EQUIPMENT INDIA MAGAZINE - SCALING UP SKILLS

A qualified and productive workforce in mining operations is of utmost importance. Pavan Kaushik elaborates on the efforts of Hindustan Zinc (HZL) and its Mining Academy in enhancing the skill levels of mining machine operators through its various hands-on training courses.

The natural resources industry in India has seen significant changes in the past 10 years in terms of technology, employment generation, metal production and attracting best of Indian and global talents of engineers and management graduates. The growth of mining projects in India has resulted in huge demands of skilled operators to operate sophisticated mining equipment such as jumbo drill, load haul dumper (LHD), low profile dumper truck (LPDT), etc. Hindustan Zinc Mining Academy is preparing the youth for these new and exciting opportunities.
The Beginning
In the past few years, there has been a tremendous growth in the mining sector worldwide and India is no exception. The demand of manpower in the natural resources sector is increasing year-after-year. To meet this demand, many international experts have joined at key positions to explore natural resources, improve metal recovery and build a future of sustainable mining.
As the industry is growing with the advent of automation and technology, the need for trained manpower is also increasing. This is where the Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the scope of employment opportunities with growth in natural resources sector. This led Hindustan Zinc, India's only and world's leading integrated producer of zinc, lead and silver, to identify areas that play crucial role in underground mining where the need for skilled manpower is being felt with a need to tap local talent. HZL has set up the Hindustan Zinc Mining Academy in collaboration with the Skill Council for Mining Sector and the training partner, Indian Institute of Skill Development Pvt Ltd.
Jumbo drill operators and winding engine operators came out as two distinct roles where the need for Indian skilled manpower could be deployed. These are currently being operated by expats at very high cost. Hindustan Zinc itself engages about 200 jumbo drill operators and 45 winding engine operators through business partners. The opportunities are set to move up with an increase in expansion of mines.
The Mining Academy was started as a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative on August 1, 2014. The vision of this initiative was to provide a platform to local youth for developing highly specialised skills to operate the latest and the most advanced equipment used in underground mining operations, while making them self-reliant and opening paths for sustainable livelihood. The initiative has successfully delivered two batches of six-month residential programme on jumbo drill operators, followed by a six-month residential programme on underground mining equipment. In 2014-15, the academy trained 55 ITI/Diploma pass-outs in the jumbo drill and all of them got immediate placements.
After the huge success of the programme, Hindustan Zinc envisioned and made the programme more robust with quality changes. Currently, the academy runs three centres at Bhilwara, Rajsamand and Zawar near Udaipur, with 260 candidates from all over Rajasthan.
In October 2016, Hindustan Zinc commenced jumbo drill operator training to 120 ITI/Diploma pass-outs and their training will be complete by March 2018. In the winding engine operator training programme, 47 ITI/Diploma pass-outs were enrolled in February 2017 and their eight-month long training was completed in October 2017. Besides winding engine training, these candidates are also being given exposure in banksman and bellman operations.

The Facility and Courses
Hindustan Zinc extends high-tech facility for VTC training, simulation, and hands-on training for learning maintenance and operations required in underground mines. The candidates are able to operate real machines and are given industry exposure before they complete the course as per requirement. For jumbo drill operators, the company has set up a 3-D simulator, which is a virtual reality high-tech device used in Hindustan Zinc to train the operators in heavy machinery. The 3-D simulators are cost-effective, safe, and efficient methods for training all concepts and skills, from controls familiarisation to procedure compliance. Simulation training maximises productivity and increases workforce efficiency.
Hindustan Zinc also engages experts from its locations for taking expert faculty interface classes periodically, and also invites its business partners for engagement with candidates.
All academy centres run in a professional manner with inbuilt monthly monitoring system. Since the course is residential, the academy has a provision for free boarding and lodging facilities for all the selected candidates in all the training programmes. Equal emphasis is being given on classroom lectures and practical exposures to the students for enabling them to develop a better understanding of the module. The trainees are being groomed in various aspects like soft skills, team effort, discipline and overall personality development, which would further help them in securing sustainable livelihood in future.
Also, uniform for class-room and practical sessions are being provided by the academy to all candidates. They are also engaged in various indoor and outdoor sports – cricket, volleyball, badminton, chess, carom board, football etc.

Selection Criteria
It was assessed as an opportunity for the ITI pass-outs and diploma holders who are below the age of 30 years and who are qualified to operate equipment through training.
The candidates are being invited through advertisements in prominent newspapers as well as channels like FM Radio, WhatsApp and jingles are also engaged to create the buzz.
Application forms available on the mentioned website are to be filled online and then all applicants have to appear for written test (aptitude/respect for rules/IQ/English proficiency test etc). Successful participants are then called for documents check, medical fitness test, police verification for final selection/completion of the course and then
proceed for interview. Also, all existing trainees act as brand ambassadors and communicate through their channels.

