Expecting steam generators supply for NPCIL to be completed by 2025

By OEM Update Editorial April 1, 2022 4:56 pm IST

We expect emphasis on Hydrogen to be more pronounced and have already started participating and supplying key equipment for global hydrogen projects.

Interacting with OEM Update, Hussain Shariyarr, Sr. Vice President & Business Head, Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd., Process Equipment Division, candidly shared details about manufacturing the entire range of custom-built critical Static equipment for core industries like oil & gas, petrochemicals, chemicals & fertilisers, hydrogen, power and water across the world. 

Godrej Process Equipment manufacturing business 

Started in 1976, Godrej Process Equipment has been in business for more than four decades. We manufacture the entire range of Static equipment including highly critical heat exchangers, vessels, reactors and columns for core industry segments like oil & gas, petrochemicals, chemicals & fertilisers, hydrogen, power and water around the world. Till date, we have served more than 400 Customers across the globe. 

Since 2004, Godrej Process Equipment has been growing at a rate of more than 8 percent CAGR. The business is one of the world leaders in fabricating static equipment for process industries and is largely export oriented. We have supplied critical and complex equipment across all continents. In recent years, the company had commenced a new world-class manufacturing facility in Dahej, Gujarat. It expanded its footprint internationally by acquiring Yuba® & Ecolaire® licences in the power sector and has international offices at Tulsa & Bethlehem in the USA. 

Future trends for manufacturing excellence 

The future trends look exciting and challenging. Increased focus on automation, digital data capturing as part of digitalisation and implementation of manufacturing execution systems on the shop floor are the various initiatives we have undertaken across our manufacturing facilities. More than 80 percent of our welding activities are automated and emphasis has been given to robotic operations for welding, nozzle cut-outs, nozzle welding, etc. Moving forward, Industry 4.0 will be the new norm and being a world class manufacturer that we are, we have embarked on that journey. 

Our continuous focus on manufacturing excellence and upgrading our processes & facilities made us the first company in India to be accredited with the U3 Stamp. We were also the early adopters of using ESW Electroslag Strip Cladding in India. Also, we were one of the first equipment manufacturers in India to start using the NDT techniques like TOFD & PAUT. Our journey for excellence has been continuous and we have also recently set up a World-class lab setup in Dahej which is NABL accredited. 

In terms of skill development, we have a dedicated training centre at our facilities which takes care of the in-house capability training of our employees and workmen. We have to acknowledge that India has a young growing population, however skills training is not readily available to them. We have taken the onus of developing our employees and workmen to undergo rigorous classroom and on the job training to make them ready for future challenges. We plan to use VR/AR based Welding Simulating systems to provide an immersive experience to welders and thus make the simulation close to reality on an on-the-job Welding. 

Godrej Appliances to Godrej Process Equipment journey 

Both factories in Godrej Appliances were independent units and situated away from the Head office. Managing such independent manufacturing units is like managing Small Business Units. Hence the transfer from the role of Operations Head of Godrej Appliances to BU Head of Godrej Process Equipment was a logical and desired career growth. It is a completely new Industry, with new products, new customers and its own set of challenges and I am excited to take them on. 

It has been an enriching journey so far with lots to learn and lots to contribute. Though a completely different manufacturing environment, the principle of excellence remains the same which is on-time delivery, best-in-class quality & maximum value for money for customers. It gives me an opportunity to implement all the past best practices in a completely different industry and such crossbreeding of best practices leads to break-through results. 

Automation in manufacturing practices and welding activities 

The emphasis on automation and digitisation is the main focus of our manufacturing. Right from the first step of raw material marking, we have developed automatic machines for marking & plate layout. 

Latest & high-end machines like Underwater Plasma Cutting, Waterjet Cutting etc., are available at our premises which give us an edge in productivity and quality. Our Machine Shop houses advanced and sophisticated machines which can roll Plates for Static Equipment upto 285 mm and drill high thick tube-sheets upto 1,000 mm. These advanced resources help us position ourselves as a leading manufacturer. 

