munich Trade Fair Centre,

Munich, Germany


IMAG

AM Messesee-2, Munich, Germany

Tel: +(49)-(89)-9492 2121

Fax: +(49)-(89)-9492 2350


ICIS World Surfactants ConferenceConference focussing on current global

surfactant markets, trends and feedstock

economics, emerging technologies, etc;

April 25-26, 2012; Hyatt Regency Jersey

City, New York, USA


Nazan Ali, ICIS Conferences

Quadrant House, The Quadrant

Sutton, Surrey, SM2 5AS, The UK

Tel:+(44) 208 652 8350

Email:[email protected]

Coatech MexicoFocussed event showcasing technological

advancements in the coatings industry;

May 02-04, 2012; at Expo Banamex,

Mexico


Mauricio Cadena, Giprex Mexico

S.A. de C.V., Daniel Zambrano

No. 525 Col., Monterrey, Mexico

Tel: +(52)-(81)-8347 8560

Fax: +(52)-(81)-8346 2597


American Coatings ShowSymposium and technology showcase

on coatings; May 08-12, 2012; at

Indiana Convention Center, the US


Nuernberg Messe North America, Inc

400 Interstate North Parkway,

Suite 710 Atlanta, The US

Tel: +1 (202) 462-6272

Fax: +1 (202) 462-1924


Chemistry Oil & Gas 2012Specialised exhibition on cutting-edge

products and technologies, equipment

and materials for the chemical, oil and

gas industries; May 15-18, 2012; at the

Roofer Soccer Arena, Belarus


Olga Akulinina

Manager - Chemistry Oil & Gas

ZAO Technics and Communications

Post Box 34, Minsk, 220004

Rebublic of Belarus

Tel: (+375 17) 306 06 06

Fax: (+375 17) 203 33 86


Dye+Chem Indonesia 2012Trade show for dyes and fine & specialty

chemicals; May 31-June 3, 2012, at Jakarta

International Expo, Jakarta


PT CEMS Indonesia

2608, Grand Kartini

57 Jalan Kartini Raya

Jakarta, Indonesia

Tel: +(62)–(21) 7003 3233

Fax: +(62)–(21) 3042 5226


World Gas Conference & ExhibitionEvent showcasing the latest in exploration,

safety, refining, subsea production

systems, drilling, transportation, etc; June

04-08, 2012; at Kuala Lumpur Convention

Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia


The CWC Group Ltd

Regent House, Oyster Wharf 16-18

Lombard Road, London, The UK

Tel: +(44)-(20)-7978 0037

Fax: +(44)-(20)-7978 0099


Chemspec EuropeAn event dedicated to the fine and

specialty chemicals industry; June 13-14,

2012; at Gran Via Exhibition Centre,

Barcelona, Spain


Quartz Business Media Ltd

Westgate House

120/130 Station Road,

Redhill, Surrey

The UK

Tel: +44-1737-855000

Fax: +44-1737-855034


ACHEMAOne of the leading international

events on chemical engineering,

environmental protection and

biotechnology; June 18-22, 2012; at

Messe Frankfurt, Germany


Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH

Ludwig-Erhard-Anlage

1, Frankfurt, Germany

Tel: +(49)-(69)-7575000

Fax: +(49)-(69)-7575643


TOG Expo 2012Event focussing on latest technologies in

the oil and gas industry; October 16-18,

2012; at Pavilion 58, Tripoli International

Fair, Tripoli


WAHAexpo Company

Ben Ashour Road

PO Box 83433

Tripoli, Libya

Tel: (00) (218)-(21) 7269417

Fax: (00) (218)- (21) 362 2360


The information published in this section is as per the details furnished by the respective organiser. In any case, it does not represent the views of Chemical World

BOOK REVIEW


This edition primarily focusses on practical applications of analytical pyrolysis in synthetic organic polymers towards their identification and characterisation. Elaborate discussions on physico-chemistry of thermal degradation of synthetic polymers and instrumentation used in analytical pyrolysis, as well as chapter dedicated to what type of information can be obtained from analytical pyrolysis are well-explained. Besides, there is also a section for analysis and characterisation of synthetic polymers. The second part of this book systematically covers the analytical pyrolysis of various classes of synthetic polymers. Some theoretical background for the understanding of polymer structure using analytical pyrolysis is also discussed.

The USP of this book is that it includes a broad coverage of organic synthetic macromolecules. This book should be used by both researchers and chemists working in analytical chemistry or in synthetic polymers branches. Besides, industry personnel can also gain enough expertise with this book.

