We have undertaken initiatives that align with UN Sustainable Development Goal 12 & focus on the optimal use of resources across our manufacturing facilities.

What is UN Sustainable Development Goal 12- Responsible Consumption & Production?

The goal strives to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.

Overview:

· Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

· Unsustainable patterns of consumption and production are root cause of triple planetary crisis – climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution

Targets for 2030:

· 12.5 – Substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse.

· 12.6 – Encourage companies to adopt sustainable practices and integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle.

· What steps has ELGi taken to coordinate it’s efforts with UN Sustainable Development Goal 12?

To align with the goal, ELGi practices recycling and re-usage of waste at all of our manufacturing facilities

At ELGi, we generate 36 different types of waste across all our manufacturing processes. Hence, we continue to adopt the waste management techniques of ‘Reduce – Recycle – Reuse’ in waste generation and disposal. Typically, in any manufacturing unit, the waste storage area will be in the backyard. At ELGi, when building our air compressor plant (the ACP), we deliberately planned to have the waste storage area right up front. This helps ensure the waste is visible and minimal and the storage area is always kept clean. This is reflective of the waste management systems and processes in place at the unit.

In 2013, the ELGi Foundry was set up on over ten acres with a built-up area of one hundred thousand square feet in Coimbatore, India, to produce special castings for captive consumption purposes. We took various steps to ensure that our employees work in a clean and healthy environment. Furthermore, we implemented dust collectors, filters, and wet scrubbers across the factory floor to ensure minimal carbon impact.

In line with our Rethink-Reuse-Upcycle approach and our circular system focus, we installed mechanical and thermal reclamation units that recover and recycle 96% of the sand utilized. Waste sand management at the ELGi Foundry was the third element of our carbon emission reduction efforts in operations. From 2017, dust generated, including fine sand, is collected through custom-made equipment and then converted into solid bricks that can be used to construct buildings without compromising the quality of construction.

About 200,000 bricks have been used to construct our new ELGi School premises, the factory compound wall, and maintenance work across all our manufacturing units in Coimbatore.

How do we manage waste?

To begin with, our manufacturing processes are planned and designed to use fewer natural resources, reduce pollution and waste, and recycle and reuse materials. As discussed earlier, we minimize the solid waste from our foundry via a circular and comprehensive solid waste

management strategy. In a bid to dispose off hazardous waste generated at our manufacturing plants, all waste generated from machining processes is converted into a form of a cake before disposing of it through authorized agencies.

This hazardous waste consists of 2000 Kcal/ Kg of calorific value. Additional additives are added to increase their calorific value. They are then converted into solid blocks, burned in cement kilns, and converted to ash.

ELGi prioritizes transitioning to a circular economy and environmental preservation. For years to come, our priorities will be to reduce waste generated in our processes by implementing the principle of circularity to steadily increase the utility of processed waste and lower the amount of waste sent to landfill.

Paul Edward Theroux, the famous American novelist, and traveller, once said: “The railway possessed India and made her hugeness graspable.” The Indian Railways is the world’s largest passenger carrier and the fourth-largest freight carrier (1). It is the fourth-largest railway network globally-only behind the US, Russia, and China. (2) Its immensity can be gauged from the fact that the 95,981-kilometre route length of the Indian Railways carried 8.4 billion passengers and $1.2 billion worth of freight during 2018-2019. More than 12,000 passenger trains run across the country daily and cumulatively cover a distance more than four times the earth and the moon. (3)

The Indian Railways began its journey in 1832 and has grown to become the giant it is today. As one of the primary drivers of India’s economic growth, the Indian Railways has achieved this by being financially viable, technologically brilliant, and environment friendly.

The Indian Railways has also defied the trend that many big companies face.. On the contrary,  they have cruised along and undertaken numerous initiatives to upgrade their infrastructure and quality of service.. 

These efforts have resulted in the Indian Railways achieving double-digit growth in freight traffic and doubling its freight speed on the back of massive infrastructural upgrades. Besides, new initiatives are always at play, from train control, signalling, and electrification to expansion through modern locomotives and EMUs, to name a few. 

More importantly, the Indian Railways has its goals set with social and financial objectives in mind-from efficient energy use to the new decarbonisation paradigm and aiming to become a net-zero carbon-emitter by 2030. (7)

While all this is no mean feat as the world continues to struggle with partial lockdowns, there is a lot more to come, with India projected to account for 40% of the global share of rail activity by 2050. (4) The target is achievable since the government plans to invest ₹50000 billion in railway infrastructure by 2030. (5) It has also identified many new high-speed rail corridors besides planning INR 3 trillion worth of metro rail projects across various cities over the next five years. (6)

Addressing Challenges

For the Indian Railways, maintaining the highest standards of compressed air holds critical importance. Without it, machines unexpectedly break down, demand expensive repairs, or cause uncomfortable turbulence. For rolling stock of all capacities-from locomotives to good wagons to passenger coaches, whether powered by electricity or diesel – the railways need high-quality compressed air for smooth and safe operations. Moreover, various train components, whether the braking system, doors, pantograph devices, or air suspension, rely on high-quality compressed air solutions for safety and overall reliability. The Indian Railways is also subject to a variety of constantly changing compliances and regulations.

