Modern Machine Tools - June 2012 - Aerospace - Supplement by Infomedia18

MODERN MACHINE TOOLS - Supplement June 2012

Editorial

Launching Pride n aerospace parlance, lift-offs are a noisy affair…if we apply the same logic to the prospects of the business opportunities, with Indian aerospace being in the lift-off stage, there is bound to be a lot of noise (read discussion) around the sector itself. Separating happenings from the hype and the noise itself, this special edition on aerospace, gains all the more greatness, as it not only reports about the growing Indian capabilities in this sector, but also draws attention to proud projects like Agni V, which was all about launching pride and dreams.

While at it, we caught up with the two most important people who played a critical part in the Agni project. They shared their inspirational journey, which was full of setbacks, but ultimately, these scientists turned it into a success saga. From Agni I to V, Avinash Chander, Distinguished Scientist & Chief Controller R&D (Missiles and Strategic Systems), DRDO, has seen many ups and downs—the failures of the first flights of Agni III and IV to the first flight success of Agni V. Ask him about his biggest pride and the true Indian spirit comes to the fore—from borrowing technology to indigenously creating new capability, it is truly the Indian capabilities that are flying high.

Editorial Advisory Board Vikram Sirur President, IMTMA & Executive Chairman, Miven Machine Tools Ltd

L Krishnan Vice President, IMTMA & Managing Director, TaeguTec India P Ltd

Shailesh Sheth Media Chairman, IMTMA & Past President, IMTMA

M Lokeswara Rao Past President, IMTMA & MD, Lokesh Machines Ltd

N K Dhand Past President, IMTMA & CMD, Micromatic Grinding Technologies Ltd

R Srinivasan Past President, IMTMA & MD, RAS Transformation Technologies

Then again, our interaction with Ram Narain Agarwal better known as ‘Agni Agarwal’, former Director – ASL, DRDO, was more than inspirational. In this edition, he makes a very important point. According to him, whatever developments have been done at ASL, like micro-electrical-mechanical systems, it will revolutionise not only missile technology, but also healthcare, electronics, computers and communications and aerospace technology. While there is a lot happening in defence, as per the recent reports, the commercial aircraft sector is likely to enter into a prolonged upcycle in production in 2012. As a result of increasing demand for leisure and business travel, particularly in the Asia Pacific region, the sector is likely to undergo more streamlining of its cost structure, divestiture of noncore assets and additions of gap filling, as well as game changing acquisitions. Another flight of opportunity comes in the form of MRO. Today, the Indian sky has only around 350 aircraft, but the demands are so high that the industry predicts the need for over 2,000 aircraft by 2020. As per the Civil Aviation Ministry, by 2020, the Indian MRO industry will triple in size from $440 million in 2010 to $1.3 billion. As per the predictions, the Indian aerospace companies without any foreign partnerships would start dominating the MRO service going forward. With so much happening for MNCs, offloading a chunk of work to SMEs is the way forward for this industry to grow. But while it is an opportunity for SMEs, it also depends on how they react to the market demands, which will include how quickly they can acquire the know-how to work with large integrators. While sky is the limit for the ambitious, it is important to acknowledge that as you fly, you carry the sky on your back…the opportunities are around you, waiting for you to leap forward and own them!

Gautam Doshi Advisor, IMTMA & Consultant, Productivity & Quality Improvement Services

S N Mishra Past President, IMTMA & Vice Chairman, Bharat Fritz Werner Ltd

Archana Tiwari-Nayudu archana.nayudu@infomedia18.in

Content

MODERN MACHINE TOOLS - Supplement June 2012

Challenging The Best Existing Technology.................... 19

Facilit y Visit

In Conversation With

A g ni V

Avinash Chander Distinguished Scientist & Chief Controller R&D (Missiles and Strategic Systems), DRDO .........................16

Goodrich Aerospace Services Pvt Ltd: High On First ‘Flight’ Advantage ....................................32

Editorial .............................................................. 7

Opinions & More

Consolidation & Forecast ................................. 14 Anurag Kashyap MD, (India, SAARC & Middle East), Moog India

& Subramanya B, Supply Chain Manager – Asia, Moog India................. 26

Testing New Shores........................................... 21 Chasing Challenges........................................... 23 Sector Analysis .................................................. 25 Indian Component Manufacturer ..................... 28 Policy Watch - FDI in Aerospace ...................... 34 Ultrasonic Machining ....................................... 36 Product & Advertisers’ Index ............................ 38

The Deﬁnitive ‘EDGE’ for Metalworking & Allied Business

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Consolidation & Forecast

MODERN MACHINE TOOLS - Supplement June 2012

EAGLE’S VIEW

N THE

Globally, the aerospace market looks fragile. Oil prices are at an all-time high and all major nations are under pressure. Every industry is trying to maximise their trade and minimise their input cost. At a time where mergers, acquisitions, takeovers and joint ventures have become the order of the day, the aerospace industry is not behind. Prateek Sur takes a look at the recent JVs, acquisitions and collaborations, which would chart the forthcoming fiscal year…

AER SPACE INDUSTRY Kaman Aerospace Group and Kineco Pvt Ltd. Kaman Aerospace Group, a subsidiary of Kaman Corporation and Kineco Pvt Ltd, has entered into an agreement to form a manufacturing company in India. The venture will be based in Goa and will manufacture advanced composite structures for aerospace, medical and other industries. Kineco brings strong local knowledge and business relationships and when combined with the international

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd and Rafael Advanced Defence Systems Ltd Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., one of India’s leading business houses, and Rafael Advanced Defence Systems Ltd., a manufacturer of high-tech defence systems for air, land, sea and space applications have entered into an agreement to form a company in India. The JV will develop and manufacture products such as Anti Torpedo Defence Systems, Electronic Warfare Systems, Advanced Armouring Solutions and remotely operated weapon stations for Futuristic Infantry

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and Rolls-Royce Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), the country’s premier aerospace company, and Rolls-Royce, the global power systems firm, signed an agreement to create a manufacturing joint venture. The new company, a 50-50 joint venture between Bengaluru-based HAL and Rolls-Royce, will undertake the manufacturing of compressor shroud rings. Construction of a new purpose-built production facility, incorporating the latest

Location Goa customer base of Kaman, it can be anticipated that there will be major opportunities in both commercial and defence applications. This will allow Kineco and Kaman to accelerate their growth plans and participate in the global market, including opportunities arising from major defence spending done by the Indian Government.

