Tag: Mr. Ajay Kapur

News

ACC delivers lifetime highest annualised PAT

Apr 25, 2024 by Sujata Muguda 0 Comments #ACC Limited, #Adani Group, #Mr. Ajay Kapur, #PAT

Ahmedabad, April 25, 2024: ACC Limited (ACC), the most trusted legacy brand and one of India’s largest Cement and Building materials company of the diversified Adani Group, today announced robust results for Q4 and full year ended March 31, 2024. The improved performance is attributed to all round improvement in volume, cost and efficiency parameters.

Mr. Ajay Kapur, Whole Time Director & CEO, ACC Limited, said, “We continue to solidify our position as a frontrunner in the cement industry. Our financial performance with jump in EBITDA by 138% during the year is a testament to the flexibility and strong foundation of our business model. The trust of our customers and our commitment to building a sustainable future with investment in efficiency improvements, green power etc. has furthered our success, as we emerge even stronger than before. With passing time ACC is getting younger and stronger with the expansion and performance efficiency plans”

Operational Highlights:

Particulars (YoY) Q4 FY’24 FY’24
Sales Volume

(Clinker & Cement)

 Growth of

23.5% at 10.4 MioT

 Growth of

20.3% at 36.9 MioT
Kiln Fuel

Cost

 Down by 19%

(Rs 2.35 to Rs 1.91 per ’000 kCal)

 Down by 30%

(Rs 2.76 to Rs 1.94 per ’000 kCal)
WHRS as a % of total power Consumption Up by

1.0 pp to 8.2%

 Up by

4.1 pp to 8.6%
  • Kiln fuel cost improved with change of fuel basket and higher consumption of alternative fuel.

*  Includes exceptional item of Rs. 229 Cr and reversal of earlier years tax provision of Rs 257 Cr

  • 16.3 MW of WHRS at Ametha commissioned in Q3 FY’24. Work on WHRS facility at Chanda (18 MW) & Wadi (21.5 MW) is on track and will be commissioned in Q2 this year, which will help to take total capacity to 86 MW or 25% of total power. 

Financial Highlights:

  • Significant improvements in all financial matrices. Revenue growth at 13%; Operating EBITDA up 79%, EBITDA margin up from 9.8% to 15.5%.
  • A total of Rs. 1,044 Cr cash flows generated from the Operations in Q4, Rs. 2,995 Cr in FY 24. Cash & Cash equivalent at Rs. 4,667 Cr, Consolidated Net Worth at Rs. 16,333 Cr, up by Rs. 2,191 Cr from FY’23. Business Working Capital is amongst the best in comparison with peers and stands at 13 days cycle.
  • EPS(Diluted) Rs. 50.2 in Mar’24 quarter, compared to Rs. 12.5 in Mar’23 quarter.

Consolidated Financial Performance for Q4 and FY 2023-24:

Particulars UoM Q4

FY’24

 Q4

FY’23

 FY’24 FY’23

 (12 M)
Sales Volume

(Cement & Clinker)

 Million

Tonnes

 10.4 8.5 36.9 30.7
Sales Volume
Ready Mix Concrete		 Million Cubic Meters 0.66 0.71 2.68 3.08
Revenue from Operations Rs. Cr. 5,409 4,791 19,959 17,784
Operating EBITDA & Margin

(Excluding Other Income)

 

 Rs. Cr 837 469 3,062 1,290
Rs. PMT 802 554 830 421
% 15.5% 9.8% 15.3% 7.3%
Other Income Rs. Cr 120 119 493 283
EBIT Rs. Cr 721 411 2,671 886
EBIT Margin % 13.3% 8.6% 13.4% 5.0%
Profit after Tax Rs. Cr 945 236 2,337 489
EPS (Diluted) Rs. / Share 50.2 12.5 124.1 26.0

Dividend

In context of the ongoing capex and growth plans of the company, the Board of Directors have recommended a dividend on equity shares at Rs. 7.50 per share, which is consistent with last year dividend on 12 months basis.

