Tk. Mukhopadhyay et Tk. Dan, ENERGY-CONSERVATION IN THE WHITEWARE INDUSTRY - THE INDIAN SCENARIO, Journal of Scientific & Industrial Research, 55(2), 1996, pp. 73-85
There is a continuous hike in the price of all types of fuels for the
last two decades and this has caused a tremendous pressure on the cera
mic industry in India in general and the whiteware industry in particu
lar. The price rise is simply alarming and in order to meet: the situa
tion the manufacturers have been compelled to raise the price structur
e of the products by about 50-80%. Because of this rise, competitive p
roducts of plastic, enamel etc. with comparatively less energy input a
re threatening the demand potential of some ceramic products in which
fuel contributes the highest cost factor (35-40% of the total cost). A
n attempt has been made in the paper to discuss the various sources of
energy losses and suggestions have been put forward to reduce the fue
l consumption in the ceramic unit. A small reduction in the fuel bill
will reduce the cost of production and thereby increasing the profitab
ility substantially.