Evaluation Process
The training assessment has inbuilt weekly and monthly tests, followed by quarterly third-party assessment. Candidates successfully fulfilling passing criteria each month
and in the third-party quarterly assessment are being awarded with National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) certifications. The Government of India notified the
NSQF on December 27, 2013. This is a competence-based framework that organises all qualifications according to a series of knowledge, skills and aptitude.
Certification based on National Occupational Standards is facilitated by Skill Council for Mining Sector (SCMS) after third-party assessment to the enrolled candidates who successfully complete the programme. The National Occupational Standards specify the standard of performance an individual must achieve when carrying out a role at the workplace, together with the knowledge and understanding they need to meet that standard consistently.
The candidates are given stipend ranging from Rs 2,000 to Rs 7,000 and also performance top-up according to set criteria based on their attendance and assessment performance, which motivates high performers to give their best. Further, to boost the confidence, centre-wise toppers and overall toppers are also given cash reward on quarterly basis, ranging Rs 5,000-10,000 during the course.
Apart from certification and monetary rewards, SCMS conducts an internal auditor assessment as well through reputed third-party audit checks like KPMG that are monitored by a designated Project Steering Committee comprising senior executives.

Importance of Skill Development in Mining
According to the McKinsey Global Institute, over the last decade, the contribution of mining to India's GDP has fallen from 1.2 per cent to one per cent. If properly tapped, the mining industry could help propel growth for the country over the next decade. In fact, the performance of mining sector will be an important factor for India to achieve over seven per cent GDP growth. The mining industry has the potential to create six million additional jobs by 2025, accounting for 12 per cent of the new non-farm job gap.
India needs to create an additional 150 million non-farm jobs by 2025, to significantly reduce poverty, and empower people. It is also need to be highlighted that there are no relevant courses available in mining space for the candidates to pursue. Apart from this, the awareness level among youth and quality of education are other bottlenecks to meet the required skills.
Mining workforce is crucial for sustainable development of the sector, especially as there could be incremental demand of 1.5-2.5 times of the current workforce by 2025. 
To bridge the imminent shortage of human resource in mining sector, there are two possibilities that can be considered: increase the number of seats in mining engineering in relevant institutes over the next 10-15 years. The second solution is to devise short-term mining-specific courses for ITIs/diploma holders in mining states by facilitating private sector participation in skill development for the mining sector.
Setting up perhaps India's first Mining Academy, Hindustan Zinc is developing an ecosystem and contributing in unlocking India's potential in mining. This is certainly going to enhance India's capability in training people in the mining space and putting India on the growth path.
Definitely, a long-term vision and consistent effort is going to make India self-reliant on such mining skills, which presently is outsourced mostly from abroad. This has helped local youth to gain meaningful employment, and enhance employability of eligible youth. To some extent, it has also ensured sustained availability of adequate trained operators for the growing mining sector in India that completely aligns with 'Make in India' concept and act as a catalyst in nation building.

Challenges
There is a need to drive initiatives for the overall development of the mining sector. The major challenge in training people in mining is availability of proper infrastructure. The equipment is costly and sophisticated. Hindustan Zinc has provided simulators and has made its underground mines accessible for training, which is substituting need for the required infrastructure. Also, to enhance the personalities and imbibe discipline in these candidates, the programme has been made fully residential. The attrition is almost nil at Mining Academy, which itself speaks about its credibility and standard with qualitative training.

Future Plans
Hindustan Zinc plans to spend Rs 30 crore in five years to train about 500 ITI pass-outs in jumbo drill and winding engine operations. The academy is determined to have the jumbo drill batches every six months, which is well in place. The academy also provides training on other trades like winding engine, banksman, bellman, etc; an exclusive jumbo operator programme for ex-servicemen that started in October 2017 and another batch of regular jumbo drill programmes to start in January 2018. 
Currently, there are approximately 260 candidates on board at the academy across its three centres. To further strengthen the foundation of Mining Academy, Hindustan Zinc is exploring the possibilities to run it through a registered society. The academy is even planning to initiate online assessment for entrance examinations and has started a step-up programme for rural youth residing near Hindustan Zinc's business locations. This is a pre-coaching programme to encourage and prepare these youth for entrance examination to join the course.
Recently, the company organized placement drive for these students and 126 passing-out students got jobs with an average package of Rs. 25,000/- per month. Hindustan Zinc's business partners have come together to employ these trained youths and use them for their different operations. These candidates have been recruited by companies like SK Khetan, BGE Mining Pvt Ltd, SMSL, Aravali Construction Co, Teknomin Construction Limited, UTM Engineering Pvt Ltd, AAC Mining Executors India Pvt Limited, to name a few. Hindustan Zinc itself engages about 200 Jumbo Drill Operators and 45 Winding Engine Operators. As Hindustan Zinc mines are in expansion mode, the opportunities for employment are only likely to increase.

By Pavan Kaushik
Head - Corporate Communication, HZL

6th BATCH OF 120 ITI/DIPLOMA PASS-OUTS HAS JOINED HINDUSTAN ZINC MINING ACADEMY

ITI/Diploma pass-outs to get training in Jumbo Drill Operations under 18 months Residential Program …

The mining sector has the potential to create hundreds of thousands of jobs in the country thus eradicating poverty at large. Indian natural resource industry has seen significant change in the last 10 years in terms of technology, employment generation, metal production and attracting best of Indian and global talent that includes engineers and management graduates.

Being a responsible metal and mining company, Hindustan Zinc has set-up ‘Hindustan Zinc Mining Academy’, in collaboration with Skill Council for Mining Sector (SCMS) and training partner Indian Institute of Skill Development Pvt. Ltd (IISD) to train about 500 ITI/diploma  pass-outs in five years in Jumbo Drill Operations and Winding Engine Operations to enhance employment opportunities of eligible youth of Rajasthan.