ESG Updates:

  • ACC Suraksha, ACC Concrete Plus, ACC Gold, ACC F2R, and ACC HPC enlisted in GRIHA’s green product catalogue.
  • Ongoing green power initiatives which will help to achieve 60% green power by 2028, reduce cost, improve EBITDA & accelerate on SDP Plan 2030.
  • Net Zero commitment by 2050, with near-term targets validated by SBTi, first of its kind in the sector.
  • CSR initiatives reinforce and Improve lives of more than 1.4 million people through various activities in the field of water management, sustainable livelihoods and social inclusion schemes.
  • Achieved 7x plastic negativity by co-processing of plastic waste in cement kiln.
  • Adani Cement Business committed to planting 8.3 million trees by 2030, following Adani Group’s plan to plant 100 million trees.
  • Embracing the circular economy, target to achieve TSR of 27% by FY 28
  • Our range of innovative products including ACC ECOMaxX, ACC AEROMaxX and ACC Coolcrete continues to grow, offering a wide array of go-green options to customers.

Branding

  • The ‘Bharosa Atoot‘ campaign portrays ACC as a trusted builder beyond cement manufacturing, emphasising its pivotal role in shaping the nation’s infrastructure and everyday lives which was amplified digitally through Connected TVs. Advertisements were strategically streamed across 1,300+ screens and aired during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, along with thematic campaigns being rolled out at premium locations.
  • ACC relaunched in Gujarat with a trust-focussed campaign titled ‘Bharat ki 1st Cement Company ka Bharosa ab Phir se Gujarat mein’.
  • ACC partnered with Gujarat Giants in Pro Kabaddi League and with Gulf Giants team in ILT20 (International League T20)
  • Throughout the year, ACC has celebrated its enduring partnerships with channel partners by organising nationwide meets, with a family-centric approach and emphasis on mutual growth

 

Outlook

Outlook for cement industry remains positive based on higher budgetary allocation to infrastructure and construction and government’s push for affordable housing along with green energy transition, demand-supply dynamics, and greater consolidation.  Adani Cement will have the advantage of accelerated growth, lower cost, group synergies which in turn will help to sustainable performance & market leadership.

Achievements

  • Ranked as ‘India’s Most Trusted Cement Brand’ by TRA Research in its Brand Trust Report 2024, winning the accolade for the second year in a row.
  • Received ‘Global Brand Excellence Award’ in the category of ‘Most Inspirational Social Media Campaign’ for our stellar initiative, “Unbreakable Spirit of India”.
  • Recognised as the ‘Most Engaging Loyalty Program’ and felicitated with ‘Loyalty Champion Award’ at the DCX Digital Customer Experience Confex & Awards 2024
  • International Safety Award 2024 by British Safety Council for excellence in workplace safety practices.

Industrial Safety & Occupational Health Award by ICC & Govt of Odisha and Five Accolades for Environmental Excellence at 3rd National Sustainability Awards by Quality Circle Forum of India.

Disclaimer: Information in this release is for informational purposes only. While we aim for accuracy, we can’t guarantee completeness or suitability for specific purposes. Reliance on this information is at your own risk.

Business World

Vedanta rolls out lucrative scheme for MSMEs under ‘Saathi’programme, celebrating World MSME Week

Jun 29, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #CEO – Aluminium & Power and MD – Commercial, #Mr. Ajay Kapur, #Vedanta Ltd, #Vedanta Saathi

New Delhi: Vedanta Limited, India’s leading producer of metals and oil & gas, has rolled out an attractive promotional scheme for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the manufacturing industry in celebration of the World MSME Week. Under the company’sVedanta Saathi programme, MSMEs can avail a discount of INR 500 per tonne on the first 500 tonnes ofpurchase in Aluminium, Zinc, Lead, Silver, Steel and Pig Iron, on first come first served basis. The scheme will be live for this week, ending on 3rdJuly, 2021.

For eligibility, MSMEs must have manufacturing operations in the metals business, with an actual manufacturing setup and must possess Udyog Aadhaar Number (UAN) and Registration Certificate. To avail the scheme and get full details, interested MSMEs can register on the Vedanta Saathi website (www.vedantasaathi.com) and send an enquiry to saathi@vedanta.co.in, following which Vedanta’s sales teams will reach out to them.

