Technology

Technology can be used to enhance operational efficiency

Published

3 years ago

February 14, 2023

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Pukhraj Sethiya, Chief Operating Office, ReVal Consulting, discusses the role of technology in making mining a more sustainable activity.

Tell us about the process of mining limestone. How does it impact the environment?
Any industry, whether it is related to it directly or not, depends on mining. Any manufacturing process requires raw materials, which can be mined or grown. The primary raw material used to make cement is limestone, and there does not appear to be a substitute anytime soon. Basically, limestone is a sedimentary rock composed of calcium carbonate or calcium magnesium carbonate that is found near to the surface, usually beneath a thin layer of soil and waste debris (overburden). Limestone is mined using open cast mining techniques since it is found around the surface. Mining limestone follows a regular procedure and is similar to opencast mining of other minerals. The process of extracting limestone begins with exploration, and is followed by resource estimation and modelling, the creation of a geological report and mining plan, obtaining all required government permits, such as environmental and forestry clearances. It culminates in the granting of a mining lease followed by extraction of limestone.
After receiving the necessary approvals, miners begin building the necessary infrastructure, including the access road, offices, homes and other structures. The development and deployment of the appropriate mining equipment, however, remains crucial. Following a box cut, the sequence of activities in normal production includes face preparation, drilling, blasting, excavation, loading and hauling of ore as well as infill drilling. In order to increase resources and determine the quality of the ore, miners do more parallel exploration.
Since the majority of limestone is locked up in cement plants, demand from these plants is what controls and influences limestone production. The typical technology used in Indian limestone mines is excavation using small diesel excavators with bucket sizes of 3-3.5 cum along with tipper trucks/dump trucks of 25-35 T, but the industry’s top players also use larger machinery with excavators that have bucket capacities of up to 10 cubic metres (Cu.m) and dump trucks that weigh 60-100 T. A small number of miners also used electric shovels and dumpers that match. Because limestone is so hard, surface miners—which are currently widely used in coal mining—are used less frequently in limestone mining.
We believe that by carefully designing the pit and implementing operational planning procedures that involve weekly and monthly planning and adherence to them, the entire fleet and mining process, which ultimately will lead to the cost of mining, can be optimised. The quality of the limestone plays a crucial role in the process of making cement.
As with any other surface mining activity, limestone mining involves breaking ground, therefore common environmental effects include tree removal, deforestation and dust production among others. However, there are steps that are done by the majority of mining firms to minimise environmental damage, such as planting new trees, tree transplantation (which has been adopted sometimes), water table monitoring, water management, reuse of water, etc. In our work with customers at ReVal Consulting, we strongly support the use of operational planning techniques to optimise fleet and cost while maintaining SOPs. The direct effect is on cost savings, while indirectly this improves long-term sustainability of operations and reserve protection by reducing carbon footprint and environmental impact.

Tell us about the equipment used for mining coal, limestone or other materials relevant for the cement industry?
Hydraulic excavators, wheel loaders, backhoe loaders, bulldozers, dump trucks, tippers, graders, rock breakers, vibratory compactors, cranes, fork lifts, dozers, off-highway dumpers (20T to 240T), drills, scrapers, motor graders, rope shovels, etc. are just a few examples of the machinery that falls under the category of mining equipment deployed for limestone mining. They carry out a range of tasks, including ground preparation, excavation, material haulage, dumping/laying in a specific way, material handling, haul road building, etc. Shovels, surface miners, dumpers and drills are the primary production tools used in opencast mining for hauling, drilling and excavating. While a wide variety of mining equipment with various capacities is being used in India, the most popular fleet is made up of hydraulic excavators with 3 to 10 Cu.m bucket capacities and dumpers with 35 to 100 T capacities. Surface miners are also frequently used in the mining of soft and thin seams in softer strata like coal and limestone (in a few locations, such as western Gujarat), which eliminates the need for blasting in coal and ultimately contributes to lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
In each product category, a small number of major firms dominate the mining equipment market. However, equipment from producers like Caterpillar, Komatsu, Kobelco, BEML, and Liebherr is widespread, and dump trucks from Caterpillar, Volvo, Sany, Scania, and other manufacturers are readily available in India.

