South Asia Archives - Media Bulletins Today News Bulletin in English

FOOD

U-M researchers join global team to overcome barriers to climate-smart agriculture in South Asia

Feb 23, 2024 by Sujata Muguda 0 Comments #Agriculture, #ANN ARBOR, #Rajiv Ghimire, #South Asia, #U-M researcher

ANN ARBOR—Despite the possibility of climate-smart agriculture improving food security, most CSA practices and technologies are not widely adopted in South Asia.

A global team of researchers, including Rajiv Ghimire and Meha Jain of the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability, has identified the key barriers to CSA adoption in South Asia and suggested strategies to overcome them in a recently published study.

“We hope that this study helps policymakers and practitioners in the region promote climate-smart agricultural technologies and practices,” Ghimire said. “CSA practices will contribute to increased food productivity and food security for millions of smallholder farmers facing the brunt of climate change and other socioeconomic changes.”

The study was a collaboration of more than 20 researchers worldwide who synthesized their work for more than a year to understand the barriers and opportunities for CSA in South Asia. CSA practices will not only help farmers adapt to climate change but will also help conserve soil, water and energy, and many of the practices and technologies have shown they can lead to increased yields.

In the study, published in January 2024 in Nature Climate Change, the researchers identified weak organizational capacities, inadequate targeted incentives and limited post-adoption follow-up as the significant barriers to CSA adoption in South Asia.

The study’s strategies to encourage CSA adoption in South Asia include information sharing through farmer-to-farmer peer networks, enhancing the management skills of custom hiring centers, targeted subsidies and crop insurance schemes, investment in extension services and incentives to the private sector, equitable dissemination of CSA information and post-adoption assessments.

“These strategies we developed in the study are particularly suited for densely populated areas such as South Asia where arable agricultural areas are scarce,” Ghimire said. “We should also understand that things might differ in different parts of the world.

“Even within South Asia, there are differences in policies, practices, incentive structure and overall sociocultural and biophysical characteristics. The four countries (India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh) we have focused on have different agricultural priorities and in some cases, there could be subnational-level initiatives.”

News

Vital Strategies LaunchesFirst-of-Its-Kind Digital Crowdsourcing Tool to Monitor Tobacco Marketing in India

Jul 23, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Associate Director, #Deputy Regional Director, #Dr Rana J Singh, #International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, #South Asia, #Vaishakhi Mallik, #Vital Strategies

New Delhi: Each year, the tobacco industry spends millions of dollars on marketing to increase tobacco consumption, particularly among youth. With more than 267 million tobacco users in India, a new digital platform from global health organization Vital Strategies identifies tobacco marketing and provides data that strengthen efforts to protect kids and consumers through smart tobacco control policies. The Tobacco Enforcement and Reporting Movement (TERM) provides a digital tool to regularly monitor and track tobacco marketing via online conversations, news, social media and media coverage.

As COVID-19 underscores the tobacco threat in India, TERM’s unique monitoring and crowdsourcing features will enable governments and health authorities to identify the extent of tobacco marketing and take measured steps to respond to it. During the month of May 2021, over 850 instances of tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorships (TAPS) online were reported. Despite the World Health Organization’s recommended ban or restrictions on TAPS, and even though all forms are prohibited in India, tobacco marketing continues to be widespread, particularly via online channels, which are less regulated than traditional media such as radio and television.

Vaishakhi Mallik, Associate Director, South Asia said, “Tobacco kills nearly one in two users, but to this day advertising, promotion and sponsorship normalize tobacco. With the rise of social media and digital marketing, India’s youth have worryingly become a lucrative market for the tobacco industry. TERM empowers the public to help counter industry efforts and protect youth by calling out illicit or predatory marketing. For the first time, government agencies and civil society will get actionable insights of surrogate advertisements and other tobacco promotions, giving them a novel data source to track TAPS instances and hold the industry accountable.”