Available at: Wisdom Book Distributors, Hornby Building, 1st floor, 174, D N Road, Mumbai 400 001Tel: 022-2207 4484/6631 8958, Telefax: 022-2203 4058, Email: [email protected]

Analytical pyrolysis of synthetic organic polymers

Author: Serban Moldoveanu

Price: ` 5,995

Polymers are the building blocks of a vast number of natural and synthetic raw materials, which when mixed together and with other materials lead to a variety of products such as plastic- and resin-based articles, adhesives and many other coating formulations. The polymers and additives are selected to confer specific characteristics to the basic polymer. This book discusses at length subjects such as use of paints, additives like anti-oxidants, surfactants, anti-foams, fungicides, curing catalysts, etc. Even the environmental effects are briefly covered.

Three basic mechanisms, either separately or in combination can be present in mixing processes. The book also briefly talks about the mixing equipment and the process where the mixing, which is mostly distributive, is achieved by a combination of shear and circulation. In addition, it also covers the factors that determine the mechanical behaviour of fibre-reinforced composites with all the commonly used polymers. Going beyond the plastics as substrates, there is a good coverage of plastics used for metal coating to protect them from corrosion. The PVC coating by processes such as fluidised bed coating, flame spraying, electrostatic spraying, and flock coating is covered with reasonable depth. This book offers general information on plastics and resins compositions and hence, will prove beneficial for researchers and students in the chemical, petrochemical and plastics industry.

Plastics and resin compositions

Editor: W Gordon Simpson

Price: ` 6,900

Reviewer: Arvind S Athalye, Founder & CEO, Arvind Athalye Technology Transfer Pvt Ltd

Reviewer: Tejas Padte, Lecturer, Department of Chemistry, Ramnarain Ruia College, Mumbai

PRODUCTS


This section provides information about the national and international products available in the market

Gas detector strips

These are paper strips impregnated with

specific gas sensing chemicals by a special

process. Gas is detected with the change of

colour of the strip. The gas detector strips are

designed specially after keeping in mind the

requirements of diverse industries. These are

used for H2S, HCN, PH3, AsH3 and mercaptan.

Uniphos Envirotronic Pvt Ltd

Ahmedabad - Gujarat

Tel: 079-40371646


Digital flow meters

These paddle wheel insertion-type digital

flow meters are unique 2-in-1 combination,

wherein the rotameter measures flow rate

vertically. The water meter counts total

horizontally and measures both the aspects.

It is economical and used to match up with international standards.

No external power supply is required.

MTS Engineers Pvt Ltd

Ahmedabad - Gujarat

Tel: 079-26400063, Mob: 09879495924


Acoustic cleaning systems

These systems generate sound waves by

pneumatically vibrating a diaphragm inside

the sound generator. The acoustic horn bell

directs the sound waves onto the equipment

surfaces where deposition of soot/ash/dust

and other particulate materials accumulate.

Low frequency and high energy sound waves dislodge the

deposits from the equipment surfaces.

F Harley & Company Pvt Ltd

Kolkata - West Bengal

Tel: 033-22897676


Basket and pot strainers

These strainers are flexible, reliable,

durable and user-friendly. The filters are

fabricated as per users’ requirements, like

20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 mesh. Sizes range

from ½” to 10”. MOCs are ASTMA 216

Gr WCB, CI to IS 210 Gr FG 220, AISI 304, AISI-316, AISI

316 L, gun-metal, etc.

M Kumar Technocrates

Ahmedabad - Gujarat

Tel: 079-27540287

Mob: 09898114242


Centrifugal blowers

These are robust and welded, available in MS

sheets and plates that are reinforced with angle

iron frame. Any type of outlet direction of

rotation, and discharge specifications are made

as per users’ requirements. The clearance between

casing and impellers to reduce air slippages and

increase volumetric efficiency are maintained.

NBE Motors Pvt Ltd

Ahmedabad - Gujarat

Tel: 079-22740546


Gear pumps

The V-series gear pumps are used for

handling high viscosity media in chemical

and industrial applications. These

are discharge pumps with special inlet

geometry and can be used at temperatures

up to 350°C. The inlet geometry ensures even filling of the gears

at low pressure to safeguard continuous production flow.

Maag Pump Systems India

Navi Mumbai - Maharashtra

Tel: 022-27893645


Looking For A Specific Product?Searching and sourcing products were never so easy.

Just type CW (space) Product Name and send it to 51818eg. CW Pump and send it to 51818

PRODUCTS


Knife gate valves

These valves are available in various

ranges. The rising gate clean sundries

on the seal surface automatically.

Stainless steel prevents leaking,

which is caused by corrosion. Short

face-to-face saves raw materials and

installation room & supports intensity

of the pipe effectively. Triangular

yoke saves raw materials and ensures

mechanical performance.

Zhejiang Gaochuang Pump Valve Co Ltd

Wenzhou - China

Tel: +86-577-67988958


Air handling units

These IClean modular units are

designed to highest engineering

standards for indoor air quality

requirements according to

ASHRAE standard 62, and

meet the requirements of

cooling, heating, ventilation,

dehumidification and air

distribution to a conditioned space. The supporting frame Penta-Post

is made of extruded aluminium profiles having excellent mechanical

characteristics.