Location Pune Combat Vehicles (FICV). The JV with Rafael signals the strategic entry of M&M into a wide range of high-tech defence solutions which will enable the Mahindra Group to become a leading defence systems integrator in India. This JV will enable Mahindra Defence Systems to further leverage its innovative solutions in the maritime domain, enhance its product offerings and present it with new avenues for growth. Location Bengaluru in modern manufacturing techniques, along with component production, will begin in 2012. HAL and Rolls-Royce have been strategic partners since 1956. Rolls-Royce is committed to developing new, advanced manufacturing technologies and skills in India and through this venture, it will create highly skilled new jobs in the Indian aerospace industry.

Consolidation & Forecast

MODERN MACHINE TOOLS - Supplement June 2012

Dassault Falcon and Shanghai Hawker Pacific

Location Shanghai

Dassault Falcon will launch a new operation in Shanghai to help support its Chinese fleet. The new entity would be known as Dassault Falcon Aircraft Services, China. It will be functional by the end of the second quarter of 2012 in association with Shanghai Hawker Pacific and will be located within the Shanghai Hawker Pacific complex at Shanghai’s Hongqiao International Airport. Dassault Falcon Aircraft Services, China, will play a key role in ensuring first class support for the Falcon fleet that is expected to triple by the end of 2012. Line maintenance, AOG support, troubleshooting and component replacement will be among the major services offered. The Shanghai Hawker Pacific complex features a 4,000 sqm facility for maintenance, repair and overhaul, in addition to its fixed base operations capabilities.

AeroEuro Engineering India and Altair Engineering

Location India, GCC and ASEAN countries

AeroEuro Engineering India (a joint venture between PL Engineering and GECI India), a leading product design and engineering services company providing product design, engineering and R&D services in the aerospace domain and Altair Engineering, a leading global provider of simulation, advanced computing and enterprise analytics solutions, have entered into a memorandum of understanding, to jointly promote innovative technology driven aerospace projects. The collaboration focusses on delivering worldclass aerospace related engineering services projects leveraging AeroEuro and Altair Product Design’s aerospace domain expertise and using Altair’s HyperWorks CAE/CFD software technology solutions. The partnership, which runs initially for a period of one year, will focus on providing new aerospace opportunities for India, GCC Countries and ASEAN-based customers.

P3 Engineering Group and Voith Industrial Services

Location Hamburg

P3 Engineering Group and Voith Industrial services are now combining forces in a joint venture to offer their full spectrum of engineering expertise to the aerospace industry from a single source. The resulting company, P3 Voith Aerospace GmbH, combines Voith’s technical expertise and P3’s strength in the field of project management. A further objective of the company is to secure its position as the E2S Preferred Supplier for Engineering Suppliers with EADS, which is the new company’s most important European client. While developing its position with EADS, the joint venture is also creating new opportunities with other aerospace companies. prateek.sur@infomedia18.in

TRACKING FUTURE TRENDS According to the Delphi Panel discussions the future of the aerospace industry depends on three key areas: political, technological and value chain configuration issues. The following predictions came to the fore: The direct and indirect tax exemptions would give aerospace manufacturers and service providers an edge over other foreign competitors, by 2019. The offset policies of the government would lead to the development of a more competitive and globally fast-growing aerospace manufacturing industry, by 2019. The government’s regulation on the IP protection and the technology transfer would make the aerospace manufacturers and service providers in India more preferred than their counterparts in the other nations, by 2019. There would be sufficient skilled labour available for the aerospace industry, by 2019. At the present rate of R&D, Indian manufacturers and service providers would triple their domestic investment, by 2019. For the aerospace manufacturers and service providers, the key focus of all research would be the unmanned aircraft or hypersonic flight, search for alternative fuel and finding new composites, by 2019. All advanced cutting-edge technologies and solutions presently offered to the aerospace industry would be under regular practice, by 2019. Foreign companies would have the lion’s share of the aerospace market, by 2019. The R&D and engineering design departments would be the forerunners for the Indian aerospace industry, by 2019. Across the full range of aircraft models, Indian manufacturers would become globally competitive, by 2019. The Indian aerospace companies without any foreign partnerships would start dominating the MRO service industry, by 2019. Cost advantages and easy access to highly skilled R&D personnel will be the only growth driving factors in the Indian aerospace industry, by 2019.

IN CONVERSATION WITH - Avinash Chander

MODERN MACHINE TOOLS - Supplement June 2012

Agni V is not just a weapon, but a multi-capability launch pad system

After 40 years of long service in DRDO, his eyes still glitter with pride whenever technology and innovations at DRDO are discussed. From Agni I to V, Avinash Chander, Distinguished Scientist & Chief Controller R&D (Missiles and Strategic Systems), DRDO, has seen many ups and downs. During a conversation, Suprita Anupam finds that Chander’s idea of learning is simple ‘Don’t be afraid of making mistakes, as failure might be the key to success. Learn from them instead of being afraid’.

Avinash Chander

MODERN MACHINE TOOLS - Supplement June 2012

First flight experience of Agni III & IV The first flight of Agni III took off in 2006. We found that aeropropulsive interactions created excessive heating in the base region, as it was not modelled properly. Later, we incorporated it in the design parameter. In the first flight of Agni IV, we faced quality related issues, which we resolved through strategic planning. However, in terms of technology, Agni IV had many new technologies, which were further incorporated in Agni V.

