Precision capability Maini Group

PRECIsIon CaPaBILITy

The Maini Group is an India-based global business that works across markets to deliver high precision, high quality solutions to a range of industries including AUTOMOTIVE, AEROSPACE, MATERIAL HANDLING AND STORAGE AND ELECTRIC VEHICLES. Emma-Jane Batey spoke to MD Gautam Maini to learn more.

The Maini Group tagline ‘Value delivered. Always’ has been carefully created to reflect the long-term dedication to QUALITY, RELIABILITY and VALUE. Having long sold itself on its capabilities rather than simply its products, the Maini Group is able to work across markets, with the common thread being its ability to deliver solutions. As one of India’s leading design and manufacturing companies, the Maini Group was founded in 1973 by Dr S. K Maini, whose devoted stewardship has seen the operation grow from one company with ten employees to a multi-unit group with 14 locations and over 1500 employees. Second generation Maini family member GAUTAM is today’s MD of the flagship company Maini Precision Products and he continues to harness the visionary approach of his father.

Gautam Maini told Industry Europe, “My father, Dr S. K. Maini, was a visionary with a deep faith in India’s potential as a major industrial nation. He knew that with its people – the Indian workforce – given their due, this country could hold its own in product and service. He had a profound belief in the power of training, faith in ability, the need to learn from the best and then build something enduring and incomparable. The decades since have shown how truly farsighted he was and I am proud to continue this.”

Beyond the product

The Maini Group comprises Maini Precision Products, Armes Maini Storage Systems and Maini Materials Movement, all of which come together to deliver a complete SOLUTION to its customers. Mr Maini continued, “We’ve always sold ourselves on capability TO DELIVER SOLUTIONS and not just products. This is key to our success because we go beyond the product and deliver a true understanding of how our products add value for our customers. This means that not only do we know exactly how the products are made and the precision parts and machines that are used in this process, but we know all about the next chapter in the products’ lives too.” In terms of capabilities, the focus is not only continuous build up of manufacturing infrastructure but also keeping on upgrading our business, production and quality systems. These are supported by deployment of processes like Enterprise Resource Process, Product Life-Cycle Management, and web based CRM systems using internationally proven softwares.

This approach is certainly yielding excellent results. The Maini Group continues to grow 20–30 per cent year on year, with its ‘aggressive and organic’ growth strategy sitting closely with its ‘capability not products’ promise. Mr Maini explained, “We’ve always been different and we’ve always known that quality and capability is the added value we offer. We initially grew from the fact that my father was head of production at Bosch in India, so he learned that European way of working, of making sure that quality is king. So right from the start we have been a proudly Indian company that has been perfectly aligned with European standards. We’ve never cut corners or just focused on price, nor have we had to suddenly think about quality. We’ve always focused on quality and technology which when delivered consistently brings about RELIABILTY – it’s in our DNA.”

As a diversified manufacturer catering to a global clientele in the automotive & industrial and aerospace sector, Maini is a one-stop solution provider to its clients. Mr Maini noted, “Key products manufactured by us for the automotive & industrial sectors include precision components, machined castings & forgings, fuel filters and sub-assemblies used in engines, transmissions, fuel injection, turbo chargers, steering & chassis for passenger commercial vehicles and precision components, machined castings and forgings for other industries; and for the aerospace sector our products include precision components and sub-assemblies used in the three verticals of aero structures, aero engines and aircraft systems.”

Mr Maini continued, “We believe that our manufacturing processes are robust and adaptable to our customers’ bespoke requirements and we endeavour to keep abreast with the latest technological developments and combine them with our Skilled workforce to Create an Appropriate Competitive Technology offering. We have in-house capabilities to engage with a client at various stages of product development including design, validation, testing and delivery. We benefit from a large and reliable supplier base for our raw materials and special processes, such as surface treatment and heat treatment, which enables timely manufacturing and delivery of components.”

Complete understanding

As a tier two partner whose customers are tier one companies, the Maini Group totally understands how best to deliver the service its customers

need. Mr Maini said, “We know that the trend is for large companies to have fewer, trusted suppliers, particularly when it comes to global operators. We fit with that trend perfectly as we deliver JIT solutions anywhere in the world thanks to our third party warehouses across the EU, the US and Asia. We have almost every kind of machine you can think of, all available JIT anywhere in the world. We’re a true one-stop shop – an Indian company with European standards.” The strong network of Maini Group units is very much a part of its long-term success and its expectation for continued growth of 20–30 per cent year on year. With its high volume, high quality offer, the group’s strategic aim is to ‘keep going up the supply chain’ so its complete service ticks all the boxes. Mr Maini concluded, “From critical parts to sub-assembly to assembly, our aim is to keep going up the supply chain so we are integral across our customers’ processes. We are always operating at the highest level of optimisation and technology and, thanks to our unique Maini Group eco-system, we always have the answers our customers need. We export over 60 per cent of our production, so we have already proven ourselves as a trusted global partner and we look forward to continuing to serve our customers. We have strong localisation as well as globalisation – our strong on time delivery performance coupled with quality and reliability means that our customers return to us with new products to be delivered globally on an ongoing basis.” n eXPeRIeNCe THe PoWeR oF ZeRo

‘Zero’ is not about ‘nothingness’. By the way it places itself, it is the exponential that multiplies any number to great heights, infinite in its possibilities.

Zero is the exponential that amplifies our capabilities, driving us to do more, to aim for perfection beyond standards.

This is why we have adopted the ‘Zero’ philosophy as our guiding principle.

We aim to deliver We achieve this through We strive for Zero Defect Products with Zero Wastage Zero pollution Zero Time Delay Zero Compromise and Zero Excuses and Zero Inefficiency Zero Complaints