PV Rukmani, Sr General Manager, IPCL & Reliance Industries Limited.

Could you provide some insights into your business journey and the path that led you to your current position?

My career began as a Management Trainee at Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited’s (IPCL) gas cracker complex at Nagothane in Maharashtra in May 1988, where I joined knowing only English and Tamil. I was the only lady engineer amongst the 71 management trainees! It was a Greenfield petrochemical project. I was involved in establishing the repair shop for instrumentation, installation and commissioning of analysers, etc. Gradually, along with the progression in my professional career, I also learned Hindi and Marathi to effectively communicate with the workforce. In 1996, I was given the opportunity to lead the Instruments Maintenance Team of the MEG plant of IPCL and with dedicated approach improved the reliability and addressed obsolescence issues.

Later I was given the opportunity to lead the LDPE plant (high pressure plant running @ 2000 bar) and its special instrumentation. It was a natter of pride for a lady to lead the maintenance team in a petrochemical plant in earlier days. Over a period of time I developed expertise in analysers, which included design, selection, etc., apart from maintenance. Apart from this, I have undergone Six Sigma training and completed 2nd Black Belt projects and also as mentor for Green Belt projects. I initiated standardisation of spares for all instruments installed in Nagothane complex. Meanwhile, IPCL was taken over by RIL and I got a lot of opportunities to work in various areas. As project manager, handled a few projects like the Fire & Gas System in Nagothane complex; Control Room Revamp, DBN projects, brownfield project, etc. Developed expertise in root cause analysis, risk assessment, FMEA, FMA, etc; carried out various system audits within the complex and RIL intersites; was involved in the development of  Competency Management System for GET, new joinees and prepared/reviewed various training modules. As section head of Reliability Instrumentation, I handled turnaround, inventory management, budget management, KPI monitoring, reliability of instrumentation assets, obsolescence management, life cycle plan, identify & impart training etc. Thus I had a long business journey of 35 years in the petrochemical industry.

Discuss a situation in your leadership role that demanded a difficult decision. How did you address and resolve it?

All plants in the Nagothane complex were manned by engineers and technicians on A, B, C and G shifts. While in the MEG plant as maintenance lead, it was decided by the management to remove the engineers from shifts. This was a difficult decision, but necessary on account of: 1) Engineers removed from shift to be engaged properly. 2) Engineers not available for emergency/odd hours/holidays. Point 1 was addressed by transferring a few engineers to other plants where there was a shortage, and a few were assigned to reliability improvement projects, etc., and the desired result was achieved. Point 2 was addressed by empowering technicians to handle a few activities at odd hours and on a rota basis an engineer assigned to handle emergency jobs.

How do you handle risk and make decisions in the course of your entrepreneurial pursuits?

Risk-based assessment done on a case to case basis, Mitigation/Decision based on the Severity, probability of risk prevailing in the given situation.

What about your practices for staying updated on industry trends and maintaining a commitment to the continual development of your skills?

I keep myself updated by attending Seminars, Intersite meets, sharing learning experience, reading journals including hydrocarbon processing journals, CCPS safety bulletins, incident investigation, interaction with various instrument manufacturers over phone, mail and presentations, reading manuals, internet surfing, etc.

Can you share a moment in your career where you felt significant growth or accomplishment?

My industrial career started as a Graduate Engineer trainee at IPCL, Nagothane in 1988 and after 8 years of service as maintenance engineer, I was given an opportunity to lead the Instrument Department of the ethylene oxide plant. It was significant that a lady engineer was managing maintenance in the petrochemical industry as it was something rare during that time (way back in 1997). My contribution was improvement of reliability of the plant and I was also associated in Advance Process Control implementation.

How important is workplace culture to you, and how have you contributed to shaping it?

Workplace culture plays a vital role in the development of any organisation. Matters like effective communication, ownership mindset, customer satisfaction, working as one team, striving for excellence, etc., contribute to shaping the workplace culture.

Can you share a networking experience that led to a valuable opportunity or connection?

During the 21st IEC meet at Thane, Mumbai in October 2023, I met the Director (Marketing & Content) of Industrial Automation, which led to my participation in the NariShakti 2024 awards.

How do you prioritise your own professional development, and what strategies do you use to continue learning and growing in your role?

I spend an hour daily to learn anything related to the developments in my own field, management books to develop managerial aspects, attending webinars, etc.

Can you share a strategy or habit that helps you maintain a healthy work-life balance?

The strategy followed by me is to prioritise areas of interest and plan properly with the available resources to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
What advice do you give to women aspiring to become entrepreneurs?

Set clear goals. Plan well and execute with commitment. Be resourceful to be successful and ready to take risks. Trust but verify, always.

How would you describe your life in 3 words?

Punctual. Versatile. Risk-taker (PV Rukmani).

What would you write on your own fortune cookie?

‘Never give up!’

Ms PV Rukmani served as a Senior General Manager, IPCL (Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited) and superannuated from Reliance Industries Limited, Nagothane Manufacturing Division (NMD) in 2023. She completed her B.E in Electronics & Communication from PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore Tamil Nadu.

Ms Rukmani has contributed to the maintenance of field, DCS, and PLC and enhanced the reliability of instrumentation. Over a period of time, Ms Rukmani has developed expertise in analysers, and gas chromatographs which include design, selection, installation, modification, etc., apart from maintenance.

As an instrument section head, Ms Rukmani has monitored KPIs, carried out Risk analysis, Life cycle evaluation, planning for upgradation, root cause analysis, SIL study, FMA, and Audit of various instrumentation systems. She has completed 35 years of service in the petrochemical industry and recently superannuated and settled in Tamil Nadu.

Ms Rukmani has been involved in the grassroots project of the Maharashtra Gas Cracker Complex (IPCL-MGCC) and the installation & commissioning of Analysers for the process industry. She has undertaken Six Sigma projects: Under DuPont initiatives associated in Risk assessment, Mechanical integrity of Assets, Quality assurance, Incident investigation, root cause analysis, etc.

Ms Rukmani has mentored subordinates and new joinees in the industry. She has also received a special cash prize under the Dronacharya scheme. She has been associated with the development of competency modules in instrumentation for new joinees to develop skill sets.

Ms Rukamni has received several ‘Well Done’ awards from RIL Site management for completion of projects on time without any incident, improvement in reliability, excellent troubleshooting, and several new initiatives.

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