organuzational study of the ramco cements 2014
TRANSCRIPT
OBSERVATION AND ANALYSIS OF CLINKERIZATION PROCESS AT THE RAMCO CEMENTS LTD
Organization Study
Submitted to
MAHATMA GANDHI UNIVERSITY, KOTTAYAM
In partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award
Of
MASTERS DEGREE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
(2013– 2015)
By
SNEHAL THOMAS
Reg No: 50756
RAJAGIRI COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCESRAJAGIRI P.O
KOCHI – 683 104
DECLARATION
I, Snehal Thomas, hereby declare that this report is bona fide record of the project done
by me as a part of the Summer Internship during the period from April 1, 2014 to May 31, 2014
at The Ramco Cements Ltd, R R Nagar, Tamilnadu.
The study has been undertaken in partial fulfilment of Master’s Degree in Business
Administration at Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, Cochin, affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi
University, Kottayam.
I also declare that this report has not been submitted in full or part thereof, to any
university or institutions for the award of any degree or diploma.
Place: Kalamassery Snehal Thomas
Date: 21.06.2014
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Gaining real time corporate knowledge at the crucial period of my MBA studies has
helped me a lot to frame my career. At the very outset of this report, I would like to express my sincere thanks to all the persons who have helped me in the summer internship. Without their active guidance and encouragement, this wouldn’t have been successful.
I take this opportunity to extend my sincere gratitude to Dr.Joseph I. Injodey, Principal, Rajagiri college of Social Sciences, for providing me the opportunity of practical learning experience at The Ramco Cements Ltd.
I express my profound gratitude to my project guide Asst. Prof Kishore Thomas John, Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, for his valuable guidance and support throughout the course of the organisation study.
I also take this opportunity to extend my profound gratitude and indebtedness to my company guide Mr. S G Ravindran, Sr. Manager - Process, The Ramco Cements Ltd, for providing me the opportunity to work in his team and also for having spared his valuable time for enabling me to learn all aspects of administration.
I am also extremely thankful to Mr. Subramaniam, Dy. Manager – Quality Control, The Ramco Cements Ltd for providing me all data and information for the completion of my routine works during the entire tenure of the project.
Last but not least, I am thankful to Lord Almighty and my family members for helping me complete my study successfully.
SNEHAL THOMAS
List of contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Page no.
Section I Profile Study of the Organization
1. Industry Analysis 1
2. Incorporation and History 9
3. Vision/Mission Statements 12
4. Corporate office/headquarters, number of units 13
5. Capital Structure 14
6. Competitors 16
7. Awards 18
8. Organization Structure 17
9. Products 25
10. Manufacturing Process 30
11. Customers 32
12. Functional Departments 33
13. Ramco ERP 35
14. Future Plans 41
15. SWOT Analysis 42
16. Conclusion 44
Section II Routine Work
1. Objective of the routine work 45
2. Achievements on completion of work 57
3. Limitations on completion of work 57
4. Learning from the work 58
5. Incorporation as part of Organizational study 58
6. Time duration in days for the work 58
BIBLIOGRAPHY
List of figures
Figure No. Title of Figure Page no.
Fig 1 Geographic segments 1
Fig 2 Cements consumer segments 4
Fig 3 Market size 5
Fig 4 Cement plant distribution 6
Fig 5 Ramco ERP 38
Fig 6 Organization structure - Company 19
Fig 7 Organization structure – RR Nagar 20
Fig 8 Organization structure – RR Nagar 21
Fig 9 Organization structure – RR Nagar 22
Fig 10 Coal mill 1 49
Fig 11 Coal mill 2 49
Fig 12 Total mill grinding time 50
Fig 13 Transport of coal in shift A 51
Fig 14 Transport of coal in shift B 51
Fig 15 Transport of coal in shift C 52
Fig 16 Time consumption by hoppers 52
List of Tables
Table No. Title of Figure Page no.
Table 1 Ramco group 8
Table 2 Dry mix products 24
SECTION I
PROFILE STUDY OF THE ORGANIZATION
Executive Summary
The organization study was conducted as part of the Masters of Business Administration degree
offered by Rajagiri college of Social Sciences. It was done during the month of April and May,
2014 at The Ramco cements Ltd which is one of the leading cement manufacturers in India.
The Ramco Cements Limited (Formerly Ramco Cements Ltd) is the flagship company of the
Ramco Group, a well-known business group of South India. It is headquartered at Chennai. The
main product of the company is Portland cement, manufactured in eight state-of-the art
production facilities that includes Integrated Cement plants and Grinding units with a current
total production capacity of 16.0 MTPA. The company is the fifth largest cement producer in the
country. RAMCO SUPER GRADE is the most popular cement brand in South India. The company
also produces Ready Mix Concrete and Dry Mortar products, and operates one of the largest
wind farms in the country.
The report consists of a study on the cement industry in India, Company profile, SWOT Analysis
and a report on the Routine works done as part of the internship. The work helped me to learn
about different activities handled by the Process department and the Quality Control department
in the manufacturing sector as well as the overall functioning of a manufacturing unit.
1. Industry Analysis
India's potential in infrastructure is vast and cement plays a vital role in the growth and
development of the nation. India is the second largest producer of cement in the world. The
cement industry has been expanding on the back of increasing infrastructure activities and
demand from housing sector over the past many years.
India's cement sector had clocked a 5.6 per cent growth in 2013–14 and projects a growth of 8–9
per cent in the next fiscal, which would be supported by an expected increase in demand from
the rural sector and tier II and tier III cities, as per India Ratings and Research report. An
investment allowance for infrastructure projects of Rs 100 crore (US$ 16.05 million) and above
has also been announced by the Government. In addition, cement production in India is expected
to touch 407 million tonnes (MT) by 2020.
The industry is split into five segments:
Fig 1
1
Oligopolistic Industry
The cement industry is an oligopolistic industry. Some of the conductive industry forces that
support long term attractiveness are:
Entry barriers: The entry barriers are high since huge capital investments are required to
present substantial barriers to entry and achieving economies of scale.
Inter – firm rivalry: The inter firm rivalry is low since Indian cement market is oligopolistic in
nature, characterized by tacit collusion, where large players partially control supply for better
price discipline.
Substitute threat: The threat to Cement is low since practically cement has no substitutes.
Buyer’s power: The influential power of the buyer is low since Substantial market concentration
among large players ensures low bargaining power of buyers.
Supplier’s power: The influential power of the buyer is moderate since cement players have to
depend on the railways for carriage outward and local coal companies for fuel, although
diversification of freight options and fuel sources is diminishing the suppliers’ power
Major Players in the industry are:
1. Ultratech cement
2. Ambuja cement
3. ACC
4. Shree cement
5. JP associate
6. Samruddhi cement
7. Prism cement
8. India cement
9. JK cement
10. Binani cement
11. Kesoram Cements
12. ACL Limited
13. Chettinad Cements
The demand is to drive in the near future due to the following reasons:
Housing growth
The Housing segment accounts for a major portion of the total domestic demand for cement in
India
Real estate market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 17.2 per cent over 2011–15 to
USD126 billion.
