The
lamp burns on
Latika
Sakhuja provides an insight into the solution implemented by Parle to
minimise the problems faced by interrupted power supply and fluctuations
in supply
Findings
of the MAIT-Emerson Network Power (India) study on network power downtime
reveal that India incurred direct losses of approximately Rs 22,000
crore in 2003. This was due to fluctuations in power supply and operating
environment-related downtime, estimated to be around 2.2 per cent of
the gross output of the total industrial and service sectors. This loss
is significantly higher as compared to losses incurred in 2002, which
stood at Rs 20,000 crore.
Feedback Consulting, a Bangalore based research firm, carried out a
study in November 2003 which covered 302 Indian firms, and was spread
out over six cities. The study reflected that nearly 50 per cent of
the firms polled were extremely dependent on IT and automation. Contingency
planning is now a part of Indian business psyche and over 85 per cent
firms have a power source other than grid supply. Delhi records the
highest level of daily power disruption at 28 per cent of the sample
base; this is followed by Bangalore at 22 per cent. Firms in Kolkata,
Mumbai and Hyderabad experienced comparatively fewer power disruptions.
In 80 per cent of the cases, power was restored within an hour. Power
restoration within 30 minutes has reduced to 56 per cent from 66 per
cent last year, indicative of slower response times. Over 85 per cent
of the firms in Mumbai and Kolkata feel that authorities are taking
the right measures to improve the power scenario. Less than 50 per cent
reflected the same in Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore. On an average, 61
per cent of the Indian industry was skeptical about improvements in
the power scenario. Of this, 67 per cent firms in Kolkata and 37 per
cent in Mumbai felt that their city already had a reliable power infrastructure.
Less than 16 per cent felt similarly across Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai.
The main reasons for downtime are power cuts, scheduled and unscheduled,
and fluctuations in power supply. This has a negative impact on the
equipment and results in a reduction of employee productivity. The Parle
Foods plant at Patalganga is an aseptic packaging unit that is involved
in the production of brands such as Frooti, N-joi and Appy. The plant
draws power from the Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB) grid.
Due to power cuts and frequent fluctuations, reliability was at an insufficient
90 per cent. This necessitated dependence on a continually running diesel
generator(DG) set. The increased dependence upon the DG resulted in
driving up the cost of operating the plant. Also, due to frequent power
breaks and fluctuations in power, there were a high number of unscheduled
breaks in operation. Even a power trip for one second could halt the
process for as long as 3-4 hours, as the Cleaning-in-Process (CIP) after
every trip would take that much time. The frequent power fluctuations
also resulted in wear and tear of machine components. To address these
challenges, Parle invited Emerson Network Power (ENPI) to assess the
situation and suggest a solution. ENPI conducted a survey and attributed
the frequent fluctuations in frequency, voltage and tripping to the
unclean power supply.
“Before offering a solution to our clients, we carry out an in-depth
study of the downtime, the issues faced even when power supply is available
and the costs incurred due...
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