With a significant MSME customer and supplier base, Vedanta has been fostering the MSME ecosystem for over two decades through its expansive value-chain, supply-chain, and social-developmental programmes.Under Vedanta Saathi programme, the company offers various schemes, incentives, and opportunities for MSMEs, such as:

• Channel financing at attractive ratesand fast disbursement,in partnership with a host of leading banks, NBFCs and FinTech firms
• Soon to be launched e-commerce solutionsfor an agile, easy, and transparent way of buying from Vedanta’s entire bouquet of high-quality value-added products, with doorstep delivery through micro-logistics partners
• Avenues for technical upskillingwithaccess to the company’s wide community of research institutes, industry associations, in house and external global experts
• Opportunities for MSMEs to set up downstream/ancillary manufacturing units near Vedanta’s plants, with benefits like just-in-time delivery of raw material(hot metal supplies), low working capital and capex involvement
• Single window for MSMEs to interact with Vedanta’s Quality, Product Application,Engineering, and Innovation teams through a dedicated web portal

Speaking about Vedanta Saathi, Mr. Ajay Kapur, CEO – Aluminium & Power and MD – Commercial, Vedanta Ltd., said,“Postpandemic, we have been seeing significant restructuring in the global supply chain, as companies look to diversify their supply and service networks. This offers our MSMEs a huge opportunity to tap into the new markets with access to new-age technologies, opportunities to upskill, and quality raw materials. Besides getting integrated into these global supply chains, it will also improve MSME’s share of contribution to GDP which stands at only 7% now. Under Vedanta Saathi we have developed various initiatives that can help MSMEs accelerate this growth journey.”

Till date, more than 150 MSMEscustomers have availed channel financing to access a credit limit of ~INR 1000 Cr by leading banks and NBFCs. Vedanta is committed to grow this limit by 5x for MSME customers, adding more banks and NBFCs to its fold.

The company’s upcoming e-commerce offerings shall offer significant advantages for MSMEs like live pricing options, direct buy access to a diverse product portfolio with no bar on quantity, as well as easy delivery tracking and micro-logistics.

Vedanta also offers a ready community of industry associations, technical experts, and research institutes for collaboration with MSMEs to engineer new products, product applications and new markets for those applications, helping upskill MSMEs to match global standards. The company has dedicated teams to cater to customers’ requirements in quality, product application and engineering.

With the aim to bolster India’s vision of becoming a global manufacturing hub, Vedanta also offersopportunities for MSMEs to set up their ancillaries and downstream manufacturing facilities near its plants. Besides immensely benefiting MSMEs in terms of just-in-time access to raw materials, low working capital and capex involvement, and proximity to Vedanta’s Quality teams and expert network, it will also aid in significant employment generation locally and bring about a positive transformation in the quality of life of local communities.

Business World, Health, News

7500+ people vaccinated by Vedanta at its plants in Odisha and Chhattisgarh

May 6, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #and Divisional Forest Officer, #CEO – Aluminium & Power and MD – Commercial, #COVID Care Centres, #Kalahandi, #Mr. Ajay Kapur, #Nodal Officer (COVID Operations), #Shri. T Ashok Kumar, #Southern Division, #Vedanta Aluminium & Power Business, #Vedanta Ltd

New Delhi: Vedanta Aluminium & Power Business, India’s largest producer of aluminium and value-added aluminium products, has accelerated the COVID vaccination initiative and vaccinated over 7500 of its people across its plants. Further, it has swiftly augmented the capacity of its COVID Care Centres and quarantine centres across its plant sites in remote areas of Odisha and Chhattisgarh to effectively handle the pandemic scenario around its areas of operations. With over 550 beds, Vedanta’s COVID Care Centres at Jharsuguda and Lanjigarh in Odisha, and BALCO in Korba, Chhattisgarh, are equipped with required infrastructure and medical personnel to provide proper care to those affected by COVID. Additionally, Quarantine Centres have been created for isolation and post-treatment recovery.

Vedanta is supporting the District COVID Hospital at Jharsuguda in treating the affected populace from the region. At the District COVID Hospital in Bhawanipatna at Kalahandi district, Odisha, the company is working to set up an oxygen generation facility. It has recently provided 10,000 RT PCR testing kits to the District Government Hospital at Bhawanipatna. Vedanta is also aiding local administrations in carrying out vaccination drives in the periphery. Its own hospitals are also in a state of preparedness to assist the respective district administrations in the fight against COVID. The company has plans to further augment COVID management efforts by both state governments and develop state-of-the-art field hospitals with all medical infrastructure specifically required for COVID treatment as needed.

