Economy & Market

Unattended issues become risks

Published

1 year ago

July 23, 2025

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Sudeshna Banerjee, Managing Director, PS Digitech HR India, discusses project execution in cement and infrastructure through technology, transparency and on-time delivery.

From pioneering structured project management in Indian cement to enabling defence and infrastructure builds across borders, PS Digitech HR India has redefined on-site execution with tech-driven precision. Led by Sudeshna Banerjee and Prasenjit Dutta, the company is steering complex industrial projects toward timely, efficient, and sustainable outcomes. In this interview, Banerjee shares how innovation and discipline are driving real impact in the cement sector and beyond.

Tell us about your company’s association with the cement industry.
I and my business partner Prasenjit Dutta, who brings over 35 years of industry experience, started this company with a clear vision of offering value-driven services to the industrial sector. Initially, our journey began under the name Digitech HR, focused exclusively on training. We provided training in CAD design software, project management and behavioural development, among others. Over time, we expanded into engineering design and detailing, catering to reputed clients like VIL Engineering Corporation, BK Engineering Corporation and others.
In 2008, we took a major step forward by venturing into project management consultancy, starting with ACC Cement’s Gagal plant. This marked our entry into on-site consultancy for the cement industry—an area that had previously seen minimal engagement of external project management teams. According to industry veteran Sumit Banerjee, we were among the first to introduce structured project management consultancy in India’s cement sector.
Our methodology includes deploying engineers on-site, supported by a robust back-end team that handles planning, scheduling, and monitoring. The objective is to ensure projects are completed on time and within budget, which in turn helps cement manufacturers realise faster ROI. Over time, we expanded our offerings to include safety management, quality management, engineering design reviews, and third-party safety and quality audits. Today, we serve most of the leading cement companies in India and are expanding internationally as well.

What impact has your work had on cement projects, and how has it changed project timelines or outcomes?
When we first started working with cement companies, project delays were fairly common. Timelines often extended much longer than initially estimated. With our structured approach to project management—built on strong domain knowledge and process discipline—we introduced systems that helped our clients stay on track.
Once we entered the picture, they began to see tangible changes. Projects started being completed on schedule. And the most important part? Return on Investment (ROI) was realised faster. That’s what really matters to the client. Faster completion means faster operationalisation, which means revenue generation begins earlier.
Over time, cement companies began to recognise the value of professional project management services. We have worked with companies across the cement landscape, including ACC, Ambuja, and Star Cement in the Northeast. Beyond cement, we have also handled complex infrastructure projects—like a 400-kilometre railway line in Sri Lanka and bulletproof bunkers along the China border for India’s Military Engineering Services. We’ve even worked with edible oil refineries and multiple public sector units. Though based in Kolkata, we serve clients pan-India and abroad.

How is evolving technology helping your work and the cement industry as a whole?
Technology has been a game-changer for us. When we started project management services, we used MS Project for scheduling and tracking. But as our projects scaled, MS Project wasn’t sufficient to handle the volume and complexity of data involved. So, we adopted Primavera, bought the necessary licenses, and deployed it as a cloud-based solution to enhance collaboration and accessibility. Then, we developed our own proprietary database management tool called ‘Projector’, which stores all reports and project updates, enabling clients to access real-time data anytime, from anywhere.
In addition, we created a mobile-based application called PSH that offers a dashboard experience. Senior management often doesn’t have time to go through detailed reports. So, PSH allows them to access key metrics like risk management indicators, S-curves, and project health summaries in a snapshot format—right on their phones. This real-time visibility allows for quicker decision-making and better
risk management.
We are also exploring artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and drone-based technologies to enhance project tracking and safety assessments. These innovations will play a pivotal role in the future of smart project management.

What are some of the key challenges you face in this field?
One of the biggest challenges is mindset. Many organisations are still hesitant about bringing in third-party project management consultants. They sometimes refer to us as spies, which we take in good humour—but it reflects a deeper misunderstanding. What they don’t immediately see is that we are not there to find faults—we are there to expedite projects. We serve as a bridge between clients and stakeholders, with the sole aim of ensuring timely and budget-friendly completion.
Another challenge is internal bias. Often, internal project management teams are not neutral. They may downplay issues to avoid scrutiny or delay reporting problems to higher management. This creates risks. Our independent oversight helps surface unattended issues early, allowing forproactive intervention.
Our approach is built on transparency and early issue resolution. We always say: ‘Unattended issues become risks.’ The earlier they’re identified, the easier they are to solve. Also, we emphasise safety and quality as the two foundational pillars of every successful project. Without them, timelines and budgets can spiral out of control.
The cement industry is talking a lot about sustainability, net zero and decarbonisation. How is your company contributing to these goals?
Sustainability is indeed the need of the hour, and we are actively engaged in Waste Heat Recovery (WHR) projects for multiple cement companies. WHR is an excellent way for plants to utilise their exhaust heat to generate electricity, which reduces fuel consumption and emissions. We have also worked on alternative fuel projects, helping companies transition away from fossil fuels. Beyond cement, we advise on sustainable practices in infrastructure projects as well.
As a service-based organisation, our direct emissions may be minimal, but our impact lies in guiding our clients to make data-driven, eco-conscious decisions. We also stress the importance of efficient baghouse implementation to manage dust and emissions, which is critical for both compliance and environmental health.