Integrated Cleanroom Technologies Ltd

Hyderabad - Andhra Pradesh

Tel: 040-3213478, Mob: 09989212162


Radar transmitter systems

These are full-line reliable, solid-state

radar transmitter systems to drive

Klystrons, TWTs, IOTs and magnetrons

operating from UHF to W band. The

systems incorporate switching power

supplies, solid-state pulse modulators,

and controls that provide from 10 to 50

per cent greater power efficiency and

higher reliability than vacuum tube-based systems.

Diversif ied Technologies Inc

Bedford - USA

Tel: +781-275-9444


PRODUCTS


Liquid chromatography systems

These systems are rugged in design that

facilitate high uptime delivering consistent

results for low operating and maintenance

costs. The systems provide modular

design for future-proof, upgrade path

to quaternary system and combination

with many 1200 Infinity series modules.

These systems have wide power range

and system pressure up to 600 bar.

Agilent Technologies India Pvt Ltd

New Delhi

Tel: 011-51496664


CFI systems

These are fully pre-

fabricated systems. Each

storage tank has one

or more independent

systems depending on

size of the tank. Each

storage vessel is provided

with a contents level and

a pressure switch. These are immune to lightning effects, having no

re-ignition due to cooling effect from the released gas.

CTR Manufacturing India Ltd

Pune - Maharashtra

Tel: 020-26633402


Filter presses

These are sparkler-type filter presses

(model BPSF–8) that consist of stainless

steel shell and top cover, which use bolts

to give pressure-tight enclosure. The

filter cartridge assembly inside the shell

consists of several horizontally arranged

disc-type filter plates with perforated

supporting screens, filter media and

interlocking cups.

Bombay Pharma Equipments Pvt Ltd

Mumbai - Maharashtra

Tel: 022-28594877


Screening machines

These high-performance specialised

machines (type VTS & Vibrall) are

available as per GMP and FDA-

regulations. The hygienic design includes

solutions for WIP-cleaning devices and

ATEX certification. Three-dimensional

tumbling movement creates exceptional

fine cuts for bulk solids. Modular design allows production

of additional fractions through additional screening desks in

one machine.

Allgaier Werke GmbH

Uhingen - Germany

Tel: +49-7161-301353


Programmable logic controllers

The AC500-eCo is a compact and

easy-to-use programmable logic

controller, which reduces engineering

and commissioning time, keeps

maintenance costs under control, and

has high performance. Important

features include: investment-saving

solution due to hardware and software

compatibility with the AC500 family;

cost-saving; and simple-to-position

applications with configurable interrupts.

ABB Ltd

Bengaluru - Karnataka

Tel: 080-22949554


Reverse osmosis desalination system

The PW series reverse osmosis desalination

system is provided with the Aqua Pro 3 or

5-plunger high-pressure pump, titanium

head for maximum corrosion resistance,

balanced drive for lowest noise and

pulsation, ceramic plungers and nylon valves. The boost pump provides

up to 50 psi of boost pressure to the filtration system. The system is

equipped with easy-to-operate SS-316 high-pressure bypass valve,

which controls the operating mode from cleaning/rinsing to water

production and allows high pressure bypass for start-up and low pressure

flushing without readjustment of regulating valve.

Parker Hannif in India Pvt Ltd

Navi Mumbai – Maharashtra

Tel: 022-65137081


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PRODUCTS


Industrial plastic components

A wide range of industrial

plastic components is available

in ABS, polycarbonate, EVA,

polyacetal, nylon, HDPE, PP,

HIPS, PVC and PET. Also

offered are rings, closures,

spacers, bushings, gears, lids, clamps, housings, handles,

brackets, caps, connector brackets, electrical switch boxes,

pumps and valve components, etc.

A S Engineering Works


Mob: 09833617762


Automobile care cleaning chemicals

These chemicals are gentle and capable of effectively removing

spots and stains from the painted vehicle’s body. Furthermore,

the chemicals are also utilised for effectively cleaning the

floors, wall panels, glasses and paint surfaces. The range of the

chemicals is gentle on the car’s paints and does not hamper the

shine and look of the vehicle.

Altret Performance Chemicals Gujarat Pvt Ltd

Surat - Gujarat

Tel: 0261-2451807


Industrial panel PCs

The IPPC-8151S 15”

XGA TFT LCD Celeron

M fanless industrial

panel PC is designed

with 316L stainless

steel, food-safe sealing

materials and an anti-

corrosive and chemical

resistant touchscreen.

The fanless design and

NEMA4X/IP66 waterproof and dustproof protection can

ensure reliable operation in most hazardous environments. The

IPPC-8151S can provide a fully-enclosed IP66 protection for

all sides.

