Ponni Sugars: An efficient and quality producer of sugar, catering to both domestic and international markets
Ponni Sugars (Erode) Limited, a product of a demerger from Ponni Sugars and Chemicals Ltd, has been a key player in the sugar industry since its establishment in 1984. Renowned for its operational excellence and innovative practices, the company has made a significant impact on the local agricultural landscape through its pioneering Lift Irrigation Scheme, which utilizes effluent discharge from a nearby paper mill to support sustainable farming. While Ponni Sugars has consistently delivered high-quality sugar products, the company needed to enhance the facilities under the maintenance management system.
Ponni Sugars encountered significant challenges in its maintenance operations. This approach led to several key business problems:
Inadequate Breakdown Logging and Analysis: Logging breakdowns, capturing the root cause, and monitoring repeated issues were difficult due to the lack of a structured system. With the present data base, there is no easy withdrawal and graphical presentation.
Lack of a Single-Page Overview for Problem Identification: Maintenance managers needed a consolidated view to quickly identify problems and understand the status of various assets. However, the manual system did not offer any real-time visibility into ongoing maintenance issues or asset health, leading to reactive rather than proactive maintenance.
The following process flow diagram illustrates the comprehensive operations of Ponni Sugars, from cane unloading to sugar storage, highlighting the various stages of sugar processing and how a CMMS improves maintenance at each stage:
Cane Unloading & Milling: Sugarcane is unloaded, cut, and milled to extract juice. A CMMS ensures preventive maintenance for cutters and mills to avoid production halts.
Juice Clarification: The extracted juice is clarified to remove impurities. CMMS schedules cleaning and servicing to maintain quality.
Evaporation & Crystallization: Juice is concentrated and crystallized into sugar. CMMS helps monitor and maintain these systems for consistent quality and production efficiency.
Centrifugation & Drying:Sugar crystals are separated and dried. CMMS reduces the risk of equipment failures, ensuring smooth operation and high-quality output.
Power Plant: Provides energy for the entire process. CMMS ensures uninterrupted power supply through regular maintenance of plant equipment.
Storage & Dispatch: Finished sugar is stored and prepared for dispatch. CMMS maintains conveyor and storage systems for efficient operations.
Recognizing the need for a moreefficient, reliable, and scalable solution, Ponni Sugars adopted a Cryotos ComputerizedMaintenance Management System (CMMS) to overhaul its maintenance operations.This digital transformation enabled the company to streamline its maintenanceactivities, reduce downtime, and enhance the overall performance of its assets.
Streamlined Maintenance Reporting and Monitoring: The Cryotos provided a centralized platform for tracking all maintenance activities. Maintenance staff could log tasks, monitor work progress, and generate reports in real-time. This eliminated the delays and inconsistencies associated with e-based records and ensured that all maintenance data was accurately recorded.
Efficient Work Assignment and Task Management: With the Cryotos, supervisors could easily assign maintenance tasks to technicians based on their availability, skills, and workload. This ensured that tasks were allocated more effectively and completed on time. The system also allowed for tracking technician performance and task completion rates, further optimizing resource allocation.
Comprehensive Breakdown Logging and Analysis: The Cryotos enabled Ponni Sugars to log detailed information about equipment breakdowns, including the root cause and the time taken for repairs. This data was stored in a structured format, allowing maintenance managers to analyse patterns and identify recurring issues. With this insight, the company was able to take proactive steps to prevent future breakdowns, improving overall equipment reliability.
Single-Page Dashboard for Real-Time Insights: One of the most significant improvements was the introduction of a single-page dashboard that provided a comprehensive overview of all maintenance activities. This dashboard displayed real-time data on equipment health, breakdowns, ongoing repairs, and technician assignments, allowing maintenance managers to quickly identify problems and make informed decisions.
The implementation of the Cryotos CMMS had a transformative impact on Ponni Sugars' maintenance operations, delivering several measurable benefits:
"Implementing the Cryotos CMMS has been a game-changer for us at Ponni Sugars. We now have complete visibility into our maintenance activities. Scheduling maintenance, tracking work orders, and analysing equipment performance have become seamless. The system has significantly reduced equipment downtime and improved asset reliability, leading to higher operational efficiency. We can also proactively address issues before they escalate, which has saved us both time and money. Overall, the Cryotos has helped us maintain the quality of our production process while reducing costs."
By transitioning from our maintenance system to a modern Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS), Ponni Sugars (Erode) Limited was able to overcome its operational challenges and achieve significant improvements in maintenance efficiency, cost optimization, and asset reliability. This digital transformation not only contributed to the company's long-term operational success but also solidified its reputation as a forward-thinking, innovative leader in the sugar industry.
With the Cryotos in place, Ponni Sugars is well-positioned to continue delivering high-quality products while maintaining its commitment to sustainability, transparency, and strong relationships with its stakeholders.
I recently purchased Cryotos CMMS Software for asset management needs at my organization and after a few months of testing and monitoring, I'm incredibly pleased with the results. The software is user friendly, accessible and the design is very intuitive. It covers all the aspects of managing maintenance and repair, starting from preventive maintenance and standardizing operation cycles, to scheduling and streamlining workflows. I am highly satisfied with the performance and the range of features offered by Cryotos. Highly recommendable!
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Since we've started using Cryotos, our team has been able to stay on top of all the various SOPs. Checklists and safety procedures are now easily accessible to everyone, and we can quickly reference them whenever we need to. The software has definitely helped to improve our team's communication and efficiency. Plus, the fact that it's cloud-based means we can access it from anywhere, which is a big plus. It has been a great help in keeping everyone on the same page and up to date with the latest procedures.
I am using this application right now for my service team, very good, user friendly, have lot of customisation in workflow and service reports. the team supported for initial implementation, They have good support team. Myself fully recommended this application.
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