Experience at Agri Process Innovations Technologies (APIT)

Chapter 1: The Prelude

In search of a company to do an internship from home, I had passed on so many companies and institutions, some of them being seriously good, an instance being an opportunity to be in IISc. Still, I was fixated on my objective until late April, when the river ran dry. However, after much consideration, I gave my resume to this company, and they scheduled the interview on the day I returned to my hometown. I literally prepared for the interview on my train journey. Life…

Two days later, I got selected, and another week later, I received the offer letter. It was the first time in my entire life that I was working for a company.

Chapter 2: About the Company

Agri Process Innovations Technologies LLP, or APIT for short, is the world’s best paddy process specialist with a profound motto of “Your Grain, Our Brain.” Located in the industrial area of Dodballapura, in Bengaluru Rural District, this company started out small in 2016. Still, it gradually grew to become a prime player in providing completely automated solutions for paddy parboiling processes, their patented “Super-ageing process”, and, most importantly, tailor-made process plants based on the production and quality needs of the consumer. This is evident in a huge number of plants, national and even international, resorting to APIT for plant setup. Under the guidance of the founder and current managing director, Shashikumar Thimmaiah, ambitions are at an all-time high and are not in sight of slowing down.

Chapter 3: The Process

I was given four choices on projects to work upon in the interview, by my interviewer and soon-to-be project guide. I almost instantly chose “Effects of drying process on the quality of processed rice” as that seemed more familiar to me. Needless to say, I was appointed to that project. The internship started on a note contrary to my expectations, with a two-week work-from-home literature review, in which I read everything related I could find, to be honest, about the dryer systems, modes of drying, their effects on the product, and the effects of practically endless parameters that come into effect in the industrial dryers. Initially overwhelmed by this depth of information, I quickly started searching for standard links. And that revealed core principles in front of me, all of them, obviously, being intensely tied up with Chemical Engineering concepts learned in the courses. Arguably, the majority of Chemical Engineering is pillared by the concepts of transport phenomena, reaction engineering, process economics, and material and energy balances act as the cement of this building. By the end of this review, I had developed an understanding behind the kinetics and energetics of drying systems. I also came to know about the laboratory-scale experiments of using radiation to achieve better paddy drying, but on the industrial scale, this is not simply feasible to date. Most of the dryers, if not all, are either LSU or recirculatory batch dryers, capable of enormous processing capacity and precise control.

Upon arriving at the company, my guide gave me a tour of the company, and we met with the MD, CEO, and CTO of the company on the opening day. All of them had high hopes and beliefs, as I was considered there as an IIT student, which was indeed true, and now I had to live up to those expectations. The following week was spent in my guide reviewing my literature review and suggesting some additional points to consider in the thesis, which I was supposed to write to complete this internship. Being for a week in the pleasant climates of Bengaluru, soon turned into 5:30 A.M. bright mornings at 30 degrees, with a peak of 43 degrees, intense dust and noise, irregular timings, and yes, occasional night and 24-hour shifts as I moved for a site visit at a rice mill in Miryalaguda, Telangana district. This sudden change took me aback, but life cannot always be rosy, can it? Anyways, what was initially expected to be a tightrope walk turned out to be one of my most memorable experiences. Not only did I closely see the working of unit operations like size sorting, boiling, hydration, drying, and milling in Telangana’s largest rice mill, but I also was able to observe the people working there and their methodologies, ranging from how they maintain their log sheets for different batches of rice, how are batches scheduled, and how do they respond in case of, you know, a demanding situation, speaking of which, there was one. They quickly controlled it under 10 minutes. I was awestruck by the fact that the reason for the site visit to this rice mill was that this factory was completely set up by APIT. For the next 10 days, I collected an ample amount of samples from the factory, amassing close to 60 kilograms, between me and my other three batchmates who were in the same company. With heavy amounts of insights and luggage, some of it being couriered, I returned to APIT at the halfway mark of my tenure.

What followed was an intense period of continuously doing different tests on the sample to see the changes in some rice properties, which will provide valuable insights for the process. You see, I was working precisely in the rice research and analysis lab, and the primary task of this lab was to periodically analyze samples and give suggestions for changes in process or equipment, which will then be put into practice by the manufacturing and automation team. During these three-ish weeks, I received immense support not only from my guide but also from my batchmates. A notable mention must be the only other working member in that department, as she was super-helpful in guiding us on how to perform the trials and even demonstrated all of them, setting aside her pre-assigned tests. She promptly said she could do her backlog trials anytime later. This support is what helped me in diligently completing the assigned work, and I was indeed able to draw some useful suggestions from the test results. My final presentation was in front of a sudden appearance of an actual client, along with my guides and board of directors. Amazingly, the MD appreciated and was keen enough to note that my insight is a current issue and needs correlation-based modelling studies to fix it. Apart from doing trials, I also dabbled a bit into the more mathematical aspects, and it was duly appreciated. Felicitations with a trophy and a certificate are what I took back with me on my return journey home, filled to the brim and content with a gargantuan amount of experience and fun I had during this entire duration of my internship at APIT.

Some things are initially unplanned, but they go well to be one of your most memorable experiences if you are “into it.” I think they call it serendipity.

Chapter 4: Wee bit of advice

Although working specifically in this company was partly serendipitous, some things will help in landing a desired internship, or even a job for that matter. Knowing about the company, their vision and current progress inside out not only shows your genuine interest in the company and your role to them but also makes you educated if this role is indeed the right choice for you. Also, there is no need to hold anything back, be it doubts that arise during any work, for it will bother you in the long run. Being decent in your work environment is also one of the traits of a professional intern, and lastly, be insane curious to learn everything new and happening that is related to your domain. Everything is vast and interesting; after all, if one has a wee bit of hunger for curiosity but never gets satiated because when curiosity ceases, so does the progress.

This internship, in turn, has steered my ship more towards the core Chemical Engineering sector. I am keen to work in similar companies and be involved in providing solutions in any form to pressing problems in front of them and the entire world.

This is Sunandan, signing off until the next article…