Energy conservation in the whiteware industry - The Indian scenario

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 ceramic industry in India in general and the whiteware industry in particular. The price rise is simply alarming and in order to meet: the situation the manufacturers have been compelled to raise the price structure of the products by about 50-80%. Because of this rise, competitive products of plastic, enamel etc. with comparatively less energy input are threatening the demand potential of some ceramic products in which fuel contributes the highest cost factor (35-40% of the total cost). An attempt has been made in the paper to discuss the various sources of energy losses and suggestions have been put forward to reduce the fuel consumption in the ceramic unit. A small reduction in the fuel bill will reduce the cost of production and thereby increasing the profitability substantially.