Missile methodology Missiles consist of three elements—the locomotive part, which feeds energy to the system; the sensory part, which discloses the location by sensing; and the control part, which guides the missile for further positioning. In propulsion, the emphasis is on how to get the maximum energy with the minimum weight and minimal use of packaging. The first major jump in technology was in replacing metallic casing with composite casing, which reduced 40% of the weight. It was a major breakthrough and to achieve it, we had to develop materials, composite and resins. Navigation forms a critical part. Missiles are fire and forget systems. Once it takes off, you lose control over command. You cannot send or

receive any signal as it can be hacked or misguided. Hence, because of this lack of connectivity, the navigation system purely depends on physical motion of the missile. The navigation system measures how much it is turning and what acceleration it has. Owing to the present velocity, the missile auto-corrects the further increments. That is the basic principle of inertial navigation systems. It should be able to sense the rotating rate of the body of the missile & the three components of acceleration. This has to be sensed very accurately under various parameters like vibration, shock, acceleration and high temperature. So far, mechanical divorcements were used, but they were more prone to vibrations, because of its dependency on mechanical joints, etc. So, we switched to the contemporary Ring laser gyro Inertial Navigation System (RINS). The process is simple. Under this system, you have two light rays travelling in opposite directions. As long as the missile is static, both beams travel equal path distance and when they merge together, they produce a black and white pattern showing the zero rate. But when the missile is moving, the rotation rate causes one light ray to travel longer, while the other one effectively lesser. This time, when the beams combine, the pattern is not exactly same. It keeps shifting and can be clearly sensed. Since the Earth rotates at 15°/hr, we

need to sense it at 0.001°/hr, which is almost 1/15,000 of the Earth’s rotation. When the missile takes off, it detects, identifies and approaches the target with much improved accuracy hitting within 100 mt.

Major challenge Keeping the same form factor as Agni III and reducing the weight of the missile were major challenges to get the maximum thrust. The first stage of A3 and A5 is the same. But in the second stage, to reduce the weight further, we replaced the metallic case with carbon composite. In the third section, we did something new. So far, we have been incorporating an open area in between the sections so that the second stage could get ignited before separating from the first stage, and the flames could pass through the open area. In A5, however, we removed that open area, and placed the two stages closer, integrating composite rocket motors so that once the lower stage is gone, only then can the upper stage ignite. That required a lot of modelling, research and discussion. This is how, we could incorporate one extra stage by making the A5 half a mt longer.

LEO satellites for robust real-time surveillance & Agni V If you recall the Gulf War, the

Avinash Chander

Americans had deployed hundreds of Lower Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. I strongly feel that it will be essential in the Indian context too. There needs to be total control with complete knowledge of the scenario. That is where we find these low-cost missiles very useful. Agni V can be used for dual purposes, viz., to launch warhead payloads and to launch small LEO satellites. Agni V can be launched within 10 minutes. All it needs is launch and target coordinates. No further implication is needed. On the other hand, to launch small LEO satellites, we only have to replace warhead payload with a satellite load. Hence, Agni V is not just a weapon, but a multi-capability launch pad system. It can be used to launch on demand and can provide higher altitude interceptions such as satellite interception. With the kind of precision, mobility and capability, Agni V stands out as a multi-utility system.

Capability to carry multi-warhead payloads Agni V is a single warhead payload system, but it also forms the base for a multi-warhead payload. This might be our next project.

A5 technology’s global standing Few other countries have liquid system, which is completely different from ours. But technology wise, A5 stands contemporary to the best.

Cost-effective solution We have found low-cost solutions. For instance, we have made in-house production arrangements for carbon composites. Apart from that, scientists are paid lesser as compared to their counterparts in other countries. More importantly, we have worked closely with the private manufacturing companies to whom we had offloaded certain segments of manufacturing. This, in turn, helped us avoid building

MODERN MACHINE TOOLS - Supplement June 2012

excessive in-house infrastructure.

UP CLOSE

&personal

Beyond work I enjoy my work here like a hobby. Apart from that, I like reading. I am currently reading ‘Start up Nation’, which is the story of Israel’s economic miracle. India was in the same condition in 1991–92. It is interesting to know how their education system laid the foundation of the economic miracle. Some of my favourite books include ‘The Kite Runner’ and ‘The Alchemist’. I feel that the best books, like ‘The Alchemist’, are always simple. They do not summarise, they do not preach they simply talk. Dr Kalam’s ‘Wings of Fire’ is another such example. Apart from books, I like to play badminton, bridge and solve crosswords. Working with Kalam It was an honour. From 1982–99, he headed this lab and the programmes. In 1992, he moved to Delhi, but remained in contact. In fact, he was among the first three persons with whom we shared the completion of Agni V. He needs no description. I consider him one of the best colleagues. His team building qualities, empathy with people, going out of his way to understand the broader picture, illustrates his personality. Best moments Every successful launch has been the ‘best moment’ like the one in 1989, 1999 and now the Agni V. In A4 and A5, we had tremendous satisfaction in what we did, because earlier, we had few borrowed technologies like motor design, propulsion system, etc. But now, we have had a clear leap in terms of technology be it navigation, sensor or motor. So, we practically created new capabilities with A4 and A5.

Path breaking technologies achieved apart from Inertial Navigation System The sensors used are backed by unique software modelling to enhance its capability, which helped us reach the desired accuracy levels. We do extensive testing and modelling to get more accurate behaviour from the system. With A5, we have achieved the canister launch capability. Missiles of such class are usually not canisterised. But the advantage of canisters is that you bring mobility and flexibility in class, which is practically immune to detection and destruction. There are three levels of interception—boost phase, mid-course phase and terminal interception. With such missiles it should be ensured that it is not destructed in the boost phase, by increasing the missile mobility. For other phases of interception, Agni V has much better chances of survival than any other system. This is partly also because of the low success rate of interception of interballistic missiles with a range beyond 5,000 km. In terms of radars, we make the best surveillance radars, acquisition radars and tracking radars in the world. We have made a mark there. We are now moving towards better systems like electronically scanned rays and so on.