To aid the ongoing efforts to manage the second wave of the pandemic, Vedanta Chairman, Mr. Anil Agarwal has pledged INR 150 Cr. Last year, Vedanta had contributed INR 201 Cr to the fight against COVID-19 in the form of contribution to the PM-CARES Fund, supporting livelihood of the daily wage workers across the nation, and giving preventive health care and support to all employees and business partners across its plant locations.

Mr. Ajay Kapur, CEO – Aluminium & Power and MD – Commercial, Vedanta Ltd., said, “As the entire country battles to overcome the pandemic, we are committed to supporting our people, partners, communities and government through this critical period. While ensuring continuity of our aluminium and power operations so as to fulfil the raw material needs of this strategic metal for the country, we are also intensively monitoring the COVID scenario at and around our plant sites. With all safeguards in place to prevent further spread of the disease at our plant and township, our healthcare staff is working round the clock to ensure proper care for anyone who has been affected. We are also working closely with respective district administrations, helping them keep our communities safe.”

Appreciating the company’s efforts, Shri. T Ashok Kumar, Nodal Officer (COVID Operations), and Divisional Forest Officer, Southern Division, Kalahandi, said, “Vedanta has come forward with all required support in the prevention of COVID-19, since the outbreak of the pandemic, in supporting the district health authorities. The spread of the disease can be contained with large-scale testing and timely isolation and treatment of the COVID positive patients. The provision of the RT PCR testing kits by Vedanta will facilitate the testing process for the general public in the district. This is reflective of the sense of responsibility and commitment Vedanta has towards its communities.”

The Office of the District Magistrate of Kalahandi, Odisha, also tweeted in appreciation of the joint endeavour by Vedanta Aluminium and Department of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of Odisha, for providing RT PCR kits and other medical equipment to the fight against COVID.

To protect the workforce against the disease and provide care to the affected, the company has marshalled its resources across its plant locations to deploy various measures such as:

  • The company is conducting awareness drives to sensitize communities on COVID prevention and the benefits of vaccination, distributing sanitation kits, and conducting sanitization of public places in the communities and peripheral villages.
  • COVID Task Forces have been created for round-the-clock monitoring of the impact on the entire workforce and families of employees.
  • More than 7500 employees, families and business partners have been vaccinated till date, with plans for 100% vaccination of all eligible.
  • Business continuity plans with reduced workforce and minimum resources are in place.
  • All travel to and from plants and townships are currently restricted, with mandatory RT PCR negative report and isolation for anyone travelling due to personal exigencies.
  • Mass Rapid Antigen tests are being carried out in plants and townships.
    Sanitation and disinfection drives have been intensified in the plants.
  • Vedanta Hospital at Lanjigarh was the first Private COVID Vaccination Centre (PCVC) in Kalahandi to conduct vaccination drives.
  • Telemedicine Facility is being made available wherein patients can connect with the doctors through phone calls or WhatsApp voice calls to get consultation and e-prescription.

Last year, Vedanta Aluminium & Power Business Units had rolled out a slew of community outreach programmes benefitting over 10 lakh people in underserved regions of Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Nearly 1 lakh Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) worth INR 10 crores were provided to the Government of Odisha. More than 11,000 workers were provided meals along with other essentials across its plants, and up to a month’s supply of rations was distributed to over 5,000 daily wage earners, slum dwellers and marginal households around its operations. Vedanta’s Mobile Health Units worked with anganwadis staff to conduct intensive awareness campaigns across 120 villages. More than 2.5 lakh reusable masks were distributed to rural residents, district administration, police, media, and other frontline workers. Additionally, thousands of Vedanta employees and business partners had voluntarily contributed one day’s salary towards COVID relief.

Vedanta Aluminium & Power Business, a division of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of Aluminium, producing almost half of India’s Aluminium or 1.9 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) in FY20, and is also one of the largest private power producers in the country. BALCO is a part of Vedanta’s Aluminium and Power Business. Vedanta is a leader in value-added Aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. With its world-class smelters, power plants and alumina refinery spread across India, the company fulfils its mission of spurring emerging applications of Aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow.–

Business World

Vedanta launches Aluminium Cylinder Head Alloy at ACMA 2021

Feb 11, 2021 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #aluminium Cylinder Head Alloy, #and Managing Director – Commercial, #CEO – Aluminium & Power, #Mr. Ajay Kapur, #Vedanta Limited

New Delhi: Vedanta Limited, India’s foremost producer of metals and oil & gas, announced the formal launch of its newest product, the aluminium Cylinder Head Alloy, a critical raw material for manufacturing cylinder heads and other automotive components. This is the company’s latest value-added offering in its aluminium product line, which caters to various raw material requirements of the automotive industry. The Cylinder Head Alloy leverages material design to help automakers increase the efficiency of internal combustion engines for improved performance on emission control, in line with BS-VI and CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency/Economy) norms. Currently, this alloy is entirely being imported into India from other countries.

