Adapting to the new normal by digitalising your chemical operations was the webinar that was organised by Rockwell Automation and Manufacturing Today on January 28 from 2:30 pm to 5:00 pm. Hafeez Shaikh, business head for Manufacturing Today, set the tone for the evening when he welcomed the audience and the guests for the evening.
Considering that one industry that cannot afford to have unwarranted shut-downs or breakdowns, the virtual summit could not have come at a more apt time. For long, perhaps, this is the only industry that has been widely embracing and implementing new technologies. More so, in this disruptive age, the agility of companies to adapt new technologies is the only factor that will define its success.
The summit had industry experts speaking about their experience with new technologies and its skillful adaptation.
With two intelligent panel discussions, the first panel covered ‘Reimagining the chemical enterprise with intelligent automation’. Speakers included DS Ravindra Raju, president – manufacturing, Deepak Fertilisers and Petrochemicals Corporation; and Pushkar Rege, VP, IT, UPL. The panel was moderated by none other than Dilip Sawhney, MD, Rockwell Automation India, who pleasantly invited the audience and the panellists for the first panel discussion.
With the chemicals industry expected to see a growth from $170 billion to about $300 billion by 2025, it is only fair to assume that most of this growth will come from within as India begins to rely lesser and lesser on imports. It is also expected that India will ank number three after China and the US in manufacturing chemicals that are today required for a variety of industries across the economy.
Speaking about how digital technologies are here to stay, Sawhney asked the panellists to explain the extent to which digitalisation has encompassed business and our lives post during and after covid-19. Moreover, digital automation will soon be core to our lives and how much ground has been covered is what we will see.
Raju of DFCL said that the digital world has come up with solutions that are in bits and pieces. Integrating the hardware and software and the analytics is a challenge most of the time. There is plenty of opportunities for improvement across areas, but most of the time we are unable to understand the signs that have been laid out for us.
Rege of UPL spoke about how some companies adopt technology for its sake. Begin with a problem statement and understand the goals that need to be met. Cyber protection is also that most people are ignorant about.
It was followed by a presentation by Biju Jatheendran, senior manager with Kalypso, a Rockwell Automation company, who spoke on Unlocking your digital potential. He pointed out that companies today are seeking ways to bring the digital thread to life, which describes the seamless flow of data that connects business processes across the value chain to deliver top-line growth.
The second panel discussion, Stimulate a new wave of innovation through a collaborative ecosystem, had industry heads that have built a reputation for digitalisation in their organisations and sphere of work. The panellists comprised Ashok Muthuswamy, AVP & plant head, silica, Tata Chemicals; Sharad Joshi, head – digitalisation – smart manufacturing South Asia, South East Asia, East Asia and Australia & NZ, BASF; and Ashok Malhotra, plant head, SRF. It was moderated by Arvind Kakru, country head – end user and EPC business, Rockwell Automation India.
Among the various questions that Kakru asked the panellists, one of them was how digitalisation is helping chemical industries explore largely untapped potential.
Muthuswamy said that one should offer developed products that the market wants with shorter lead time and high quality, while ensuring safety of all personnel. Delivering at optimised cost and if one can get it done digitally, then nothing like it.
Joshi pointed out that digitalisation is necessary across the value chain and one cannot ignore it anymore. Today digitalisation has penetrated supply chains, R&D, manufacturing, procurement, and any other aspects of manufacturing companies. What is offers is an accuracy and peace of mind that was missing when companies did everything the manual way.
Malhotra spoke about how the chemical industry’s complex processes make it compulsory that they adopt digitalisation and a high level automation that will improve safety and quality. The chemicals industry is quite a dangerous place to work and no amount of safety precautions is enough.
The panel discussions also saw some Q&A from the audience who were keen to understand the level of digital tools that companies in India adopt.
This was followed by another presentation by Sandeep Redkar, manager process solutions, Rockwell Automation India, who shared valuable insights on The Connected Chemical with PlantPax 5.0. Global competitiveness and the ability to introduce new products into the market defines the agility of the plant.
The summit ended with a virtual tour of the state-of-the-art experience centre – the Rockwell Automation Digital Transformation Experience Centre at Gurgaon (DTEC).