TERM has two objectives—enabling the public to be aware of tobacco companies’ marketing and promotional tactics while also reporting such instances through the ongoing Facebook campaign. The platform also equips governments with information that highlights the tobacco industry’s marketing tactics that hamper tobacco control efforts as well as information to enforce TAPS compliance.

Dr Rana J Singh, Deputy Regional Director, International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease said, “We congratulate Vital Strategies for this first-of-its-kind resource to track online marketing instances of tobacco. The data from the TERM platform will allow the Union and many of our partners to examine which loopholes are being exploited and manipulated by the tobacco industry. This, in turn, will support our efforts to strengthen and enforce tobacco control measures, helping policy implementers with evidence-based proof of surrogate and indirect advertising. Such evidence lends credibility to tobacco control programs, which can then enable policy action, stakeholder involvement, and greater enforcement towards a tobacco free India.”

TERM launched as a Facebook campaign page in 2019 and has expanded into a digital crowdsourcing tool with situational reports. These reports categorize instances of tobacco marketing according to their volume, the state in which they occur, message content, and the channel.

From January to May 2021 the following trends were observed:

4,222 total marketing instances were logged.
Of the total observed marketing on social media platforms, 48% was on Facebook, 34% on Instagram, 13% on Twitter, 4% on YouTube and 1% on news sites.
Most of the marketing instances are indirect—through surrogate advertising, sponsored events and promotions. In
May 2021, 94% of the marketing was indirect, and 5% was direct.
For both smokeless and smoking products, most of the observed marketing was timed to coincide with community celebrations and festivals.
Marketing instances were reported from West Bengal (54%), followed by Uttar Pradesh (32%), Rajasthan (10%), Maharashtra (3%) and Karnataka (2%).
In May, 62% of marketing instances were for smoking tobacco products and 38% for smokeless tobacco products. There was an increase of 2.7% in the marketing of smoking products in May compared to previous months in 2021

Over the coming year, the TERM platform will expand to include reports from Indonesia and other countries with high burdens of tobacco use to strengthen advertising bans and serve as a model for other locations trying to counter tobacco industry efforts. The TERM platform is among the many initiatives from Vital Strategies and its network of partners in India to support the government’s ongoing tobacco control programmes and promote the implementation of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and MPOWER package to raise awareness about the dangers of tobacco.

Business World, News

Colours bridge emotional distances, in Surf excel’s latest Holi campaign

Mar 1, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Carlos Pereira, #Creative Director, #Executive Director & VP – Home Care, #Hindustan Unilever Ltd, #Prabha Narasimhan, #South Asia

National: The pandemic had isolated all sections of the society last year. It struck at the very heart of what makes us human – our social and emotional connection with one another. Even though lives seem to be going back to normal slowly, certain vulnerable segments of the society like elderly and senior citizens continue to remain socially distant for safety. And while we all want to visit our loved ones, this has been hard given the risks associated with travelling and socializing. For our elders, this also means that they have been deprived of the emotional and social warmth of being close to their families for a long time.

Surf Excel’s latest Holi campaign takes forward its unique ‘Daag Achhe Hain’ brand proposition and continues to use colours as a medium of ‘togetherness’. This year, it shows how the colours of Holi can help bridge emotional distances and bring hearts closer, despite physical distancing.

Surf Excel’s latest campaign #RangAchheHain shows a heart-warming gesture by an innocent boy who wishes to include his friend Rancho, an elderly neighbor, in the Holi celebrations. On realizing that Rancho cannot be included in the festivities like everyone else,he decides to have his own ingenious yet responsible celebration with Rancho. The TVC builds the emotional quotient as the boy says, ‘Mere haath nahi pahunchenge, isliye rang pahuncha diye.” The ingenuity of the boy and his empathy towards Rancho brings alive the true spirit of Holi and demonstrates that physical distance should not deter emotional connections, a fact vividly showcased in the ad.