BDL’s contribution in the project Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) has been our production partner. Once DRDO comes to a certain stage of development, BDL becomes a partner from there on for further integrations.

Chinese allegations In the past, there were hardly any reactions to our previous launches. But if they have started worrying, it means that they are appreciating our work. We are taking these reactions positively. suprita.anupam@infomedia18.in

Agni V

MODERN MACHINE TOOLS - Supplement June 2012

Challenging The Best Existing Technology On April 19, 2012, as India successfully conducted the Agni V tests, the country redefined its aerospace boundaries and positioned itself at par with the elite countries. Although the testing primarily focussed on defence weapons, the missile can also be used as a launch vehicle for small satellites. Suprita Anupam delves into India’s proud moment...

Technology Enhancements A5—the three-stage Inter-mediatory Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM)—half a metre longer than the A3, shares almost the same size and shape as the A3. But in terms of technology, several changes were made to enhance accuracy, range, counter defence, control and navigation. The missile has extensively used carbon composite cases for the stage cases to reduce the weight in order to get a higher thrust. For a robust navigation systems, the combination of Ring Laser Gyro Inertial

Agni V – Fact File

Stages - 3 Range – More than 5,000 km Weight – 50,000 kg Height – 17.5 mt Diameter – 2 mt Warhead – single, nuclear Navigation – RINS and MINS Launch pad – Canister launch

Navigation System (RINS) and Micro Inertial Navigation System (MINS), further augmented by GPS with terminal guidance by radar scene correlation, was used for the first time. Their white and black patterns guide the missile up to two-digit accuracy. It has indigenous ballistic missile defence systems with lesser probability of interception. According to DRDO, the composite rocket motors performance was as per expectation. Software modelling was an important part for the missile system. The software, along with the motor systems and interfacing software performed reliably and flawlessly with real-time speed backing. The missile tip was redesigned and new resins were developed to make the tip capable of sustaining high temperatures of around 2,000°C, while re-entering the atmosphere.

Capability Quotient Developed by DRDO and assembled by Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL), the A5 has been designed with canister launch capability. It can be launched with depressed trajectory and apogee at low altitudes, allowing warheads to streak towards their targets at relatively flat angles and high speeds. The depressed trajectory is achieved by some further enhancement in the design, thereby creating short time of missile flight. The same becomes difficult from the increased temperature point of view. The redesigned and redeveloped resins were seen to be capable of sustaining that high temperature showing the DRDO stiff preparation for the first test of A5. The US considers this step as being somewhere necessary to counter the China world threat and has appreciated India’s achievement. Mark C Toner, a US State

Courtesy: DRDO/HO/AFP

.04 am, April 19, 2012, Wheelers Land, Odisha: Despite extensive testing and checking, the team of eminent scientists from Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL) and two other labs of DRDO, were praying. With fingers crossed, a tensed mood prevailed for 20 minutes until the missile completed its flight. The ships, located in midrange, near the target point, tracked the vehicle to witness its pinpoint accuracy. Now: With the launch of A5, India has achieved next generation capabilities in defence technologies, which very few countries are capable of—just five, to be precise!!

Agni V

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Dr Ram Narain Agarwal, Former Director – ASL, DRDO, (better known as Agni Agarwal), talks about the success saga of Agni...

The Beginning We started to work on the Agni project in 1983 as part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP). I was the first Project Director of Agni and worked as the technology demonstrator for the project. We developed the technology right from scratch. The major breakthrough that we got through this project was high-temperature sustainability by a heat-shield made of carbon composite without using any metal. It was unique in the world at that time. Further, our aim was to achieve re-entry technology for long-range missiles.

Agni V Unlike Agni III, Agni V has three stages. Agni stands out for its unique design, process development, avionics and configuration control. As of now, as per my assessment, we have gone to the level where we could reduce the Circular Error Probability (CEP) from 300 mt to 400 mt to bring it within the 100 mt range. We have seen a long journey, but we have to go beyond this.

Reactions on Chinese Allegations We have followed some ethics right from the beginning. We have never exaggerated our achievements. Whenever we had a failure, we have been open about it to the public. Although the Chinese assert that the missile is capable of covering a range of 8,000 km; there is minimum and maximum range for any missile. The technology is such that the range can be decided upon as per the requirement.

Technology at ASL All the developments done at ASL like Micro-Electrical-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) not only revolutionise missile technology, but also healthcare, electronics, computers & communications and aerospace technology. The Phase II and Phase III of technology demonstrator of Agni were completed in 1992 and 1994, respectively. Once the technology demonstration was completed, the operational phase of Agni began in 1995. But we further redefined it by subsequent demonstration on payload, missile range and rail mobile system.

Department spokesman, says, “We urge all nuclear-capable states to exercise restraint regarding nuclear capabilities. That said, India has a solid nonproliferation record.” Though The People’s Republic of China maintained diplomacy, Liu Weimin, Spokesperson, China’s Foreign Ministry, says, “China and India are large developing nations. We are not competitors, but partners. We believe that both sides should

cherish the hard-won good state of affairs at present, and work hard to uphold friendly strategic cooperation to promote joint development and make positive contributions towards maintaining peace and stability in the region.” However, Du Wenlong, a researcher at China’s PLA Academy of Military Sciences, told the Global Times that Agni V “actually has the potential to reach targets 8,000 km away”.

Du added that “the Indian Government had deliberately downplayed the missile’s capability in order to avoid causing concern to other countries.” DRDO Chief VK Saraswat explains, “As far as the capability of developing longer range missiles are concerned, this missile gives you the capability to build any missile of a range on the higher side.” Talking about the further capability, Avinash Chander, Distinguished Scientist & Chief Controller R&D (Missiles and Strategic Systems) DRDO, avers, “The missile not only has the capability to carry nuclear warheads, but also can be used as a launch vehicle for small satellites.” With 1,500 kg warhead capability—little lesser than that of Agni III—Agni V is currently designed only for a single warhead payload. However, it has opened the window for further capability of carrying Multiple Independent-targeted Re-entry Vehicles (MIRV).