Growing urbanization, an increasing number of households and higher employment are
primarily driving the demand for housing.
Initiatives by the government are expected to provide an impetus to construction activity
in rural and semi-urban areas through large infrastructure and housing development
projects respectively.
Infrastructure growth
The government is strongly focused on infrastructure development to boost economic growth
Government plans to increase investment in infrastructure to USD1 trillion in the 12th
Five Year Plan (2012–17), compared with USD514 billion under the 11th Five Year Plan
(2007–12)
Infrastructure projects such as Dedicated Freight Corridors as well as new and upgraded
airports and ports are expected to further drive construction activity
The government intends to expand the capacity of the railways and the facilities for
handling and storage to ease the transportation of cement and reduce transportation costs
Commercial real estate growth
The demand for Commercial Real Estate segments, comprising retail space, office space and
hotels, as well as civic facilities including hospitals, multiplexes and schools, has been rising due
to the growth in economy
The demand for office space in India is being driven by the increasing number of
multinational companies and the growth of the services sector
Strong growth in tourism, including both business and leisure travel, has boosted the
construction of hotels in the country.
Estimated demand by real estate segment between 2010 and 2014: Office (240 million sq.
ft.), Retail (55 million sq. ft.), Hospitality (78 million room nights)
Fig 2
Market Size
Cement consumption in India is expected to rise by 8–9 per cent over the next year, taking the
estimated cement consumption in 2013–14 to about 280–285 MT, from around 260 MT in the
2012–13 fiscal, as per the Cement Manufacturers Association (CMA).
Fig 3
The cement industry may continue to witness a steady market for the better half of the year with fresh
capacity of 20 MT going on stream in 2014, taking the industry capacity to 370 MT. The cement and
gypsum products sector in India has attracted foreign direct investments (FDI) worth US$ 2,879.95
million between April 2000 to November 2013, according to data published by the Department of
Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP).
Andhra Pradesh is the leading state with 37 large cement plants, followed by Rajasthan and
Tamil Nadu having 21 and 19 plants, respectively.
Fig 4
Investments
Bhutan's Dungsam Cement Corporation Ltd has made a foray into the Northeastern
market. The company is selling cement under the brand name of Dragon Cement.
ACC has inaugurated a blended cement plant at Padubidri in Udupi district in Karnataka.
The new facility has a capacity of 30,000 tonnes per month and will cater to the cement
requirements in coastal Karnataka and Kerala.
UltraTech has received the green signal from the Competition Commission of India
(CCI) for its US$ 605 million agreement with Jaypee Cement Corporation to purchase its
Gujarat-based businesses.
Ambuja Cement has launched its first fully automatic 1 MT capacity terminal in
Mangalore, Karnataka
UltraTech Cement, an Aditya Birla group company, has announced plans to set up two
cement plants entailing investments of over Rs 5,000 crore (US$ 802.57
UltraTech Cement's plant and 75 megawatt (MW) captive power plant, with an
investment of Rs 2,500 crore (US$ 401.28 million), have received approval from the
Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC), under the Ministry of Environment. The cement
plant in the Karur and Dindigul districts of Tamil Nadu will be spread over 136.23
hectares (ha).
Government Initiatives
The housing segment accounts for a major portion of the total domestic demand for cement in
India. The Government of India (GoI) is strongly focused on infrastructure development to boost
economic growth and plans to increase investment in infrastructure to US$ 1 trillion in the 12th
Five Year Plan (2012–17). During the Plan, the industry is estimated to add a capacity of 150
MT.An EAC under the Ministry of Environment, Go I, has given its approval to India Cements
to double its capacity and set up a 40 megawatt (MW) power plant at one of its facilities in Tamil
Nadu at a cost of Rs 810 crore. The proposed expansion project will come up at Dalavoi in
Ariyalur district. Giving impetus to the market, the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB)
has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Vasavdatta Cement, a company with its
plant in Karnataka. The firm would use the plastic waste collected by the state agencies and
village panchayats from Goa as fuel for its manufacturing plant.
Industry associations
Cement Manufacturers' Association
CMATower,A-2E,Sector-24,NOIDA–201301
UttarPradesh,India
Phone:91-120-2411955,2411957,2411958
Fax:91-120-2411956
E-mail:[email protected]
Website: www.cmaindia.org
The bodies promoting industry development are:
Indian Concrete Institute
Ocean Crest 79, Third Main Road, Gandhi Nagar, Adyar, Chennai – 600 020
Phone: 91-44-24912602
Fax: 91-44-24455148
E-mail: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Website: www.indianconcreteinstitute.org
National Council for Cement and Building Materials
34th Milestone, Delhi-Mathura Road, Ballabgarh – 121 004 Haryana, India
Phone: 91-129-2242051/52/53/54/55/56; 4192222
Fax: 91-129-2242100; 2246175
E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]
2. Incorporation and History
Ramco Group
Table 1
Company Offerings Geographical Markets
The Ramco Cements Ltd Cement, Ready Mix
Concrete, Dry Mortar
Plasters
India
Ramco Industries Ltd
(Including Subsidiaries)
Fiber Cement Sheets,
Pressure Pipes, Cotton
Yarn, Windmills.
Japan, Korea, Hong Kong,
Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia,
Singapore, Sri Lanka, India &
Dominican Republic
Ramco Systems Ltd
(Including Subsidiaries)
A portfolio of enterprise
software products and
services
Africa, US, Canada, Asia
Pacific, Europe, Middle East
& India
Rajapalayam Mills Ltd Cotton Yarn, Tissue
culture saplings
Japan, Korea, Malaysia,
Indonesia, Hong Kong, India
& Thailand
The Ramaraju Surgical
Cotton Mills Ltd
Absorbent Cotton Wool,
Gauze Bandage, Plaster of
Paris
India, European & Gulf
countries
Sri Vishnu Shankar Mill
Ltd
Yarn Korea, Japan, India & China
Thanjavur Spinning Mill Yarn India
Ltd
Sandhya Spinning Mill
Ltd
Yarn India, Italian & Far East
markets
Company History
Birth of a Visionary: On April 24, 1894, when a son was born to Pusapati Chinniah Raja, there
was great jubilation in the family. Chinana Raja believed that the child was born with the
blessings of the Lord of Rameswaram, and named the child Ramasamy Raja. Little did anyone
imagine that the infant was to one day change the face of Rajapalayam, a panoramic town on the
foothills of the Western Ghats in South Tamil Nadu. Ramasamy Raja, known as PACR, was only
27 years old when his father died and all the onerous responsibilities of the family were thrust
upon his young shoulders.