Advantech India


Tel: 080-23374567


Full body opening centrifuges

These machines are used

where cleaning process is

of prime importance and in

places where there is frequent

product changeover. Top body

of the centrifuge is hinged

and body flange provided with

square gasket to ensure leak

proof ability with LBD. Hydraulic cylinder is provided to open top

body of the centrifuge.

Lester & Dynamiks (India)


Tel: 0250-2454735


Investment castings

These are ferrous and non-

ferrous components by

investment casting under lost

wax process. Components

from few grams up to 70 kg

in single piece are offered.

Materials used are of any

metal/alloy, such as stainless steel, alloy steel, carbon steel,

nickel-based steels, super alloys, Hastelloy, aluminium alloys,

copper-based alloys, bronze alloys, etc.

B K Tech Enterprise Inc

Rajkot - Gujarat

Tel: 0281-2388614; Mob: 09662861959


Variable inlet vane dampers

These vane dampers give accurate

modulation and power saving over

other styles of dampers at reduced

airflow. For every inlet vane position,

there is different capacity versus

static pressure curve and capacity

versus brake horsepower curve

generated by the fan. Inlet guide

vanes are synchronously adjustable in the same angular positioning

by connecting elements.

Vacunair Engineering Co Pvt Ltd

Ahmedabad - Gujarat

Tel: 079-22910771; Mob: 09824036375


PRODUCTS


Electric chain hoist

The streamlined, compact electric chain hoist

comes in capacity ranging from 125 kg to

250 kg. This chain hoist is offered with

conical rotor motor. The conical rotor motor

is one hour rated and eliminates additionally

mounted conventional EM brake. Specialised

conical rotor motor makes the hoist compact, lightweight, and eliminates

brake problems. The chain hoist is also offered with dual speed as

optional. This load chain ensures safe lifting and longer life. Specially

designed safety clutch protects hoist from overloading, over-hoisting

and over-lowering. The hoist is suitable for production applications and

offers trouble-free performance.

Hafa Hoists Pvt Ltd

Navi Mumbai - Maharashtra

Tel: 022-27694586


Ball valve

The ball valve is offered in three-piece,

two-piece and one-piece design with

full bore and reduced bore with ends

threaded, socket weld or butt weld,

flanged to ANSI or DIN Std. It comes

with a PTFE seat, which eliminates

the need for periodic maintenance. The mirror finish ball ensures perfect

matching with seats and gives long life. Blowout-proof stem and GFT

packing eliminates gland leakages and reduces operating torque. The

three-piece wafer-type design facilitates easy installation and inline

maintenance at site of seals without dismantling the valve. The valve is

provided with heating/cooling jackets to suit service conditions.

Diamond Engineering Works


Tel: 022-26853317


Magnetic coupling

This magnetic coupling is mainly used in providing

solutions of leak proofing pumps and agitators

handling hazardous and difficult-to-use chemicals.

The technology involves use of permanent magnets to

transmit motor torque to the pump without contact.

This enables sealing of the pump shaft hermetically, thus preventing leakage

of fluid medium from the pump seals. It finds applications in isocyanate

and polyol pumps in polyurethane machines, pharma and chemical process

industries, food applications, biotechnology, industrial ovens and batching

machines, bottom-mounted agitators for blenders and mixing vessels, etc.

BEDA Flow Systems Pvt Ltd

Noida - Uttar Pradesh

Tel: 0120-4329990, Mob: 09212289411


Rotary evaporator

The RV10 rotary evaporator is used for distilling

a wide range of liquids. This has an attractive

appearance backed by innovative features in the

areas of safety, functionality and ergonomics. The

evaporator automatically lifts the receiving flask

out of the heating bath if the power cuts off. This

means that the ongoing test and any distillate

already produced are unaffected by the stoppage. The patented geometry

of the IKA distillation condenser also provides a larger cooling surface

area for distillation. The associated heating bath is ergonomic and safe.

IKA India Pvt Ltd


Tel: 080-26253925, Mob: 09845387684


Tube cleaning system

Brackett Green automatic tube cleaning

system (ATCS) is a permanent and a

cost-effective solution for reducing

the efficiency loss of condensers and

heat exchangers due to microfouling

and scaling issues. This ATCS injects

elastomer rubber balls slightly larger than the tube diameter into the

water supply line. Cooling water flow forces them through the condenser

tubes. As they pass through the tubes, the balls wipe the tubes clean of

deposits and continually remove silt, scale and biological fouling.

Eimco Water Technologies

Surat - Gujarat

Tel: 0261-2465972


Carbon black

The super conductive carbon black (CL-08) enables users to obtain a

wide range of conductivity levels in their products at lower loadings. Low

loading allows easier processing and good dispersion for compounds that

are sensitive to filler addition. These help to avoid losses in mechanical

and rheological properties and improve the performance & efficiency of

customers’ products.