Vedanta unveiled the product for the domestic industry at the 2nd Automotive Raw Material Localization Conclave & Exhibition today, hosted by Automotive Components Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA). Vedanta has invested in creating this cylinder head alloy capacity of 10,000 tonnes using world-class technologies of Befesa (Spain) and Properzi (Italy). This initiative is in alignment with the government’s thrust on self-reliance to cater to the domestic requirement of automotive companies and original equipment manufacturers to rely on indigenously procured material. The localisation of the domestic raw material supply chain will surely help the Indian automotive industry.

At the event, Vedanta also showcased its diverse portfolio of high-quality products for the automotive industry in aluminium (Primary Foundry Alloy or PFA, Billets, Rolled Products and Slabs), Zinc (Hindustan Zinc Die-Cast Alloy and Special High-Grade Zinc), Lead Ingot and Alloy, Silver Bars, Copper Rods, and Steel Wire Rods, as well as capabilities for high-end value-additions, technology leadership and logistics to support the auto industry. Looking at the growing sustainability consciousness and faster rate of adoption of Electric Vehicles (EV) and hybrids globally, Vedanta has also created a centre of excellence for R&D and innovation and is well placed to cater to the emerging needs of the automotive industry.

Speaking about the need for import substitution making India’s automotive industry self-reliant, Mr. Ajay Kapur, CEO – Aluminium & Power, and Managing Director – Commercial, Vedanta Limited, said, “For India to become a USD 5 trillion economy by 2025 and an economic powerhouse, the entire manufacturing sector has a crucial role to play. India’s auto component sector is among the fastest-growing but lags in contribution to manufacturing turnover. The Indian auto component industry’s aspirations of having a significant share of the global trade calls for a renewed focus on localization on every business front, particularly with respect to sourcing raw materials. As India’s leading producer of a vast array of globally acclaimed metals and value-added products, Vedanta aims to partner with various industry sectors, especially automotive and auto ancillary industry, across their entire value chain, from large players to MSMEs, for the nation’s growth.”

Addressing the industry representatives, Ruchika Jha, CEO – HZL Silver Business, and Chief Marketing Officer – Vedanta Limited, said, “There is immense opportunity for India to leverage domestic capabilities and potentially substitute automotive parts imports of nearly USD 12 billion. Vedanta is a natural partner for the automotive industry, well-resourced to create long-term value for automotive component manufacturers. With state-of-the-art infrastructure, engineering prowess, global technology partnerships and R&D capability to develop product solutions perfectly tailored for downstream industries, Vedanta is keen to partner with the Indian automotive and auto-ancillary players and together with them, build the future of mobility.”

Vedanta’s offerings for the automotive industry include a robust portfolio of value-added products in aluminium, zinc, lead, silver, copper, iron and steel, and a broad range of product customisations. Vedanta has been a leader and pioneer in enabling the Indian automotive and auto ancillary industry to access products of the highest quality and unparalleled technical service.

The company was also the first to supply Aluminium Primary Foundry Alloy (PFA) for manufacturing wheels to the Indian automotive industry, prior to which the alloy was only being imported to the country.

The biggest strength of Vedanta’s products is that they use best-in-class technology to meet global quality specifications and standards, and ensure that customers access products of the highest quality. Vedanta’s capability to customize these alloys also equips the company to address the varying requirements of the auto industry.