Commenting on the launch of the campaign, Prabha Narasimhan, Executive Director & VP – Home Care , South Asia, Hindustan Unilever Ltd, said, “Holi is one of the biggest and most loved festivals in our country and we have been able to create a strong emotional connect with our audiences through our Holi campaigns in the last two years. This year is a bit different as we are all still reeling from the effects of the pandemic, which has created both physical and emotional distances. Addressing the emotional needs of the vulnerable segment of population, the ad shows how a young boy endeavors to include the elderly in the festive fervor through a simple yet creative way of making colors reach where hands cannot. It is a naturalextension of our brand philosophy of ‘Daag achhe hain’, in which we have always shown children getting dirty while doing good deeds & demonstrating good values. We do hope that people are inspired to find their own unique ways to connect with their families this festive season.”

Talking about the conceptualization of the campaign, Carlos Pereira, Creative Director, said, “The campaign continues to build on the theme of how “Holi colours can bring people together”. But this year, given the new rules of engagement due to the pandemic, it was important to also showcase how Holi can be celebrated in a responsible manner. The campaign reflects on how colours can be a medium for fostering emotional togetherness, even though there may be physical distance between us.”

The campaign will be live from 1st March across TV, digital & outdoor media.

This Holi remember don’t forget to spread cheer around because ‘Jo dilon ko paas laaye, woh rang achhe hain’!

Business World

Grofers collaborates with Reckitt Benckiser to launch ‘Deliver safe programme’

Feb 5, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Albinder Dhindsa, #CEO and Co-founder, #Grofers, #Mr. Narasimhan Eswar, #RB Hygiene, #Senior Vice President, #South Asia, #Zero-Touch Deliveries

New Delhi: In an endeavour to ensure enhanced hygiene and sanitization across operations, Grofers, India’s leading online grocery retailer, has joined forces with RB(Reckitt Benckiser), the market leader in health, hygiene, and home care products, to launch- ‘Deliver safe programme’. In a first for the Indian e-commerce industry, the collaboration with RB aims to strengthen consumer trust in the safety and hygiene measures implemented by Grofers.

Emphasizing the need of maintaining proper hygiene and sanitization from storing products in warehouses to delivery at customers’ doorstep, the safety programme is built on 3P pillars – Products, Partnership, and Protocols. As a part of this initiative, RB will equip the Grofers team with its iconic brands – Dettol, Lizol and Harpic which have been tested by internationally accredited external laboratories and are proven to effectively kill more than 99.9% germs.

Commenting on the partnership, Albinder Dhindsa, CEO and Co-founder, Grofers, said, “We at Grofers are committed to building a life-long relationship with our customers, and for that, we are working on every possible measure to ensure their safety. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, safety and hygiene have become key consideration drivers for our customers. While we have already implemented multiple safety measures across operations, with our partnership with Reckitt Benckiser, we are now going a step further to ensure that every part of Grofers experience is safe for our customers and our team members. Our partnership with these iconic brands in hygiene (i.e, Dettol, Lizol & Harpic) will only dial up the confidence of our customers & help them shop with a lot of confidence & a sense of security.”

Speaking about the program, Mr. Narasimhan Eswar, Senior Vice President, RB Hygiene, South Asia, said, “At RB, we exist to protect, heal and nurture in the relentless pursuit of a cleaner and healthier world. Our collaboration with Grofers will help ensure a safer & hygienic platform for our online shoppers in these trying times. Our world class disinfectant products are proven to help break the chain of infection”.

Furthermore, to make customers aware of this joint program undertaken to ensure enhanced safety and hygiene in their operations, Grofers will be sending out notifications, emailers and banners on the landing page of the company’s mobile app and website. Customers will also receive leaflets with their delivery, in sealed and sanitized bags, documenting the safety and hygiene processes undertaken.

Grofers is committed to the safe delivery of essentials to its customers and delivers products in sealed and sanitized bags. The company has also mandated daily thermal screening and use of the Aarogya Setu app for better safety of customers and delivery and warehouse staff. Grofers has also introduced Zero-Touch Deliveries, and the delivery and warehouse staff is required to use hand sanitizer after every delivery. Wearing masks, hairnet, gloves, and usage of sanitizers has been made mandatory, and all team members are instructed to change their face mask every two days.

