Dispatching Solution

Cement manufacturers face a new challenge in their business: While plants have optimum production capability the product does not get dispatched as desired. The biggest plants have the capability to dispatch over one thousand trucks per day, but how can they do it efficiently and take the most out of their production unit? Given here is a case study featuring SLV Cement’s RFID-based dispatching solution that was installed at the Jaypee Rewa Plant.

Cachapuz Bilanciai Group entered the Indian Market through the Jaiprakash Associates Limited (Jaypee Group). In 2010 Cachapuz Bilanciai Group, in partnership with String Automation Private Limited, received a new order to implement SLV Cement in Jaypee Rewa Plant, the flagship cement plant of the Indian Jaypee Group. The implementation of the solution was completed in the beginning of 2011 and it was a great success to all the companies participating in the project.

The plant had optimum production capability, but the product was not being dispatched as desired. Jaiprakash Associates Limited (Jaypee Group) has faced and to solve it they contacted Cachapuz/String to overcome the following challenges: introduce well defined rules and organization for the truck movement, reduce human intervention and errors in the processes and reduce the time to complete the loading and unloading operations – in a nutshell, improve the dispatching and logistic processes in their plants.

Jaypee Rewa Plant, the main production unit of Jaiprakash Associates Limited, is located in the Madhya Pradesh state and had a production capacity of 3.0 MTPA (Million Tons Per Annum). Cachapuz Bilanciai Group in partnership with String Automation Private Limited, the exclusive Cachapuz partner for the Indian Market, received this new order to implement SLV Cement in 2010.

To address Jaypee’s challenge, Cachapuz/String introduced their world class dispatching and logistics solution – SLV Cement. Based on its modular and adaptable features, SLV Cement was customized to meet the needs of Rewa plant, providing the necessary tools and equipments for the complete automation of its functional areas (RFID identification and access control, dispatching, weighing, parking, entry/exit gates and raw materials unloading), the tools for process management and business analysis and the integration with SAP ERP. All the process operators required in the process use SLV Cement software frontends, which were tailored and tuned up to assure that the software modules are simple and well focalized on the business processes.

With SLV Cement, the truck driver performs the loading/unloading process in self-service mode, interacting with the system components: he identifies himself in the parking kiosk using and RFID tag (associated to the loading or unloading operation and which will be used for identification and validation purposes in every SLV Cement kiosk during the operation), which validates the permission to load/unload from SAP, and waits for the system or the operators to call him; when called in the information panel, the driver goes to one of the entry weighbridges, identifies himself and the system registers the first weigh after checking with positioning sensors that the truck is in the correct position on the weighbridge; when the traffic lights inform him to proceed, he goes to the indicated loading/unloading area, where he performs the operation assisted by SLV Cement unloading kiosks (in case of raw materials unloading processes); then he goes to the exit weighbridge, he identifies himself in the kiosk, the system registers the second weight and prints the necessary documentation at this stage. All the information is automatically synchronized with SAP to ensure that the data is consolidated in the two systems. To conclude the process, the driver goes to the dispatch zone to collect the legal documents, which are prepared in SAP using the data registered by SLV Cement.

The success of the SLV Cement implementation in Jaypee Rewa Plant was possible with the hard work, commitment and team spirit of all the teams of Cachapuz, String and both Jaypee SAP IT and Maintenance teams. According to Sunny Gaur, Managing Director of Jaiprakash Associates, "The SLV Cement solution is efficient, is running very well and we are very happy with it".

"On 22nd January, 2011, Jaypee Group’s flagship cement plant "Jaypee Rewa Plant" implemented SLV Cement process integrated with SAP for systematic approach to traffic management of movement of trucks. SLV Cement process developed by Cachapuz Bilanciai Group, Portugal. The software was customized as per requirements of Jaypee Rewa Plant. Customized SLV Cement integrated with the existing SAP Processes.

Both SLV Cement and SAP processes are running concurrently. The Web services interface created for both SAP and SLV Cement processes to communicate each other, the functions/subroutines developed by SAP Consultants of JIL-Information Technology (an IT arm of Jaypee Group) to capture/validate the values entered through SLV Cement. The SAP Processes started with Check-in, Loading Memo generation, Gate-in, Weigh-in, Weigh-out, DC/Invoice preparation, Gate-out and Check-out. SLV Cement having own Front-end screen for Check-in, LM generation and Gate-in through a Kiosk installed at Parking area. Weigh-in, Weigh-out and weigh slip through Kiosk installed at Weigh Bridges and finally Gate-out and Check-out through Front-end Screen.

The above processes through SLV Cement takes 30 seconds that save 15 minutes at respective Weigh Bridges, reduced the manual interventions, chances of errors drastically minimized and also create non-chaos and disciplined movement of trucks inside the Plant area.

Safe and disciplined movements of trucks inside the cement plant was a requirement of British Safety Council after minute observations of British Safety Auditors. Jaypee Rewa Plant was first Indian Cement plant received the prestigious award of "BSC FIVE STAR" as well as "SWORD OF HONOUR" from British Safety Council, United Kingdom after successful implementation of SLV Cement.

After analyzing satisfactory performance of successful implementation of SLV Cement, the order has been placed to Cachapuz Solutions, Portugal for implementing the solution in other Cement Plants of Jaypee Group."

String Automation Pvt. Ltd. took the lead after sensing the pulse of Indian Industrialist. We identified the need and the problems being faced by production units in logistic control and despatch management. After thorough procurement, we shook hand with Cachapuz Bilanciai Group, world leader in "Automation of Logistics and Despatch solutions". They had already tried and tested their product in 20th century only. We not only market their product in local market, but also helped in "Indianising" their solution as per our local needs and Driver culture.

We got overwhelming response, wherever we have introduced our product SLV Cement in Indian cement Industry. We not only got repetitive orders from Jaypee Group (Cement Division) but many more leading groups are in the stage of finalisation of order during current financial year."