Journey Beyond While looking at Chinese road mobile missiles, we need to have continuous real-time surveillance. This can only be achieved by increasing the number of surveillance satellites and other surveillance systems. Also, viewing the big regions in China; the missile facilities, which are spread in more than 300 km; and the overall Chinese ballistic missile defence systems; it is essential to have multi-independent targeted vehicles. With A5, we have achieved the intercontinental ballistic missiles range of more than 5,000 km. However, India’s submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM), such as Sagarika, which has a range of 700 km, are still far behind the Chinese Jin class submarines JL-2 having a range of 8,000 km. After Agni V, India has a new journey to traverse and more success sagas to etch. suprita.anupam@infomedia18.in With inputs from firstpost.com

Testing New Shores

MODERN MACHINE TOOLS - Supplement June 2012

Can MROs Mint Robust

Opportunities in India? This is probably the best time to be in the Indian aerospace industry. While the market demands a significant increase in the number of aircraft, the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) segment has also come up as a business segment which can be explored. But is this the right time for the new entrants to plunge into this terrain? Debarati Basu finds outâ&#x20AC;Ś

ith the fleet size gradually increasing, maintenance and repair of the aircraft is the next big cauldron of business opportunities. Sensing this prospect, the Indian Government too has come out to support and give a boost to the prospective industry. Moreover, the recent Union Budget has significantly opened up its policies to attract business and convert India into a promising Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) hub. Today, the Indian sky has only around 350 aircraft, but the demands are so high that the industry predicts that over 2,000 aircraft will be needed by 2020. However, while the aerospace industry itself is yet to crawl out of its infancy, would it be too hasty a step and too big a risk to invest in MRO business? Even as many Indian companies are confidently expanding their portfolio to cater to the aerospace demand, an investment in the MRO division is still taking measured steps.

Encouragingly, leading global players like Rolls Royce, Boeing and others have played a significant role in shaping up this segment. Following the suit, leading supplier of aerospace engines, Pratt & Whitney, is now exploring the MRO business in India. Many Indian players too are edging towards the opportunities that this segment showcases. Most companies are now assessing the situation to judge the right time to enter into the business of setting up MROs to reap the benefits of their investments when the industry matures.

Steps for MRO Start-ups

Set up large inventory of spares Develop trained and certified skill set Generate test benches in place Invest in the right technology Garner commitment of support from global OEMs Identify centralised MRO hubs in India Investments and hand holding by OEMs.

Statistics Talk According to the Civil Aviation Ministry, the Indian MRO industry will triple in size from $440 million in 2010 to $1.3 billion per annum by 2020. However, the country is way behind its competitors like the UAE, and China, among other emerging MRO destinations. Estimating the growth, the recent Union Budget has made significant provisions to pave way for investments to pour into this segment. The Budget has allowed External Commercial Borrowings (ECB) for working capital requirements of up to $1 billion per annum, and reduced the ECB withholding tax from 20% to 5% to help airlines access working capital at lower rates. The government has also exempted aircraft spare parts, new and retreaded tyres as well as training equipment from basic customs duty. This will help reduce maintenance cost of airlines and thus help the upcoming MRO industry. Many feel that the proposal has provided the Indian MRO industry

Testing New Shores

MODERN MACHINE TOOLS - Supplement June 2012

with a fair ground to compete with international competition. However, there are others who feel otherwise.

same turnaround time at a cost-effective solution as compared to the established set ups,” adds Baweja.

Is it the Right Time?

What’s in store for India?

Our neighbouring competitor, Singapore has become the most comprehensive MRO hub in Asia and has already attracted global attention and investment. While this has already increased the competition for the Indian industry to taste luck, there is competition coming in from countries like Jordan, Kenya and Dubai, among others. Even with the government relaxations, sending out an aircraft to established MRO set ups still seem to be a much cost-effective solution than investing in an industry which is yet to be conceived. “The government policies are in the right direction, but the market currently is not large enough to support the investment. The leading players like Air India already have their own MRO facility. For the rest of the commercial airlines, MRO services come as a part of the purchase package when they buy or lease out their aircraft. These services are provided by the established MRO houses already existing in the world,” explains Ashok Baweja, Sr Technical Advisor, HCL Technology and former Chairman, HAL. There are around 16 established MRO facilities worldwide like Lufthansa Technik, Singapore Airlines, etc., who provide competitive services in short turnaround time. “To do something similar in India, the country has to meet the global requirement in the

The functionality of an MRO industry has come up in three different patterns: The Tier Is and the system level integrators like Pratt & Whitney, Rolls Royce, etc., who are the manufacturers of the systems are keen to have their own MROs. Most airlines, over the period of time, have developed capability to support their own fleet and have eventually expanded their services to other airlines as well. The smaller companies who want to enter the business are vouching for tie ups to support the larger OEMs in various countries.

N Sriramulu, President, ITW Chemin For the Indian MRO industry to create a global impact, Indian companies will have to offer similar quality standards being offered worldwide.

The demand for aircraft is so high that the industry predicts the need for over 2,000 aircraft by 2020. According to the civil aviation ministry, the Indian MRO industry will triple in size from $440 million in 2010 to $1.3 billion per annum by 2020. India, however, will have to encounter various challenges as it tries to enter a competition with already established players. The growth of the MRO industry is trapped in a Catch-22 situation. On one hand, the fleet size in India is too small for an MRO hub to come up and the existing airlines already have their MRO services in place. On the other hand, the industry predicts that it might take at least five more years to strengthen the fleet size from the existing 350 aircraft. Given the lurch that the Indian airlines are trapped in

Ashok Baweja, Sr. Technical Advisor, HCL Technologies and former Chairman, HAL The government policies are in the right direction, but the market currently is not large enough to support the investment.

currently, a rampant expansion in the fleet sizes is something which might just have to wait.

