Contents - Connect-World

Industrial Development
Figure 1: Ordering and tracking is simplified and mor efficient.
ductive business processes are being
introduced by the sector in almost
every sphere of business. These
range from the automation of time
and attendance systems, work-inprocess,
and production to logistics
and distribution processes.
“With one of the fastest
growth rates in terms of
new mobile users, India
is now truly a part of the
‘always connected’
world”
Automation in these areas has been
driven primarily by the use of
Information Technology and communication.
The huge number of multinational
companies introducing the latest
technology and processes in their
Indian establishments has also driven
these changes. Whirlpool is a very
well known name in the international
white goods manufacturing segment.
Recently, Whirlpool India
implemented an automated production
tracking system. At the start of
the manufacturing process, a unique
barcode is generated for each item
and affixed to it.
This barcode is used to track the
product at each level of the manufacturing
process. When the product is
finished, it is sent to a warehouse for
distribution. The front-end software
is linked to a database server that
stores comprehensive data about
each item. When dispatching the
products, the barcode is scanned, the
data is validated, and data about the
dispatch is included in the database
in real-time. With the help of hand
held terminals, the products are
scanned while in storage and the data
sent to the server to audit the inventory
in storage in the warehouse. The
key benefits of this system have been:
ˆ The reduction of
cycle times by
automating the
entry of data;
ˆ The ability to track
production efficiency,
machine performance
and problems,
including the
mean time between
breakdowns, and to
generate and review
the data whenever
required;
ˆ The simplification
of inventory control and processing
that barcodes make possible;
ˆ The continuous availability of a
complete product history.
It is not only the multinational companies
that have introduced the latest
technologies in their manufacturing
processes.
Many Indian companies have also
realised the benefits of adopting the
latest technologies for their manufacturing
and administrative processes.
Tata Iron and Steel Company
(TISCO), which is Indias largest private
sector steel manufacturing company,
recently upgraded its entire
production unit. The company’s
“Every new technology
that is launched worldwide
is now available in
India in a matter of
days.”
four-phase modernisation programme
has enabled it to acquire
most modern steel making facilities
in the world.
The highly productive blast furnaces
along with LD Converters and down
stream continuous casting facilities
gave Tata Steel a distinct edge and
helped it achieve its vision of becoming
the world’s lowest cost producer
of steel. Its coke ovens with stamp
charging technology have helped it
make blast furnace grade coke at the
lowest cost in the world and drastically
reduce wastage and emission of
pollutants.
As it upgraded its manufacturing
facilities, Tata Steel also introduced
automation for many of its other supporting
processes. The most prominent
amongst these has been the
introduction of an automated steel
coil tracking system. The application
software generates the work orders
based upon a process requirement
generated from information contained
in the master schedule of
Tatas CRM information system
(CRM-IS). The work order is then
transmitted through a high-speed
fibre optic and a 2.4GHz FHSS wireless
network to the crane computer
(VMU 5055) through a local access
point.
The crane operator moves the coil
from its source location to the target
position using a laser distance meter
to guide it to its destination. All this
is done by way of a single start command.
Ground supervisors carry the
hand held terminals with barcode
scanners and scan the barcodes,
printed automatically using barcode
printers, found on the stocked coils.
Reconfirmation, exceptional handling
and dispatch scheduling are
also initiated using these hand held
terminals.
The key benefits derived by TISCO in
implementing such a system have
been:
ˆ Real time updating of the coil/slab
status in TISCOs central database
that can then be made available to
top management or even to customers;
ˆ Zero level errors in the placing and
pickup of coils in the storage yard;
ˆ 100 per cent assured coil dispatch
to the right customer;
ˆ Effective utilisation of material
handling system and a drastic cut
down in delays and lost time;
ˆ 66 per cent manpower reduction in
the yard level operations;
ˆ Elimination of Human Errors in
Yard Operations;
ˆ According to customer statistics,
return on investment expected within
fourteen months from the effective
start date of system usage.
Another example where the use of
“Besides making a
worldwide impact, the
Indian ICT sector has
also been absorbing new
technologies, albeit
slowly.”
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