Where do you see PS Digitech HR heading in the next few years?
We are already working with top cement companies in India and have ventured into sectors like defence, railways, oil refineries and infrastructure. Our next step is to expand internationally, offering our expertise to global projects. We are also investing heavily in AI, ML and drone-based solutions for real-time site monitoring and data analysis.
Our vision is clear: we want to be technology-driven enablers who ensure that every project—be it cement, defence or infrastructure—is completed on time, within budget and without compromise on safety or quality.

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Economy & Market

Leonard Unveils Dual-Head Robotic Arm for Hazardous Industrial Demolition

Published

5 days ago

October 30, 2026

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Leonard unveils Descender Duo, a dual-head robotic demolition arm designed to improve industrial safety and reduce shutdown time by up to 50 per cent.

Industrial robotics and refractory services specialist Leonard has launched Descender Duo, a dual-head robotic demolition arm designed to improve safety, accelerate maintenance and reduce shutdown times in hazardous industrial environments. The system made its debut at Lisahally Power Station in Northern Ireland, removing 25 tonnes of slag material within hours.

Developed for the cement, metals, waste-to-energy and petrochemical industries, Descender Duo enables remote-controlled refractory demolition, anchor cutting and welding, and refractory spraying inside boilers, calciners and silos. Its vertical-access design eliminates the need for personnel to enter confined, high-risk spaces during these operations.

Weighing less than two tonnes, the pre-assembled system requires an access opening of just 1.2 m². Supported by an external overhead hoist, it uses electrically operated hydraulic stabilising legs to secure itself inside vessels. The robotic arm offers 360-degree rotation and is suited to vessels approximately 9 m in diameter, with its operating reach extendable through strategically positioned access points.

Equipped with two independently controlled robotic heads, Descender Duo can perform identical or different tasks simultaneously, including refractory demolition, anchor cutting and spraying. Its remote-control system incorporates live camera feeds, allowing operators to monitor operations without entering hazardous environments.

According to Leonard, the technology can deliver time savings of up to 50 per cent compared with manual methods. Its ability to operate at temperatures exceeding 100°C allows maintenance to begin as early as 24 hours after burner shutdown. An all-electric power supply further supports cleaner and more cost-efficient operations.

First Deployment Demonstrates Shutdown Efficiency

The system was first deployed at Burmeister & Wain Scandinavian Contractor’s (BWSC) Lisahally Power Station in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The facility generates electricity from grade C waste wood, supplying approximately 40,000 homes and businesses.

Leonard and BWSC collaborated to develop a customised solution for the plant’s 26-metre furnace, where extensive external pipework created significant access challenges.

Mark Leonard, Managing Director, Leonard, said, “It required new thinking and rather than step away from the problem we were committed to solving it for the customer, with the customer. We’re relentless in our approach to tackling complex challenges, head-on. We took our years of cement plant experience, coupled with our working knowledge of the BWSC plant, and designed, engineered and tested a completely new vertical solution within just seven weeks from that initial conversation with the customer. That solution was the Descender Duo as we know it today.”

Traditionally, the furnace required a cooling period of up to 36 hours before preparatory work could begin, followed by manual slag removal using rope-access personnel. With Descender Duo, work commenced just 24 hours after shutdown, reducing downtime by up to one day.

The deployment removed 25 tonnes of slag within hours, eliminated the need for at least six workers to enter the hazardous furnace interior and saved 26 hours in the shutdown programme.

“The effectiveness exceeded expectation,” said Martin Doran, Plant Manager at Lisahally Power Station.

“When the Descender Duo concept was first discussed, we had to spend some time with the team from Leonard looking at how it was going to be moved into the furnace. Every site is different and that presented its own challenges, but nothing that the team couldn’t overcome. Once it was installed we were hugely impressed by its efficiency.”

Expanding Industrial Robotics Applications

Descender Duo joins Leonard’s existing portfolio of robotic maintenance solutions, including the Axis horizontal-access arm, Nano confined-space access arm, Charger cement mill media recharging system and Calibre cement mill media grading system.

Headquartered in Northern Ireland, Leonard provides robotic refractory demolition, installation, inspection and industrial maintenance services across the cement, metals, energy, biomass, glass and civil engineering sectors.