Hindustan Zinc Mining Academy is now commencing its 6th Batch of ‘Jumbo Drill Operator Training Program’ with an inaugural function on 3^rd January, 2018 at Railmagra Centre, Rajsamand wherein 120 select ITI/Diploma pass-outs will be trained under this 18 months residential program. The Chief Guest of the event was Kastoor Meena – Site President, Rajpura Dariba Complex who encouraged candidates to work hard with focus, dedication and discipline in Academy to have a secure future.

Hindustan Zinc Mining Academy has three Centres running at Bhilwara, Rajsamand and Zawar near Udaipur with candidates from all over Rajasthan. All Academy centres run in a professional manner with inbuilt monthly monitoring systems. Since the course is residential, the academy has a provision for free boarding and lodging facilities for all the selected candidates in all training programs.

Earlier, Hindustan Zinc has commenced  5 batches of 18 month long Jumbo Drill Operator Training for ITI/Diploma pass-outs and in Winding Engine Operator Training Program where 47 ITI/Diploma pass-outs were enrolled and their eight months training got completed in October 2017. Besides Winding Engine Training, these candidates are also being given exposure in Banks-men and Bellman Operations.

Recently, the company organized placement drive for these students and 136 passing-out students got jobs with an average package of Rs. 25,000/- per month. Hindustan Zinc’s business partners have come together to employ these trained youths and use them for their different operations.

Pavan Kaushik – Head Corporate Communication, HZL said “with the setting up of India’s perhaps first Mining Academy, Hindustan Zinc is developing an ecosystem and contributing in unlocking India’s potential in mining. This is certainly going to enhance India’s capability in skilling of people in mining space and putting India on growth path”.

Also present were, Sanjay Sharma – AVP, HZL, Sajany Kathod – Unit Head, RDM, Sunil Dixit – Commercial Head, RDC, Abhay Gautam – Head CSR, RDC, Mr. Ravi Gupta – Training HR Head, Deepak Gakhreja  - Location HR Head, Deepak Mishra from SCMS, Anshuk Talwar  from M/s IISD and other dignitaries during the event.

HINDUSTAN ZINC AWARDED FOR SOLAR INNOVATION & EXCELLENCE

Hindustan Zinc received Solar Innovation & Excellence Award at the 2nd Annual Conference-Expo-Awards - Roadmap for Innovations in Solar Energy 2017 (RISE 2017) for 12 MW Debari Solar Project.

The award was presented by Mr. Ashwin kumar Khatri, Director General of Mission Energy Foundation in a glittering function held in Delhi on 21^st July 2017. On behalf of Hindustan Zinc, Mr. Vishnu Khandelwal, Team Lead - Renewable & CDM and Mr. R L Sharma, Electrical Head - Zinc Smelter Debari received the award.

ASK FOR ZINC - SEA VIEW V/S SEE VIEW

Who does not want to have a bungalow or flat facing sea.  Globally, everyone wants to stay in room in a hotel that is facing sea-view. The mesmerising nature has its own depth like ocean which cannot be measured. But not many know that the coastal environment causes severe damage to the building structure and envelope (i.e., exterior doors, windows, skylights, exterior wall coverings, soffits, roof systems, and attic vents). When steel reinforcement corrodes, the corrosion product occupies more than three times the volume of the original steel, exerting great disruptive tensile stress on the surrounding concrete, leading to further cracking, more weather access and further corrosion. In mild cases, rust staining occurs whereas in more serious cases severe spalling of concrete may occur and ultimately the concrete members may fail completely.

The corrosive effect of salt-laden, wind-driven moisture in coastal areas cannot be overstated. Salt-laden, moist air can corrode exposed metal surfaces and penetrate any opening in the building. Corrosion is most likely to attack metal connectors that are used to attach the parts of the structure to one another, such as floor joists to beams and connectors used in cross-bracing below the finished lowest floor. Galvanized connectors coated with Zinc at the rate of 0.9 ounce per square foot of surface area (designated G-90) can corrode in coastal environments at a rate of 0.1 to 0.3 millimetre/year. At this rate, the Zinc protection will be gone in 7 years. Alternatively, a G-185 coated connector, which provides twice as much protection as G-90, can corrode in less than 20 years.

More galvanized protection (more ounces of Zinc per square foot of surface area to be protected) increases service life. Corrosion can also affect fasteners for siding and connectors for attaching exterior-mounted heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning units, electrical boxes, lighting fixtures, and any other item mounted on the exterior of the building.

Corrosion of reinforcing steel is one of the most important causes of deterioration of concrete structures in coastal environment. High permeability concrete, poor design detailing and construction defects such as inadequate depth of cover allow the ingress of salt and moisture into the concrete. High concentration of salt and moisture result in accelerated corrosion of reinforcing steel thereby significantly deteriorating the concrete structure.

Corrosion is commonly associated with deposition of sea salt in presence of moisture on steel and light metals. Chloride is the most significant corrosive species in the salt particles. Corrosion is influenced by the amount of salt on the metal surface and related to speed and direction of wind, distance of structure from the shore, elevation of the structures, degree of sheltering and frequency and amount of rain washing. Other factors that influence corrosion include time of wetness, relative humidity, metal surface temperature etc. Normal steel has poor resistance in coastal atmosphere and hence requires protection for durability.

