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Proactive Maintenance

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Gaurav Mathur, Director and Chief Executive, Global Technical Services, discusses the importance of an on-site oil testing laboratory within industrial plants for improved safety, extended equipment life and cost effectiveness in the manufacturing sector.

Oil condition monitoring can provide important information about the condition of the machine through oil analysis. Lubricant in any machine is like blood in the human body. Just as a blood test can help a doctor diagnose an illness and inform a treatment plan, similarly an oil analysis can provide an effective way to know the machine condition and inform it to take maintenance decisions.
Once the oil test laboratory is within the plant, the test reports are made available to the machine maintenance team within a timeline of 48 hours. Timely action helps reduce the expensive mechanical maintenance costs and improves machine life and productivity, leading to the plant’s profitability.
Normally, the oil testing laboratories are far away from the plant. They are mostly in a different city, and these laboratories provide test reports after 10 to 15 days. However, those reports are of no use in machine maintenance as mechanical damage starts to set in within 48 hours in any machine. Hence, it is important to have an on-site oil test laboratory within the plant.
Oil condition monitoring, covering moisture (water presence in the oil), particle contamination, wear debris analysis or loss of additives level, etc. are the parameters that clearly bring out any machine’s internal condition. This reporting leads to timely maintenance decisions by the mechanical team. These reports also help improve the reliability of the machine being tested.
Thus, an oil testing laboratory within the plant site is instrumental in greatly improving the value of machine life and reducing a major cost of mechanical maintenance. These improvements and cost reductions in turn lead to cost savings, profitability and enhance efficiency in manufacturing.

OIL ANALYSIS AT SITE LABORATORY
Oil analysis is an important activity used to check oil health, oil contamination, oil cleanliness level, and machine wear. Its main purpose is to verify that a lubricant in the machine is operating with the oil in good condition i.e. the oil is free from any contamination due to continued usage in the machine over a period of time.
An on-site oil testing laboratory helps to form a system for early detection of oil degradation, contamination, and machine wear. Early detection has several benefits that ensure a healthier environment for the employees and the machinery, such as improved safety, early detection and warning of machine degradation, and increased equipment availability and effectiveness.
Once the oil testing laboratory is established within the plant, thereafter, the next step is to prepare department-wise, machine-wise oil testing schedules. These schedules ensure that there is periodic oil testing and subsequent corrective measures can be taken by the mechanical team. This kind of reporting and availability of the
on-site laboratory leads to a more proactive mechanical maintenance.
Almost 82 per cent of wear-related failures are the direct result of particle contamination.
It is a well-known fact that lubricating oils in a machine never dies. Once the contaminants are removed and the oil cleaned to its original level, the oil can be made as good as ‘new’. Hence, a good oil filtration and accurate additives treatment at site assumes considerable importance in ‘oil conservation’ in the industry. By conducting the above activity about 40 per cent to 50 per cent conservation of the lubricant oil can be achieved.
Hence, having a site condition monitoring laboratory not only improves the life of the machines, it also reduces mechanical maintenance costs and can bring a large economic change in the cement manufacturing sector. Besides, oil can also be recycled to its original level. Thus, having an on-site oil testing laboratory is paramount important and profitable for all large industries.

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Molecor Renews OCS Europe Certification Across Spanish Plants

Certification reinforces commitment to preventing microplastic pollution

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Molecor has renewed its OCS Europe certification for another year across all its production facilities in Spain under the Operation Clean Sweep (OCS) voluntary initiative, reaffirming its commitment to sustainability and environmental protection. The renewal underlines the company’s continued focus on preventing the unintentional release of plastic particles during manufacturing, with particular attention to safeguarding marine ecosystems from microplastic pollution.

All Molecor plants in Spain have been compliant with OCS Europe standards for several years, implementing best practices designed to avoid pellet loss and the release of plastic particles during the production of PVC pipes and fittings. The OCS-based management system enables the company to maintain strict operational controls while aligning with evolving regulatory expectations on microplastic prevention.