What are the government guidelines to prevent environment pollution in the mining process?
The National Mineral Policy 2019 emphasised the importance of including environmental, economic and social factors as early in the decision-making process as possible to ensure that mining is economically viable, socially responsible and environmentally, technically and scientifically sound, makes the best use of mineral resources, and ensures sustainable post-closure land uses. All mining companies are required by law to submit an environmental management plan as part of their mining plans. This plan contains guidelines to prevent environmental pollution and addresses issues like the storage and use of topsoil, the storage of overburden and waste rock, the reclamation and rehabilitation of land, the control of surface subsidence, the prevention of ground vibrations and noise pollution, the release of toxic liquids, and the restoration of flora.
With the MMDR amendment in 2015, India’s mining industry was first given a statutory mandate for sustainable development. Subsequently, a District Mineral Foundation (DMF) was established to promote sustainable development of the area and the people impacted by mining. One of the most significant actions toward formalising benefit sharing in the Indian mining industry was the establishment of the DMF. To support mineral extraction and promote sustainable mining, the Act was further revised in 2020.
All things considered, environmental clearance and forest clearance establish project-specific requirements for environmental management and protection, which are approved by MoEFCC under the applicable laws relating to the environment, the forest, and water.

Tell about any other effort taken by your organisation to make mining sustainable.
Although we are a consultancy company and do not operate mines, we offer our clients advice on various ways to make mining more sustainable. As was already mentioned, we concentrate on giving our clients advice on how to pick out the best equipment and how to plan their days to minimise operational demands, which in turn reduces diesel consumption, costs, and the need for capital, improving value for all stakeholders – not just shareholders.
We offer our clients the following suggestions for initiatives to increase the sustainability of mining:
Optimising capital needed: We assist clients in reducing capital, which ultimately lowers costs as well as carbon footprint and environmental impact. This is accomplished by developing mining plans in a way to minimise equipment and capital requirement, which is made possible by selecting the best location for the dump, optimising the stripping ratio, cutting down on haulage distance, etc.
Technology selection: We assist clients in choosing technologies that will lower overall running costs and cut down on the quantity of equipment needed to produce emissions. We assist clients in comparing alternative technologies for sustainable operations, such as trucks versus conveyor systems, and alternative energy sources, such as diesel versus electricity equipment.
Planning and management of dumps: Our professionals have a wealth of knowledge regarding mining planning. By focusing on internal dumping to the greatest extent feasible, which eliminates the need for external land, we optimise the entire planning schedule to reduce haulage distance. By altering the mine design, mine direction, and haul road design, we aim to minimise external dumping of overburden and waste rock.
Maximise resource extraction: In order to minimise environmental impact, enhance cost economics, and provide greater value to clients, we concentrate on maximising the extraction of mineral resources through planning, design, and cost reduction.

