Main objective of the Seminar

Automation has been widely used in the Chemical industry globally. Small and Medium Chemical manufacturers are still reliant on manual labour for monitoring and controlling their processes. This often leads to process errors and safety hazards. Automation of processes leads to uniformity and built‐in process safety. However, if done wrongly, automation can be a painful process with poor outcomes. This seminar introduced automation to owners and managers of Small and & Medium chemical manufacturers. The days of operating the plants manually have become obsolete. Undoubtedly, the extent of batch operations has been coming down and the continuous and semi‐ continuous operations have been increasing continuously. Constantly growing in terms of its applicability and sophistication, automation plays an important role in achieving plant productivity, efficiency, effectiveness and ensures safety. Therefore, all the operating engineers and production managers are encouraged to apply and use feasible and appropriate strategies of “Automation” which encompasses the operation of equipment and packages and collectively entire plant.
The Workshop focussed on all the aspects of automation to provide concise and structured information to the participants with numerous case studies.
The following TOPICS were covered in the Seminar:

• a) Basic concepts of Instrumentation & Automation
• b) Scope & Limits of Automation in Chemical Plants
• c) E&P Projects: Instrumentation & Controls have managed to get land from the Government. By enabling the tribals to cultivate forest lands and acquire the rights to own it, probably a bid by powerful lobbies to grab forest land for commercial exploitation has been thwarted.
• d) Integration of appropriate Automation Technology in the Chemical Industry.
• e) Economics of Automation
• f) Case Study of Automation in the Chemical Industry at VAPI.
• g) Batch Control in the Chemical Industry: Design Engineering & Role of International Standards –ISA 88‐ISA (International Society of Automation).

Mr. Rajju D. Shroff, President of ASMECHEM Chamber welcomed all those present at the Seminar by an introductory speech and invited the dignitaries to the dais with floral offering and thanking the organizers and for the valuable support of the VIA as well. The Honorary Secretary of the Vapi Industries Association offered mementos to the dignitaries and requested Mr. Ketan Merchant, Director, Master Integrators Pvt. Ltd. (MIPL), to conduct the Seminar.

The following topics were discussed in the said Seminar by MIPL and Rockwell Automation during the Session:

• 1)Introduction to Process Control by Mr. Sandeep, Manager,ProcessSolutions,RockwellAutomation.
• 2) Basic Process Control & Process Safety by Mr. Sandeep Redkar, Manager, Process Solutions, Rockwell Automation.
• 3) Batch Process Control by Mr. Ashutosh Kshirsagar, Global Process Technical Consultant, Rockwell Automation.
• 4) Utility Monitoring & Optimization by Mr. Amit Bhujbal, Sales Account Manager, Rockwell Automation.
• 5) Case Study: Effective Automation in the Chemical Industry by Mr. Ketan Merchant, Director, MIPL.
• 6) Demo on LBSM, MIPL followed by a Question &Answer session.
• 7) Immediately after lunch, there was a presentation on Air Measuring Instruments/Effluent Treatment & Measuring Instruments by Dr. R.C. Naik, Chemolab (a UPL Ltd. Group Company), Vapi, which organized A DISPLAY OF AIR MEASURING INSTRUMENTS/EFFLUENT TREATMENT & MEASURING INSTRUMENTS in the hall for an instant view meant for the benefit of the member participants.

The Seminar was concluded with vote of thanks by Mr. Sanjay Khatau, Partner, K. K. Poonja & Sons, Vapi and the Managing Committee Member of Asmechem Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Mumbai, by giving some valuable inputs on Instrumentation about how it's an effective tool for success in Exports. Mr. Sanjay Khatau thanked all the members who had taken their time off from their busy schedules to attend this Seminar and the speakers as well, especially, the Vapi Industries Association of Vapi, which extended crucial support to make the event a successful one and wished all of them very best in their future endeavours.