So, moral of the story is… Do have a SEA facing bungalow or flat, SEE that the steel used is Galvanised…

ECONOMIC TIMES - HINDUSTAN ZINC SETS UP MINING ACADEMY TO TRAIN YOUTH

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/indl-goods/svs/metals-mining/hindustan-zinc-sets-up-mining-academy-to-train-youth/articleshow/58895712.cms

KOLKATA: Hindustan Zinc (HZL) has set up a mining academy to train youth in mining. The company will invest Rs 30 crore in next 5 years to train some 500 personnel in response to a growing need for skilled technical manpower in the country’s natural resources... sector.

The latter has been attracting best of talent among engineers and management trainees in the last 10 years, including a growing number of women who are joining the fray. A number of international experts have joined at key positions to explore natural resources, to improve metal recovery and build a future of sustainable mining. This lead HZL to identify areas in under-ground mining where need of skilled manpower is being felt. Two distinct roles that of Jumbo Drill Operator and Winding Engine Operators were identified, both positions that are currently being fulfilled by expats.

HZL thus decided to set up what is perhaps the first Mining Academy that would train ITI pass-outs in Jumbo Drill Operations and in Winding Engine Operations, who would also have training in Banks-men and Bellman Operations.

The academy has been set-up in collaboration with Skill Council for Mining Sector and training partner Indian Institute of Skill Development Pvt. Ltd. Commenting on the initiative, Sunil Duggal, CEO, HZL said: “The prime objective of setting up the Mining Academy in Rajasthan is to enhance employability of eligible youth. Hindustan Zinc completely endorses Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s thoughts on the scope of creating employment for millions in natural resources sector. The academy would provide an opportunity to ITI pass-outs, who are below the age of 30 years and academically qualified to operate after thorough training. These trainees are also given a monthly stipend of Rs 2000 to Rs 7000, linked to their performance. Currently, the training centres are in Bhilwara, Rajsamand and Zawar near Udaipur.

INNOVATORS OF ZINC - WHEN INDUSTRY ACKNOWLEDGED HINDUSTAN ZINC’S EXCELLENCE AND LEADERSHIP IN MINING INDUSTRY

It is said.. “If you thrive for Excellence … You Get It..”

Mr. Ashutosh Pathak, Geologist - Mochia Mines at Zawar, and the geologist team went for a training programme on "Mineral deposit evaluation: Resource estimation, classification and reporting" held at Hyderabad from 17th to 20th  April'17. The training also saw participation from organizations like Tata Steel, NMDC, GSI, MECL, IMFA, etc. to name a few.

To understand the level of technology the mining companies are using, the faculty raised many questions. These pertained to software used in mining industry and exploration equipments.  Mr. Ashutosh Pathak has informed that Hindustan Zinc was the clear leader in all the present gallery of industries as Hindustan Zinc was the only company to have:

1. Mineral reporting as per CRIRSCO guidelines and we use JORC code, which is rare in the industry.

2. Use of advanced geological software like Data-mine and leap-frog for geological modelling as Hindustan Zinc is the first company in the country to introduce leapfrog.

3. Using high drilling capacity rig known as MCR first time in India for underground exploration drilling.

4. Using Geo stat tool very effectively for mineral estimation at every mine location of Hindustan Zinc.

5. Using best EDA techniques to ensure the reliability and accountability of database to create final reserve and resource estimates.

6. For R&R reporting a code being generated in India.

Other team members included – Mr. Vivek Tyagi (AM Geology – Kayad), Mr. Pankaj Choudhary (AM – Geology –SK Mine), Mr. Anand Pandey (Geologist – CRDL) and Mr. Biswajit Basak (Geologist – Zawar).

WORKPLACE EXCELLENCE @ HINDUSTAN ZINC

Skilltree Workplace Excellence brings to you the work culture and innovative people practices at Hindustan Zinc.

https://youtu.be/SwlUNZ3xyns

CSC-CPP AWARDED FOR BEST FLY ASH UTILIZATION BY MISSION ENERGY FOUNDATION

Chanderiya Smelting Complex - Captive Power Plant received first prize for Best Fly Ash Utilization in a ceremony organized in New Delhi by Mission Energy Foundation. 
On behalf of Hindustan Zinc, Mr. Madan Singh Bhadoria – Unit Head, CPP - CSC received award from Dr. Srikanta K. Panigrahi - Director General, Carbon Minus India. Also present on dais were Mr. Manoj Kumar Gangeya - Director, MoEF, Mr. N.K. Gupta - Add. Director, CPCB, Mr. R.K. Verma - Chairperson, CEA and Mr. Sudhir Kumar - Advisor, NITI Aayog.

5 STAR RATING MINE AWARD - 2017 TO KAYAD MINE

Kayad Mine received 5 Star Rating Mine Award - 2017 under aegis of Indian Bureau of Mine, Ministry of Mine on 15th February, 2017 by Hon'ble Minister of State (IC) for Mines, Coal, Power and New & Renewable Energy, Govt. of India - Mr. Piyush Goyal. The award was received by Mr. Sunil Duggal - CEO, Hindustan Zinc and Mr. K. C. Meena - Unit Head, Kayad Mine during 2nd National Conclave on Mines and Minerals, New Delhi.

International Women's Day at Hindustan Zinc

Hindustan Zinc is committed for the empowerment of the women in its community as well as in its workforce. In its continuous journey to strengthen women employees, the “International Women's Day” was celebrated with great enthusiasm on 8th March 2017 across the locations of HZL.