Solving the Dilemma It goes without saying...aerospace is an industry with a long gestation period. Any investment put in would take years to reap the benefit. On the other hand, MRO is a relatively untested domain. Any investment will depend on risk and patience. Many feel that although it is unwise to make an investment now, the ‘sow now, reap later’ approach taken by the government is commendable. The industry essentially needs to be farsighted and risk significant investments to make the beginning. “For the Indian MRO to create a global impact, Indian companies have to offer similar quality standards being offered worldwide. For delivering such quality, globally approved parts and materials have to be used. This is where the challenge lies as very few companies have access to certified materials. The process of getting the product approval also takes a longer time,” explains N Sriramulu, President, ITW Chemin. The current growth of the aerospace industry could have been more had the companies adopted the risk taking ability. Even as converting India into a major MRO hub seems to be a distant dream, planned and measured preparedness would come in handy rather than losing the opportunities to counties like Singapore and Dubai. debarati.basu@infomedia18.in

MODERN MACHINE TOOLS - Supplement June 2012

Chasing Challenges - Raw Material Availability

Getting The Stocks In Place

or the global aviation industry, the dearth of raw materials continues to be an issue of concern. Given the considerable growth that the aerospace industry is going to witness in future, the dearth of raw materials will pose as an additional roadblock. According to recent reports presented at the Annual Aerospace Raw Materials & Manufacturers Supply Chain Conference, CA, aircraft OEMs and suppliers indicated that aircraft shipments are expected to expand 40–60% over the next decade, promising a significant global improvement in their 20-year forecasts. As per this forecast, which includes the production of approximately 1,40,000 aircraft between 2011 and 2020, annual shipments of composite structures are expected to increase about 300% (by volume) over this decade. This will increase the need for composite

materials and manufacturing leveraged by the commercial transport sector, which is currently growing 2–3 times faster than other aircraft segments. At the manufacturer’s level, composite aircraft structures represent a market valued at approximately $4.3 billion in 2011 and approximately $12.7 billion in 2020.

Tracing Demand Pattern The huge demand for new aircraft and high composites penetration will drive significant demand for composites in the aerospace market. According to a market study conducted by Lucintel, the total demand for composites in the commercial aerospace, regional jets, defence, general aviation, helicopter and other segments of aerospace market is expected to be worth $41.8 billion over the next 10 years. For the Boeing 787, composites are estimated to comprise 50% of the total

Courtesy: ThyssenKrupp Aerospace India Pvt Ltd.

The aerospace industry, which has been mushrooming in the Indian domain over the last decade, is now gearing up to make the most of the burgeoning opportunity. At a time when the amount of work coming into India has encouraged the industry to explore its potential in machining highly critical aero parts, manufacturers are bogged down with the core issue of timely availability of raw materials. Debarati Basu talks to the manufacturers and raw material distributors to get a reality check. structural weight of the aircraft, while Airbus 380 has 22% of its total structural weight comprised from composites. As per the continuing trends, aluminium is the predominant material used in the overall aerospace industry. However, the industry is increasingly opting for composite materials in its bid to manufacture low-weight, high-strength, fuel-efficient and corrosive-resistant aircraft. Lucintel’s analysis also tracks the trend of manufacturing narrow body aircraft. Wide body aircraft contains more than double the amount of composites as compared to narrow body aircraft. On the other hand, narrow body aircraft will carry approximately 35% composites of their structural weight by 2018. Lucintel predicts that the development of narrow body aircraft is expected to start by 2013–15, while its production is expected to commence by 2018.

Raw Material Availability

The Indian Dilemma Assessing the rise in the demand for aircraft manufacturing, the issue of raw material availability poses an even bigger problem for Indian manufacturers. The magnitude of work that is entering India would require a steady support in availing raw materials for production. India largely depends on the US, Europe and Russia for availing raw materials, while China is being considered as the next upcoming centre to avail raw materials. “The high demand for A320s & 737s and success of new platforms like A380, 787 & A350 have catapulted the industry to a new high. Airbus & Boeing have a backlog of about 5–6 years in terms of order books. Worldwide, aluminium forms 60–75% of the total aircraft requirement followed by steel (30%), titanium (5%) and other exotic materials (5%),” explains Gopi Hanumanthappa, MD, ThyssenKrupp Aerospace India Pvt Ltd. He, however, adds that the current lead times, for aluminium is about eight months, steel, over a year, and titanium between 6 and 8 months. Also, depending on the nature of the specifications, material lead times can easily go right up to two years. Hanumanthappa further explains that the mills which produce metallics have complexities in terms of very long lead times, minimum orders and inflexibility in production runs. As a result, the aerospace industry relies on a distribution mechanism to support their complex supply chains. Mill deliveries historically have a record of on time delivery of less than 40% and Gopi Hanumanthappa, MD, ThyssenKrupp Aerospace India Pvt Ltd Countries like Brazil, China and the US have made aerospace their national goal and they have always been taking proactive steps. However, India has still not got the basics in place.

MODERN MACHINE TOOLS - Supplement June 2012

hence, the industry has to necessarily be complemented with the distribution mechanism. Chris Rao, Head, Goodrich India, estimates that the overall Indian aerospace industry currently, has a $200–300 million material requirement. “But we are still in the chicken and egg situation. Since this is a high-mix low-volume industry, any kind of investment will require volumes to justify it. The raw materials that we get from India are good for general engineering, but they cannot be used for aerospace. So, they have to be imported,” he adds.

The growth in the aerospace industry will offer a further boost to the demand for raw materials in India.

Connecting the Dots It would not be wrong to say that India is still at the threshold of the opportunities that the aerospace industry has to offer. The country is still going through the learning curve before it enters the phase of serial production. As production picks up, the demand for raw materials will invariably receive a significant boost and a complementing shortage. The industry, however, needs to work with a long-term plan and vision in mind. Also, among the various issues, India still does not have a single facility to stock materials. Adding to this dilemma are the stocking policies in India, which do not give the permission to stock materials beyond a certain time period.