News

IndusInd Bank launches its first metal credit card ‘PIONEER Heritage’ for the affluent segment

Dec 18, 2020 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Head - Affluent Banking, #IndusInd Bank, #IndusInd Bank Pioneer Heritage Credit Card, #Mastercard, #Mr. Aman Ahuja, #Mr. Samir Dewan, #Product and Innovation, #South Asia, #Vice President

Mumbai: IndusInd Bank in partnership with Mastercard announced the launch of its first metal credit card – ‘PIONEER Heritage’ for the Bank’s ultra-high net worth segment of customers. Equipped with best-in-class features & privileges across an array of categories like travel, wellness, lifestyle among others, the all-new credit card has been specially curated to match the requirements of affluent Indian professionals and entrepreneurs. It is also part of the ‘World Elite’ platform by Mastercard comprising privileges that complement the lifestyle of the discerning few. The ‘World Elite’ platform is Mastercard’s signature global program that offers the choicest benefits to HNI cardholders across their passion points.

With the launch of the ‘Pioneer Heritage Credit Card’, IndusInd Bank has joined the ranks with few other banks globally, that offer a credit card which has been exquisitely crafted with metal.

Speaking on the launch of the new card, Mr. Samir Dewan, Head – Affluent Banking, IndusInd Bank said, “At IndusInd Bank, we believe that it is important to anticipate our customers’ needs, and curate the most rewarding experiences for them. With the launch of the PIONEER Heritage Credit Card, we are strengthening as well as broadening our card proposition for the PIONEER banking customers, providing them access to world class services by leveraging on our wide network and relationships. We believe the new credit card is a compelling proposition that offers best-in-class privileges and indulgences across travel, wellness, lifestyle and luxury categories, thereby offering our wealth customers with an unmatched banking experience.”

Commenting on the launch, Mr. Aman Ahuja, Vice President, Product and Innovation, South Asia, Mastercard said “Mastercard is pleased to partner with IndusInd Bank for the launch of our very first metal credit card ‘PIONEER Heritage’. India has over a million millionaires, and the number is growing by 12-13% every year. These High-Net-Worth-Individuals (HNWIs) exhibit an increasing demand for services, experiences, and differentiated products. Mastercard is committed to bringing customized experiences to this elite, affluent segment. This metal credit card is specially designed to offer Priceless moments to the ultra-high net worth segment of customers to meet their diverse preferences with meticulously customized offerings. This card offers a combination of niche banking solutions and carefully curated lifestyle privileges.”

Key benefits of the ‘IndusInd Bank Pioneer Heritage Credit Card’ include:

Travel:

Unlimited complimentary access to participating international and domestic airport lounges

Financial:

Waiver on card annual fee if the cardholder meets the minimum spends criteria of INR 10,00,000 or more (combined spends of Primary and all Add-on Cards, if any) during the period
Lifetime waiver of late payment charges, cash advance fee as well as over limit fee

Lifestyle:

Unlimited complimentary golf games and lessons at select golf courses in India
4 complimentary movie tickets per quarter as well as 20% discount on events on bookmyshow.com
Complimentary membership for the card holder and his/her spouse to the Club ITC Culinaire

Insurance:

Complimentary personal air accident cover of Rs. 2.5 crores
Insurance cover for a sum up to the credit limit on the card
Lost baggage insurance of Rs.1,00,000
Loss of travel document insurance of Rs. 75,000

To apply for the ‘IndusInd Bank Pioneer Heritage Credit Card’, one can visit any of the existing IndusInd Bank PIONEER lounges or can also contact their PIONEER relationship manager.