Head Office Udaipur
International Women's Day was celebrated with great zeal at the Head Office. The event was graced by the presence of the CFO and the Head-HR of Hindustan Zinc. The Head-HR reaffirmed the commitment of raising the diversity from 12% to 30% in the coming years. The CFO also shared his views on the important role a woman plays whether it is at work or at home. It was then followed by two inspiring stories of  Ms. Shama Jain and Ms. Rizwana Sultan. It was highly motivating.
We had a cake cutting ceremony by all the females to mark the beginning of the celebration followed by a small get together of all the employees at Head Office. The employees also conveyed their wishes and messages on the signature poster.

Sindesar Khurd Mines
The theme for this year's International Women's Day was 'Be Bold For Change'. So, for a change from regular office; our female executives took on the headlamps, boots and rescuers to have a sneak-peek into the depths of the mining industry. They did a comprehensive visit to experience the intricacies of underground operations at SK Mine.

Zinc Smelter Debari
Zinc Smelter Debari celebrated the day with a get together of all female executives, non-executives and contract labour. The event began with cake cutting and motivational speeches by Dr. Fatma Liyaquat - HOD, Environment and Mr. Manoj Nashine - Unit Head.

Pantnagar Metal Plant
The celebration at Pantnagar Metal Plant started with a surprise greeting by Unit Head with flower bouquets, chocolates and greeting cards to the female executives and employee's spouses. Visit to an Orphanage centre  - 'Dushiya Baba Kaniya Chatrawas' was also planned where the PMP team distributed stationery and fruits.

Rampura Agucha Mines
RAM organized a program for female executives at its Rampura Agucha Club, Community Centre. The event witnessed 20  ladies and with this various entertaining activities including Paper Dance, Musical Chair, Spoon Race & Balloon Race were performed by the participants. To mark the occasion, a Cake Cutting Ceremony was carried out by all females. The evening concluded with a feast, gifts and prizes. This event was considered an opportunity to deepen ties among the female executives and to understand each other very well.

Chanderiya Smelting Complex
During Women's Day celebration on 8 March, 2017 at CSC, Lady police officials from Chanderiya, Sadar and Gangar Thana also participated and became part of it.

SAP ACE AWARD 2016 TO HZL

Hindustan Zinc received the SAP ACE Award 2016 for its MII Project. Mr. Chetan Trivedi ‐ Head IT, HZL was also conferred as IT Person of the Year in individual category. SAP ACE Awards are an industry benchmark and given to corporate and individuals who have demonstrated the spirit of innovation by leveraging SAP solutions.

HINDUSTAN ZINC TO INVEST IN SETTING UP 115 MW SOLAR ENERGY PLANTS IN RAJASTHAN

Commissioning of 15 MW by March and 100 MW by September, 2017.

The Head Office of Hindustan Zinc at Udaipur currently runs on solar energy

Taking forward Hon'ble Prime Minister ‐ Shri Narendra Modi's vision to expand renewable energy in India, Hindustan Zinc, a Vedanta group company in zinc, lead and silver business and India's only integrated producer of zinc‐lead is entering into solar energy business. The company already produces 474 MW of thermal power and 274 MW of wind‐energy.

The Indian government has a strong focus on non‐conventional energy sources and is looking to ultimately produce 100 GW power from solar energy. Hindustan Zinc has been working progressively towards setting up 115 MW of solar energy projects with an investment of Rs. 630 crores.

Mr. Sunil Duggal ‐ CEO, HZL informed that in the first phase, the Company will set‐up of 15 MW solar energy projects which would require an investment of Rs. 80 crores and is likely to be commissioned by March, 2017. The second phase would be of 100 MW requiring an investment of Rs. 550 crore which is likely to be commissioned by September, 2017. The average cost of setting‐up 1 MW of solar energy plant is about Rs. 5.50 crore.

"The energy produced will be utilized for captive use only. Out of 15 MW, 10 MW solar power projects will be installed at Zinc Smelter Debari and remaining 5 MW will be installed at Rajpura Dariba Mine of Hindustan Zinc" Mr. Sunil Duggal added.

The 5 MW solar power project at Rajpura Dariba Mine would be the 1st such project in the District of Rajsamand in Rajasthan. The 10 MW project also would be the largest solar energy project in the District of Udaipur.

The company also produces 274 MW of Wind Power in its green energy farms located in Gujarat, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.

Hindustan Zinc has already installed solar roof top projects with a capacity of 100 KW each at Head Office‐Udaipur and at Chanderiya Lead Zinc Smelter in January, 2016. The company is also looking to develop solar energy projects in other parts of Rajasthan.

NMDC Social Awareness Award - 2015-16 by FIMI to SKM

Sindesar Khurd Mine has been awarded with NMDC Social Awareness Award ‐ 2015‐16 by Federation of Indian Mineral Industries (FIMI) for their significant contribution in socio‐economic development of the community residing near its business locations.

The award was presented by Shri Piyush Goyal ‐ Hon'ble Minster of State for Mines, Power, Coal & New & Renewable Energy at a function held during 50th Annual General Meeting of FIMI in Eros Hotel at New Delhi on 3rd October, 2016. Mr. Sunil Duggal ‐ CEO, HZL graced the occasion with his presence. Also present were Secretary Mines Govt. of India, senior govt. officials, executives and mining professionals of leading companies across India.

During the event, Mr. Rajeev Bora ‐ Unit Head, SKM received a special citation for significant

contribution to the community development effort.

