ITBHUGlobal.org: The Chronicle: March 2009 Interviews

Welcome to the ITBHU Chronicle, March 2009 Edition Interviews Section.

Interviews

Interview with Anil Sood (Ceramic 1990) leading glass technologist

@ Mar 30, 2009

Anil Sood is a ceramic engineer from our institute. He has extensive technical expertise in all aspects of manufacturing of traditional as well as specialty glasses. Currently he is employed as Manager, Corporate Planning with Asahi India Glass, Gurgaon, India.

Earlier, Anil worked for 15 years with Videocon Narmada Glass, Gujarat. This is the only Company in India engaged in manufacture of color television glass shell required for TV Picture tube. His experience includes working with all aspects of ceramic industry, including technical, management and planning aspects. Anil is maintaining the bond with our institute and serving as external examiner for the Department of Ceramic Engineering.

Yogesh K. Upadhyaya from Chronicle discusses with Anil about his technical career. We hope this candid interview will inspire our fellow ceramic engineers to take up challenging assignments within ceramic industry.

(Anil Sood)

To view his bio-data, please click Anil_Sood-biodata.pdf

Q-1: Welcome, Anil. Please tell us about yourself.

I was born in Kanpur as my father (serving with Indian Air Force) was posted there that time. I am eldest among two brothers & two sisters. My schooling began in Assam, followed by Amritsar, Lucknow & Chandigarh – all these changes arising due to transfer of my dad about every 3 years. My mother is a home maker.

In those days, every guy good in studies was expected to become either engineer or doctor. I was considered a good student and as biology sounded too complicated to me, I aspired to become engineer.

During IT-BHU days, I was somehow convinced by visiting guests from Industry that Glass Industry was a good choice for us and other major sector refractories was relatively over crowded. So I had an inclination towards a job in this sector. During placement at campus, we came across SVG (Shree Vallabh Glass Works Ltd) which claimed to be largest glass company in India at that time. They offered a very attractive package too.

Five from our class took up job in this company in Vallabh Vidyanagar, Gujarat. Training period was of 6 months. At the end of 6 months, I was the last man standing as other 4 friends had left for various reasons.

Just after completion of training, I was made Production Manager of one of the Rolled Glass furnaces. It was like learning management by fire. I had staff & officers under me whose sons & daughters were younger to me in age. It took a while for them to accept me boss. No doubt, support from the top management was a big help.

‘Managing People’ as a concept should be introduced to students at IT-BHU.

Q-2: Please tell us about your career at Videocon Narmada Glass, Gujarat.

As well we all know, India in early 1990s had embarked on liberalization. Companies were making big plans for new expansions. (Now known as) Old kind of television called tube TV (CRT – Cathode Ray Tube) has 2 major glass parts known as Panel & Funnel. Panel is the glass part on which we see picture. Rear glass envelope of CRT tube is called funnel.

Though CRT tube Industry existed in India at that time, these glass parts (Panel & Funnel) were not manufactured in India so it was an import substitution project at that time conceived by GNFC Bharuch (A public sector undertaking of Gujarat Government). GNFC was looking for a partner from Private sector. Videocon was already a well known brand in consumer electronics & it joined hand with GNFC for this project.

A technology partner was needed & a technical collaboration ensued with Owens Illinois (OI) of USA. Similar plants of OI in USA were closed around 2003 as consumer started preferring LCD/Plasma.

All the critical components of the Project including furnace design, refractories, and presses (to give desired shapes to molten glass) were supplied by OI through their approved vendors. I had joined the project in 1992 in response to their advertisement in newspaper and my department was Furnace & Batch House. Fortunately for me, my boss had a good impression of me. Here, my designation was Engineer and hence lower responsibility than my previous job but attraction was to work with new technology.

Constructing the plant from a green field stage was an education in itself. Couple of fatal accidents also happened.

The subject of Safety in Plants should be introduced to students at IT-BHU.

When the commercial production started, learning curve was steep and long. For more than one year, there was no production. Eventually Production stabilized & gradually there was no looking back.

In 2000, almost everyone in our purchase department submitted their resignation to their Head & to utter surprise of this group, they were all relieved from their jobs!

One should never underestimate might of managementJ

From my department, management picked me for a posting in Purchase. I had to learn purchase of raw materials & several other items from India & abroad as well. The learning was quick & appreciated by the Purchase Head in the form of promotion next year.

