05-10-2012, 03:43 PM
AN ORGANIZATIONAL STUDY AT KCL KUNDARA
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INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY
An organizational study as a part of second semester MBA is really helpful to get a real view of organization. It helps to know the working environment of a company apart from the theoretical knowledge we are acquiring. For this I chose Kerala Ceramics Limited,, Kundara and successfully done the project with the help of concerned people in the organization.
The history of The Kerala Ceramics dates back to 1937 when the Maharaja of the then Princely State of Travancore set up one unit for Mining and Refining of China Clay and another unit for manufacture of Porcelain wares. The Kerala Ceramics Ltd. was set up in 1963 as a fully owned Government of Kerala Undertaking (under Companies Act) with its registered Office at Kundara, Kollam by amalgamating these two units.
It was set up in1937 by the princely state of Travancore of the initiative of late Dr. C.P. Ramaswami Iyar, Shri. I.C. Chacko and Shri. Sardar Doyar Singh, a leading ceramist of the day and a professor of BHO. The factory was established of Kundara to utilise the abundant china clay deposit available in this area.
The company has three divisions namely the porcelain division, the clays and minerals division and the sanitary ware division due to highly uneconomical operations the sanitary ware division of the company was closed down in 1990. Based on ERC recommendation and subsequent government decision, the porcelain division was closed down from 01-04-2003 and VRS is implemented to its employees. Now only the clay and minerals division is working.
INDUSTRY PROFILE
Ceramic materials are inorganic, non-metallic materials and things made from them. They may be crystalline or partly crystalline. They are formed by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Clay was one of the earliest materials used to produce ceramics, but many different ceramic materials are now used in domestic, industrial and building products.
Traditional ceramic raw materials include clay minerals such as kaolinite, more recent materials include aluminum oxide, more commonly known as alumina. The modern ceramic materials, which are classified as advanced ceramics, include silicon carbide and tungsten carbide. Both are valued for their abrasion resistance, and hence find use in applications such as the wear plates of crushing equipment in mining operations. Advanced ceramics are also used in the medicine, electrical and electronics industries.
In art history, ceramics and ceramic art mean art objects such as figures, tiles, and tableware made from clay and other raw materials by the process of pottery. Some ceramic products are regarded as fine art, while others are regarded as decorative, industrial or applied art objects, or as artifacts in archaeology. They may be made by one individual or in a factory where a group of people design, make and decorate the ware. Decorative ceramics are sometimes called "art pottery".
The main product produced from clay in KCL is kaolin.Kaolin is named after the hill in China (Kao-ling) where it was first mined, for many years before its discovery in Europe (Cornwall, England) in 1745 by William Cook worthy who was looking for a source of material to produce white china wares
APPLICATIONS
Kaolin is part of our natural world. Its uses are multiple and diversified. Kaolin’s whiteness and plasticity make it extremely suitable for its extensive use as a filler, extender, ceramic raw material and pigment. It is also an important raw material to refractory, and to catalyst, cement and fibre glass industries.
Kaolin is used in many applications. It is a unique industrial mineral, which remains chemically inert over a relatively wide pH range and it offers excellent covering when used as a pigment or extender in coated films and filling applications. In addition, it is soft and non-abrasive and has a low conductivity of heat and electricity.
The two largest applications of kaolin are the coating of paper to hide the pulp strands and the production of high grade ceramic products. It is also used in many other industrial processes:
Kaolin in Paper:In this industry, kaolin is used both as a filler in the bulk of the paper and to coat its surface. Kaolin's whiteness, opacity, large surface area and low abrasivity make it an ideal raw material for paper production. Its use allows a reduction in the amount of expensive wood pulp required, enhances the optical properties of the paper and improves its printing characteristics. When used as a coating on the surface of the paper, kaolin's whiteness improves paper brightness and opacity, whilst the size and the shape of the individual kaolin particles give the gloss and printed paper quality required for many different kinds of paper. Examples include papers for magazines and brochures, art paper, cartons and boxes etc.
QUALITY:
Almost one hundred tests a day are performed. Constant process monitoring is done at every stage of manufacture, to ensure the highest standards of quality. From raw clay, all materials and chemicals used in the production are subjected to tests to ensure adherence to specifications.
Strict quality control by monitoring the critical parameters at desired frequencies is maintained during all the stages of operation. Sampling is carried out conforming to internationally approved methods. At every stage of the production, samples are taken at specified frequencies and analyzed to ensure strict adherence to specification.
The technology is inherited from the Oharu Manufacturing Co. and enriched by our experimentation over the past 35 years . The product is especially tested for brightness, particle size distribution and dispersion aimed at customer requirement.