On behalf of Hindustan Zinc, the award was received by Mr. Joydeep Chandra – Head Mill, HZL and Mr. S.N. Tailor – AM, CSR.

INNOVATORS OF ZINC - INDIGENOUS DEVELOPMENT OF MOTORS SAVES RS. 40 LAKHS AT ZAWAR…

Indigenous development of motors saves Rs. 40 lakhs at Zawar…

Indigenous efforts of Hindustan Zinc have always proved and contributed towards reduction of costs and increase in volumes. One such effort saved Rs. 40 lakhs by indigenously developing OEM motors that were initially being imported. This is a case study of a team at Zawar Mines that brought down cost drastically by finding alternatives through in house research process.

The LOCO system in Zawar was very old and was leading to failure and subsequent breakdowns.  This was becoming the reason for substantial mine production loss. Thus, it was felt to replace the existing motors with a new set of motors.
Since the new set of OEM motors were costing around Rs. 24 lakhs it was felt to look for other possible opportunities to meet the requirements. A team led by Mr. Jorawar Singh (Commercial Head) and Mr. Tamil Selvan (AGM - Electrical) along with Ms. Apoorva Vyas (AM - Commercial) as its member started looking for opportunities and decided to opt for indigenously developed vendors in India by providing them with necessary technical details.
The efforts paid results. The team was successful in developing and procuring the same motor in India without the help of OEM and at a much reduced cost of just Rs. 4 Lakhs per motor.
Two motors were initially procured and installed in LOCO system and since the last 10 months the LOCO machines have been running smoothly and have also led to a saving of Rs. 40 lakhs.

ASK FOR ZINC - A TO ZINC IN OUR LIVES..."Fish-plate, Not Being Fishy !!"

Many of us would not know about “Fish-plate” in Railways. .. a little definition how this word has been derived… 

A fish-plate is a metal or wooden plate that is bolted to the sides at the ends of two rails. Derived from the French word 'Fiche' - which means a Peg, or 'Fichier - which means to fasten, thus a fish-plate means a plate that fastens. In railway terminology, a fish-plate is a metal bar that is bolted to the ends of two rails to join them together in a track. It is true, in railways,  if the quality of the fish-plate is poor, the caused consequences would be unimaginable. Many accidents have been attributed to “Fish-plates”. A story in leading national daily while reporting on recent rail accident of Indore-Patna Express, also attributed one of the causes of accident as corrosion of “Fish-plates”. 

Not just the Fish-plates, even the bolts need protection, protection from corrosion. 

Experts have estimated losses of almost 4 per cent of GDP per year on account of corrosion which may be avoided if the railway tracks are galvanized. 

International Zinc Association advocates, "Indian Railways requires corrosion-free tracks in case India is considering Bullet Trains. The entire change would not only be cost effective but India would also be the first country to initiate such step towards passengers safety. One of the significant aspects of railway track maintenance is the detection of corrosion and the replacement of corroded rails. The rails have a life of 800 gross million tons, which works to approximately 12-13 years under normal traffic conditions in India. Corrosion reduces the life of rail to nearly half its expected life.”

India's rail tracks, spanning 115,000 km, happen to be the world's third largest. The annual loss due to pre-replacement of corroded rails is huge about Rs 440 crore. 

Needless to mention the role of Zinc, to make the rails and fish-plates last longer… Zinc coating is the key… 

Let no one say… “Fish-plates are indeed Fishy !!!”

HINDUSTAN ZINC SET TO INVEST RS. 8000 CRORE BEGINNING GOLDEN JUBILEE

Hindustan Zinc that completes its 50 years of existence on 10^th January 2016, is India’s only the world’s leading integrated zinc-lead-silver producer

As Hindustan Zinc, a Vedanta Group company in Zinc-Lead-Silver business celebrates its Golden Jubilee, completing 50 years of its existence; the company is all set for its next phase of expansion of its mining and smelting operations with an investment of Rs.8000 crore.

Hindustan Zinc is looking to expand its all operations in a time-frame of 3-5 years, taking current ore production levels of 9.36 MTPA to 14.00 MTPA and finished metal production levels from 0.85 MTPA to 1.10 MTPA.

The Company has its mines located in Agucha, Sindesar Khurd, Zawar, Rajpura Dariba, and Kayad, all in Rajasthan.  The smelters are located in Dariba, Chanderiya and Debari, also in Rajasthan. 

Hindustan Zinc which was formed under an Act of Parliament on 10^th January 1966 is India’s only and the world’s leading integrated zinc-lead-silver producing company.

Anil Agarwal, the Chairman of Vedanta Group, has expressed his happiness towards providing zinc sufficiency to India. “When we acquired Hindustan Zinc as part of Government disinvestment program in 2002, our focus was to make India self-sufficient in zinc. We are very proud that by adopting latest environment friendly technology, large investment in capacity expansions and continuous exploration, Hindustan Zinc is able to increase the production five-fold and yet have reserves for another 30 years”, he said.

The turning point came when in the year 2002, under the disinvestment program by the government, Hindustan Zinc was acquired by Sterlite. Since then, the company has grown multi-fold. The metal production capacity is 1 million tonne in the year today from about 200,000 tonne in 2002. The mine production capacity has also increased to 10.25 million tonne today from 3.45 million tonne in 2002.

