Market Insights

Leveraging knowledge to increase competitiveness of process industries

Posted on 10 February, 2010 | Tags:

SG&A is a Pune based operations optimization firm, specializing in process industries, both continuous as well as batch processes. Activities are focused on providing training, consulting services and solutions in operations optimization area of process industries.

Samir Gijre, the founder, has been engaged with process industries to improve performance in various roles of engineering, advisory, and business management for several years.  Samir has completed more than 50 assignments in various process industries at operations level in oil production, refining, petrochemicals, fertilizers, steel, Aluminum, copper, Dairy and chemicals. Samir is witness to the learning curve of Indian process industry, in identifying and implementing latest technology optimization projects for the last decade. He holds a B. Tech (Chemical Engineering) from Laxminarayan Institute of Technology, Nagpur.

Indian process industries are unique. Most of the mega scale units in refining, fertilizers etc. are working on bought out technology, very small scale industries are working on individual's experience.  As a result, in majority plants, qualified operating personnel just follow process instructions as gospel truth. This approach leads to missed opportunities to increase operating profits on a routine basis. Plant's operating data is hardly seen by anybody, apart from daily production report, outside of the control room. But a look at the operating data may hold rich rewards.  In one instance, a metal manufacturer was astonished to find that there was 10% room available to increase the throughput, just by operating in different fashion, without any investment, while they thought that their plant was constrained to produce anymore!

The core of manufacturing companies is now shifting from capital intensive scale leveraged industries to knowledge based manufacturing services companies, where the collective skill level of the operating crew matters. The manufacturing companies want to institutionalize and internalize the best operating practices of world class organizations, irrespective of their size. This is demonstrated by the training and skill levels being constantly upgraded in particular process technology, safety, health, environment, fire fighting etc. However, there is hardly any internal/external training /university course, which systematically trains process industry personnel for everyday process analysis and optimization!

SG&A's unique contribution lies in institutionalizing the concepts of process analysis and operations optimization available in very understandable form to operating /technical people in industry, to practically use this knowledge every day and get visible improvements. The process industry personnel may participate in workshops at their site, public workshops at Pune or even learn at their own pace through the distance learning course.

Hemant Misra Chief Executive Officer Universal Starch Chem Allied Limited, one of the satisfied clients says ..."....This interesting and practical program has provided a vision, language and practical techniques for plant operations optimization. The techniques discussed are actionable and we have decided to put this learning into action immediately. We definitely hope to get immediate, consistent and significant benefits by applying these techniques in our complex."

Analyzing plant operations of plants in various industries at close quarters has given SG&A many opportunities to develop some very practical and useful solutions to common operating problems. These solutions are specific, very cost effective and can be implemented in few weeks time. For example, a complex petrochemical plant was found to have promise to improve the throughput and yield should there be a constant guidance to operators in terms of optimal parameters to be maintained. SG&A is providing such a solution, which is expected to pay back in less than a month's time.

Samir Gijre & Associates
100, NCL Innovation Park,
Dr. Homi Bhabha Road,
Pune-411 008, Phone 020-25888535
Visit SG&A at http://www.Gijre.com