Mumbai 

Godrej Process Equipment - a business unit of Godrej & Boyce (the flagship company of the Godrej Group) - will expand its state-of-the-art facility in Dahej (Gujarat) and plans to double its revenue by 2025.  The expansion will significantly contribute towards this plan by doubling Godrej Process Equipment's capacity and enhancing capability. This ongoing expansion will increase their manufacturing area by approximately 25,000 sq m. They are presently investing an additional Rs 300 crore towards this expansion.

This state-of-the-art manufacturing facility by Godrej & Boyce was established in 2016. This facility is well-equipped for manufacturing & delivering critical and over-dimensional consignments (ODC) for global projects. This ongoing expansion is being constructed with a focus on sustainability principles along with improved and efficient utilisation of resources. Green initiatives like Solar Power and various installations for recycling, water conservation, and reducing fuel consumption will be incorporated. The expansion is focused on catering to the growing needs of the industry and leading to opportunities for local employment in the region.

This strategic expansion will involve a dedicated bay for nuclear equipment, and another bay dedicated for heavy equipment manufacturing. This will house a state-of-the-art Clean Room facility for manufacturing critical process equipment with exotic metallurgy like Titanium, Zirconium etc. Also, having a higher crane height will facilitate the manufacturing of large and over-dimensional equipment as large as 16 m in diameter. This expansion also will include 2 extended manufacturing yards for large & ODC equipment. The extended fabrication yard houses a crane with an under-the-hook height of 20 metres with a prime focus on manufacturing large and over-dimensional static equipment. In the future, this extended yard will also be used for modular fabrication.

This ongoing expansion, both in terms of capacity and capability will help Godrej Process Equipment strengthen its presence in sectors of hydrogen and power for specialised and large equipment in addition to their existing portfolios in the oil & gas, chemicals & fertilizers, and power sector.

Godrej Process Equipment is also focusing on improving its manufacturing efficiency and productivity. The process flow (Workcentre) Concept is being gradually implemented to transform Dahej into an ultra-modern facility. Workcentre is a designated area of production that is designed to perform specific tasks and by implementing this the flexibility within the manufacturing system is improved. Lead time is reduced by an increase in productivity and reduced errors thereby resulting in an improved specialisation.

Dedicated Training Centre is being modernised to take care of the in-house capability training of the highly skilled employees and workmen. There are plans to implement VR/AR-based Welding Simulating systems to provide an immersive experience to welders and thus making the simulation close to reality.

In their continuous journey toward excellence, they have recently set up a World class Testing Laboratory in Dahej which is accredited as per NABL.

The business is also digitally transforming its operations at this facility. IoT revolution will be a game changer in manufacturing, and they plan to implement Industry 4.0. Increased focus on Automation, Digital data capturing as part of Digitalization and implementation of the Manufacturing Execution System on the shop floor are the various initiatives that are under implementation at the Dahej Manufacturing facility.

The emphasis on Automation starts with the journey of every piece of equipment with the Automated Plate Marking and Cutting process, followed by Under-water Plasma Cutting, Waterjet Cutting, Hotwire TIG processes, Submerged Arc Strip Cladding (SASC), and advanced Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) techniques. Additionally, technologies including the Orbital welding, Narrow groove tandem wire Submerged Arc Welding (SAW), and Inner bore Internal Diameter overlay streamline the manufacturing of equipment. In addition, Robotics in key manufacturing activities like Nozzle Cutting, Nozzle Welding, Tube-to-tube sheet Welding, etc has already been deployed. It is worthwhile to note that more than 80% of their Welding activities are automated and the main focus of this automation is to improve productivity, quality & safety.

Hussain Shariyarr, Senior Vice President & Business Head, Godrej Process Equipment said, “The Dahej manufacturing facility has enabled us to achieve several milestones due to its well-equipped capacity & capability to deliver critical projects. The Dahej facility was developed with the intent of building specialized equipment not just in dimension but also in complexity. It uniquely provides us with ease of access to International Seaports for transportation of such equipment. We have embarked on our journey to make this facility a smart factory and enhance the productivity and quality of products delivered to enrich customer delight. Also, we aim to make this facility one of the greenest manufacturing facilities in the industry.”

Godrej Process Equipment is one of the fourteen businesses of Godrej & Boyce, with the largest global footprint in the G&B group. Godrej Process Equipment is a leader in manufacturing custom-built process equipment such as Heavy walled Reactors, Pressure Vessels, High-Pressure Heat Exchangers, Columns, Trays, and Reactor Internals for various critical applications in the Oil and Gas, Petrochemical, Hydrogen Fertilizer and Power sector across the globe, with over 80% of their products being exported.