The renewed certification also positions Molecor ahead of newly published European regulations. The company’s practices are aligned with Regulation (EU) 2025/2365, recently adopted by the European Parliament, which sets out requirements to prevent pellet loss and reduce microplastic pollution across industrial operations.

Extending its sustainability commitment beyond its own operations, Molecor is actively engaging its wider value chain by informing suppliers and customers of its participation in the OCS programme and encouraging responsible microplastic management practices. Through these efforts, the company contributes directly to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 14 ‘Life below water’, reinforcing its role as a responsible industrial manufacturer committed to environmental stewardship and long-term sustainability.

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Coforge Launches AI-Led Data Cosmos Analytics Platform

New cloud-native platform targets enterprise data modernisation and GenAI adoption

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Coforge Limited has recently announced the launch of Coforge Data Cosmos, an AI-enabled, cloud-native data engineering and advanced analytics platform aimed at helping enterprises convert fragmented data environments into intelligent, high-performance data ecosystems. The platform strengthens Coforge’s technology stack by introducing a foundational innovation layer that supports cloud-native, domain-specific solutions built on reusable blueprints, proprietary IP, accelerators, agentic components and industry-aligned capabilities.

Data Cosmos is designed to address persistent enterprise challenges such as data fragmentation, legacy modernisation, high operational costs, limited self-service analytics, lack of unified governance and the complexity of GenAI adoption. The platform is structured around five technology portfolios—Supernova, Nebula, Hypernova, Pulsar and Quasar—covering the full data transformation lifecycle, from legacy-to-cloud migration and governance to cloud-native data platforms, autonomous DataOps and scaled GenAI orchestration.

To accelerate speed-to-value, Coforge has introduced the Data Cosmos Toolkit, comprising over 55 IPs and accelerators and 38 AI agents powered by the Data Cosmos Engine. The platform also enables Galaxy solutions, which combine industry-specific data models with the core technology stack to deliver tailored solutions across sectors including BFS, insurance, travel, transportation and hospitality, healthcare, public sector and retail.

“With Data Cosmos, we are setting a new benchmark for how enterprises convert data complexity into competitive advantage,” said Deepak Manjarekar, Global Head – Data HBU, Coforge. “Our objective is to provide clients with a fast, adaptive and AI-ready data foundation from day one.”

Supported by a strong ecosystem of cloud and technology partners, Data Cosmos operates across multi-cloud and hybrid environments and is already being deployed in large-scale transformation programmes for global clients.

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India, Sweden Launch Seven Low-Carbon Steel, Cement Projects

Joint studies to cut industrial emissions under LeadIT

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India and Sweden have announced seven joint projects aimed at reducing carbon emissions in the steel and cement sectors, with funding support from India’s Department of Science and Technology and the Swedish Energy Agency.

The initiatives, launched under the LeadIT Industry Transition Partnership, bring together major Indian companies including Tata Steel, JK Cement, Ambuja Cements, Jindal Steel and Power, and Prism Johnson, alongside Swedish technology firms such as Cemvision, Kanthal and Swerim. Leading Indian academic institutions, including IIT Bombay, IIT-ISM Dhanbad, IIT Bhubaneswar and IIT Hyderabad, are also participating.

The projects will undertake pre-pilot feasibility studies on a range of low-carbon technologies. These include the use of hydrogen in steel rotary kilns, recycling steel slag for green cement production, and applying artificial intelligence to optimise concrete mix designs. Other studies will explore converting blast furnace carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide for reuse and assessing electric heating solutions for steelmaking.

India’s steel sector currently accounts for about 10–12 per cent of the country’s carbon emissions, while cement contributes nearly 6 per cent. Globally, heavy industry is responsible for roughly one-quarter of greenhouse gas emissions and consumes around one-third of total energy.

The collaboration aims to develop scalable, low-carbon industrial technologies that can support India’s net-zero emissions target by 2070. As part of the programme, Tata Steel and Cemvision will examine methods to convert steel slag into construction materials, creating a circular value chain for industrial byproducts.

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