What is the role of technology in making the process of mining pollution free or sustainable?
The environment will inevitably be impacted by the anticipated growth of the mining industry in ways such as deforestation, air and water pollution, damage to and loss of biodiversity, however technology and environmental management strategies can reduce these effects as shown below:
Reduce the Carbon Footprint of Mining: The reduction of the negative effects of mining on the environment is mostly due to technological advancement. The environmental impact of diesel usage is reduced by equipment with greater fuel efficiency. The use of alternative technology, such as electrical equipment and conveyors instead of dumpers for haulage, has reduced the environmental impact and pollution of mining.
Alternative Fuels: Diesel is a significant source of pollution in the mining industry. By converting to alternative fuels, such as biodiesel blending, electrical equipment, battery-operated trucks, etc., it is possible to decrease the use of diesel machinery and the consumption of diesel.
IT technology deployment: The mining industry offers a lot of potential for IT technology. Although the mining industry hasn’t fully embraced technology, even in its infancy, innovations like GPS-based navigation can assist cut down on unnecessary equipment movement. Technology can be used to enhance operational efficiency and compliance by managing activities carefully in accordance with the plan.
Air pollution: The businesses can install the most recent air pollution control framework and technology on their mining sites to check the quality of the air. Through installed control systems, routine dust and air emissions monitoring can be carried out. This procedure is essential because it enables the businesses to function in accordance with the current air quality regulations.
Traditional mining techniques like blasting and stacking produce more dust, which worsens the air quality. The eco-friendly surface miner technology, which has been shown to be a more environmentally friendly technique of mining, can be used to regulate this. Regularly monitoring ambient air quality further aids in taking prompt corrective action.
Recycling and treatment of water: Water is a valuable resource that has great social and environmental significance for communities and is a crucial component of the mining process. Effective water stewardship is crucial to preventing conflict. A thorough water management planning approach enables mining companies to control the effects of their operations on the availability of water, optimise water use, and safeguard the local population’s resource rights by proactively monitoring the effects of both water withdrawal and outflow. While zero discharge is the norm at the moment, there are few cases of mine water being processed to make it potable and even packaged and sold. Treatment of mine water is essential.
Waste Management: Almost 99 per cent of the waste produced at these sites is categorised as non-hazardous waste, with the remaining 1 per cent being hazardous waste. The waste generated at these sites typically takes the form of waste rock or waste soil. Transport of the hazardous waste off-site for treatment, reuse, or disposal. All waste produced is eliminated in accordance with waste management programmes and waste disposal rules. However, there are some instances when overburden has been used to make aggregate and sand that can be used for filling and construction purposes in order to lessen damage. Therefore, it is important to encourage these creative solutions and alternative uses whenever possible.

How do you envision mining and its contribution to the conservation of the environment in the near future?
As I had mentioned at the outset, we have two options: either mine or grow. Mining is therefore unavoidable. We can only shift our attention away from mining fossil fuels and toward mining the materials needed for other energy sources, such as renewable energy, energy efficiency, etc. All things considered, we cannot abandon the mining industry.
Focus will be needed on mining of minerals like aluminium, copper, cobalt, nickel, lithium, rare earths, etc. in order to transition to a renewable energy-based economy and to increase energy efficiency.
Therefore, even if mining is required, industry must first concentrate on increasing the effectiveness of resource utilisation, or maximising the recovery and productivity of mineral resources. Deploying technology, improving mine planning, operational planning, and the mining process to lower input requirements per unit, lower costs, and lower capital requirements is the second, easier-to-achieve goal. Thirdly, use technology to monitor environmental effects, including carbon emissions, water and air pollution, noise pollution, etc., and assess the results. The long-term direct and indirect benefits of such actions far surpass their immediate costs.
The entities that ‘plan the mine and mine the plan’ will ultimately succeed in the long run. When I say ‘plan the mine,’ I mean to do it with the best possible mine design and planning, the best technology and equipment selection, a strict operational plan and implementation without deviations for the best results, and a longer resource life by maximising recovery. ReVal is pleased to be connected with and assist our clients in achieving these goals.

-Kanika Mathur

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SEW-EURODRIVE India Opens Drive Technology Centre in Chennai

Published

2 weeks ago

March 25, 2026

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The new facility strengthens SEW-EURODRIVE India’s manufacturing, assembly and service capabilities

SEW-EURODRIVE India has inaugurated a new Drive Technology Centre (DTC) in Chennai, marking a significant expansion of its manufacturing and service infrastructure in South India. The facility is positioned to enhance the company’s responsiveness and long-term support capabilities for customers across southern and eastern regions of the country.

Built across 12.27 acres, the facility includes a 21,350-square-metre assembly and service setup designed to support future industrial growth, evolving application requirements and capacity expansion. The centre reflects the company’s long-term strategy in India, combining global engineering practices with local manufacturing and service capabilities.