Continental Carbon India Ltd

Noida - Uttar Pradesh

Tel: 0120-2840505


PRODUCTS


Corrugated tube heat exchangers

Ecoflux corrugated tube heat

exchangers use corrugated

tubes instead of plain tubes.

The tubes are corrugated to

induce turbulence in both

flows at lower velocities.

This not only increases thermal efficiency but also eliminates product

channeling. Product fluid channel is surrounded on both sides by the

service fluid used for high viscous material.

HRS Process Systems Pvt Ltd

Pune - Maharashtra

Tel: 020-25663581


Centrifugal pump

The multi-stage horizontal centrifugal pump is a

non-self-priming pump. All wetted parts, ie, impellers,

diffusers, stage casings, etc, are made of corrosion-

resistant stainless steel. The pump is axial suction and

vertical radial delivery-type with threaded ports. It has

enclosed fan-cooled AC induction motor. Dynamically

balanced rotors ensure vibration-free and noiseless operation. Salient

features are: proven performance & durability, reliability & rugged

in construction, stainless impellers & stage casings, energy-efficient

motors, sturdy & compact, noiseless & smooth operation, and ease in

maintenance/zero maintenance.

Aquasub Engineering

Coimbatore - Tamil Nadu

Tel: 0422-2642484, Mob: 09884326195


Nutsche filter

This nutsche filter is a simple batch-type filter.

It is a dish end type of tank with a filter plate

fitted or bolted inside with flanges having a

cloth as filter media. Filter plate is perforated to

allow the filtrate. The slurry fed into the filter

vessel is separated into filtrate and the residue in

the form of cake on the filter cloth, which can be

removed manually. The filter can be offered up

to operating vacuum of 720 mm of Hg.

EPP Composites Pvt Ltd

Rajkot - Gujarat

Tel: 0281-2361623, Mob: 09099072550


Digital magnahelic gauge

This digital magnahelic gauge is used for

pressure/vacuum measurement in the

magnahelic pressure range. The instrument

is capable of measuring differential pressure

(two ports), gauge and vacuum measurement

for all ranges. Also available is the standard pressure measuring range

of 0 to 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 40, 100, 400, 700 bar gauge pressure indicator and

0.0 to -760.0 mm hg vacuum range indicator. It finds applications in

cleanroom pressure measurement, HVAC equipment, Hepa filters, boiler

equipment, air handling units, etc.

Ace Instruments

Hyderabad - Andhra Pradesh

Tel: 040-23078848, Mob: 09394030848


Swing check valve

The swing check valve comes in sizes

ranging from 65 to 300 mm. This valve

meets the design requirements as per

BS 1868/API 6D/ASME B16.34 and

testing requirements as per API 598/EN

12266-1. Face-to-face and end-to-end dimensions (Dim A) conform to

ASME B16.10; and drilling & flange dimensions conform to ASME

B16.5, while butt weld end dimensions conform to ASME B16.25.

To ensure long and trouble-free valve performance, seating surface is

accurately machined, precisely aligned and perfectly lapped. Materials of

construction are carbon steel and stainless steel.

Met-Flow Controls Pvt Ltd

Hubli - Karnataka

Tel: 0836-2332599, Mob: 09345886999


High-pressure piston pump

The high-pressure piston pump and packages are

ideal for transfer and supply of medium-to-high

viscosity materials. This line of extrusion ram/pump

packages includes single-post and two-post extrusion

pump rams and complete ram/pump packages for 5-

gallon containers. Featuring superior down-force in a

compact footprint, the new ARO ram/pump packages

are especially suited to high-viscosity material applications including

inks, caulks, mastics, lubricants and more in market segments such as

automotive, automotive tier suppliers, printing, packaging and more.

Ingersoll Rand Industrial Products Pvt Ltd

Ghaziabad – Uttar Pradesh

Tel: 0120-4389200


PRODUCTS


Pallet washing machines

Type PalWash pallet

washing systems are

especially made for

cleaning of standard

plastic pallets. These

systems clean up to

100 pallets per hour

and contain a separate pre-wash zone and a final rinse-

zone. Soiled pallets to be washed are manually placed on

the machines and conveyed by a chain conveyor into the

wash chamber.

Flow Control Industries


Tel: 022-32227296

Mob: 09833889965


Miniaturised sensor systems

The CarboSen miniaturised

sensor systems are used

for detection of flammable

gases, such as CO, H2 or

CxHy, for example. These

systems consist of a sensor

unit, sensor housing and sensor electronics. The sensor electronics

enable temperature compensation during operation. This design can

be used at temperatures up to 450°C.

