This guest post is authored by V.P. Raman, vice president of District 14 of ISA.
With the dawn of the new year comes a need to move towards a realistic objective of achieving success. It’s a great opportunity for all us to work together and achieve the goal of taking the professional voluntary organization ISA to greater heights, by increasing the membership base and improving brand imaging.
Timir Baran Samanta, ISA Kolkatta section president, lights the inaugural lamp. On left is K. Nandakumar, chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industries, Instrumentation and Automation Division. Third from left is N.C. Mukherjee, ISA Kolkatta section alternate Society delegate.
With the above objective and purpose, it is a great pleasure for me to inform that the Kolkatta Section of ISA conducted a full-day technical seminar and product exhibition at Hotel Hindustan International in Kolkatta, India, on 9 February 2013. The objective of the event was to promote ISA in the eastern regions of India and motivate its regular and student section members, in addition to increasing the membership base and networking with other instrumentation professionals from various industries.
The main focus of the event was automation topics in the steel manufacturing, mining and petrochemical/refining industries. The technical seminar and the product exhibition was inaugurated by K. Nandakumar, chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industries, Instrumentation and Automation Division. The eastern region of India is rich in natural resources; nearly 60 percent of India’s requirements for metal ore and coal are mined here.
Speakers and topics selected by the section were from top organizations and were of excellent caliber. They were able to offer insight into the challenges and complexity of plant operations in these industries, as well as address specific topics and complexities in the selection of sensors to control systems in material handling and its interfacing with ERP systems. All speakers shared a common concern about safety for both personnel and plant operations.
The event was well attended by about 130 delegates from various industries, including 30 student section members. The delegates included senior personnel such as engineering managers, senior engineers, department heads and corporate vice presidents. Each session was followed by Q&A discussion. Student members were given the honor of
Kolkatta conference participants attend a technical seminar.
presenting awards to the distinguished speakers, which in turn gave them an opportunity to interact and network with the speakers and industry leaders.
This also gave me an opportunity as district vice president to make a presentation on ISA, its various offerings such as education and training, certification courses, standards, book publishing, technical papers and InTech magazine, apart from giving a detailed analysis on the benefits of becoming an ISA member, which was well received and appreciated.
The event has generated significant professional momentum in Kolkatta, and we are confident that it will attract new membership, both regular and from the student section. I remain optimistic for future growth as a district and as a professional group dedicated to setting future trends and benchmarks. Our continued efforts, sincerity, discipline and united perseverance will serve to put the district on greater pedestals of success for ISA.
About the Author
V.P. Raman is vice president of District 14 of ISA. He is divisional director of engineering and business development with Mott MacDonald Pvt. Ltd. (MMPL). MMPL is an engineering consultancy organization involved in executing various projects in areas such as upstream, midstream and downstream oil, gas and petrochemical projects for both local and global clients. Raman has held various posts in ISA in the past, at both the section and district levels. He can be contacted via email at: raman.vp1@gmail.com.