Vedanta Limited, a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Limited, is one of the world’s leading Oil & Gas and Metals company with significant operations in Oil & Gas, Zinc, Lead, Silver, Copper, Iron Ore, Steel, and Aluminium & Power across India, South Africa, Namibia, and Australia. For two decades, Vedanta has been contributing significantly to nation-building. Governance and sustainable development are at the core of Vedanta’s strategy, with a strong focus on health, safety, and environment. The company has been featured in Dow Jones Sustainability Index, and was conferred CII-ITC Sustainability Award, the FICCI CSR Award, Dun & Bradstreet Awards in Metals & Mining, and certified as a Great Place to Work. Vedanta Limited is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange in India and has ADRs listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Business World

Vedanta Aluminium scripts a double win at the National Energy Conservation Awards 2020

Jan 15, 2021 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #CEO – Aluminium & Power and MD – Commercial, #Mr. Ajay Kapur, #Vedanta Ltd

New Delhi: Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of Aluminium and value-added products, won two first prizes at the prestigious National Energy Conservation Awards 2020 (NECA 2020), for exemplary efforts in energy conservation through best-in-class practices, technology adoption and innovative solutions. Instituted by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Government of India, the NECA Awards witnesses participation by the best in business from across various critical industry sectors.

In a virtual award ceremony held on 11th January 2021, Vedanta Ltd’s Jharsuguda (Odisha) Smelter-I bagged ‘First Prize’ in Aluminium (Large) Sector while Vedanta Ltd., Lanjigarh (Odisha), was conferred with the ‘First Prize’ in Aluminium (Small) Sector. Both units have rolled out nearly 80 impactful initiatives over the past three years to scale-up energy efficiency at respective locations.

Speaking about the awards, Mr. Ajay Kapur, CEO – Aluminium & Power and MD – Commercial, Vedanta Ltd., said, “At Vedanta, we are cognizant of our responsibilities towards ensuring a responsible and sustainable business footprint as we rapidly adapt to an energy-conscious world. We regularly benchmark our energy consumption with the industry’s best and strive towards improving our specific energy consumption. Towards this, we not only improve our process energy efficiencies but also evaluate and incorporate new technologies that have the potential to provide a step change improvement in energy efficiencies. Winning the coveted National Energy Conservation Awards has bolstered our commitment to emerge as the world’s best, lowest cost, most energy efficient and sustainable aluminium producer.”

Vedanta Aluminium & Power’s business units have always been forerunners in the field of energy efficiency and sustainability. Some notable initiatives and major highlights are:

  • Vedanta’s aluminium smelter at Jharsuguda is India’s first, and the world’s third smelter to deploy Digital Smelter Solution, using digital twin technology, predictive and prescriptive analytics to enhance energy efficiency, reduce raw material consumption and arrest wastage of material through remote advisory system.
  • The Jharsuguda smelter is also the first aluminium smelter in Asia to receive ISO 50001 certificate for Energy Management System since 2013.
  • Bharat Aluminium Company (BALCO), the iconic subsidiary of Vedanta Limited, achieved the lowest specific power consumption in potlines in 2020, setting a benchmark in India.
  • Reduction in indirect energy consumption by 8 million Giga Joules between FY19 and FY20 for the business.
  • Vedanta’s operations have a SCADA-based energy monitoring system wherein energy meters are connected to one server and reports are generated automatically. Portable flow meter and power meters have been installed to analyse load deviations.
  • 100% graphitized cathode installation in Jharsuguda’s potline resultedin energy conservation of over 49000 MWh per annum.
  • Initiatives to enhance operational excellence have resulted in reduction of thermal and electrical specific energy by 20% and 24% respectively, and overall specific energy consumption by 22% over the last five years at the Lanjigarh alumina refinery.
  • All business units have adopted Business Excellence models such as Six Sigma, Quality Circles, Kaizen, etc. to carry out energy conservation projects.
  • The business is actively exploring renewable energy sources like solar power, biomass and biogas to potentially reduce dependence on thermal power as the primary source of energy. In FY 20, more than 115 million units of renewable power was purchased by the business for consumption.
  • Against Vedanta’s commitment to reduce the GHG intensity by 16% by 2020 from a 2012 baseline, on completion of the year 2019-20, the Aluminium Business was able to reduce its GHG intensity by 20%.
  • Vedanta’s ‘Carbon Forum’, comprising representatives from each of our businesses, is actively working on the implementationof the company’s carbon mitigation approach.

Vedanta Aluminium & Power, a part of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of aluminium, producing almost half of India’s aluminium or 1.9 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) in FY20, and is also one of the largest private power producers in the country. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. With its world-class smelters, alumina refinery and power plants spread across India, the company fulfills its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow.