Birth of the first Ramco Venture: His visited Britain and other European countries to see first-
hand the working of the mills. There, he had the chance to meet many business magnates. He
returned to India full of ideas. After returning to Rajapalayam, he put his plans into action. To
start the yarn mill, he found that he needed Rs.5 lakhs, which in 1936 was a huge sum. It was
considered a Herculean task to raise such a big capital. But the determined Raja was not deterred.
He decided to make the people "Shareholders".
Rajapalayam Mills Ltd: Thanks to his illustrious background and his own reputation, he got the
required capital ready, in next to no time. On September 05, 1938, the then State Minister for
Labor, V.V.Giri, inaugurated the mill and Rajapalayam Mills Ltd commenced operations. There
was no looking back for Ramasamy Raja after this. The Mill was a grand success. He followed
this up with other successful ventures. He started The Raimaraju Surgical Cotton Mills Ltd along
with his son-in-law Rama Raju.
Birth Of The Ramco Cements Limited (Formerly Ramco Cements Ltd): In the 1950s,
investment in Cement Industry was not attractive due to price controls and the massive
investments required. Only those entrepreneurs who were not profit-minded but cared for the
country's development came forward to invest in the Cement Industry.
Birth of Cement Plants: The first plant of MCL at Ramasamy Raja Nagar, near Virudhunagar
in Tamil Nadu, commenced its production in 1962 with a capacity of 200 tonnes, using wet
process. In 70s, the plant switched over to more efficient dry process. A second kiln was also
added to bring the total capacity to 15 lakh tons per annum. The second venture of MCL is its
Jayanthipuram plant near Vijayawada in A.P., set up in 1987. The 36.50 lakh ton per annum
plant employs the latest state of art technology
The third venture of MCL is at Alathiyur in TN. It was set up in 1997 and expanded by addition
of another line in 2001. The 30.50 lakh tons per annum plant is the most modern plant in the
country.Ariyalur plant started operations in 2009 with a capacity of 2 MTPA. It is well-equipped
with modern quality control systems.
Other Ventures: In 2000, MCL acquired Gokul Cements situated in Mathod in Karnataka
whose capacity is 2.90 lakh tons per annum. Being an eco-friendly company, MCL set up the
Ramco Wind farm in 1993 at Muppandal in TN. This was followed by wind farms in Poolavadi
near Coimbatore in 1995, Oothumalai in 2005 and in Mathod - the combined capacity of the
wind farms is about 159 MW. In the year 1999, MCL commissioned the most sophisticated
Ready Mix Concrete Plant in Medavakkam in South Chennai. In 2002, a state-of-art Dry Mortar
plant was commissioned near Sriperumpudur, Tamilnadu which manufactures dry mortar,
cement based putty and tile fix compound.
3. Vision/mission statements
Mission
• To continuously improve productivity through quality, technology renewal and customer
focused operations.
• To position ourselves in the cement business as a pace setter and grow in the same and
related business.
• To seek green field locations for growth on the basis of developed synergies of the existing
operations.
• To continuously seek quality enhancement in product, processes and responses to various
stakeholders.
• To update management practices on a continuous basis and maintain a culture of professional
management.
• To conserve, protect and enhance quality of life for our employees and community.
• To preserve the credence in our motto "our real resources are the human assets".
Core values and benefits
Customers continued satisfaction and the sensitivity to their needs is our source of strength and
security. If there is no customer, there is no business. We do not look at productivity as a game in
numbers. We try to learn from others, be committed to quality and always stay ahead in terms of
technology.
4. Corporate office/headquarters, number of units
Headquarters
Ramco Cements Limited
Address: Auras Corporate Centre,98-A Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai, Mylapore, 7th St, Durgapuram,
Royapettah, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600004
Integrated Cement Plants
Ramasamy Raja Nagar, Virudhunagar District, Tamil Nadu
Alathiyur, Ariyalur District, Tamil Nadu
Ariyalur, Govindapuram, Ariyalur District, Tamil Nadu
Jayanthipuram,Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh
Mathodu, Chitradurga District, Karnataka
Grinding Units
Uthiramerur, Kanchipuram District, Tamil Nadu
Valapady, Salem District, Tamil Nadu
Kolaghat, Purba Medinipur District, West Bengal
Packing Terminals
Nagercoil Packing Unit, Kumarapuram, Aralvaimozhi, Kanyakumari District, Tamil
Nadu
Hyderabad Packing Plant, Pochampally Road, Malkapur, Nalgonda District, Andhra
Pradesh
State-of-the-Art Research Centre
Ramco Research Development Centre (RRDC), Chennai
5. Capital Structure
Period Instrument Authorized
Captial
Issued
Capital
Shares Face
value
Capital
2012– 2013 Equity shares Rs.25 crore Rs. 23.8
crore
237969380 Rs. 1 Rs. 23.8
crore
Profit for the financial year 2012-2013 was Rs.403.65 crore compared to that of
Rs.385.11 crore in 2011-12.
