GURSEWAK SINGH
Case Western Reserve University - Weatherhead School of Management
Chris Laszlo
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TML Drivelines, like Tata Motors, is a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact and is engaged in community and social initiatives aimed at the environment and sustainable manufacturing facilities in accordance with the principles of Global Compact. TML Drivelines is defining its approach to accomplish UN SDG objectives by planting green trees and by utilizing polycarbonate sheets, battery-operated pallet trucks and solar boards for water heating.
TML Drivelines' innovation is to conserve energy in order to save energy for the future and use green space available to help the environment. TML is focusing on the utilization of natural lighting to save electricity, battery-operated trucks to reduce pollution, and solar panels for water heating to conserve energy. This innovation benefits the environment and helps business to save money, which helps society.
Until 2007, all the factory sheds of TML Drivelines were opaque and were fitted with halogen lamps, which had high energy consumption. In 2008, the factory sheds were modified with the provision of transparent Polycarbonate sheets to harness the daylight. TML Drivelines replaced halogen lamps with low hanging LED lights, thus reducing consumption of electricity as LED lights provide more illumination & use less electricity.
On the shop floor, 20-25 pallet trucks work continuously to transfer bulky commercial vehicle gearboxes to the engine plant of Tata Motors for assembly. All of these pallet trucks use diesel for fuel, and thus have higher operating costs, as well as emitting smoke into the environment. The company invested close to US$60,000 to change all fuel operated pallet trucks to electricity operated battery trucks. The battery-operated pallet trucks use much less electricity to charge and are noise free. This reduced emissions into the environment, reduced the cost of fuel, and also helped in reducing the maintenance cost of pallet trucks.
TML Drivelines has its own canteen that provides lunch and dinner to all its 1,500 employees. The canteen has solar panels fitted on the roof to heat the water required for cooking, washing hands, and cleaning utensils. This initiative helped to save ongoing cost to heat water with traditional methods like using boiler or gas/stove top.
TML Drivelines, in line with Tata Motors' sustainability goals, has installed rainwater harvesting pits at different locations in the plant thus reducing its burden on the use of groundwater. The extra water from rainwater harvesting pits is sometimes transported to main water storage reservoir for use in manufacturing plant and nearby areas.
TML Drivelines has a dedicated green belt inside and outside TML premises where trees are planted and maintained for a cleaner and greener environment.
These innovations helped TML Drivelines to save money and achieve its goal of a greener environment.
TML Drivelines, as a 100% subsidiary of Tata Motors follows the principles of Tata Group. Founded by Jamsetji Tata in 1868, the Tata Group is a global enterprise, headquartered in India, comprising over 100 independent operating companies. The group operates in more than 100 countries across six continents, with a mission "to improve the quality of life of the communities we serve globally, through long-term stakeholder value creation on Leadership with trust".
"TML Drivelines believes in playing its part to meet the needs of the present without compromising the health of the future." TML Drivelines wants to "help the environment by reducing by-products of combustion due to the virtue of burning less fuel", saving energy for future use.
TML Drivelines was able to reduce its electricity consumption by 30% by using Polycarbonated Sheets & LED lighting. It was able to save $10,000 per annum by reducing the cost of fuel and maintenance used for diesel-operated pallet trucks by replacing them with electric battery-operated ones. The use of solar heating has reduced gas usage for boiling water used in TML Driveline's Canteen.
TML Drivelines operates in Jharkhard, in the northeastern part of India, which has limited groundwater. Rainwater harvesting helps in lowering reliance on natural water resources. The company also facilitates cleaner air for nearby areas due to the greenbelt areas it created, which reduces its carbon footprint.
Since 2007, the company has saved close to $5,000 per annum on electricity usage through its reduction of reliance on halogen lamps and more on natural light & use of LED lamps. The implementation of electric battery-operated pallet trucks reduced the cost of fuel and maintenance by approximately $10,000 per annum. They are silent in operation compared to diesel-operated pallet trucks. The use of Solar panels for heating water has reduced the cost of gas consumption for boiling water in TML Driveline's canteen.
Societal Benefits:
Water stored through rainwater harvesting is transferred to water reservoirs for community use, thus lowering reliance on fresh water.
Environment Benefits:
Less emission of harmful gases in the environment due to the usage of battery-operated Pallet trucks instead of diesel operated Pallet Trucks. Cleaner and greener environment because of trees planted in the greenbelt.
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Rahul Tahkur, Senior Manager