Business World

Trouw Nutrition launches its state-of-the-art animal nutrition facility in Telangana

Dec 7, 2020 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #animal nutrition division of Dutch global company Nutreco, #Dr. Saurabh Shekhar, #Hyderabad, #Managing Director, #Mr Marten Van den Berg, #Netherlands Ambassador to India, #Nutreco, #South Asia, #Trouw Nutrition

Hyderabad: The state-of-the-art maiden production facility of Trouw Nutrition, the animal nutrition division of Dutch global company Nutreco, in India, was virtually inaugurated by the Netherlands Ambassador to India, Mr. Marten Van den Berg, at Jadcherla near Hyderabad, today. Nutreco, through its two reputed brands, Trouw Nutrition and Skretting, is a global leader in animal and aqua nutrition bringing innovative feed additives, premixes, and nutritional services.

The one of its kind new production facility from Trouw Nutrition has high-end technology designed to deliver superior quality premix for customers in South Asia. With 20,000 MT/ annum capacity, it is one of the largest premix production facilities in this part of Asia, dedicated to producing vitamins, mineral premixes, mineral blends, and feed safety solutions for all species. Its unique 45-meter-high tower at the new premises, facilitates vertical flow from raw materials to finished product stage, encompassing the complete production cycle from weighing of the raw material to packaging of the finished product. The completely automated and ERP integrated production process has minimal manual intervention to ensure high precision, unmatched quality, and utmost safety. The facility is equipped with a cold store for the storage of vitamins and heat-sensitive ingredients.

Speaking on the occasion Mr. Marten Van den Berg said, India is looking for opportunities and for attracting foreign companies to increase the Indian share in the global value chain, many foreign firms have been here for a very very long time, similarly several Dutch firms have a large footprint in India. Today, Trouw Nutrition an arm of the Dutch-based Nutrico, with more than 90 years’ experience in Animal Nutrition, which started their operations in the Netherlands have been able to successfully capture the Animal Nutrition market globally. It is spectacular to see huge investment in India by Trouw of over Euros 20 mn to set up two plants. Trouw Nutrition has made enormous investments in fundamental innovative research of animal nutrition, forming the basis for improved animal welfare worldwide. India has a great potential to become one of the most important dairy producers in the world by improving productivity through breeding and feeding and the output can be easily doubled or even tripled, which is also the mantra of the current Indian government, to double the income of farmers by 2022. Using innovative and sustainable solutions India can become an important exporter of dairy products for global consumption. India and the Netherlands are natural partners in Agriculture and in dairy. India is the world’s largest producer and consumer of milk and the Netherlands has 5% of the world dairy trade and therefore is a natural partner for India. Therefore, the Dutch dairy sector is looking for collaboration with India. India has tremendous potential in this sector. Similar to India, the Agricultural sector in the Netherlands is family-based, this makes it easier to understand the challenges of Indian farmers. After having a global health crisis like COVID 19 it is important that the people of the world consume safe food. Trouw Nutrition is committed to the cause of responsible use of antibiotics and food safety. Having a manufacturing unit in India can help to increase productivity per animal to feed the growing population. The Netherlands has demonstrated that these technologies have attained good production levels and the next step is to ensure pure sustained growth of livestock. Dutch Dairy companies are dynamic and innovative in nature, they all have one thing in common, that is to strive to produce more with less, to contribute to the health of the animal and environment, and achieve the highest quality product for human consumption. In the Netherlands we believe in the triple helix model, Industry, Government and research institutions working together, this is particularly important for increasing animal productivity and create sustainable solutions to prevent infections and diseases in animals. Worldwide changes are happening fast today, climate change, growing demand for quality products and growing pressure on agricultural land, in this changing scenario all countries have to work together, very close collaborations are needed to achieve the sustainable development goals, this is where Netherlands and India can closely work together. Looking at the potential and resources of India it is the right time to taking more initiatives to develop new collaborations and also strengthen or expand the existing ones between the two countries and on this note I hereby declare the opening of Trouw Nutrition in India, which I can rightfully say is one of the important steps taken in strengthening the cooperation that India and Netherlands share in the field of dairy. I appreciate the efforts that everyone has put in to make this initiative a reality. This facility will certainly increase the sustainable impact and bring in good practices in animal health and welfare.

