How Railways implemented Total Green Manufacturing for Coach Parts
Case Study-10
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How Railways implemented Total Green Manufacturing for Coach Parts
Crompton Greaves is a multinational company that specializes in manufacturing electrical equipment and providing engineering services. Founded in 1878, the company has its headquarters in Mumbai, India, and has operations in over 15 countries worldwide. The company’s products include power transformers, switchgears, circuit breakers, motors, generators, traction equipment, lighting systems, and consumer appliances. Crompton Greaves also offers engineering services such as project management, installation, commissioning, and maintenance of electrical infrastructure. With a focus on innovation and customer satisfaction, Crompton Greaves has established itself as a leader in the electrical equipment industry, serving various sectors such as power generation, transmission and distribution, railways, and consumer goods.
Indian Railways is the national railway system of India, operated by the government-owned company, Indian Railways Corporation. The railway network spans over 67,000 km, making it the fourth-largest railway network in the world. Indian Railways is a crucial part of India’s transportation infrastructure, transporting over 23 million passengers and 3 million tons of freight daily. The railway system has also played a significant role in the development of India’s economy, providing connectivity to remote regions and boosting trade and commerce.
Loco engines are the lifeline of Indian Railways, responsible for hauling trains across the vast railway network. The engines are subject to rigorous use, with constant wear and tear, resulting in the need for regular maintenance. Effective maintenance practices for loco engines include regular inspections, lubrication, replacement and repair of worn-out parts, and performance testing. Adopting a proactive approach to maintenance can help prevent major breakdowns and improve overall reliability and safety of railway operations.
The situation:
Indian Railways have embarked on a project of increasing compliance and meeting ISO14005 for all suppliers, vendors and internals. To their suppliers, a code for implementation has been shared which includes:
Fully Green in processes in Manufacturing as per ISO14001
Confirm to circular economy
The need for use of equipment and consumables that are in sync with the above objectives
Though Crompton Greaves already had implemented such systems, their requirements for cleaning were:
- To have uniform deep cleaning with Ultrasonic equipmentTo use Bio based cleaning products which answer the questions on how to prevent flash rust after cleaning metal, steel or low carbon grade components.
- To produce finished product would have to be free of flash rust and meet standards of Millipore tests. ( meet Millipore cleaning standards of weight and particle count)
- To use of water based cleaners and to achieve dry rust protection on all cleaned surfaces and avoid the use of solvents such as kerosene. The challenge was to use cleaner and follow processes for prevention of corrosion on metal parts.
The choice of cleaning machine finally came down to the equipment supplied by M/s Lifecare Pvt Ltd, a Mumbai based Ultrasonic Cleaner Manufacturer who is in the business for over 40+ years. The solution suggested by them is a 2 stage Ultrasonic cleaner with a washing and rust preventive treatment chamber. The equipment is fitted with cost saving filteration and recycling system that helps in the re-use of the cleaning media.
The values of cleaning would be achieved in the first stage and the part would subsequently be rinsed in the 2nd chamber to ensure there is no rusting of the component.
To achieve the best results Triple 7 Mega Clean XR was used to degrease and provide flash rust protection. Though the product also answers queries on how to prevent rust on metals., this can be true in cases where low cost is the driving the decision making. The product is manufactured by Envirofluid, an Australian Company with over 30 years of providing Cleaning solutions made Bio based ingredients and confirming to the highest global compliances ranging from MIL , HACCP and ISO14001 . Triple 7 Mega Clean is :
- Made from Naturally available renewable resources- so the reduces the need for production of synthetic chemicals and therefore promotes circular economy and complies with ISO14001 requirements
- Free of added colours, perfumes and foaming agents- which means there are no added allergens to the cleaners and this helps in keeping the workers safe, reduces cost of medical treatments, promotes better working conditions and helps keep the labour unions happy and satisfied.
- Biodegradable ingredients- saves disposal costs as it can be flushed down drainages , and be safe for marine and aquatic life by and also helps by saving the soil from contamination , prevents bioaccumulation and helping save the groundwater table from hazardous chemicals and therefore keeping it safe for use by the future generations .
- Multi-purpose Cleaner- Can be used to degrease and also as a flash rust preventive, thereby reducing cost of cleaning operations and also contributing to lower inventory, and thereby saving on space and purchase costs. Being an anti flash rust product, Triple 7 mega Clean is a preferred solution for cleaning mild steel and aluminum parts. It leaves dry impregnated colorless coating to prevent rust on steel and other soft metals.
- No storage and Disposal restrictions which means that the products are safe enough to be stored in any area without having fears of fire hazards , chemical fume leakage , thereby meeting hazchem requirements, ensuring workplace safety, reducing disposal requirements and adding to the safety of maintenance opertions.
