A study on the potential for and applications of electronic weighing in the sugar industry (U.P); Philips India Ltd.

Abstract

The Industrial Electronics division at the Northern Region was interested in studying the potential and applications of electronic weighing in the sugar industry. The study was conducted on the sugar industry in U.P. and focused on the 31 privately owned units with licensed capacities > 2500 TCD. The findings have been based on 13 samples obtained as well as interviews with experts in the industry. The sugar industry has hitherto been a conservative industry, with mechanical weighing prevalent. However, the survey indicates a definite trend towards automation early 90s onwards. This is mainly due to the removal of licensing of capacities, owners desiring better control over operations through maintenance of better records, possibility of payment to growers through banks. All these call for logging of data. With time, even the cane producers have come to trust the accuracy of electronic weighing. Thus, there is tremendous scope for platform weighbridges at the gate. On a conservative estimate, there is a requirement of 32 weighbridges for the next crushing season, and at least 78 in the next 3 years. A potential for mechanical to electronic conversion systems exists in the state owned units, as well as in the private units where 54% of the respondents have indicated an interest in using hybrid systems. The survey has indicated that price is the feast important criteria in making purchase decisions. Technical superiority coupled with durability of the product are perceived as the two most important criteria. This could be linked with the fact that down time of electronic systems is the biggest deterrent to the introduction of electronic weighing. The awareness of Philips as a manufacturer of electronic weighing equipment is low. Moreover, manufacturers like Avery and Precision are firmly entrenched. Philips should position itself as a vendor of a technologically infallible product, with negligible downtimes, to gain a market share.