Business turn over during 2012-2013 was Rs.4387.87 crore and paid excise duty and cess
of Rs.557.07 crore amounting to a total of Rs.3830.80 crore. Business turn over during
2011-2012 was Rs. 3652.41 crore and paid excise duty and cess of Rs. 428.79 crore
amounting to a total of Rs. 3223.62crore
Profitability Ratio 2012 - 2013 2011 - 2012
Return On Investment 16.18 16.01
Gross profit ratio 16.20 13.60
Return on shareholders fund 17.02 18.78
Operating profit ratio 27.34 30.08
Net profit ratio 10.53 11.95
Earnings per share 16.95 16.2
Liquidity Ratio
Current ratio 0.78 0.69
Cash position ratio 0.22 0.17
Turnover ratio
Inventory ratio 35.49 38.97
Debtor turnover ratio 25.30 31.01
Operational Highlights (as on 31 March 13)
Current Cement
Capacity: 16 MTPA
Sales & Other
Income: Rs.3873 Crores
Profit for the Year : Rs.403.65 Crores
Cement Plants : 5
Grinding Plants : 3
Packing Plants : 2
Ready Mix Concrete
Plant: 1
Dry Mortar Plant : 1
Wind Farm Capacity : 159.19 MW
No of Employees : 2787
6. Competitors
Competitors in the cement segment are:
Based on Market Capitalization: -
1. Ultra Tech
2. Ambuja Cement
3. ACC Limited
4. Shree Cement
5. Ramco cements
6. Dalmia Cements
7. India Cement
8. Prism Cement
9. Birla Corp
Based on geography
Ramco cements compete with these companies in south India:-
14. Ultra Tech
15. ACC Limited
16. Ramco cements
17. Dalmia Cements
18. India cements
19. Kesoram Cements
20. ACL Limited
21. Chettinad Cements
Based on net profit earned during financial year 2012-2013: -
1. UltraTechCement 2,655.43
2. Ambuja Cements 1,294.57
3. ACC 1,095.76
4. Shree Cements 1,003.97
5. Ramco Cements 403.65
6. Birla Corp 269.82
7. J. K. Cement 233.55
8. Saurastra Cem 184.04
7. Awards
4 Leaves Award
Centre for Science and Environment
National Award for Energy Conservation
Confederation of Indian industry
Best Energy Efficient Unit
National Council for Cement and Building Materials
Corporate Performance Award
Economic Times
Best Improvement in Energy Performance
International Congress on Chemistry of Cement
The Analyst Award
The Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India
Best all round Industrial performance
Federation of AP Chambers of Commerce & Industries
Visvesvariah Industrial Award
All India Manufacturers Organization
Business Excellence Award
Industrial Economist
Export Performance Award
CAPEXIL
State Safety Awards
Tamil Nadu & AP Governments
8. Organization Structure
Fig 6
Organization Structure – R R Nagar Unit
Chairman & MD
PresidentManufacturing
Sr. VPManufacturing
VPFinance
Asst. VPHRD
Asst. VPCivil
DGM Legal
DGMLiaison
SGMMaterials
SGMIT
CompanySecretary
CEO
Fig 7
AVPWorks
GMAdministration
GMProduction & Process
AGMProjectsDGM Legal
AGMMines
DMThermal Power Plant
Sr. ManagerMechanical (Safety)
Fig 8
GMAdmin
DGMMaterials
DGMPersonnel
DGMAdministration & Liaison
AGMAccounts
Sr. ManagerMedical & OHS (Occupation
Health Centre)
ManagerLiaison
ManagerIT
Asst. ManagerLegal
Asst.ManagerCDS (Cement Dispatch Section)
Fig 9
GMProduction & Process
DGMElectronics & Instrumentation
DGMMechanical
SGMQC (Quality Control)
Sr. ManagerProcess
Sr. ManagerMechanical (Management
Service)
ManagerCivil
ManagerProcess
Ramco Cements Highlights
1. Officers can register their complaints online.
2. Grievance Redressal Mechanism: Every employee can register their complaint through a
form and their grievances will be addressed within 15 days.
3. After service scheme provides provision to extend the service of employees who are
about to retire.
Bonus Schemes
1. Total bonus amount to around Rs.1 lakh per year
2. Food subsidy (up to 70 %)
3. Accommodation to all employees
4. Minimum house rent specified by Wage Board ( Rs.165 per month)
Employee Strength as on 28.02.2014
Executives - 102
Staff - 83
Staff Trainee - 10
Staff Worker - 42
Worker - 230
Worker Trainee - 7
---------------
Total 474
Appraisal Policy
1. Workmen: They get an appraisal at the end of every December. First the Head of the
Department (HOD) have to approve then it goes to the corporate office for approval.
2. Staff: They get an appraisal at the end of every March. First the Head of the Department
(HOD) have to approve then it goes to the corporate office for approval.
3. Officers: They get an appraisal at the end of every March. First every officers have to
assess themselves and then it goes to Head of the Department (HOD) for approval.
Promotion Policy
1. Workers: Based on qualification every worker is graded from A to E. The minimum
qualification is ITI.
2. Staff: Every staff with work experience of 3 to 5 years is eligible for promotion but it is
not compulsory.
3. Officers: Every officer with work experience of 1 to 4 years is eligible for promotion.
After completion of 4 years an officer is eligible for compulsory promotion.
9. Products
1. Cement
2. Dry mix products
3. Concrete
Cement:
Ramco super grade is a PPC grade cement manufactured as per IS 1489 (Part 1):1991. It
is produced either by grinding together Portland cement clinker and pozzolona with
addition of gypsum or calcium sulphate, or by intimately and uniformly blending
Portland cement and fine Pozzolona. World over the cement is preferred due to its ability
to produce a durable concrete where the life of a concrete structure is given more
importance. It produces less heat of hydration and offers greater resistance to the attack
of aggressive waters than normal Portland cement. Moreover, it reduces the leaching of
calcium hydroxide liberated during the setting and hydration of cement.
Ramco Cement 43 Grade (OPC 43): Ramco Cement OPC 43 confirms to IS 8112. The
grade is based on the 28-day compressive strength of the cement mortar (tested as per IS
4031), which in this case is not less than 43 MPa.
Ramco Cement 53 grade (OPC 53): Ramco Cement OPC 53 confirms to IS 12269. The
grade is based on the 28-day compressive strength of the cement mortar (tested as per IS
4031), which in this case is not less than 53 MPa.
Ramco Sulphate Resisting Cement (SRC): Ramco SRC is manufactured as per IS 12330.
This cement is used in marine conditions where soil or water contains excess sulphates.
However SRC is weak in resisting chloride attack. Hence, wherever chlorides are present
in combination with sulphates, it is advisable to consider the usage of after a detailed
examination. The C3A phase of SRC is maintained at lower values <5%.
Sleeper Grade Cement (53 S):This cement finds its application in the manufacture of
precast products and railway sleepers 53 S Cement is manufactured as per IS 12269
where apart from all requirements of 53 Grade, specific requirements in terms of C3A and
C3S need to be adhered to. C3A is limited to 10% and C3S is limited to 45%.
Ramco Super-Fast: Ramco Super-Fast is a Rapid Hardening Portland Cement
manufactured as per IS 8041:1990. It is a special cement that has been customized for
manufacturing hollow blocks, solid blocks, paving blocks, fly ash bricks and other
precast items. To ensure the productivity and quality of precast blocks, a separate line
meant for manufacturing the specialized cement has been installed at our plants.
Dry mix Products
Ramco Dry Mix Division manufactures pre mixed dry mortars viz. plasters, wall putty
and tile adhesive. These premixed dry mortars are manufactured under controlled
conditions of selection and blending to suit specific application needs and has numerous
advantages over jobsite mixes. The product range for the division are:
Table 2
Ramco Super Fine – Polymer fortified wall putty. It is pre-blended with Portland cement,
fillers and chemical admixtures to give world class finish to walls and ceilings.
Features
Compressive Strength : 7-12 MPa @ 28 days
Tensile adhesive strength > 0.80 N/mm2
Pot Life : 1 hour
Available in 3 variants ( WOPC based fine & coarse grades and OPC based)
Applications
Finishing & Decorating Exterior Walls
Finishing & Decorating Interior Walls
Can be used on concrete, rendered walls, hollow blocks , precast walls & concrete
ceilings
Benefits
No Peeling
No Flaking
No Blistering
Excellent bonding with surface
Improved life for paint finishes
Better Surface hardness
Excellent crack resistance
Improved breathability
Ramco Tile Fix - Polymer fortified tile adhesive. It is pre-blended with Portland cement, fine
aggregates and chemical admixtures to fix all type of tiles viz. ceramic tiles, porcelain tiles,
natural stones ( marble, mosaic , granite), etc. for interior / exterior floor and wall installations.