The reserves and resources, which were 143.7 million tonnes in the year 2002 today stand at 375.1 million tonne after consuming reserves for about 14 years. The philosophy of the company on exploration has been to add equal reserve for every tonne of ore mined.

The investment of Rs. 12,000 crore in the past years have brought many changes in not just asset optimization but also building new facilities into the business to give value to the shareholders.  At the time of disinvestment, Hindustan Zinc did not have captive power generation or wind energy farms. Today the company produces 474 MW of captive thermal power and 274 MW of wind energy.

The turnover of the company has also seen a turn-around, from mere Rs. 1,200 crore in the year 2002 to more than Rs. 14,500 crore in the year 2014-15. The profit too has jumped from just Rs. 68 crore in the year 2002 to Rs. 8,178 crore in the year 2014-15.

The contribution to the exchequer has also seen significant change, which increased from Rs. 364 crore in the year 2002 to more than Rs. 5,000 crore in 2014-15.

“Though the zinc mining in India dates back to over 2500 years old, and the retorts of ancient mining can still be seen at Zawar, about 45 km from Udaipur; the zinc as a metal has been not much known or utilized in India. We are still exploring the new areas where zinc could add value to consumers and also add in the GDP of the country. We are exploring the possibilities of galvanizing of car bodies and structures to increase their life-span accordingly”, said Sunil Duggal, the Chief Executive Officer of Hindustan Zinc.

Hindustan Zinc is also looking to set-up a new Fertilizer Plant with a capacity to manufacture 0.5 MTPA of Di-Ammonium Phosphate in Debari in district Udaipur with an estimated investment of Rs. 1350 crores.

As the company celebrates its Golden Jubilee year, it is all set to invest another Rs. 8000 crore in the coming 3-5 years on expansions of its mines and smelting operations.

GOLDEN JUBILEE OF HINDUSTAN ZINC - 50 GLORIOUS YEARS OF BEING ZINC OF INDIA

The story of Hindustan Zinc that celebrates its Golden Jubilee, from the days of PSU, to post disinvestment, a Vedanta Group company. A journey of a company that is the world’s leading integrated zinc producer today...

Zinc mining is not new in India. The traces of zinc mining in India can be seen at Zawar, about 40 kms from the city of lakes, Udaipur in Rajasthan. Zawarmala mine at Zawar is an ancient mine which as per the radio carbon dating is over 2500 years old. The ancient retorts can still be seen while going towards the Zawar mines. The history of Zinc-Lead production in India goes back to its roots in 1942 when a small Lead smelting pilot plant was set-up at Tundoo, near Dhanbad in Bihar.

In 1944 the Metal Corporation of India was formed and all the assets of the company were transferred to MCI. In 1945 Government of India surrendered the mining rights over Zawar to Mewar Durbar and in the same year Metal Corporation of India obtained the prospecting license for 2 years, and later got mining lease in 1950.

In 1960 Metal Corporation of India obtained license for production of 9,000 tonnes per annum of Lead and 540,000ozs of silver. In 1965 the Government of India proposed nationalization of Zinc-Lead mining and smelting, and an MCI was nationalized by an Act of Parliament.

It was 10th January 1966, a new era began, when Hindustan Zinc Limited was incorporated in Rajasthan and in the same year, foundation of Debari Smelter was also laid down, with a modest target of 18,000 tonnes per annum of Zinc. In 1972, 1st expansion programme of Hindustan Zinc launched to increase the capacity at Debari smelter.  Simultaneously Balaria mine at Zawar was also put on course to develop to meet the increasing requirement of zinc concentrate.

Year 1976, was a historical day when Hindustan Zinc posted a profit of Rs. 10 crore. In 1976 only, to give impetus to research and development, Hindustan Zinc established its Central Research & Development Laboratory (CRDL), and from this day, metal recoveries and optimization of waste became a priority.

In 1978, Vizag Smelter got commissioned and Zinc production started through imported concentrate. The year also saw commissioning of Balaria mine at Zawar. In 1978, the Agnigundla Lead mine was taken over from Hindustan Copper Limited with a production capacity of 300Tpd Lead – Zinc ore. This mine was closed in year 2002 because of unviable operation.

History was about to be unveiled for India when in 1979 origin of Rampura Agucha mine was traced. Hindustan Zinc acquired the mining rights of Rampura Agucha mine and in 1980 1st exploration hole at Rampura Agucha was performed. The feasibility report came in about 20 months and suggested development of 3000 tonnes of mining per day. Zinc-Lead mining in India was all set to make a mark in international market.

Sargipali Lead mine in Sundergarh district of Odisha was commissioned in the year 1983 with the production capacity of 500 tonnes per day Lead ore. Later on, it was closed in the year 2001 because of the exhaustion of the reserves. This also brought a challenge to expand the capacities of Zinc-Lead smelting operations. Meanwhile in 1984 Rajpura Dariba mine was also commissioned. 1989 was a historical year when production from Rampura Agucha was commissioned.

In 1991 Hindustan Zinc commissioned out its first blast furnace based on Pyro-Smelting Technology at Chanderiya. To match the growing demand of Zinc-Lead in India, Hindustan Zinc, in the year 1994, carried out the Pillar Blast at Mochia mine in Zawar.  The meticulously planned blast was one of the rare incidents not only for India but for the entire Asia.  8 major blasts were done during the span of 1986-2004 and the biggest blast was executed on 13th June 1994 that resulted in generation of 550,000 tonnes of ore.