The new facility has been developed in line with green building standards and incorporates sustainable features such as natural daylight utilisation, solar power generation and rainwater harvesting systems. The company has also implemented energy-efficient construction and advanced climate control systems that help reduce shopfloor temperatures by up to 3°C, improving production stability, product quality and working conditions.

A key highlight of the centre is the 15,000-square-metre assembly shop, which features digitisation-ready assembly cells based on a single-piece flow manufacturing concept. The facility also houses SEW-EURODRIVE India’s first semi-automated painting booth, aimed at ensuring uniform surface finish and improving production throughput.

With the commissioning of the Chennai Drive Technology Centre, SEW-EURODRIVE India continues to strengthen its manufacturing footprint and reinforces its long-term commitment to supporting industrial growth and automation development in India.

Economy & Market

RAHSTA Roundtable Sets Agenda for Smarter, Safer Highways

Published

3 weeks ago

March 16, 2026

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Roundtable discussions focus on innovation for safer highways.

Held on 12 March 2026 at Courtyard by Marriott, Mumbai, alongside the Infrastructure Today Airport Conclave, the RAHSTA Roundtable brought together stakeholders from across the highways and infrastructure ecosystem to shape the agenda for the 16th RAHSTA 2026, scheduled for 8–9 July 2026 at the Jio Convention Centre, Mumbai. The session focused on key industry themes including road construction, technology, safety and long-term sustainability.

Opening the discussion, Pratap Padode, Founder, FIRST Construction Council, said the roundtable marked the beginning of a broader consultative process leading up to the July event. The aim, he noted, is to bring together industry stakeholders to refine the agenda for discussions on the future of roads, bridges, tunnels and allied infrastructure.

Padode noted that while central road project awards have slowed in recent years, states are increasingly driving the next phase of infrastructure growth. Maharashtra, with its long-term road development plans and agencies such as MSRDC and MSIDC, is expected to play a significant role in this expansion.

RAHSTA Expo 2026 as a specialised platform dedicated to road infrastructure, covering highways, tunnels, bridges and flyovers along with construction technologies, safety systems and maintenance solutions. He also highlighted the growing importance of rural connectivity and said the organisers are engaging with government bodies to highlight rural road development initiatives.

Tanveer Padode, CIO, ASAPP Info Group, presented insights from IMPACCT, the group’s infrastructure intelligence platform. He pointed to a strong project pipeline despite slower highway awards earlier in the year, noting that states such as Maharashtra, Odisha and Arunachal Pradesh are emerging as key drivers of new projects. The data also revealed that only a small group of contractors participates in large-value infrastructure bids.

Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhary, former Director General, Border Roads Organisation and Chairman of the RAHSTA Expo Committee, emphasised the need for stronger collaboration across the ecosystem, including policymakers, contractors, technology providers and financiers. He also called for addressing systemic issues within the sector and encouraged greater participation of women in infrastructure leadership.

The discussion also explored the evolving economics of road development. Phani Prasad Mandalaparthy, Associate Director, CRISIL Intelligence, noted that the slowdown in project awards reflects a shift towards higher-value logistics corridors rather than simple road widening projects. However, private participation through BOT and TOT models remains limited.

From the contractors’ perspective, Sudhir Hoshing, Whole-Time Director, Ceigall, said companies are becoming more selective in bidding, favouring projects with clearer payment mechanisms and efficient processes. While NHAI continues to offer greater operational clarity, states such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were cited as relatively supportive environments for project execution.

Durability and sustainability also emerged as key themes. Himanshu Agarwal, COO – Road & Infrastructure, Zydex Group India, highlighted the need to prioritise lifecycle performance and resilient pavements, while participants discussed the potential of alternative materials such as plastic waste, steel slag and industrial by-products in road construction.

Dr LR Manjunatha, Vice President, JSW Cement, emphasised that India has abundant fly ash, slag and other industrial materials that can improve durability and sustainability if integrated into specifications and policy frameworks.