Taking Progressive Steps Titanium supplier representatives at

Chris Rao, Head, Goodrich India

The Indian industry is still testing waters, even though it needs to have risk taking capability. We need warehouses to stock materials; but for warehouses, we need volumes. We need to look at things from a larger perspective.

the Annual Aerospace Raw Materials & Manufacturers Supply Chain Conference indicated that the global demand for titanium alloys could grow about 8–10% annually through 2016. On the other hand, the Indian suppliers believe that given the increasing number of defence programmes and major OEMs investing in India, the demand in the next 3–4 years might go up by 25%. To meet the current crisis, the industry needs to work together. While a major section of the Indian industry is being hand held by OEMs, the industry needs to carefully plan out its future course to be ready when needed. With the projects that are pouring into the industry, proper scheduling of the entire process needs to be managed to conveniently meet the global manufacturing deadlines. Also, given the large number of SMEs who are involved in the industry, the segment needs additional attention and support. “As Tier I, we have our global agreements with distributors and we ensure that they support the smaller companies and extend the same terms and conditions to the companies so that they can afford it,” says Rao. With the Indian industry trying to establish a stronger footing in this sector, the industry needs to judiciously chart out its plans so that the raw materials availability does not become a roadblock in the growth track of the industry’s progress. debarati.basu@infomedia18.in

MODERN MACHINE TOOLS - Supplement June 2012

Sector Analysis

Innovation & India Rise as Industry Settles Although it has only been 108 years since the Wright Brothers’ first flight, the aerospace industry has contributed fundamentally to the way we live, work, travel, and communicate. For India is a nation on the ascent in terms of wealth creation, spending on space, commercial air transportation, and defence sector.

he Indian space sector has been countries. India’s 2012 Defence Global Aerospace and experiencing growth with the Procurement Procedure will also Defence Report, 2012 launch of Chandrayaan-I, define offset guidelines with the the Indian Remote Sensing series and introduction of certain standard The financial performance of the global practices and provision for Indian National Satellite system. The top global aerospace and defence Indian Space Research Organisation foreign exchange risk. The indigenous companies is expected to stay flat in (ISRO) is experiencing success with Indian defence sector continues to 2012. the in-country design and production Despite the challenging environment, look for favourable support from the of spacecraft. ISRO is likely to Indian Ministry of Defence (MOD) the aerospace and defence industry establish new facilities and develop a in terms of expeditious awarding of is likely to continue to develop game changing technology innovations, host of technologies for India’s first contracts, providing tax incentives, according to the report. manned mission scheduled for 2016. issuing industrial licences, increasing A new project, the Indian Regional foreign direct investment, and Navigational Satellite System, building up the indigenous defence has been developed for improving national intelligence, industrial base. Foreign defence contractors will need to surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities with the launch continue to work with these indigenous suppliers in order to be of the first satellite planned during 2012–13. Finally, the successful in India. Courtesy: Deloitte India Chandrayaan-II mission is expected to launch in 2013, with the objective of collecting samples of lunar soil and conduct in situ chemical and mineralogical studies. In commercial aviation, India is one of the fastest growing aviation markets and is expected to become the third largest domestic market after the US and China by 2020. The commercial aviation market in India is expected to grow at a CAGR of 18%. Also, the market for new passenger aircraft in India is expected to become a US$150-billion market, with 1,320 new airplanes delivered over the next 20 years. Traditional mainline as well as low-cost carriers are expected to participate in fleet renewals and additions to serve the new and growing markets. In addition, the flourishing Indian private general aviation and business jet market are expected to grow to 12% of the global market, surpassing China and Japan. It is expected to reach 2,000 units purchased by 2020, up from 650 units delivered by August 2011 year to date. Furthermore, there is an emerging demand for helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Defence spending is a welcome bright spot in India for global suppliers experiencing downturns in their home Nidhi Goyal, Director, Deloitte India “In the US and Europe, there is decreased spending on defence. However, countries, like India, are on the ascent in terms of spending on space, commercial air transportation, and defence sectors.”

OPINIONS & MORE - Anurag Kashyap & Subramanya B

MODERN MACHINE TOOLS - Supplement June 2012

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not all about China. With the ever expanding arenas of global aerospace, the market today is expanding across geography. & Middle East), Moog India and Subramanya B, Debarati Basu about how India is etching its own

Anurag Kashyap, MD, (India, SAARC & Middle East), Moog India

Q With India opening up to new

avenues, how do you see the growth pattern of the Indian aerospace industry shaping up?

Subramanya B: As against China, which is still typically run by governmentowned companies, India finds an upper hand as the country has opened up to independent business entrepreneurs, thereby giving advantage to private OEMs in India to manage business. Q

value that the Indian manufacturing industry offers. Today, it is not all about China. New markets have to be explored. Moreover, India has been posing as a very strong contender.

Anurag Kashyap: We certainly see a lot of growth and potential for the aerospace How can SMEs form a significant segment in India. The increasing amount part of this manufacturing chain? of offset projects will help the Indian Kashyap: For any industry to grow, all the industry to speed up its manufacturing Q What are the steps, which need to be taken to tap the potential of the levels of industry have to work together. technologies and bring itself at par with country optimally? Offloading a chunk of work to the SMEs the international levels. This phase is Subramanya: For long, not many people is a way this industry can grow. However, also critical for larger OEMs to initiate were aware of the growth opportunity and it also depends on how quickly SMEs can tie ups and collaborations in India and potential that aerospace manufacturing acquire the know-how to work with large get the best leverage out of the low-cost offers. But now, because of the saturation integrators. If they just continue to wait manufacturing in the country. in the Chinese market, the global market for the details and manufacture as per is looking at other markets to grow. In the specifications, they will be limiting Q India is facing additional competition from Brazil and new terms of Indian aerospace manufacturing, their growth. Indian SMEs need to take entrants like Turkey. How well a lot of OEMs have been using a lot more responsibility than the present, can India sail through this? engineering service providers for many take part in R&D activities actively, Kashyap: Brazil is known for its aerospace years now in India. This has developed be a risk taker and share the risk with industry. Some of the major OEMs are a knowledge base from an engineering these integrators. This trend is slowly located in Brazil and they have their own service perspective. Now, with aerospace, emerging now and the SMEs are taking supply chain, but the way the spotlight this knowledge needs to be transferred full responsibility of the component that is shifting to India, it will soon have into a manufacturing base. In that way, they are supplying. its own niche presence in this segment. India can develop greater advantage over Brazil and Turkey will continue to other countries. Despite the competition, Q Given the huge demand-supply ratio in the country, will India be grow, but Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s potential has not really with the magnitude at which the sector is able to meet the kind of demand been fully exploited till now. The growing, there will be enough market for that aerospace is generating? aerospace industry in India is at a stage all the regions to grow. Subramanya: Supplying to meet the where it can grow much faster than some Kashyap: Tier I today has also realised demand depends on the rate at which other countries. the potential and is able to assess the

