Mahathi Parashuram, Regional Head of Public Affairs, Communications & Relations at Grundfos Asia Pacific shares the top three predictions for the manufacturing industry, the company’s growth statement, bestsellers and use cases.
Grundfos Pumps India Pvt. Ltd. (Grundfos India) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Grundfos Holdings which is one of largest pump manufacturers in the world owned by the Poul Due Jensen Foundation. Grundfos India is responsible for sales of Grundfos products in India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives and Nepal. Grundfos India provides energy efficient pumps and smart pumping solutions for various applications – heating and hot water service systems, cooling and air-conditioning systems, industrial applications, pressure boosting and liquid transfer, among others.
Top Predictions
The manufacturing industry globally and in India has been steadily adopting various new technologies to become more competitive, sustainable and cost effective. Three predictions or trends in the horizon are:
Digital Transformation
This includes big data and connectivity, analytics, artificial intelligence, advanced interactions between humans and machines, and new production methods. Industrial digitalisation is transforming the way manufacturers can capture, analyse and utilise data to improve business performance and save on costs. Being a trendsetter in technology, Grundfos was the first company to introduce electronics in pumps. Even before the boom of IoT one of our early technologies had made it possible for our pumps to send messages directly to the pump owners regarding all the information about the status of the pumps etc. Over the years we have developed, numerous intelligent pumping solutions that are being used world over.
3D Printing
Another technological mega trend being observed across the world is 3D printing. 3D printing has been particularly useful in R&D labs across the world as it allows rapid prototyping. For instance, Grundfos has deployed 3D printers in its state-of-the-art Additive Manufacturing (AM) laboratory. Grundfos has worked with 3D printing for over 10 years, but only in connection with prototypes to date. The laboratory now allows us to introduce new materials, including metals, opening up whole new applications.
Energy Efficiency
In recent years energy efficiency has become one of the key drivers in the manufacturing industry to embrace digitalization. With the onset of climate change and our natural resources dwindling, industries are increasingly implementing sustainable goals to reduce their carbon footprint and reduce energy costs. A less know fact is that around 10% of the world’s energy is consumed by pumps. If we moved to more energy efficient pumps, like Grundfos, we could save 4-5% of this energy.
BESTSELLERS
one of recent service solution launched by us was our SmArtServ app. It aims at reducing the reaction time and providing service support for any Grundfos product. Through this app, one can locate the nearest service provider, fill in the details of the complaint/request, attach a picture of the pump/system, raise a service request, and track the progress of the service request. The SmArtServ app also enables one to also escalate if the customer is not satisfied with the response, archive service reports and quotation for spare parts. SmArtServ is available on iOS, Android and Windows. This user-friendly mobile app can also be installed on a desktop computer.
Another successful solution of ours is the Grundfos iSOLUTIONS. With its state-of-the-art pump intelligence, it ensures that all the pumps, drives, control & protection units, measurement and communication units all work together as one complete, energy efficient and connected system which can adapt itself to work efficiently based on the usage patterns. Under the iSolutions range, we have Grundfos’ SMART Digital XL DDA and DDE dosing pumps that can dose very accurately, thereby saving expensive solutions and chemicals in industries like food, pharma etc. It also improves the quality of the end product due to consistency of dosing. SMART Digital XL DDA and DDE are all based on tried and tested Digital Dosing™ technology from Grundfos. They offer powerful, variable-speed motors, a universal power supply, and diaphragms that meets the most demanding requirements for chemical resistance and durability.
VISION 2023: GROWTH STATEMENT
“Grundfos will contribute to global sustainability. This means that we do business in an environmentally sustainable way and create sustainable solutions. We are committed to making a significant contribution towards reducing the impact on the environment by limiting both our own and our customers’ CO2 emission levels. We aim to create cleaner technologies and solutions which limit water consumption, improve efficiency, enable consumers to reduce their water and energy consumption and increase the reuse of resources.”
CASE STUDIES
Energy savings of 40%
Overview
Novo Nordisk has a leading position in areas such as haemostasis management, growth disorders and hormone replacement therapy. Novo Nordisk manufactures and markets pharmaceutical products and services that make a significant difference to patients, the medical profession and society.
The Situation
This multinational pharmaceutical company employs approximately 15,000 people in 61 countries.
The cooling system at the company used to be equipped with nine pumps operating at full power around the clock. The only way of regulating the supply was by using the manual on/off control. The lack of control led to a disproportionate consumption of energy in order to maintain the supply.
The company had an energy survey carried to analyse the scope for energy savings. The consultants recommended the installation of an energy-efficient dual pump system at the cooling water plant.
The Solution
Now, in the basement at the company six large NK pumps supply the cooling water for production at the factory. The six NK pumps together are able to supply no less than 3,200 m³/h of cooling water every hour. They are precisely regulated using the Control 2000 unit.
The Outcome
Prior to this project, energy consumption was determined at 2,365,000 kWh/year. After the conversion, the energy consultants expected savings of 920,000 kWh/year – 40% – in future. The entire project has a payback period of approximately three years
Grundfos India assists the automotive giant TATA Motors, Pune, in a power-saving initiative
Overview
TATA Motors Limited is India’s largest automobile company, with consolidated revenues of INR 1, 23,133 crores (USD 27 billion) in 2010-11. It is the leader in commercial vehicles in each segment, and among the top three in passenger vehicles with winning products in the compact, midsize car and utility vehicle segments. It is the world’s fourth largest truck and bus manufacturer.
Established in 1945, Tata Motors’ presence indeed cuts across the length and breadth of India. Tata Motors, the first company from India’s engineering sector to be listed in the New York Stock Exchange (September 2004), has also emerged as an international automobile company. Through subsidiaries and associate companies, Tata Motors has operations in the UK, South Korea, Thailand, Spain and South Africa.
The Situation
TATA Motors, Pune noticed that, the existing Hot Water pumps with 18kw motors were guzzling more power and they were critical to their operation. It was observed that the 12 pumps were not only adding to the energy loss with high energy bills, there were frequent maintenance costs involved.
The Solution
A detailed energy audit and retrofit initiative was taken up by Grundfos India. After thorough professional study and analysis, the existing pumps were suggested to be replaced by ‘Grundfos‘energy efficient’ CR 64-3-1 with 15kw motors to decrease the power wastage of conventional pumps.
- The technical Detail of the CR64-3-1 pump:
- Liquid temperature range: -20 to 120 °C
- Speed for pump data: 2923 rpm
- Rated flow: 64 m³/h
- Rated head: 60.4 m
- Shaft seal: HQQE
- Curve tolerance: ISO 9906 Annex A
The Outcome
Grundfos ‘Energy efficient pump solution was accepted by TATA motors and was implemented in 2008. The company not only started saving energy, but the water tight seals of Grundfos were intact and were no complaints of breakdowns ever since their installation.
- Features for Grundfos ‘Energy efficient’ pumps-
- Ease of installation and commissioning
- Trouble free operation, even in critical applications
- Reliable performance