Decades of hands-on expertise at Trouw ensures optimal and homogenous premixing of minerals and vitamins, which often is the key differentiator in maintaining the robust health of animals. Several such globally tested and established practices being implemented here, enable us to provide responsible and cost-effective solutions to our customers and progressive farmers. These make us stand out as leaders in the animal nutrition domain, says Dr. Saurabh Shekhar, Managing Director, South Asia, Nutreco.

This new production facility located on a four-acre land, besides being Trouw’s contribution to Atmanirbhar Bharat – Make in India initiative, brings in enormous operations efficiencies for the company with lesser turnaround time and better customizations as per customer’s needs. Telangana was an apt choice for locating the facility in India, considering its easy accessibility and being an investor-friendly state. Even from a market perspective, it’s a major poultry and aqua belt with logistical access to good ports. The facility will primarily cater to India first and later to the markets of Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.

Trouw Nutrition’s product mix supports the nutritional needs of animals at different stages of their lifecycle, be it the Life start range meant for the feed, vitality, and performance of young animals. Health & welfare array of products enable reduction of antibiotic usage, supports intestinal health, and provides nutritional solutions for specific challenges in animals. The third set of products, the Precision Nutrition range includes feed additives for production efficiency, emissions reduction, feeds for maximum growth, and potential.

In consonance with its global best practices, Trouw Nutrition has brought in several of its value-added services to benefit the customers here. Its Antimicrobial Resistance Programme enables antibiotics usage reduction, efficient microbial control, enhanced gut integrity, and efficient animal production. The Feed Safety Programme ensures safe feed by preserving nutritional value, the Mycotoxin Risk Management Programme enables risk assessment, monitoring, and control. The Trace Mineral Programme ensures optimum trace mineral supply to enhance growth and performance.

Trouw’s end to end solutions leverage its rich repository of a mix of superior products, dedicated services, and proficient people. This customer-centric approach aids farmers and our customers at all the necessary interventional points of feed, farm, and animal health and enables them to reap maximum productivity and profitability, says Dr. Saurabh Shekhar.

Trouw is adopting a seamless integrated solution approach in India by focusing on innovative technologies like Mycomaster, NutriOpt On-site Adviser (NOA), along with a dedicated Customer Service Laboratory, MasterLab at Hyderabad. The digital platform, NutriOpt On-site Adviser (NOA), helps in accurate nutrient analysis to achieve precision nutrition goals of farmers and feed millers, while Mycomaster provides a quick analysis of mycotoxins to enable quick decision making by customers. MasterLab, which is the largest chain of customer service laboratories in the animal nutrition industry, conducts varied analytical assays for complete feed, raw materials, and water, using state-of-the-art equipment, modern techniques, and highly qualified laboratory technicians.

Nutreco has both organic and inorganic growth plans to expand its footprints in South Asia. Though currently, the company’s thrust is on the B2B segment, the next steps are to foray into the B2F segment. NuFrontiers, the investment arm of Nutreco, has invested strategically in start-ups globally, including the Internet of Things (IoT) enterprise, Eruvaka in India for innovations in aquaculture. These initiatives will leverage the strengths, streamline long-term strategies, and position the Company firmly to take on the challenges ahead in the animal and aqua production domain. In fact, Eruvaka a Vijayawada based start-up helps in enhancing freshwater fishing substantially, we saw good results in India from this solution and took it globally, the most successful application of this is in Ecuador, where Eruvaka is helping farmers to increase their productivity.

Business World

ELGi’s AB ‘Always Better’ Series powers the Indian pharmaceutical industry

Aug 8, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Africa and the Middle East), #Director, #Dr. Jairam Varadaraj, #ELGi ((BSE: 522074 NSE: ELGIEQUIP)) AB series range of oil-free screw compressors, #Elgi Equipments Ltd, #IS:10500:2012 certification for water quality, #ISAAME (India, #Managing Director, #Mr. Rajesh Premchandran, #South Asia