Technology and equipment challenges were also discussed. Dr Lakshmana Rao Mantri, Dy General Manager, Afcons Infrastructure, highlighted the shortage of tunnel boring machines (TBMs), which is delaying several underground infrastructure projects. Participants agreed that developing domestic TBM manufacturing capabilities will be critical for future infrastructure expansion.

The future of concrete pavements was another area of discussion. Dr V Ramachandra, President, Indian Concrete Institute, stressed that the debate should focus on lifecycle performance rather than material choice alone, noting that evolving design standards are improving the feasibility of concrete roads.

Prof Dharamveer Singh of IIT Bombay added that while India has made significant progress in infrastructure development, stronger capacity building and better execution practices are essential to ensure consistent road quality.

The discussion also touched upon technology adoption in the sector. Rushabh Mamania, Partner & CBO, Roadvision, highlighted the growing role of AI in road infrastructure, noting that AI-driven monitoring systems are already being deployed across large stretches of national highways.

Overall, the roundtable underscored that the future of highway infrastructure will depend not only on the pace of construction but also on durability, safety, technology integration and sustainable materials. The discussions offered valuable insights that will help shape the agenda for RAHSTA 2026 and guide future collaboration within the industry.

Economy & Market

CTS Roundtable Charts Tech-Led Roadmap for Construction

Published

3 weeks ago

March 16, 2026

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CTS Roundtable Maps Technology Roadmap for Construction

Ahead of the Construction Technology Show (Con Tech Show) 2026, industry leaders, technology innovators and academia came together in Mumbai to deliberate on how digitalisation, automation and industrialised construction can reshape the sector. The discussion made one thing clear: construction can no longer afford to treat technology as optional.

Held on 12 March 2026 at Courtyard by Marriott, Mumbai, alongside the Infrastructure Today Airport Conclave, the CTS Roundtable served as a precursor to the Construction Technology Show 2026, scheduled for 19–20 August 2026 at NESCO, Mumbai.

A platform to move from discussion to deployment

Opening the session, Pratap Padode, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, ASAPP Info Global Group, said construction technology has long remained close to his heart, especially given the sector’s traditionally slow pace of technology adoption. He noted that over the years, the Construction Technology Summit had steadily built interest, and the next step was now to expand it into a larger, more meaningful platform that could bring together technology providers, users, startups and innovators under one roof.

Padode said the vision for CTS is not limited to software alone. The platform aims to embrace all forms of technology that can improve construction efficiency, quality and execution—from digital tools and project management systems to lean construction, off-site fabrication and startup-led innovation. He also highlighted plans to deepen startup participation and create space for young companies to showcase emerging construction solutions.

Industry at a turning point

Moderating the roundtable, Naushad Panjwani, Chairman, Mandarus Partners, set the context by pointing out that the global construction industry, despite being a multi-trillion-dollar sector, continues to lag in productivity. He noted that while manufacturing has consistently improved efficiency, construction has remained slow to modernise.

Referring to both global and Indian trends, Panjwani underlined that the industry is now at a decisive moment. India, he said, is entering a major build cycle, and delivering the next phase of infrastructure and real estate growth through traditional methods alone is no longer viable. The goal of the roundtable, therefore, was not to debate technology in isolation, but to identify the most critical conversations that would bridge the gap between innovation and implementation.

His central message was clear: CTS 2026 must be shaped around themes that make CEOs, CIOs and CTOs feel they cannot afford to miss the event.

From BIM to AI, data to governance

A major theme that emerged through the discussion was the need for better data, better visibility and better decision-making. Dr Venkata Santosh Kumar of IIT Bombay echoed this, saying that the underlying data infrastructure itself needs attention. Construction projects, particularly remote ones, often face issues around connectivity, data collection and data use. Without this foundation, more advanced technologies cannot deliver their full value.