Lamtec GmbH & Co KG

Walldorf - Germany

Tel: +49-6227-605240


Gas monitors

These are reliable for on-

the-spot measurement of

toxic gases at workplaces or

for monitoring in different

application areas. The

instruments can be used with

over 20 different gases. These

are microprocessor-based and come with alphanumeric LCD.

The instruments come with data logger & RTC and have in-

built pump for remote sampling.

Uniphos Envirotronic Pvt Ltd

Ahmedabad - Gujarat

Tel: 079-40371646


Static mixers

These static mixers are used for

liquid-liquid mixing wherever it is

difficult by conventional operation.

Fluid components to be mixed are

pumped at the inlet of the mixing unit

containing static mixing elements.

Due to special construction of the

mixing elements, fluids are directed radially outwards and inwards

while the forward flow continues.

Fenix Process Technologies Pvt Ltd

Pune - Maharashtra

Tel: 020-65008772

Mob: 09860723222


In-line colloid mills

Supraton from BWS Technologies

GmbH, Germany is an energy saving

machine that can grind, disperse, mix,

dissolve, emulsify, homogenise solids

& liquids, liquids & gases or even

different liquids. It consists of a set

of stator and rotor rings running at a high-speed and with extremely

fine & accurate clearances.

Machinomatic Engineers


Tel: 022-22044766

Mob: 09820035943


Thermic fluid heaters

These have capacities ranging from

30,000 kcal/hr to 20,00,000 kcal/hr. The

thermic fluid heaters have maximum

operating temperature of 300°C for

thermic fluid and 130°C for hot water.

Concentric coil is made from MS

seamless tube of ASTMA 106 GR-

B. The units are equipped with high

efficiency oil/gas burners and air pre-

heater arrangement.

Aero Therm Systems Pvt Ltd

Ahmedabad - Gujarat

Tel: 079-25890158; Mob: 09825008720


PRODUCTS


The information published in this section is as per the details furnished by the respective manufacturer/distributor. In

any case, it does not represent the views of Chemical World

Pultruded cooling towers

The cooling towers are lightweight and

take less construction/installation time.

These offer much longevity and resist

corrosion. The pultruded FRP cooling

towers are suited for seawater application

as a replacement for old and large wooden

cooling towers or fresh installation of new cooling towers in

place of conventional ones.

Paltech Cooling Towers & Equipments Ltd

Gurgaon - Haryana

Tel: 0124-4222483


Screw pumps

The KX series industrial

and chemical screw pumps

is offered in the capacity of

200 m³/hr, pressure at 48 bar,

temperature of 200°C and viscosity

at 1,00,000 CST. KDX pumps are of cast iron construction with

various metallurgy of rotating parts, like alloy steel, tool steel, SS

304 and SS 316, while KHX pumps are available in SS 304 and

SS 316 material of construction.

Hydro Prokav Pumps (India) Pvt Ltd

Coimbatore - Tamil Nadu

Tel: 0422-3242220


Laser particle size and shape analyser

The laser particle size and shape

analyser is available in wet and dry

mode feeding. Low-cost particle

sizers for small-scale industry and

colleges, mid-range models for

quality control, and top-of-the-line

models for large-scale industry and research institutes are available.

These analysers find applications in pharmaceuticals, cement,

pesticides, battery material, graphite, petrochemicals, metallic

powders, catalysts, etc.

MeasureTest Corporation


Tel: 022-22027982

Mob: 09869012701


Diesel and gasoline nozzles

The FuelMaster and Big Mouth diesel and gasoline

nozzles are designed for use on farm and consumer

pumps. The lightweight Tensalloy aluminium

FuelMaster diesel nozzle provides high flow capacity

required by truck stops and terminal operations.

Micro-touch valve provides smooth operation and

exceptional flow control. Super tough nylon hose

guard and hold-open clip and easy-to-change lockout style spout

assembly are other important features. The lightweight Big Mouth diesel

nozzle offers efficient refuelling.

Dixon Asia Pacif ic Pvt Ltd

Mumbai – Maharashtra

Tel: 022-40931555


Hydraulic test pump

The motorised hydraulic test

pump comes in sturdy crankcase,

completely sealed and made

from graded cast iron. Heavy-

duty bearings are used to provide

support to the alloy steel,

hardened and ground crankshaft

at both ends. The lubrication of power-end parts and bearings

are done by splash lubrication system from reservoir oil in the

crankcase. Hardened stainless steel and ground plunger offer

corrosion- and abrasion-resistance for longer life.

Dev Engineers

Ahmedabad - Gujarat

Tel: 079-26403839

Mob: 09824012742


Water treatment systems

A complete range of water treatment systems and standalone

equipment is available as per diverse requirements. These

systems are used for clarification and filtration to remove

suspended particles, turbidity, organics, iron & manganese;

softening to remove hardness; demineralisation to remove

salts from low salinity water, and desalination systems to

remove salinity from high salinity water.

