Udaipur – Hindustan Zinc has installed an artificial intelligence-based monitoring system at its Debari smelter in Rajasthan to improve equipment reliability and reduce outages, the company said on Thursday.
The system, developed with Gurugram-based startup Ripik.AI, detects anomalies in switchyards and rectifiers, issues automated alerts through WhatsApp and email, and can be accessed via both on-site and cloud platforms, Hindustan Zinc said in a statement.
The company, part of the Vedanta Group, said the tool aims to shift maintenance from reactive to planned by identifying faults early. According to Hindustan Zinc, trial runs showed that the system eliminated unplanned outages and reduced production losses by nearly 20 percent.
The Debari smelter, near Udaipur, is described by the company as the world’s oldest zinc smelter. Hindustan Zinc said it intends to scale the monitoring technology to other facilities, including switchyards, rectifiers and busbars across its mines and smelters in Rajasthan.
CEO Arun Misra said the initiative was “another step” in using digital innovation to improve operational efficiency, though the company did not disclose investment figures or timelines for wider rollout.
The firm has also introduced other digital tools in recent years, including a centralised collaboration centre that gathers data from its business units for real-time decision-making. It has deployed AI-powered camera surveillance systems for workplace safety and compliance monitoring, claiming efficiency gains of 20 to 30 percent and a reduction in manual intervention by about half.
Hindustan Zinc said robotic automation has been introduced in smelting to improve precision and product quality, while blockchain and industrial internet of things applications are being used to strengthen operations.
India’s mining sector has been adopting more automation and digital systems to increase productivity and safety. Industry experts say AI-enabled monitoring can help companies reduce losses from unexpected equipment failures, although high upfront costs and integration challenges remain.
Hindustan Zinc said it is India’s only integrated zinc producer and among the top global players in the sector. It also counts itself among the world’s largest silver producers.