Benefits
Longer Life
Excellent Bond Strength
No presoaking of tiles
Anti - sagging
Easy to use
Good Workability
Ramco Super Plaster - Premixed Dry Mortar with graded sand, binders and additives for
1. Internal & External Application (General Purpose Plaster),
2. External Application & bathroom walls (Water Repellant Plaster) and for
3. Ceiling and brick laying Application (Ceiling Plaster)
Features
Compressive Strength at the age of 28 Days: 12-15 Mpa
Pot life: 1 hour
Applications
Interior Walls
Exterior Walls
Ceiling Areas
Brick Joints
Benefits
Uniform and better finish
Reduction in cracks
Enhanced durability and workability
Easy application
Better pot life
Ramco Super Plaster- Plastering Compound- Non sanded product pre-blended with Portland
cement, hydrated lime and chemical admixtures for plastering and mortar applications.
Benefits
Ease of Application
Better water retention
Cohesive Mix
Improved Adhesion
Better Strength
Ramco Concrete
Ramco Concrete - For Structural Concrete Applications: High performance Concrete based
on customers’ requirements is made in the RMC unit. Concrete with various permutations based
on concrete grades, workability and site conditions are available.
10.Manufacturing Process
Mining
The cement manufacturing process starts from the mining of limestone, which is the main raw
material for making cement. Limestone is excavated from open cast mines after drilling and
blasting and loaded on to dumpers which transport the material and unload into hoppers of the
limestone crushers.
Crushing Stacking & Reclaiming of Limestone
The LS Crushers crush the limestone to minus 80 mm size and discharge the material onto a belt
conveyor which takes it to the stacker via the Bulk material analyser. The material is stacked in
longitudinal stockpiles. Limestone is extracted transversely from the stockpiles by the reclaimers
and conveyed to the Raw Mill hoppers for grinding of raw meal.
Crushing Stacking & Reclaiming of Coal
The process of making cement clinker requires heat. Coal is used as the fuel for providing heat.
Raw Coal received from the collieries is stored in a coal yard. Raw Coal is dropped on a belt
conveyor from a hopper and is taken to and crushed in a crusher. Crushed coal discharged from
the Coal Crusher is stored in a longitudinal stockpile from where it is reclaimed by a reclaimer
and taken to the coal mill hoppers for grinding of fine coal.
Raw Meal Drying/Grinding & Homogenisation
Reclaimed limestone along with some laterite stored in their respective hoppers is fed to the Raw
Mill for fine grinding. The hot gasses coming from the clinkerisation section are used in the raw
mill for drying and transport of the ground raw meal to the Electrostatic Precipitator / Bag
House, where it is collected and then stored and homogenised in the concrete silo. Raw Meal
extracted from the silo (now called Kiln feed) is fed to the top of the Preheater for
Pyroprocessing.
Clinkerisation
Cement Clinker is made by pyroprocessing of Kiln feed in the preheater and the rotary kiln. Fine
coal is fired as fuel to provide the necessary heat in the kiln and the Precalciner located at the
bottom of the 5/6 stage preheater. Hot clinker discharged from the Kiln drops on the grate cooler
and gets cooled. The cooler discharges the clinker onto the pan / bucket conveyor and it is
transported to the clinker stockpiles / silos. The clinker is taken from the stockpile / silo to the
ball mill hoppers for cement grinding.
Cement Grinding & Storage
Clinker and Gypsum (for OPC) and also Pozzolana (for PPC) are extracted from their respective
hoppers and fed to the Cement Mills. These Ball Mills grind the feed to a fine powder and the
Mill discharge is fed to an elevator, which takes the material to a separator, which separates fine
product and the coarse. The latter is sent to the mill inlet for regrinding and the fine product is
stored in concrete silos.
Packing
Cement extracted from silos is conveyed to the automatic electronic packers where it is packed
in 50 Kgs. Polythene bags and dispatched in trucks.
11 . Customers
Cement customers
VBC Solution IT Park, Chennai
Verdant Acres, Chennai
Quality Inn Sabari,Chenna
Arihant NITCO,Chennai
Dry mix customers
Encore Construction Consortium Pvt Ltd, Chennai
Seiken Properties, Kerala
Condor Builders (Pvt) Ltd, Kerala
Hoyasala Projects Pvt. Ltd, Cochin
Noel Villas and Apartments, Cochin
Ace Contracting & Engineering Corporation, Cochin
Ramco super plaster customers
VGN Developers (PVT) Ltd, Chennai
Voora Shreeram Constructions (P) Ltd, Chennai
SPR Builders, Chennai
Shree Ashwarya Foundations, Chennai
Prince Foundations Ltd, Chennai
Plaza, Chennai
Jain Housing, Chennai
12. Functional Departments
1. Personnel department: The major function is to look after the payroll, employee
grievances, organizing various activities for different levels of employees.
2. Accounts department: Finance department carries out all the internal and external
financial transactions. They carry out the following activities:
Prepare day to day reports usage of fund
Budget preparation for every quarter
Allocate money for day to day activities
Frames the estimates for clients
Prepares salary statement
2. Mines : The duties of the department include :
Testing the raw materials in the mine
Identifying new mines in the nearby location
Reporting the availability of raw material to the company
Keeping track of raw materials delivered
4. IT: The major role of IT department is to maintain the servers, desktop, laptop, ip
phone, printer, updates the software’s, manages the router, maintains and manage the
hardware firewall.
5. Stores and Material department: The functions are:
Stocking various raw materials, machines and other equipment for the day to day
activities.
Supply of various materials to the respective departments
Receive purchase request from the departments and forwarding to the accounts
department
6. Quality control department: The functions include:
Testing of raw materials, work in progress and finished goods.
Daily production process schedule preparation.
Receive the amount of cement needed from the marketing department.
Inspecting the raw material stock by visiting the raw material yard daily.
7. Process department: The process department controls and coordinates all production
process in the company. It includes from raw material handling to cement dispatch..
8. Engineering departments
-Electrical and Mechanical department: It deals with supply and maintenance of
all electrical and mechanical equipment.
-Civil and Power plant: The civil department is responsible for the maintenance of
the physical structure of the company especially manufacturing new silo and hoppers as
well as maintenance of drainage system.
-Instrumentation: This department is responsible for
9. Cement dispatch section: Operations of bulk loading and packing machines, bag
loading belts, auto pack machines and related equipment’s of the Dispatch Terminal to
ensure smooth and efficient packing and dispatch of cement at optimum capacity in
accordance with standard operating procedures.