Concepts India Pvt Ltd


Tel: 022-27758873


LIST OF PRODUCTS


Sl. No. Product Pg. No. Sl. No. Product Pg. No. Sl. No. Product Pg. No.

1 Accelerated ageing test ........................ 29

2 Acoustic cleaning systems ....................... 74

3 Acoustic hood ......................................... 79

4 Agitator ................................................... 11

5 Air blower ............................................... 79

6 Air freight ................................................. 8

7 Air handling units ................................... 75

8 Air pollution control equipment ...........FIC

9 Air receiver ............................................FIC

10 Allied services ............................................ 8

11 Analytical instrumentation .....................BC

12 Aqua gas chlorinator ............................... 63

13 Automatic and contained discharge ........ 41

14 Automobile care cleaning chemicals ....... 80

15 Ball valve ............................................ 81

16 Ball valve teflon-lined ............................... 4

17 Basket and pot strainers .......................... 74

18 Batch disperser ........................................ 11

19 Bellow & dip-pipe .................................... 4

20 Biodiesel .................................................. 29

21 Blower ..................................................... 79

22 Boiler ....................................................... 75

23 Burner ...................................................... 75

24 Butterfly valves teflon-lined ...................... 4

25 Cage mill dryer ................................... 37

26 Cake pressing .......................................... 41

27 Calorimeter.............................................. 11

28 Carbon black ........................................... 81

29 Centrifugal blowers ................................. 74

30 Centrifugal pump .................................... 82

31 CFI systems ............................................. 76

32 Check valve teflon-lined ........................... 4

33 COD analyser ......................................... 53

34 Column & chemistries ...........................BC

35 Compositional & trace metal analysis .... 29

36 Condensers ............................................FIC

37 Cone screw mixer ..................................FIC

38 Continuous or batch filtration ................ 41

39 Corrugated tube heat exchangers ............ 82

40 Counter current spray dryer .................... 37

41 Dairy equipment ...............................FIC

42 Dampers ................................................FIC

43 Dangerous goods/hazardous cargo chemicals ... 8

44 Diesel and gasoline nozzles ..................... 84

45 Digital flow meters .................................. 74

46 Digital magnahelic gauge ........................ 82

47 Disperser.................................................. 11

48 Electric chain hoist ............................. 81

49 Empower software..................................BC

50 Evaporator ............................................... 37

51 Exhibition - Engineering Expo .............. 32

52 Failure analysis ................................... 29

53 Filler compositional analysis ................... 29

54 Filter presses ............................................ 76

55 Fire tube type package IBR steam boiler ....75

56 Flash dryer ............................................... 37

57 Fuels - diesel ........................................... 29

58 Full body opening centrifuges ................. 80

59 Gas .................................................... 29

60 Gas detector strips................................... 74

61 Gas monitors ........................................... 83

62 Gear oil ................................................... 29

63 Gear pumps ............................................. 74

64 Heat exchangers ................................FIC

65 Heating bath ........................................... 11

66 High pressure homogeniser .................... 11

67 High-pressure piston pump .................... 82

68 Hot air & water generator ...................... 75

69 Hot plate ................................................. 11

70 HPLC ....................................................BC

71 Hydraulic test pump................................ 84

72 Industrial panel PCs ........................... 80

73 Industrial plastic components ................. 80

74 Informatic ...............................................BC

75 In-line colloid mills ................................. 83

76 Inline disperser ........................................ 11

77 Investment castings ................................. 80

78 Kneading machine .............................. 11

79 Knife gate valves ...................................... 75

80 Laboratory reactor .............................. 11

81 Laboratory software ................................. 11

82 Large diameter welded pipe .................... 75

83 Laser particle size and shape analyser ..... 84

84 Lined valve & pipe fitting......................... 4

85 Liquid chromatography systems ............. 76

86 Lubes - engine oil ................................... 29

87 Magnetic coupling .............................. 81

88 Magnetic stirrer ....................................... 11

89 Material identification ............................. 29

90 Metallography ......................................... 29

91 Mills ........................................................ 11

92 Miniaturised sensor systems .................... 83

93 Motor-driven dosing pump ..................... 63

94 Multi-fuel fired IBR steam boiler ........... 75