Company decided to add a new Panel Furnace in 2001. By this time two other players in India were making funnels. My previous boss wanted me back & my existing boss wanted to retain me. I was given the freedom to make my choice. I opted to go back to Furnace/Batch section. Expansion in one form or other continued in the form of adding one extra production line to each of our 3 existing furnaces.

In 2005, Videocon embarked on another new Panel Furnace (Probably biggest in the world). As some of you may be aware, market started changing rapidly & with decline in Price of LCD/Plasma, Tube TV prices had no choice but to go southwards hurting margins of Industry.

One Funnel player ceased to exist in India & tube manufacturers also faced decline. At this time, CRT tubes are constantly losing market share to LCD in almost all markets, including India.

Q-3: How is manufacturing of TV glass shell different than traditional ceramic/glass industries?

The main requirements here are no tolerance for visual defects & tight dimension tolerances as in the final assembly at CRT plant; both panel and funnel are to be joined (fused) together.

Each Glass Furnace has a Batch House where raw materials are stored and mixed as per formula (recipe). These raw materials are melted in a furnace.

Production method differs depending upon the final shape of glass product desired.

As TV glass shell has 2 glass parts – Panel & Funnel, there are 2 furnaces; separate for Panel & Funnel.

To obtain shape of say any one of these, there is a hydraulic round press typically with 11 stations. Each Press has a set of MOLDs. Combination of Plunger, SHELL & MOLD gives gob (molten glass cut into proper weight) the desired shape.

Panels are then inserted with studs & Funnels are inserted with (anode) Buttons. These glass items pass thro annealing lehrs.

Inspection is carried out at lehr end for visual defects & each peace is checked for dimensions which is a critical feature of TV Glass.

Final process is called Finishing Process in which Panel face is grounded (grinding) to obtain a clear surface. On a television, you see picture on this surface.

Automation level in these plants is high.

Q-4: Many of the ceramic engineering graduates prefer to work in areas other than ceramic/glass industries. What is your advice to them?

It is Ok for some ceramic engineers to make careers outside Ceramic. One of our ceramic batch -mate is a Civil Servant. I have met many senior engineers who are in government service and they are thanking their stars in this downturn since their jobs are secure.

Those who feel strongly for ceramic, they must stick to it.

On Industry scale, most of Ceramic is in small scale & few in medium scale & rarely in large scale. These parameters affect the salary one makes.

Q-5: You are also working as external examiner for the Department of Ceramic Engineering at our institute.

Due to information & internet revolution, students these days are much enlightened. It is probably true for each new generation.

I found couple of students very enterprising and they don’t take NO as an answer easily. After working in Industry all these years & exchanging notes with fellow students, it is important that syllabus at IT-BHU should be reviewed regularly.

However, Government works at its own paceL

Q-6: Please describe your college days.

This is one topic where it is difficult to be brief for us old IT-BHU students. Friends were normally from same batch and across all disciplines.

Sudhir Bhasin from electrical was my first room partner in Limbdi hostel. In the first year, we had a sine die very soon & afterwards always got single rooms. He is now in Silicon Valley. Ajay Pratap Singh from Mechanical is now with RDSO Lucknow.

Kantesh (ceramic) from Mumbai was a reserved guy. He formed a Google group 3 years ago and one by one, everyone from the class was traced except Jaydeep Dutta.

Second & third year were spent in Vishwakarma hostel.

In final year, we were put in Vivekanand & not Vishveshrayya.

Regarding food, it was never a problem as mess was maintained by students themselves. However, there were sometimes complaints on excessive use of Aloos (Potatoes).

Feast on weekend included Chicken which I learnt was not a trend during days of Sri Madan Mohan Malviya Ji. Probably onions were a big no-no in those times.

Prof Ojha of Applied Physics during last day of his lecture in our first year gave a parting speech which touched me very much. I wrote a note thanking him which was very graciously acknowledged by him.

Q-7: Please tell us about your personal life

We are a family of modest means. My father was very happy that his son became engineer. He died in 2006 on the day of Diwali. I miss him.

My hobbies in BHU days included solving crosswords & reading classics (A tale of two cities, Far from the maddening crowd, etc.), borrowing ghazals and songs of the old era from Central library.

I settled for arranged marriage & my wife has been a great companion so far. We have two adorable daughters Ananta (class II) & Moksha (Class IV)

Anil, it was nice talking to you.

Due to the current global scenario, I would like students at IT-BHU not to be worried. Some of them may face difficulties in initial years but if they have faith in themselves they will eventually emerge as winners.

Anil Sood can be reached at: anilsood_11@yahoo.com

_____________________