Page 66 - ENGINEERING REVIEW APRIL 2022 DIGITAL MAGAZINE

INSIGHT
#AIR COMPRESSOR

the-art campus at Kinathukadavu, near with, our manufacturing processes are on developing and building dense, native
Coimbatore. At the ACP, close to 200 planned and designed to use fewer forests at all our factory locations using
IoT-enabled machines, all connected natural resources, reduce pollution and the Miyawaki technique, which involves
and sharing data seamlessly, were waste, and recycle and reuse materials. planting native species. Starting 2016,
deployed to analyze the captured data As discussed earlier, we minimize the about a third of our manufacturing
using advanced statistical tools, identify solid waste from our foundry via a campus has been developed into a
energy-saving opportunities, improve circular and comprehensive solid waste green belt with more than 3,000 trees
systems, and conserve energy. Since management strategy. In a bid to dispose and landscaped gardens across the
then, our plant operations have achieved of hazardous waste generated at our manufacturing units. With this, we,
over 24% energy efficiency with the manufacturing plants, all waste generated together with our employees and family
implementation of IoT-enabled energy from machining processes is converted members, have remained committed to
management systems, resulting in power into a form of a cake before disposing increasing the amount of carbon the land
reductions of around 1.02 megawatts of it through authorized agencies. This absorbs. Over 6000 diverse tree species
per year and significant savings in annual hazardous waste consists of 2000 Kcal/ have been planted to date, and over
power spends. Our Air Compressor Kg of calorific value. Additional additives 30,000 trees will be planted over the next
Plant (ACP) has been certified by the are added to increase their calorific value. three years.
ISO 50001:2018 Energy Management They are then converted into solid blocks, Finally, we are looking beyond the
System, an annual certification audit burned in cement kilns, and converted traditional linear economy and the current
by TUV Nord ensuring energy-efficient to ash.In line with our Rethink-Reuse- take-make-waste extractive industrial
improvements year on year. Upcycle approach and our circular system model to weave in circularity across our
At the ELGi Foundry, set up in focus, we installed mechanical and processes, aiming to redefine growth and
2013 to produce special castings for thermal reclamation units that recover and focus on positive, society-wide benefits.
captive consumption purposes, we’ve recycle 96% of the sand utilized. Waste
taken various steps to ensure that sand management at the ELGi Foundry Q. On the energy management
our employees work in a clean and was the third element of our carbon front, have you taken any initiatives
healthy environment. Furthermore, we emission reduction efforts in operations. to harness renewable energy and
implemented dust collectors, filters, and From 2017, dust generated, including fine reduce dependence on grid power?
wet scrubbers across the factory floor to sand, is collected through custom-made Increasing the share of renewable
ensure minimal carbon impact. equipment and then converted into solid energy in the total energy pie is a
bricks that is used to construct buildings critical element of ‘Green energy-driven

Q. How do you optimize waste without compromising the quality of manufacturing,’ resulting in lowered
generation? construction. dependency on conventional resources
At ELGi, we generate 36 different types of energy. As early as 1994, we initiated
of waste across all our manufacturing a process by which renewable wind
processes. Hence, we continue to adopt energy generated through five 250 kW
the waste management techniques of windmills contributed to approximately
‘Reduce – Recycle – Reuse’ in waste 15% of the total power consumed at
generation and disposal. Typically, the our manufacturing units. Until 2016,
waste storage area is located in the the assembly plant at the headquarters
backyard in any manufacturing unit. At Q. What are the other steps you take consumed the entire power generated
ELGi, when building our air compressor to reduce the carbon footprints? through these windmills. In 2016, the
plant (the ACP), we deliberately planned I’ve touched upon our core initiatives windmills were allocated for the ELGi
to have the waste storage area right above. We remain committed to Foundry, the ELGi Air Compressor Plant,
upfront. This helps ensure the waste is the triple bottom-line, i.e., remaining and the assembly plant at headquarters
visible, minimal, and the storage area is #alwaysbetter for the environment and in the ratio 2:2:1. More recently, we’ve
always kept clean. This is reflective of ensuring our employees, customers, and signed off on a Solar Power agreement
the waste management systems and the community benefit from a healthier, which will increase our renewable energy
processes in place at the unit. greener ecosystem. For example, to offset share to over 50% this year across
How do we manage waste? To begin our Scope 1 and 2 emissions, we focused manufacturing units.

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