No dosa or samosa: Gulf war LPG crunch shrinks India Inc’s canteen menus, firms turn to electric
Meanwhile, dosas, samosas and non-vegetarian foods are no longer available in canteens as foods that require a lot of gas to cook are disappearing from the list of available options. While some factories only have LPG stocks until the weekend (some managers barely make ends meet), companies are installing electric rice cookers, induction cooktops and electric roti makers. Firewood chulhas are also making a comeback, along with plain meals that require minimal cooking, such as packaged foods and sandwiches, to keep employees fed, managers said. Even tea supply is restricted in some factories.
“Every day has now become a new challenge,” said Satish NS, chairman of refrigerator and television maker Haier India. “Component suppliers are facing challenges due to low LPG supply, which will affect final production. Brazing operations in factories are affected. Even operating factory canteens has become difficult, so we are now electrifying all equipment.”
Some Production Works Affected
Parle Products, India’s largest packaged food company, has reduced its canteen menu at its 10 company-owned and third-party factories from multiple dishes to just a few. Chapatis, dosas and fried foods are being replaced by easier-to-prepare options such as sandwiches. There are around 4,500 people in these facilities in Parle.
“Workers understand the existing problem,” said Mayank Shah, vice president of Parle Products. “Even production is affected in facilities operating on fuels such as LPG, propane and butane, where some shifts or lines are not operating. We are trying to balance overall production with the least affected facilities.”
At Mahindra & Mahindra, live stalls and fried food have been left in the canteens to save energy. Tata Motors also warned supplier event attendees at its Pune plant that the menu will be limited. Most large manufacturing companies employ 3,000-5,000 factory workers, including indirect employees. Canteens are often run by outside vendors.
Due to the halt in supply from the Gulf due to the Iran war, the government prioritized LPG for households in order to overcome the energy crisis. The Center on Thursday said it has imposed a 20% cap on the average monthly commercial supply of LPG by oil marketing companies to coordinate with state governments. Refineries were also directed to maximize LPG production by slightly increasing output by diverting propane and butane flows for this purpose. Manufacturing companies will receive up to 80% of their previous six-month average supply.
Limited LPG supply has severely affected brazing operations in sheet metal work, said Kamal Nandi, head of Godrej Enterprises’ appliance business unit. “This has become a hand-to-hand situation,” he said. “Since we only have supplies until Saturday, we are trying alternatives to LPG. During this period, the demand for cooling devices such as air conditioners and refrigerators peaks.”
The company brought back wood stoves to continue operating workers’ canteens.
GK Sharma, India regional head of French auto parts maker OP Mobility, said that while the company is working on alternative energy sources such as electricity and solar power, it is still facing LPG shortage affecting its paint shop operations. “We are going through a difficult period,” he said.
However, companies that had already electrified their factory kitchens were less affected.
At Daimler India Commercial Vehicles, which produces trucks and buses under the brand name Bharat Benz, canteen services were not affected as the entire kitchen was powered by electricity after the factory switched to 100% solar energy.