It was also decided to develop Sindesar Khurd deposits, in the year 1997. In the same year a Zinc Smelter with a capacity of 60,000 to 100,000 tonnes was also planned. Mining probabilities at Ajmer district were also explored in the same year. History was again made in the year 1999 when Hindustan Zinc became a ‘debt free company’.

The journey from 1966 to 1999 has been a journey that laid the foundation of mechanised Zinc-Lead mining and smelting in India. But the world was moving ahead in production and capacities and it was time for the government to look for disinvestment in public sector units which had potential to grow further but were lacking due to funds and resources.

It was 10th April 2002 – a landmark decision privatized Hindustan Zinc and Sterlite Group was declared successful bidder for acquiring 26% equity in Hindustan Zinc. The result was evident, in the year 2003, Hindustan Zinc registered 113.58% growth in its profit. The journey for making Hindustan Zinc a world class asset had begun. In the year 2004, 35,000 tonnes of Zinc de-bottlenecking was completed at Chanderiya Smelting Complex.

Year 2005 was coming out to be an year of expansions and commissions. The year saw commissioning of Hydro-I Zinc Smelter at Chanderiya Smelting Complex with a production capacity of 170,000 tonnes per annum. Two captive power plants of 77 MW each were also commissioned during the same year and in the same year Rampura Agucha Mine was expanded from 2.30 Million tonnes per annum to 3.75 million tonnes per annum.

This expansion made Hindustan Zinc the world’s 3rd largest integrated zinc producer. An achievement that made the entire world look at India as the new leader in zinc production. To address the growing need for Lead in India, in the year 2006, the Company commissioned a 50,000 tonnes per annum Ausmelt Lead Smelter at Chanderiya Smelting Complex.

In the year 2007, Sindesar Khurd Mine began production with an initial capacity of 0.3 million tonne per annum. Another landmark decision surprised the world when Hindustan Zinc entered into green energy by commissioning 38.4 MW of Wind Energy Farms in Gujarat.

The production of zinc was all set to improve further when in the year 2008 Hindustan Zinc commissioned Hydro-II, and made a world record by commissioning a smelter in flat 20 months. Simultaneously Company also commissioned an 80 MW of captive power generation unit at Chanderiya. In the same year another 50,4 MW of wind energy farms were commissioned in Gujarat.

Year 2009 again became a historical year for expansions. Rampura Agucha mine this year got expanded to 5.00 million tonnes per annum from 3.75 million tonne capacity. Debottlenecking at Chanderiya and Debari increased metal production capacity by 88,000 tonnes per annum. The year also increased Company’s thermal power generation capacity for captive use by commissioning of 80 MW Captive Power Plant at Zawar. Wind energy farms get another commissioning with 34.4 MW, taking the total capacity to 123.2 MW. The year 2009 made Hindustan Zinc the World’s 2nd Largest Integrated Zinc Producer.

The growing international demand for Zinc-Lead made Hindustan Zinc successfully complete another expansion phase. In the year 2010 the Company further expanded its mining capacity to 6.00 Million tonnes per annum at Rampura Agucha from 5.00 Million tonnes. With this the mining capacities of Hindustan Zinc increased to 8.40 million tonnes per annum.

With growing mining activity it was necessary to also increase the smelting capacities. Hydro-III with 210,000 tonnes per annum was commission at Rajpura Dariba. With this the metal production capacity increased to 964,000 tonnes per annum, which included 879,000 of zinc and 85,000 of lead.

2010 was the was the year when Hindustan Zinc became a world leader, the world’s largest Integrated Zinc Producing company, a strategic and landmark position for India. The company carried out a first ever intensive Heliborne Survey in 2010.

In the year 2011, 2.00Mtpa capacity silver-rich Sindesar Khurd mine got commissioned, bringing a new ray of hope in Silver production and underground mining technology in India. To give support to Dariba Zinc Smelter, the company commissioned 160 MW of thermal power units. Wind energy was also increased by 48.7 MW. To give further focus to Lead production, Hindustan Zinc commission 100,000 tonnes per annum Lead Smelter at Dariba, increasing the Lead production capacity to 185,000 tonnes per annum. 

The wind energy got a further boost by commission of 101.6 MW wind farms and now the project included states of Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka besides Gujarat, taking the wind power generation capacity to about 273.5 MW. With growing need for underground mining at Rampura Agucha, in the Year 2012, the company started developing underground mining work at Rampura Agucha and simultaneously green-field Kayar mine.

In the year 2013 the production of developmental ore from Rampura Agucha underground mine and Kayad underground mine started. The company also initiated the expansion work at other mines.Recently Hindustan Zinc has signed MoU with the Rajasthan Government under the Resurgent Rajasthan to invest Rs 8,357 crore in the next 3-5 years towards expansion of its mines and smelting capacities.

The target is set for the future to increase mine production to 12.80 million tonne from the current level of 9.09 million tonne per annum, and finished metal production to 1.028 million tonne from current level of 0.85 million tonne per annum.

14,000 people work in Hindustan Zinc today which has about 20% female employees (in fresh intake). The focus is on state-of-the-art environment friendly technology, a strong vendor-supplier base, and a strong foot in Indian Zinc-Lead market with over 80% domestic market share. Sustainability and care for the community is on utmost priority. Speak to the people who have worked in the past or working at present for the Company, and they would instantly say, ‘they own the company’.