Formerly known as G Leonard, the company has more than 35 years of industry experience and operates across Europe, North America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific.

The latest innovation reinforces Leonard’s focus on replacing hazardous manual processes with robotic systems that improve workforce safety, enhance operational efficiency and minimise industrial downtime.

Concrete

Martin Engineering Appoints Ashwini Khunte as India General Manager

Published

5 days ago

October 30, 2026

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Martin Engineering names Ashwini Khunte India General Manager to strengthen operations and drive growth across key bulk material handling sectors.

Pune

Martin Engineering, a global provider of bulk material handling solutions, has appointed Ashwini Khunte as General Manager of its India business, strengthening its leadership as the company expands its presence across the country’s cement, mining, steel, power and infrastructure sectors.

Khunte brings more than a decade of experience with Martin Engineering, having joined its Indian operations in 2013 as a Design Engineer, shortly after the company established its presence in the country in 2012.

A mechanical engineer by qualification, she spent her initial five years developing bulk material handling solutions in collaboration with the company’s operations team. During this period, she gained extensive experience addressing operational challenges in the steel, cement and coal industries. She subsequently moved into project engineering, managing major engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) projects from initial enquiry to commissioning. Her responsibilities later expanded to overseeing Martin Engineering’s conveyor product portfolio in India, involving customer engagement, technical presentations and site visits across heavy industries.

In 2024, Khunte was promoted to Head of Sales & Marketing for the company’s Europe, Middle East, Africa and India (EMEAI) region. The position broadened her international market exposure and strengthened her strategic and commercial leadership capabilities.

Commenting on her appointment, Ashwini Khunte, General Manager, Martin Engineering India, said: “India represents a tremendous opportunity for Martin Engineering. The country’s continued investment in cement, mining, steel, power and infrastructure is creating increasing demand for safer, cleaner and more productive bulk material handling, and that’s exactly what we do. My priority will be to build on the strong foundations already established in India, while continuing to develop our people, strengthen customer relationships and bring practical solutions to the challenges faced by our industry.”

Robert Whetstone, Area Vice President – EMEAI, Martin Engineering, highlighted Khunte’s technical expertise, market understanding and leadership experience.

“Ashwini brings an exceptional combination of technical understanding, customer knowledge and commercial leadership. She has grown as Martin Engineering has grown, and has consistently demonstrated outstanding capability to transform her expertise into practical solutions. Her knowledge of the Indian market, together with her international experience, makes her ideally suited to lead our India business through its next stage of growth for years to come.”

Since establishing its Indian business in 2012, Martin Engineering has expanded its local workforce, manufacturing capabilities and dealership network. The company supplies conveyor products, transfer point solutions, material flow aids, training and technical support to bulk material handling industries. Khunte’s appointment positions the company to further strengthen customer relationships and expand its solutions portfolio in India’s growing industrial and infrastructure markets.

Concrete

Fornnax Wins AIRIA’s Special Export Award for Rubber Machinery in 2025-26

Published

2 weeks ago

October 19, 2026

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Fornnax Technology Pvt. Ltd. has been honoured with the Special Export Award – Rubber Machinery for 2025–26 by the All-India Rubber Industries Association (AIRIA), in recognition of its highest exports of tyre recycling plants to the European region.

With more than a decade of experience in India’s tyre recycling industry, Fornnax has contributed to the development of advanced recycling technologies and infrastructure. The company currently holds a 90% market share in India’s domestic tyre recycling sector, while exports account for 30% of its business, spanning markets such as Europe, Australia and the GCC.

The award marks another milestone for Fornnax, whose tyre recycling lines and advanced shredding technologies are supporting the growth of the circular economy in India and international markets.

Commenting on the recognition, Mr. Jignesh Kundaria, Founder and Director of Fornnax, said:

“This honour from AIRIA is a reflection of an incredible journey we have undertaken over the years. When we started Fornnax, there was no established recycling industry in India to follow. We chose to build for the future instead. Today, when you see India’s tyre recycling sector, it has already transformed into a dynamic, high-growth industry and we are extremely proud to have played our part in building it.”

Unlike standalone equipment suppliers, Fornnax focuses on developing complete, high-capacity recycling infrastructure. Its integrated systems combine multiple stages of shredding and size reduction to enable efficient, continuous operations. This system-level engineering approach helps recycling operators improve throughput, equipment reliability and operational consistency.

The recognition reinforces Fornnax’s commitment to developing engineering technologies that contribute to a more efficient and circular recycling ecosystem.

Looking ahead, the company aims to expand its international presence while continuing to develop advanced shredding and recycling solutions to address the growing volumes and evolving requirements of the global recycling industry.

For more information, visit: www.fornnax.com