Welding is one of the most critical activities in our manufacturing and we have more than 1900 qualified welding procedures including metallurgies like Zirconium. As mentioned earlier, more than 80 percent of our welding is automated. We have a combination of highly advanced welding machines along with home-grown innovative technology which is mainly to increase focus on the automation journey. 

Our main focus on automation is to increase the quality of our products while productivity is the by-product of this journey. 

Also, in terms of NDT we are using advanced NDT Techniques like Timeoff-Flight Diffraction, Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing, etc. Our Focus on Infrastructure development has helped us achieve critical milestone dispatches like the CCR Reactor, Vacuum Towers, High Pressure Separators, etc in the recent past. 

Export orientation 

Historically, we have been an export oriented business wherein 70-80 percent of our equipment has been exported. We have supplied our equipment to 35 countries till date and we will be supplying to 3 more new countries this year. 

Recently, due to the ongoing high potential projects in India, our supply for domestic projects is more compared to our export projects. We expect this trend to continue for the next 2-3 years. 

Challenges envisaged while manufacturing steam generators 

The order for Steam Generators for NPCIL has been a prestigious one for us. We are in the early stages of this order and we expect the supplies to be completed by 2025. Each order of NPCIL is unique and challenging in terms of the tolerance and stringent quality requirements. Building capabilities in processes and people skills is the key, while meticulous planning at every process stage and use of automation will be the key to success of this execution. We have commenced on a right track and our entire team is confident of delivering Steam Generators with superior quality and on time 

Vacuum Tower and vessels for refinery 

The year 2021 has been a way of breaking new boundaries for us. This vacuum tower with a diameter of more than 9.5 m is the maximum diameter which we have supplied so far. After having been fabricated in a single piece weighing about 700MT due to logistical constraints near the refinery, this equipment had to be transported in two pieces using our self-owned Jetty at Dahej. These mammoth two pieces will be joined by us at site, which demonstrates our capability of executing site work to perfection. 

Along with this we had also supplied fractionator columns & high-pressure vessels for the Hydrocracker unit which is one of the most critical units in a refinery. This is in line with our philosophy of continual improvement and capability advancement. In addition to supplying this key equipment for the refinery, the execution of this order is yet another contribution in achieving the goal of ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’. 

Handling transportation of oversized consignments of equipment 

This is one of our USP. Not only having the capability to manufacture over dimensional consignments but also the capability to handle & deliver them. We have access to our own jetty in both our manufacturing facilities present in India, at Vikhroli, Mumbai and Dahej, Gujarat which are close to International Seaports, making transportation of large over-sized consignments to anywhere in the globe convenient and easy. We can offer logistic support till the client site. 

Manufacturing aspects of the recent dispatch of high-pressure separator 

We truly believe in Making in India, for the world. This project is an example for that. In alignment with Godrej & Boyce commitment towards sustainability, we contributed to Global Clean Fuel projects by successfully supplying a High-Pressure separator for a refinery in the Asia-Pacific region. We also supplied other critical equipment such as Pressure Vessels, High Pressure Breech Lock® Heat Exchangers and Columns for this marquee project. 

The High-Pressure Separator having a very high design pressure above demanded shell wall thickness of more than 310 mm (equivalent to 6000 stacked papers) and the highest ever made by Godrej Process Equipment. The upgrade project will improve the quality of transportation fuels and primarily focuses on reduction of particulate matter (pm) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions. As mentioned earlier, this also is one of the critical milestones for the year of 2021. 

Future strategic plan 

We expect the demand for core oil & gas, petrochemical, fertilisers and power projects in India and other developing countries to grow and in line with this we have made substantial investments to increase our capability in our Dahej manufacturing plant with state-of-the-art machinery and infrastructure which aims at doubling our manufacturing capacity in the next 2 years. New, advanced home-grown processes, low-cost automations, modernised plants, have been developed and deployed that will enhance our capacity. 

Further in the next 2 years, we expect the emphasis on Hydrogen to be more pronounced. We have already started participating and supplying key equipment for Global Hydrogen projects. Being ready for the hydrogen economy in terms of preparation in identifying key stakeholders, developing our capabilities and ensuring our presence in Hydrogen projects across the product chain will remain a key focus area for us.