Vedanta is leveraging technology to become a digital-first, low cost and sustainable manufacturing entity. In a fireside chat at ETCIO Spectrum 2021, Ajay Kapur, CEO – Aluminium & Power and MD – Commercial, Vedanta Ltd, talked about the company’s digital transformation journey and has highlighted a few cutting edge technologies such as digital twin, Industry 4.0, etc, being leveraged at 7 different business units for plant operational efficiency and process optimization.“We are leveraging industry 4.0 for operations and at the supply chain to get deeper process understanding and visibility. We use digital technologies to evaluate critical operational parameters of different units and to stay connected with stakeholders. Our smelters have to run 24/7, thus we have implemented technologies to remotely monitor and control our operations,” Ajay Kapur, CEO – Aluminium & Power and MD – Commercial, Vedanta Ltd said.
Vedanta has implemented industry-first digital smelters at one of its plants in Jharsuguda, Odisha, which is one of the largest smelters outside of China. The technology enables remote monitoring and controlling of potline operations using digital twin technologies. Logistics automation is being used in Zinc operations, Aluminum, Oil and gas. Automation is helping the company with optimising process efficiency and also in leakage detection.
The Jharsuguda unit is certified with the ISO/IEC 22301:2012 (BCMS – Business Continuity Management System) for business continuity and certifies that the company is best prepared for a disruptive incident while having the capabilities to resume critical functions immediately aided by technology.
Vedanta’s BALCO unit is an iconic subsidiary, with a highly sophisticated Centralized Security Operations Centre (CSOC) that marries security solutions like edge-based security analytics for incident detection and response to effective management of security resources on the ground, besides enablement of intelligence collection.
“At BALCO has recently launched the ‘Sentinel’ application for tracking the real-time status of identity cards, thereby strictly monitoring personnel movement inside plant and township premises. The Manufacturing Execution System (MES) ensures visibility of all critical plant operations and allows for decision making remotely through mobile applications, while employees can maintain social distancing and yet fulfil their activities on the plant floor. We have also introduced digital twins at power plants with predictive and prescriptive analysis to enhance efficiency and avoid downtime,” Kapur added.
The company is testing various technologies such as RPA for process repetition, and blockchain. Kapur told ETCIO that his team is testing blockchain platforms for international and commodity purchases. The idea is to implement a solution that can cater to a series of documentation that gets integrated seamlessly into blockchain technology.
Steering business through unprecedented times of Covid-19
“The Covid-19 has brought us an opportunity to grow and innovate our business with digital transformation. Going digital is no more a choice but a mandate for successful businesses. It’s an opportunity to revamp business processes, optimising revenue and operational efficiencies. Investing in digital is the only way out for enterprises to compete with new-age born-digital companies. At Vedanta, we are innovative and digital native with every possible operational process and business domain,”
He also emphasised that “our products such as zinc, copper, iron, steel, aluminium, oil and gas, etc, are driving the transformation agenda of smart cities and a smart world. Our business is the catalyst behind the country’s vision of embracing digital and innovation.
As stated by Kapur, Vedanta is a 100% Geen business. Aluminium which the company manufactures is completely recyclable. No wastage at a fraction of the cost.
“It is important to mine the ore and transform it into primary aluminium, but once produced it can keep itself regenerating for years to come. We are a Billion Dollars company with a startup mentality and agile methodology. Amid the lockdown, when the domestic market was closed, we had to move our focus into the international market. We have our own ports, ships, infrastructure and logistics, and an internationally connected customer base. Thus we exported to Europe, the US, Asian countries, etc. And once the domestic market was opened, we prioritised the India market and the demands of our products in the country,” Kapur highlighted.
During the lockdown phases, Vedanta has set up virtual war rooms, digital emergency command and control centres. The tech team successfully migrated to an IT-enabled remote working. According to Kapur, Pre-covid-19 the company’s basic infrastructure was in place and managed well, which was one of the key drivers to support business in such unprecedented times.
“We have virtual interfaces and platforms to conduct plant visits and safety tours online. We have also leveraged drones in our plants during the lockdown. In these times, our CAPEX has not reduced. We have been consistent with our expansion plans, tech testing and other critical projects,” Kapur said.
Carbon Neutrality
Vedanta has taken strong measures and has launched initiatives for carbon neutrality. The company has placed resources from senior to mid-senior levels who are working on the carbon footprint plan and strategy to mitigate carbon emission.
“We have joined hands with State Governments and are actively looking to implementing green energy alternatives such as Biomass, Solar, Biogas, etc to reduce our dependence on thermal as the primary source of energy. We have voluntarily pledged to carbon neutrality and will continue putting our best efforts into achieving it,”
Not disruption but Iterative innovation
“We are working closely with startups and young tech companies on innovative solutions. We are a technology hungry company to modernise our processes while we continue to nurture the legacy business. We have collaborated with educational institutions and have invested in R&D, L&D to explore what new and innovative things can be done such as at the shop floor, plant processes, remote working, security hygiene, etc. We are looking at robotics, material testing, imaging analytics, NLP solutions, and many more technologies for our 7 different business units,” Kapur concluded.