Business World

Vedanta Aluminium wins ‘Most Innovative Best Practice’ Award for Digital Smelter Project

Jan 10, 2021 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #CEO – Aluminium & Power Business, #Mr. Ajay Kapur, #Vedanta Ltd

New Delhi: Vedanta, India’s largest producer of Aluminium and value-added products, bagged the ‘Most Innovative Best Practice’ Award at the Digital Transformation (DX) Summit & Awards 2020. Organized by CII – Centre for Digital Transformation (CDT), the DX Award provides a prestigious platform for the industry’s best to showcase superlative efforts and achievements in the realm of digital transformation, offering unparalleled exposure and valuable recognition to the practitioners. Vedanta Aluminium has bagged this coveted award in the ‘Most Innovative Best Practice’ category, as India’s first – and the world’s third – smelter to deploy the Digital Smelter Technology at its Jharsuguda plant, which is the world’s largest single-location aluminium smelter.

Themed on leveraging digital infrastructure & technological innovation for a resurgent and Aatmanirbhar Bharat, the DX summit witnessed participation from over 300 companies. Vedanta Aluminium outshone the competition by showcasing its Digital Smelter project which is being deployed at its Aluminium smelter in Jharsuguda, Odisha. It uses digital twin technology with predictive & prescriptive analytics, which allows for remote monitoring and control of potline operations, enhances energy efficiency, reduces raw material consumption, and arrests wastage of material through the remote advisory system.

It processes historical information and real-time data using data analytics to generate alerts and insights which enable the operation and maintenance teams to execute their duties more effectively and efficiently. It also uses machine learning algorithms to provide multiple outcomes such as pot health-related alerts, virtual-sensor based dosing recommendations, anode-effect predictions, etc. Deep Learning algorithms and various advanced model techniques, which are an industry-first allow Advanced Asset Performance Management at both smelters and power plants.

Speaking about the company’s digital transformation endeavours, Mr. Ajay Kapur, CEO – Aluminium & Power Business, Vedanta Ltd., said, “We strive to make our operations future-ready by integrating best-in-class digital solutions, building inefficiencies, and optimizing costs and raw material consumption in our quest to become the world’s leading producer of the ‘green metal’ or Aluminium. Vedanta’s Aluminum & Power business has implemented intelligent automation and digitalization at its the plants to produce high-quality Aluminium and value-added products for critical industry sectors, fueling India’s self-reliance and contributing to its socio-economic prosperity.”

Few more cutting-edge technology integrations by Vedanta across its Aluminium & power assets:

The company has built end-to-end digital Logistics Control Towers for coal, alumina and bauxite with Machine Learning and OR (Operations Research) based mathematical modelling that have enabled Vedanta to do simulation based planning, reduce costs and pilferages and improve efficiencies, impacting toplines and enabling paperless operations.

Vedanta is in the process of deploying advanced data analytics technologies in its power plants by incorporating digital twins for both predictive and prescriptive analytics to enhance power plant availability, asset and process reliability for reduction of operational cost, improvement of operation sustainability and reduction of safety risks with minimal or zero human touch.

Vedanta has already embarked upon the journey of using vision analytics and contextual analytics in multiple plant sites like identification of hot spots for improving asset reliability.

Implementation of high-end Manufacturing Execution System (MES) across all the Aluminium plants ensures visibility of all critical plant operations and allows for decision making remotely through mobile applications, ensuring seamless sustainability of operations while employees can maintain social distancing and yet fulfil their activities on the plant floor.
Vedanta’s Aluminium & Power business is the first metal & mining company in India to implement the full scope of S4HANA thus automating all functional processes.
The complex and diverse procurement of commodities, materials and services are fully automated and backed with analytics thus unlocking substantial cost reduction, faster O2C cycle and business realisations.

  • Safety of workforce is at the core of any sustainable business and Vedanta is testing various digital solutions in the Health, Safety, and Environment space, such as the use of technology-based tracking to monitor the health of assets or even fluctuations in productivity for immediate action.
  • Robotics Process Automation (RPA) is being tested in commercial, finance, and supply chain functions and is optimising repetitive activities.

Even within plants, all operational parameters are monitored virtually while ensuring there is minimum physical proximity. GPS, RFID sensors, Operations Reasearch (OR) based schedule modelling at each operational point capture critical operational parameters within the plant.

Vedanta Aluminium, a part of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of aluminium, producing almost half of India’s aluminium or 1.9 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) in FY20, and is also one of the largest private power producers in the country. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. With its world-class smelters, power plants and alumina refinery spread across India, the company fulfils its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow.