“We have seamlessly integrated several smart automations in our plant operations to improve efficiency, increase safety and reduce manual intervention. Our digital dashboards make use of smart analytics for real-time data and trend monitoring of various business operations using thermal image processing”, Abhijit Pati, CEO & Director at BALCO

Abhijit Pati is the Chief Executive Officer & Whole Time Director of Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (Balco). Abhijit Pati has been a name to reckon with the Aluminium industry for the past three decades. He joins Balco after an appreciable stint as Chief Executive Officer of Vedanta Limited, Jharsuguda. He comes with a rich experience and an illustrious career spanning over 30 years in the Aluminium Industry.

An Alumni of Calcutta University, Abhijit Pati started his career as an engineer with Indian Aluminium Company (a subsidiary of ALCAN, a major Canadian aluminium Producer) in 1989. Later joined INDAL/HINDALCO, Hirakud, under the flagship of Aditya Birla Group of Industries and established himself as a frontline leader. As a young and budding professional in his early career, he was awarded the 'Exceptional Contributor Award' by Group Chairman Mr Kumar Mangalam Birla for his significant contribution to the turnaround story of the Hirakud Aluminum Smelter in the year 2006. Also, he bagged the Prestigious British Sword of Honour for Hirakud Smelter in 1999.

He served the group's aspiration as Vice President until 2008, when he was offered the position of Chief Operating Officer for leading one of the world's largest Greenfield Aluminium cum Power complex at Jharsuguda, Odisha, by the global natural resources giant and conglomerate Vedanta Group. Subsequently, on March 16, 2015, Abhijit Pati was elevated to the coveted position of President and CEO of Vedanta Ltd.'s Aluminium business and headed the world's largest single-location aluminium smelter at Jharsuguda for a little over four years. Under his able leadership, Vedanta Ltd., Jharsuguda became an illustrious member of the prestigious 'Million Tonne Club' of global aluminium producing companies. He is a proud Senior Management Executive Committee member of Vedanta's Global aspiration in its quest to emerge as a frontrunner in the global natural resource business.

AlCircle: How is sustainability and digital methodology linked? What is BALCO doing to progress in this route?

Abhijit Pati: The Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO) is India’s iconic aluminium producer, with a decades-long legacy of manufacturing excellence in aluminium production. Aluminium is the most sustainable amongst metals, with potential for critical application in all current and emerging clean technologies. As one of India’s leading aluminium producers, BALCO’s growth aspirations are interlinked with imperatives for business sustainability. Digitalization is a key enabler in this regard.

Today's technologies empower us to stay linked with people, systems, and things along the way. The use of data-sharing and tracking platforms delivers both perceptibility and accountability – often in real-time – thereby dipping ecological influences before they are exaggerated. Using user-friendly digital technologies makes it possible to omit manual intervention. We are in the process of making our premises paperless with the use of mobile applications and directly connected with our machines, which have an impact on global carbon emissions.

With higher operational excellence, one can achieve greater energy savings and judicious usage of resources, both of which are crucial for sustainable operations. And therefore, BALCO has deployed digital solutions and new-age technologies to improve operational efficiencies, monitor critical parameters like energy and water consumption, reduce plant and machinery downtime, strengthen people's safety, and more. For example, we have deployed Artificial Intelligence-based 'Pulse Data' program to improve boiler reliability with smart predictions using machine learning and pattern recognition.

We are also leveraging technology and analytics to track and improve our ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) initiatives to ensure a sustainable business footprint. Vedanta is 'Transforming for good', and in line with that, we have set ambitious targets to make a positive impact on the three pillars of sustainability – Planet, Communities and People. Our ESG Dashboard keeps us updated on the achievements of our ESG targets on a real-time basis. It also acts as a 'one-stop solution' for benchmarking the latest news and research papers pertaining to our ESG interests.

AlCircle: How has BALCO adapted digital technology to meet the company's daily operations?

Abhijit Pati: We have embraced digitalization across all key verticals of BALCO – operations, health & safety, environment, security, people practices, and more.

Suraksha Sankalp Kutumbh, our umbrella project for the digitally aided transformation of safety, is helping bolster safety across business units. The project entails five modules:

Augmented/virtual/mixed reality-based training centre:

• Video analytics
• Sustainability mobile app
• E-learning modules for competency building
• Digitalization of workforce connectivity

It is aimed at skill development, auto-detection of unsafe acts and conditions, driving digital safety culture & safety interactions, workforce safety, productivity improvement and tracking of red zones.

To bolster our security system, we have augmented our security operations with several cutting-edge technologies, which have transformed the safety of our people and assets. Our highly sophisticated Centralized Security Operations Centre (CSOC) includes edge-based security analytics for incident detection and response to effective management of security resources on the ground and enablement of intelligence collection for agile decision-making.

Similarly, in our journey of creating a future-ready workplace and providing a world-class employee experience, Vedanta's V-Aikyam portal is streamlining our HR processes through a digital transformation that has the entire employee life cycle in a single platform. This has enabled data-driven decision-making in line with best-in-class HR practices.

We introduced AI-based digital systems to increase power plant assets in the manufacturing domain. We have robotic process automation in marketing and finance to reduce the manual touch points. We have adopted the advanced process recognition for our critical assets to restrict sudden stoppages. Using drones enables us to inspect quality defects in extreme corners of the assets.    

AlCircle: Can you explain how digital transformation has changed the production dynamics of aluminium for BALCO?

Abhijit Pati: We have seamlessly integrated several smart automations in our plant operations to improve efficiency, increase safety and reduce manual intervention. Our digital dashboards make use of smart analytics for real-time data and trend monitoring of various business operations using thermal image processing. For instance, a thermal inspection can uncover hot spots in the coal yard, triggering a real-time alarm if spontaneous combustion occurs.

Similarly, boiler tube leakage prediction using Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Pulse Edge offers a more reliable and evidential method of prediction analysis of the boiler’s thermal profile. It is aimed to detect and give warning in advance about leakages so that subsequent action can be taken to prevent Boiler Tube Leakage.

We have a broad spectrum of technology adoption from leading-edge to mainstream. On the other side of the spectrum, RFID tags help ensure smooth movement of ladle transfer vehicles (which transport liquid aluminium from smelters to cast houses). These vehicles can be traced during transit with the help of mobile apps, thus saving time and energy. The deployment of RFID tags has also reduced the fuel consumption required to maintain the high temperature of the metal and contributed to lowering metal loss.

AlCircle: What effect did automation and robotics have on the manufacturing sector?

Abhijit Pati: Robotization affects performance and output for industrial firms. Robotization upsurges manufacturing firms' throughput. Both SMEs and large firms benefit from the transformation to robotics. An industrial robot increases the speed of manufacturing processes by operating 24/7. Robots don't need disruptions or shift changes. The speed and dependability of robots ultimately reduce cycle time and maximizes throughput. Robots provide precise and high-quality work by reducing the potential for human error and fatigue. Robots allow for the early identification of potential issues. In addition, automation increases the repeatability of production and helps ensure the final product does not vary.

Automation and robotics have benefited us in terms of achieving enhanced efficiencies, optimum usage of time and energy, improved safety, and higher precision. For example, Robotic Process Automation (RPA) has been helping us streamline several marketing operations such as sales & dispatch tracking, specific stock clarity & allocation, handover tracking etc.