95 Multi-stage cake washing ........................ 41

96 Non-return valve .................................. 4

97 Nutsche filter ........................................... 82

98 Overhead stirrer.................................. 11

99 Pallet washing machines ..................... 83

100 Petrol & fuel oil ...................................... 29

101 Pharma temperature control ..................... 8

102 Pilot plant ................................................ 11

103 Piping system from polypropylene ............ 6

104 Polymer characterisation ......................... 29

105 Pressure and vacuum filtration ................ 41

106 Programmable logic controllers ............... 76

107 PTFE-lined valve & pipe fitting .............. 4

108 Pultruded cooling towers ........................ 84

109 Pumping solution ................................. BIC

110 Radar transmitter systems ................... 75

111 Reactor ..................................... 15, 61, FIC

112 Reverse osmosis desalination system ....... 76

113 Rotary atomiser ....................................... 37

114 Rotary evaporator .............................. 11, 81

115 Sampling valve teflon-lined ................... 4

116 Screening machines ................................. 76

117 Screw pumps ........................................... 84

118 Seamless pipe .......................................... 75

119 Shaker ...................................................... 11

120 Solenoid-driven metering pumps ............ 63

121 Solid-liquid mixer ................................... 11

122 Spin flash dryer ....................................... 37

123 Spray dryer .............................................. 37

124 Spray dryer project ................................FIC

125 Stainless steel pipe ................................... 75

126 Static mixers ............................................ 83

127 Steam boiler ............................................ 75

128 Strainer teflon-lined .................................. 4

129 Swing check valve ................................... 82

130 Teflon-lined valve & pipe fitting ........... 4

131 Tefzel hhs Isotactic PP material ............... 6

132 Testing .................................................... 29

133 Thermic fluid heater ......................... 75, 83

134 Thermoplastic valves ................................. 6

135 Thermostat & vacuum dryer/mixer ........ 11

136 Transmission fluid ................................... 29

137 Tube ........................................................ 75

138 Tube cleaning system .............................. 81

139 ‘U’ tube ............................................... 75

140 Uncertified packaging ............................... 8

141 UPLC .....................................................BC

142 Vacuum control .................................. 63

143 Vacuum or hot gas drying ....................... 41

144 Variable inlet vane dampers .................... 80

145 Vertical non-IBR oil-fired steam boiler.. 75

146 Water treatment systems ..................... 84

147 Water wall membrane panel IBR steam boiler ... 75

148 Welded pipe ............................................ 75

149 Wood fire four pass thermic fluid heater 75

150 Wood fire thermic fluid heater ............... 75

151 Zircoat ................................................. 3

BC - Back Cover, BIC - Back Inside Cover, FIC - Front Inside Cover

To know more about the products featured in this magazine, fax us on 022-3003 4499 or tear and post to us the ‘Product Inquiry

Card’ by following the 5 easy steps given there. Alternatively, you may also write to us at [email protected] or call us on

022-3003 4684, and we will send your inquiries to the advertisers/companies directly to help you source better.

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LIST OF ADVERTISERS

Our consistent advertisers

Aqua Services 63

T: +91-265-2331748

E: [email protected]

W: www.aquaservicesindia.com

Aries Engineers 61

T: +91-09930992671


W: www.ariesengineers.com

Ask Me 46

T: +91-22-35555555

W: www.facebook.com/AskMe.

Infomedia18

Balkrishna Boilers Pvt Ltd 75

T: +91-79-25894701


W: www.balkrishn.com

BHS-Sonthofen (India) Pvt. Ltd. 41

T: +91-40-23315341 / 45


W: www.bhs-sonthofen.in

Engineering Expo 32

T: +91-09819552270


W: www.engg-expo.com

Everest Blower Systems 79

T: +91-11-45457777


W: www.everestblowers.com

Hi-Tech Applicator 4

T: +91-79-25833040


W: www.ptfeindia.com

IKA India Private Limited 11

T: +91-80-26253900


W: www.ika.in

Jyoti Ceramic Industries Pvt Ltd 3

T: +91-253-2350120


W: www.jyoticeramics.com

Kwality Process Equipments Pvt Ltd 15

T: +91-250-2453438


W: www.chemicalequipments.com

Raj Process Eqpts & Systems(P) Ltd FIC

T: +91-20-40710010


W: www.rajprocessequipment.com

Ryal Logistics Pvt Ltd 8

T: +91-22-61936969


W: www.ryal.in

Shachi Engineering Works 37

T: +91-20-66546900


W: www.shachiengg.com

Shanbhag And Associates BIC

T: +91-22-28346604


W: www.shanbhags.com

Shiva Analyticals (India) Limited 29

T: +91-80-27971322


W: www.shivatec-india.com

Suraj Limited 75

T: +91-79-27540720


W: www.surajgroup.com

Uniphos Envirotronic Pvt Ltd 53

T: +91-22-6123500


W: www.uniphos-she.com

UNP Polyvalves India Pvt Ltd 6

T: +91-265-2649248


W: www.polyvalve.com

Waters (India) Private Limited BC

T: +91-80-28371900


W: www.waters.com

BC - Back Cover, BIC - Back Inside Cover, FIC - Front Inside Cover

chemical world - april 2012

Documents

indian chemical industry

india growth story

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growth potential

tapering growth

chemical worldnote

slowing pace of growth

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