10. Liaison : They are responsible for :
• Existence and awareness of a suitable and relevant health and safety policy.
• A safe workplace with 0% accident free.
• Safe plant and machinery, and safe movement, storage and use of articles and
substances.
• Adequate provision of first-aid and welfare facilities and support.
• Provision of suitable and current information and supervision concerning health and
safety policies and practices.
• Proper and timely assessment of risks to health and safety, and implementation of
measures and arrangements identified as necessary from the assessments.
13. Ramco ERP
MCL entered the ERP era in 1994 with the Ramco Marshal ERP.Then they upgraded to
Ramco E-Applications Version 3.2 in 1999.ln September 2007. They kick started
implementation of the much advanced web-based Ramco ERP enterprise series. Version
4.2.
Currently. 300 employees use the Ramco solution at its geographically spread plant and
Marketing locations. The solution comprises modules for finance, sales. Distribution.
Logistics. Purchase and inventory. HR and payroll. Management accounting. CPP
(Continuous Process Production). Ore management systems and plant maintenance.
Customization was done wherever required. Ramco ERP has the capability to integrate
with the ‘web’.
Some of the benefits accrued from ERP are:
Production
Overall operations consistency is achieved and productivity is enhanced from 5 to
10 tonnes per hour. This implies recurring annual savings of about Rs 8.5
crore.
Power generator utilization factor has been increased by 10 per cent and power
(Electricity) consumption is reduced by 10 units per ton by continuously
monitoring factories operations using real-time data in ERP. This indicates
recurring annual savings of about Rs 16 crore.
Expected cement bag weight is achieved for 98.5 per cent of production resulting
in recurring annual savings of about Rs 8.5 crore.
On an average, variable costs decreased by Rs 275 per ton of materials.
Better prices were realized from the vendors by comparing the unit prices,
availing goods discounts and better credit periods as an integrated single
company-wide database is available.
Inventory level is reduced by monitoring materials received but not by materials
consumed within the committed time. This resulted in recurring annual savings of
approximately Rs 1.8 crore.
Management accounting
Variable costs are analyzed on daily basis for each process Centre.
Fuel efficiency is analyzed with caloric value and the market price of the items, to
derive the economical fuel mix
Finance
Trial balances of all the factories are analyzed with greater detail.
All administrative over heads have been reduced without affecting the effective
operations. Reduction is achieved mainly by business process redesign. Similar
reduction of administrative expenses resulted in a recurring annual savings of
about Rs 1.8 crore.
100 per cent adoption was achieved for the costing system, which updates the
P&l, for the entire firm in real time upon entry of a transaction.
Sales
With the close follow up of all pending orders. Orders could be executed within
24 hours. This led to increased customer satisfaction.
Transporters freight is analyzed on daily basis. Based on this. Logistics are
derived. Stock transfers to depots are handled without any re-handling process.
Analysis of HRP data led to closing down of more than 90% of stock points,
which enabled the Company to save on stock holding, transportation and re-
handling. This resulted in a recurring annual savings of about Rs 16 crore.
Mines
Performance is analyzed on a mine, equipment and shift-wise basis. Based on this
analysis, about 60 per cent of heavy equipment were withdrawn from the
operations due to poor performance or underutilization.
Number of shifts in mines was also brought down from 3 shifts to 2 shifts.
Re-handling of materials was brought down to almost negligible from an earlier
re-handling rate of Rs 18 per metric ton. These put together, resulted in a
recurring annual savings of about Rs 3 crore.
Innovative technology practices
Apart from the extensive ERP system, MCL is also making use of many other interesting
IT tools and technologies, to not only complement and supplement the ERP system, but
also to monitor, streamline and secure its processes and organizational data.
Making ERP accessible, while on the move:
The company has developed an in-house enterprise mobile Computing system that
facilitates the use of the business processes through PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants),
by integrating those devices with the organizations ERP system. The application is
proving to be quite useful for the mobile workforce like sales professionals. Currently,
the complete sales order booking Cycle is facilitated through this, and 80 per cent of
orders are being booked through these PDAs (HTC brand).
Tools to communicate better:
At MCL, about 30 locations are connected through video conferencing using an ISDN
(Integrated Services Digital Network) and IP (Internet Protocol) based Aethra video
conferencing system. Besides, the firm also uses the Polycom audio-conferencing system.
Internal collaboration systems are facilitated through enhanced e-mails, online meetings.
IM (Instant Messaging) tools etc. The company also has plans for a unified
communication system where all communication technologies are integrated onto one
platform.
An in-house 24X7 data Centre:
This houses about 30 servers for MCL, and some of its group companies. MCL uses
predominately HP blade servers and storage solutions.
A screen shot of the software:
Fig 5
Challenges Faced
Ramco Cements felt that their potential for growth was hampered by their inability to
visualize and leverage the rich data generated from Ramco Enterprise Resource Planning
(ERP) system. Information such as distributor performance comparison and location
mapping of their wagon movements were difficult to visualize.
Ramco Cements also found it difficult to understand the real issues affecting operations
and performances across the region. They needed a data visualization solution, one that
offered richer, dynamic, interactive graphics that integrated with the Ramco ERP system.
Solution
Ramco Cements chose Google Maps to integrate with its Ramco ERP system. By
superimposing its data onto Google Maps, the result was a rich data visualization tool
that facilitated idea generation and improved productivity. All across India, over 1,000
employees access reports and transactions on a daily basis from the Ramco ERP system
and integrated Google maps. Management at Ramco Cements uses Google Maps for
visual analysis – for monitoring benchmarks, identifying discrepancies and deviation.
Google Maps serves as a tool to help them develop appropriate strategies for business
growth.
Ramco Cements’ sales and marketing divisions also benefitted from Google Maps. The
field sales team now has the capability to easily view information on their mobile devices
– information ranging from competitor distribution networks in their area, to the best and
worst performing dealers. This not only enabled them to make faster sales strategies on-
the-go, it also helped management improve their market penetration strategy and
competitiveness as they could locate their cement warehouses and key customers on
Google Maps vis-à-vis critical operation information, empowering them to devise
effective supply chain strategies and enhance customer service. Google Maps helped
illustrate data at various levels of detail, for example, which regions were experiencing
strong growth, which dealers were performing best, or had the most potential for growth.
Results
Keeping logistics costs low is a critical success factor in the cement manufacturing
industry. Google Maps, together with their in-house SMS notification system and Ramco
ERP solution, formed a solid communication infrastructure. This has helped the Ramco
Cements reduce penalties, losses and damages arising during the wagon clearance
process by up to 70%, and improved consignment clearance time by up to 40%. Google
Maps also made it easier to identify and analyze performing markets with the potential
for growth. Since implementing Google Maps, the company has successfully.