In the 1960s, the Indian Railways took many progressive steps towards modernization and adopted 25kv AC traction for electrification. (8) While the Indian Railways urgently required compressors to modernize the braking system, it could not directly import foreign solutions because the country was hit by twin mass famines (9), and liquidity was in short supply. Besides, though the second five-year plan (1956-61) initiated industrial import policies, there was not much clarity around it. (10) However, the government was proactively piloting several initiatives to trigger domestic economic growth. It encouraged the Indian Railways to initiate production work for electric locomotives at Chittaranjan Locomotive Works and flagged off the first 1500V DC electric locomotive from Bombay in 1961. (11)

By the early 1960s, ELGi began assembling and manufacturing small compressors under the brand name ELGi Uraca. It imported only major components and either manufactured the rest in-house or procured them locally. With urgent requirements arising from the Indian Railways, and a mandate to keep costs low, ELGi opened an indigenous compressor manufacturing unit in the heart of Coimbatore. The first product supplied to the Indian Railways was a 1000 litres per minute capacity compressor driven by a battery-operated direct current (DC) motor. 

Since then, ELGi has consistently delivered a wide range of sustainable and efficient compressed air solutions to the Indian Railways. Today, 90% of Indian Railway’s electric locomotives, 65% diesel locomotives, and 60% electric multiple units (EMUs) use ELGi air compressors for braking applications and auxiliary systems. 

“The Indian Railways has been ELGi’s important customer for over five decades. Increasing urbanization and rising incomes have contributed to significant growth in the passenger segment, while freight traffic also saw a marked increase due to dedicated freight corridor investments. Our oil-free air compressors, renowned for reliability, performance, and energy efficiency, will revolutionize the way compressed air is used in the railway industry” said Dr. Jairam Varadaraj, Managing Director, ELGi Equipments.

Picture credit – https://www.toprankers.com/exams/railway-development-in-india-1854-to-now/

Open to all ELGians, partners, suppliers, distributors and stakeholders worldwide, #WhatsYourFinishLine became an exciting team activity! From de-stressing at the nearest park, training at the gym together, counting calories to sharing milestones with the world on social platforms. We witnessed interesting face-offs and learnt so much about our body & mind, along with the importance of staying active.

The #WhatsYourFinishLine campaign was part of our association with the Coimbatore Marathon held on 6th October in Coimbatore, and the Susan G. Komen’s Race for the Cure held on 5th October in Charlotte USA. By sponsoring these events, ELGi reaffirmed its commitment to the cause of cancer awareness and prevention.

The senior management team from ELGi North America, Coimbatore and UAE, led the front, sharing anecdotes, tips and inspiring messages to drive the fitness campaign across all branches of ELGi.

We received media coverage across national and regional newspapers and magazines, reaffirming ELGi’s commitment in support of cancer awareness and prevention.

Run when you can, Walk if you have to. But hesitate no more

The ELGi #WhatsYourFinishLine challenge rolled out across our dealer base, worldwide, on the 27^th of August 2019.

As Haruki Murakami sagaciously said, running is both exercise and a metaphor. Running day after day, piling up the races, bit by bit ensures you raise the bar, and by clearing each level, you elevate yourself.

Over the next couple of days, we were both overwhelmed and completely humbled by just how viral the challenge went. Our dealers and their teams walked, ran, persevered, challenged each other and fought hard. We can’t thank them enough for all their support. This photoblog attempts to capture some of the action.

And while the finish line will continue to evolve – when the sun comes up every morning, we’re going to be running. Together. And that’s a promise.

The #WhatsYourFinishLine campaign, kicked off during the first week of September 2019 and saw ELGi employees, dealers, customers, suppliers and the society at large set their own challenging goals to keep up with a lifestyle of fitness, by consistently doing any fitness activity including, walking, running, jogging, etc.

Here is a photo presentation of ELGi employees across ELGi offices in India, USA, Europe, Middle East, South East Asia, Brazil, Africa and ELGi’s subsidiary, ATS ELGI and Joint Venture Company, ELGI Sauer getting started with the challenge and working towards clocking the maximum number of kilometres as a team by walking, jogging or running.

DON’T HOLD BACK
THE RACE IS ON.
WHAT’S YOUR FINISH LINE?

The vocational program is not another CSR initiative for ELGi.  With skilled manpower increasingly scarce in the market, ELGi found it challenging to replace its older, skilled workforce from the market.  With aspirations to best its European and American counterparts on quality and reliability, ELGi needed talent that would align to its high quality standards and commit to long term careers.  Thus, similar to its manufacturing processes, ELGi elected to “vertically integrate” its talent pipeline via the vocational program to identify talented youngsters from challenging backgrounds to fuel the next generation of production line talent at ELGi.  The results? Over six years, ELGi has inducted 130 trainees from its vocational program.  With an average employee tenure of twenty years and the lowest attrition level in the industry, for ELGi, the vocational training program is sound business strategy.

In the scattered towns and villages surrounding Coimbatore, ELGi found a multitude of idle youngsters staring at a bleak future. This was prime ground for meaningful and effective community engagement to promote positive social change.

ELGi’s vocational training program applies to destitute students who have completed their tenth year of schooling.  A strict screening process that includes written and skill tests, interviews, medical checks, and background verification ensures that students with potential and promise gain entry into the course.  Over three years, the program provides these youngsters with technical training, basic engineering, and advanced production technology. Located on the sprawling premises of ELGi’s Air Compressor Plant (ACP) in Singarampalayam on the outskirts of Coimbatore, and spread over an area of 18000 sq. ft., the facilities include two multimedia class rooms and practical labs for training in machining, welding, and electrical work. A yoga hall, ample space for indoor games and an outdoor playground form other amenities.