India’s leading pharmaceutical companies rely on the ELGi ((BSE: 522074 NSE: ELGIEQUIP)) AB series range of oil-free screw compressors, to deliver pure, clean, class “0” oil-free air. With high reliability, consistent air quality, better return on investment, lower cost of ownership, and fast, efficient service support for sensitive applications with moisture content between +3°C, to -20°C PDP; the AB series range of air compressors meets the ISO 8573–1 compliance requirements. In addition, the ELGi AB Series delivers unmatched air quality in line with the ISO8573-Class 7 compliance norms ensuring zero traces of microbial contaminants. With the IS:10500:2012 certification for water quality, the AB series also guarantees the safest pneumatic air for the pharmaceutical industry. The sheer performance of the ELGi AB Series, coupled with its compelling value proposition has resulted in India’s leading pharmaceutical companies replacing existing machines with the AB series, while successful installations have prompted pharmaceutical companies, across the country, to revisit their entire fleet of air compressors.

India’s pharmaceutical industry is forecasted to grow at 22.4% annually, to the US $100 billion by 2025; addressing over 50% of the global demand for vaccines, 40% of generic demand in the US and 25% of all medical requirements in the UK. Dr. Jairam Varadaraj, Managing Director, Elgi Equipments Ltd said “In light of the pandemic, India’s pharmaceutical industry has a tremendous opportunity to play a pivotal role in global healthcare. With growing FDA scrutiny, strict warnings over toxic impurities and delicate pharmaceutical manufacturing processes, the quality of compressed air meeting the highest standards, is of quintessential importance. On the other hand, continuous air supply must be guaranteed, since a disruption can lead to an immense loss of production. At ELGi, we endeavoured to address the needs of the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry in a new way. The ELGi AB ‘Always Better’ series is a disruption in oil-free compressed air technology, and we’re delighted to witness its growing adoption as the customer’s choice for sensitive pharmaceutical applications.”

Pharmaceutical customers traditionally buy oil-lubricated compressors for requirements below 500cfm (90kW) owing to low capital investments, and conventional oil-free compressors, to meet stringent air quality requirements. The flip side of using lubricated screws is the multi-layer filtration systems which increase pressure drop and cause downtime due to the replacement of oil filters resulting in increased lifecycle costs. On the other hand, conventional oil-free compressors in this range, are normally air-cooled and also face reliability issues and temperature trips at high ambient temperature conditions (above 45°C), resulting in significant downtime and operational losses, in addition to excessive initial and running costs.

The ELGi AB Series is the #Always better choice; offering pharmaceutical manufacturing customers reliability and high performance at temperatures beyond 50°C due to the water injection inside the compression chamber. The AB Series delivers Class ‘0’ quality air, while the water in the closed circuit is insulated with a proprietary material to ensure zero contamination due to corrosion.

The ELGi AB Series has a unique air cooling system which ensures ample condensation of water from air particles, aiding the self-replenishment of water in the closed-loop. This eliminates the need for external water top-up and also reduces the load on the driers and the water management system. The in-built microbial inhibition system prevents microbial growth, across all scenarios of operation, thereby ensuring microbe-free air.

The ELGi AB Series operates with a single airend, as opposed to conventional oil-free machines that operate with dual airends. This results in lower footprint, fewer rotating components and lower maintenance costs. Fitted with stainless steel rotors for better performance, every ELGi AB series air compressor comes with standard bearings for ease of maintenance. Additionally, the AB series range operates at a lower RPM, resulting in less wear and tear of rotating parts, low noise levels and reduced power consumption. Additionally, the low noise levels ensure the AB series does not require a dedicated compressor room and can be placed right next to the application area, thereby reducing costs involved with the build-up of additional infrastructure and compressed air supply systems.

Mr. Rajesh Premchandran, Director, ISAAME (India, South Asia, Africa and the Middle East) said, “The AB Series is a disruption in oil-free compressed air technology, offering pharmaceutical customers a no-compromise, oil-free solution at reduced lifecycle costs when compared with prevailing oil-free technologies. With the AB Series compressors, pharmaceutical installations get the purest form of compressed air with higher efficiency, increased reliability and quicker return on investment.”

Tag: South Asia