14. Future Plans
Expanding the company portfolio to Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh where raw materials
are in abundance thereby capturing the market share
Setup a grinding unit in vizag, Andra Pradesh which is an important point in supply to the
state.
Incorporation of new packing unit near Tenkashi which cater the demands of the Kerala
market.
Setting up color sorter mechanism in mines which can be used to segregate good
limestone and avoid block stone in the lime stone
Installation of new impact crusher with screening system to increase the limestone
crushing capacity
Installation of alternate fuel feeding system, comprising of an elevator and belt conveyor
with dosing arrangement.
15.SWOT Analysis
Strength
Dedicated IT team: A team from Ramco Systems Ltd (sister concern of the company)
that exclusively work for the company’s IT developments and solutions.
Self-developed ERP: The ERP software which is much cheaper than other similar ones.
It can be customized according to the requirement of the company.
Well established supply chain: The Company have a well-established supply chain in
south India which include packing units and grinding units thereby making the supply of
the product easier.
Brand name and quality of products: Ccertifications like ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and
ISO 18001 which makes the company distinct from others and is a symbol of quality.
Weakness
Wastage of raw materials: There is wastage of raw materials especially imported coal
and pet coke due to improper drainage system in the coal handling unit.
Highly regionalized and localized market: The market for the cement is highly
localized especially in south India.
Capacity constraints to limit sales: The capacity of the plant is limited thereby it will
restrict the sales.
Opportunities
Demand in North East India: The North-Eastern part of India, which is witnessing a
construction boom, offers attractive investment opportunities. Cement manufactured
locally is inadequate to meet the local demand for cement. The annual demand is 5.5
MTPA and the supply is only 3 MTPA.The deficit is met through cement purchased from
other parts of India. High transportation costs cause the landed costs of cement to
increase considerably.
Use of alternate fuels: Fuels such as bio energy produced by burning of coffee husk and
cashew nut shells to fire the kiln thereby lowering production costs and emissions.
Robust infrastructure growth: The government is strongly focused on infrastructure
development to boost economic growth. It plans to increase investment in infrastructure
to USD1 trillion in the 12th Five Year Plan (2012–17).
Threats
Investment by competitors: Robust investments are being made by the existing players
to expand their capacity. This will in turn affect the market of the company.
Presence of small and mid-size cement players: The presence of small and mis-sized
players are increasing across regions is increasing, which will diminish the market
concentration of industry leaders. They have been constantly increasing their installed
capacity to cater to increasing cement demand.
16. Observations
India has the capacity to become the world's third largest construction market by 2025 and a US$
1 trillion market, according to a study by Global Construction Perspectives and Oxford
Economics. The focus of the government on strengthening infrastructure, promotion of low-cost
affordable housing, etc., is expected to drive cement demand. With the ever-increasing industrial
activities, real estate, construction and infrastructure, in addition to the onset of various Special
Economic Zones (SEZs) being developed across the country, there is a continuous demand for
cement.
Moreover, major cement manufacturers in India are also increasingly using alternate fuels,
especially bioenergy, to fire their kilns. The step will not only help to reduce production costs of
cement companies, but is also proving effective in reducing emissions.
Currently The Ramco Cements Ltd holds the 5th position in terms of market capitalization and
net profit earned during 2102 - 2013. The projected growth of 8-9 % in the cement industry by
the fiscal year 2014 – 2015 will give ample opportunity for the company to gain market share.
SECTION II
ROUTINE WORK
Objective of the routine work
To coordinate the coal handling and coal grinding process handled by the Process
department of The Ramco Cements Ltd.
To conduct a study to automate the trolley operation process with the primary objective
of minimizing the number of operations in the coal handling process.
Job responsibilities:
Monitoring the transfer of different types of coal from the yard through the closed circuit
television system till it reaches the mill.
Monitor the coal mill grinding process
Receiving call from the trolley operator to start and stop the conveyor belts.
Study the problems associated within the process and to find solutions that will help to
increase the efficiency of the coal handling process thereby increasing the overall
production efficiency of the company
Daily visit to the raw material yard to take down the current stock of the raw materials
Details of the work:
1. Coordination of the coal handling process in Ramco Cements Ltd process department.
I was entrusted with the responsibility of coordinating the coal handling process of
Ramco Cements Ltd. The tasks performed included the following three functions:
i. To observe and analyze Imported coal and petcock handling process
Observed the filling of coal into the hopper in the central control room: - My task
was to observe the filling of imported coal and pet coke into the hopper from the
yard through the monitor placed in the central control room. If any wastage or
unusual thing happened I had to report the issue to the manager in charge.
Noted down the coal mill grinding time: - Analyzed the graph from the
workstation and calculated the total time the mill was running to grind the coal in
a shift. The analysis showed which type of coal consumption was more. I also
found out how much coal was used in a shift. It is very important to note down the
daily coal consumption so as to find out the monthly consumption of coal. It helps
the department to plan for the next month usage.
Receiving call from the trolley operator: - The trolley operator makes the first call
when coal is being loaded to the yard hopper. On receiving the call my task was
to give commands in the work station to start the conveyor belts. When the
hopper is about to fill the operator calls again and commands are given to stop the
belts.
Visited the coal handling area: - Visited the coal handling area and interacted with
the trolley operator in depth about the process as well as the problems associated
with the present system. I also observed the filling process completely to
understand the trolley operation process.
ii. To observe and analyze Fly ash handling process
Observed the filling of coal into the hopper in the central control room: -
Observed the filling of ash into the hopper from the yard through the monitor
placed in the central control room. . If any wastage or unusual thing happened I
had to report the issue to the manager in charge.
Noted down the time taken to transport the ash from the hopper to the coal mill: -
Analyzed the graph from a workstation and calculated the total time the mill was
running to grind the fly ash. The analysis is used to find out the daily requirement
of ash.
iii. To visit the raw material yard
Daily visit to the raw material yard with a field worker to take down the current
stock of the raw materials. The stock of each type of raw materials are noted in the
stock book separately.
To report the current stock to the manager on daily basis: - The collected data is
reported to the manager. Based on the availability of raw materials the department
do the production planning.
2. Conducted a study to automate the trolley operation process with the primary objective of minimizing the number of operations in the coal handling process.
Statement of the problem
A study on the automation of the trolley operation process to minimize number of
operations in the coal handling process.
Nature of the problem
The problems identified in the coal handling process were studied and identified as
elaborated below:
1. Manual operation of trolley: - The manual operation require an additional employee
to operate the trolley. The operator has to make at least seven phone calls per shift to
operate the trolley.
2. No mechanism to find out the overflow level of coal in the hoppers: - There is no
mechanism to find out the overflow level of coal in the hopper. So a manual operator
is required to check the hopper filling level.
