The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Plan to modernise cement plant

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Saturday, Feb 27, 2010
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Plan to modernise cement plant

S. Sundar

Installed capacity to go up to five lakh tonnes

Only unit using wet process technology in the country
Plan to provide green cover on 300 acres at the unit

— Photo: K. Ganesan

MOTIVATING: TANCEM Managing Director M. Rajaram (right) and cement plant employees listening to Exnora founder M.B. Nirmal at Alangulam in Virudhunagar district on Friday.

VIRUDHUNAGAR: The State Government plans to modernise the Tamil Nadu Cements Corporation (TANCEM) cement plant at Alangulam in the district, according to its Managing Director M. Rajaram.

The installed capacity of the plant, commissioned in 1969-70, would go up to 5 lakh tonnes a year from the existing 2.02 lakh tonnes a year, he said here on Friday. Alangulam plant, with over 300 employees on its roll, was the only unit in the country using wet processing technology.

Mr. Rajaram disclosed that the Alangulam unit had achieved 100 per cent production capacity recently after implementing total quality management (TQM) and total productive management (TPM) practices in the last six months. “We have achieved this after nearly 20 years,” he said adding that the productivity had dipped even below 50 per cent in the past. “It is now making profits,” he said.

Five quality circles functioning in the unit had led to reduction in wastages, savings in power, improvement in productivity and the environment. Clinker and cement production had increased by over 50 per cent; coal and power consumption had come down. Capacity utilisation at the plant had grown by 25.28 per cent when compared to that of last year, he added.

TANCEM was planning to provide a green cover on 300 acres of the Alangulam unit. Planting of tree saplings would be taken up on the abandoned and idle mining areas. It would begin by July.

All these things were possible without involving any additional financial commitment, but by tapping only the human resources. “Now everyone (employee) thinks that he is not working for others, but for themselves,” he said.

Training

Exnora founder M.B. Nirmal conducted a motivational training programme for the officers and staffers of the unit.

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