Chandra Vasireddy, CEO & Co-founder, Inncircles, expanded the discussion to governance, arguing that technology must help connect the many moving parts of a construction business. For him, the real value of digital transformation lies in creating better governance, clearer visibility and stronger business outcomes.

Tejas Vara of Inncircles stressed the importance of timely site data for leadership teams, especially in large and remote projects where decisions on materials, machinery and manpower often get delayed because information does not reach headquarters in time.

The role of AI also featured prominently. Rushabh Mamania, Partner and CBO, Roadvision said that while AI and machine learning are now common terms, vision intelligence and language intelligence have still not deeply penetrated the construction sector. He emphasised that startups in India are building relevant AI-led solutions and are already attracting international interest, showing that innovation need not be imported—it can be built locally and scaled globally.

Industrialised construction gains ground

The roundtable also placed strong emphasis on industrialised construction methods. Kalyan Vaidyanathan, CTO – Construction & R&D, Tvasta, called for greater focus on off-site fabrication and the broader industrialisation of construction. Bhargav Jog, General Manager, Dextra, highlighted precast technology and alternative sustainable materials as areas with immediate relevance.

Several participants agreed that modular, precast and pre-engineered approaches are no longer niche ideas. They are increasingly becoming practical responses to the sector’s challenges around labour shortage, timelines, quality control and predictability.

Anup Mathew, Sr VP & Business Head, Godrej, argued that the industry needs a fully integrated approach—from design and procurement to execution and asset management. Unless these are connected, technology adoption will remain fragmented and sub-optimal. He pointed to pre-engineered and modular systems as examples of how industrial thinking can compress timelines, improve quality and reduce dependence on difficult on-site conditions.

Adoption remains the biggest hurdle

While there was broad agreement on the promise of technology, the discussion repeatedly returned to one fundamental challenge: adoption.

Abhishek Kumar, COO, LivSYT, observed that the market is crowded with solutions, but many buyers still struggle to evaluate which technology suits which use case. According to him, the industry needs clearer frameworks to help users select, compare and adopt solutions, rather than expecting a single platform to solve every problem.

Dr Tenepalli JaiSai, Associate Professor, School of Construction(SoC), NICMAR University, noted that isolated technologies will not solve the productivity problem by themselves. What is required is an integrated Construction 4.0 approach, where digital, physical and cyber-physical systems work together rather than in silos.

That concern around silos was reinforced by Subodh Dixit, former Director, Shapoorji Pallonji, who said the issue is not just that technologies are disconnected, but that stakeholders are as well. Clients, consultants, contractors and partners often operate with different priorities. Unless these silos are broken, technology will struggle to percolate across the full project value chain.

Harleen Oberoi, Project Management, Tata Realty shared a practical perspective from the client side, saying that successful BIM implementation requires investment across the ecosystem, not just within one organisation. Trade partners, vendors and other stakeholders must also be trained and aligned if the technology is to deliver its intended results.

Beyond buzzwords

A notable takeaway from the session was that the industry is moving past the phase of treating technology as a buzzword. Participants repeatedly stressed that the real question is not whether technology should be used, but where it creates measurable value and how that value can be scaled.

The conversation also expanded beyond mainstream themes to include repairs and rehabilitation, construction and demolition waste, sustainability, circular economy, green sourcing, carbon measurement, design interoperability, generative design, robotics, and the role of horticulture and greener built environments.

Setting the agenda for CTS 2026

By the close of the session, the roundtable had surfaced a strong set of themes for the upcoming show: BIM and digital twins, AI and data platforms, industrialised construction, startup innovation, governance-led technology adoption, robotics, sustainable materials, and integrated project delivery.

More importantly, the session established CTS 2026 as more than an exhibition. It is shaping up to be a serious industry platform where users, technology providers, researchers and policymakers can collectively define the future of construction.

As Padode noted in his closing remarks, the conversation will continue through further consultations and possibly webinars in the run-up to the show. If the roundtable is any indication, CTS 2026 will aim not merely to showcase technology, but to push the industry towards meaningful adoption at scale.