3. More time consumption during D10 hopper filling: - D10 hopper is situated in
between D9 and D11 hopper. The construction of trolley is in such a way that only
D9 and D11 hoppers can be filled in a single stretch. Therefore to fill the D10 hopper
completely the trolley has to stop and the belt is reversed which require more number
of operations and is time consuming.
4. Inadequate drainage system: - The drainage system is inadequate which contribute to
the loss of the raw material during transfer from hopper to mill as well as jamming of
chute due to wet coal. Also during heavy rainfall the belts has to be stopped to avoid
the jamming of chute thereby wasting a considerable amount of time.
Key Finding and Recommendations
The areas that should be improved are:
Collect imported coal in D11 hopper. Since the consumption of imported coal is more
compared pet coke and ash, it is filled more to the hopper. At present imported coal is
filled in D10 hopper. But to fill D10 completely the trolley should be stopped and must
run in the opposite direction each time which require more number of operations and is
time consuming. Instead ash can be filled in D10 which is least used.
Fig 6 and 7 shows the coal mill grinding time in hours of imported coal and pet coke
respectively in the three shifts. The chart is made based on the data collected for a
period of 30 days.
Shift A Shift B Shift C0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
Coal Mill 1 (Imported Coal)
Hou
rs
Fig 10
Shift A Shift B Shift C0.00
5.00
10.00
15.00
20.00
25.00
30.00
35.00
40.00
Coal Mill 2 (Pet Coke and ash) H
ours
Fig 11
Fig 8 shows the total mill grinding time by each mill. From the chart it is clear that
imported coal is grinded for 80% of the time whereas pet coke is grinded only for 20% of
the time. Imported coal comes from D10 hopper and pet coke is collected from D9
hopper.
80%
20%
Total Mill Grinding Time
CM1CM2
Fig 12
The fig 9, 10 and 11 depicts the time duration in hours taken by each hopper to transport
coal to the mill in shifts A, B and C respectively. The chart is made based on the data
collected for a period of 30 days.
D9 D10 D110
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Time Duration - Shift A
Hours
Fig 13
D9 D10 D110
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Time Duration - Shift B
Hou
rs
Fig 14
D9 D10 D110
10
20
30
40
50
60
Time Duration - Shift C
Hou
rs
Fig 15
The fig 12 depicts the total time taken by each hoppers for a period of 30 days. It is made
by analyzing the charts 9,10 and 11.
By analyzing the Fig 8 and fig 12 it is clear that hopper D10 is used for the longer time.
So imported coal storing hopper(D10) should be replaced by the D11.
36%
56%
8%
Time consumption by hoppers
D9D10D11
Fig 16
Proper drainage system in the roof. The roof of the coal handling area is experiencing
severe leakage. Due to this water directly comes into the hoppers which make the coal
wet and in turn will jam the chutes. During heavy rain coal cannot be filled into the
hoppers which is a huge waste of time. Large pvc pipes can be put in the roof center to
transport the rain water to some other location.
Water repellent covering near the bottom of all three hoppers. Once proper drainage
system is implemented the bottom part of all three hoppers and left part of D9 should be
covered with water repelling sheets so that the extra water droplets would not disturb the
belts.
Implement 2 level switches in each hoppers. This will help to know when the hopper is
about to fill and the belts can be automatically stopped. The manual operation can be
replaced by automation.
Implementing Switch
Option 1:
In this method, the coal pumping end of the trolley starts filling in position P1. When the
indicated level reaches switch S2 becomes ON and the trolley is automatically moved to
the position P3. When the overflow level reaches switch S1 becomes ON and the
conveyor belts are stopped in a continuous fashion. The trolley is moved to position P2
where the remaining coal from the belt is filled. By implementing this option the hopper
can be filled in a single stretch without stopping the trolley.
S – Switch
P – Position
Option 2:
In this method, the coal pumping end of the trolley starts filling in position P1. When the
indicated level reaches switch S1 becomes ON and the trolley is automatically moved to
the position P3. When the overflow level reaches switch S2 becomes ON and the
conveyor belts are stopped in a continuous fashion. The trolley is moved to position P2
where the remaining coal from the belt is filled. By implementing this option the hopper
can be filled in a single stretch without stopping the trolley.
S – Switch
P – Position
Merits of the proposed system
Fully automated operation in filling the hoppers will require less time than the previous
manual operation.
Number of phone calls can be reduced. On an average 7 calls are made by the operator to
CCR (Central Control Room) per shift. So around 21 phone calls can be reduced per day
which is a significant relief to the CCR operators.
Number of operations required in filling imported coal can be reduced. Imported coal is
filled 2 times per shift i.e. 6 times per day. So the belts are stopped 6 times and trolley
must reverse the direction each time to fill the coal into D10 completely. But when D11
is used no stoppage of trolley and belt are required. Therefore 6 operations can be
reduced per day.
Time consumption can be reduced in filling imported coal. When the trolley is reversed
the feeder is stopped and it takes 3 minutes to empty the belts.
In a shift, 2*3 = 6 minutes can be saved.
In a day, 6*3 = 18 minutes can be saved.
In a month, 18 *30=540 minutes= 9 hours can be saved.
In a year 9*12 = 108 hours can be saved.
The trolley operator can be used for other jobs. Since automation is deployed the
additional employee can be utilized to perform other important job.
No need of stoppage during rainy season. This will help for the continuous grinding of
the coal in the mill.
Wastage of raw materials can be minimized when proper drainage system is deployed.
Achievements on completion of work
The major achievements are:
Coordinated the coal handling process of Ramco Cements Ltd with effectiveness
Worked in a challenging real time environment and gained hands on experience in the
manufacturing industry
Determined solutions to convert an existing manual operation to automation and also to
minimize the number of operation performed.
Completed entrusted responsibilities by the company in a time bound manner
Limitations on completion of work
The major limitations faced during the work were:
The software used in the central control room of Ramco Cements Limited is programmed
in such a way that it was moderately difficult for me to analyze the graph and interpret
the required data.
There is only one desktop computer in the central control room and the rest are
workstations. So at a time only one person can use the desktop and others have to wait for
some time to access the machine.
Working in a challenging real time environment made it at times difficult to gather the
required data for analytics.
Learning from the work
The learnings from the work are:
Hands on experience in coal handling process in Ramco Cements Ltd
Understanding of the trolley operation process in the coal handling process.
Knowledge of the operations in a manufacturing plant
Knowledge about the cement industry and its operations
Learned to utilize different excel functions such as preparation of charts and other basic
functions.
Incorporation of work as part of Organizational study
Gathered knowledge of different functions and processes of the process department in Ramco
Cements Ltd.
Understanding of the key HR policies and procedures of the company
Gained valuable insights into the quality control department of the company
Time Duration for the work
36 Days