Birla Corp to leverage ABB solution to optimise manufacturing process

Zurich headquartered technology major ABB has inked a deal to supply its digital transformation solution to RCCPL, a subsidiary of cement and jute manufacturer Birla Corp. 

The ABB Ability Expert Optimizer platform will enable Kota-based RCCPL to optimise and control its manufacturing processes, thereby increasing production and reducing fuel consumption, a statement said.  

The solution is part of the ABB Ability CementOptimize portfolio, aimed at modernising cement plants. ABB’s digital solutions will be integrated with its electrification product ABB Ability System 800xA to improve asset utilisation, it said.

The company will install the solution at Birla’s greenfield cement plant at Mukutban, Maharashtra, which has a yearly capacity of 3.9 million tonnes and a 40 MW captive power plant. Currently, the company  produces cement at seven locations in India, with a combined capacity of nearly 15.5 million tonnes a year.  

“Early involvement in the development of the greenfield project means we can bring a holistic approach to the design of the complete system,” Krishnadas Manjaparra, who heads industrial automation processes for industries in the South Asia and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region at ABB, said. 

“We have an established track record in India where more than half of cement plants already run with the ABB automation systems. They ensure maximum efficiency and run consistently shift to shift, irrespective of operator expertise,” he added.

ABB operates in five verticals -- electrification, industrial automation, motion, robotics and discrete automation, and cybersecurity. It has a presence in more than 100 countries and employs about 1,44,000 people. 

In April, ABB developed a standardised qualification criterion for two internet of things (IoT)-related job roles in collaboration with the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), to formalise the hiring process of jobs in the IoT network communications and IoT cybersecurity spaces.