Anurag Kashyap & Subramanya B

MODERN MACHINE TOOLS - Supplement June 2012

India too is a strong contender it is an impossible task to gauge the ways in which Anurag Kashyap, Managing Director, (India, SAARC Supply Chain Manager- Asia, Moog India, talks to course in the global aerospace industry. Excerpts...

Subramanya B, Supply Chain Manager â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Asia, Moog India

the country can absorb technology and the build capacity. The aerospace industry today is in a situation at which the growth expected is very high because of the numerous programmes generated by the commercial aircraft sector. Hence, India alone cannot absorb the amount of work which is there.

Q Do you see a change in the

attitude of Indian manufacturers to achieve global precision levels?

growing segments and we will be seeing a lot more growth in this area as people are taking additional interest. In terms of flight simulation, looking at the growth in the aviation sector, more simulators will be needed. Besides, all companies are now investing in better flight simulators. India is also gearing up to the testing needs, which translate directly with the maturity level of the suppliers as well. As India plans to set up commercial aircraft manufacturing, testing would play an integral role.

the Tier I does not have the required capability and depends on an external supply base. We need to bridge gaps from the R&D perspective in those sub subsystems. This industry also needs to strengthen itself in the special processes, which need to be done after manufacturing of aircraft components. Some special process capability has been developed over the last few years. However, it is not adequate either from capability or from the capacity required to meet the growing needs.

Kashyap: The focus of Indian manufacturers is changing very fast to achieve the requirement of any given Q What are the major challenges that we are facing in this segment? Q How do you foresee the future of precision industryâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;aerospace being the industry? Infrastructure has undoubtedly been the one. With the kind of machinery Kashyap: The gap between the steps taken major hurdle. Unlike other countries coming in and the investments being and the steps which need to be taken is where infrastructure attracts business, in made, the Indian industry is at par with huge. We might just be able to touch India, the strategy is the other way round, any developed nation. Also, with people around 50% of the demand-supply need i.e., once business flows in, infrastructure recognising value in this industry, now, in the next five years. However, we would follows. Infrastructure is always in the the lax attitude of the industry towards certainly see growth. The next five years follow up mode and that needs to change. precision has completely changed to projects an optimistic growth path, but Also, the Aerospace SEZ plans have still align itself with the needs of market. in the span of 10 years, the industry will not taken off in the way it should have. People are now exposed to the stringent gain a lot of maturity. In such a phase, This is causing anxiety among global requirements for aerospace and are companies who are willing to take the players to become aggressive in India. exposed to the market as well. risk and share the risk with the system Government delays have got investors integrators will have a lot of potential, into the wait and watch mode. Q How is the scenario of simulation and testing changing while those who limit their capabilities to Subramanya: Tier I makes the major in the Indian industry? just enter the spectrum will struggle. subsystems for aircraft. These subsystems, Kashyap: This is one of the fastest in turn, have sub subsystems where even debarati.basu@infomedia18.in

Indian Component Manufacturers

Poised for a

Spectacular

MODERN MACHINE TOOLS - Supplement June 2012

Take Off

Courtesy: jpclover

Opening the aerospace industry to private participation demonstrates the government’s intent to create an aeronautical manufacturing sector that can stand in its own right rather than limiting it to the defence industry. Also, dependence on other countries for high-tech supplies to the space and defence sectors can be reduced by broadening relevant manufacturing capacity within India. Nishant Kashyap analyses the current position of Indian aerospace component manufacturers…

ver since Indian aerospace manufacturing opened its doors to private participation in 2001, manufacturers of high-tech precision products have made significant investment to serve the aeronautical and astronautical requirements of the aerospace industry. Exports of aerospace products, particularly components, from India have increased significantly in the past couple of years. Several companies have successfully established their credentials for delivering locally produced components. Aero structures, assemblies, tool kits, composite components and parts are being developed & produced in public private partnerships.

New Avenues Not only international giants, many Indian

conglomerates, automobile manufacturers and some software providers have expressed interest in the Indian aerospace industry, which is a clear indicator of real opportunities in India. Moreover, with economies like Brazil performing well in the aerospace manufacturing sector, the market opportunity in this sector has not gone unnoticed in India. Tata Group’s JV with Augusta Westland for assembling helicopters from a $30mn greenfield facility in Hyderabad is aimed mainly at the Indian defence sector and civil markets worldwide. Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M), an Indian conglomerate, acquired Aerostaff Australia and Gippsland Aeronautics as part of the `1.75 billion investment to foray into aerospace components and aircraft manufacturing.Private sector aerospace manufacturers are

also assembling the entire aircraft with complete detailed parts. In addition, they have been building prototypes for bigger aircraft such as Saras and trainer aircraft like Hansa.

Need Gap The Indian manufacturing sector today is globally competitive with international quality standards, efficiency and manufacturing facilities. The country is fast developing into a manufacturing hub for world corporations wanting to leverage on the sector’s proven skills in product design, reconfiguration and customisation, thereby assuring quality with value. The defence expenditure and changes in policies have created huge demand in the country, which is the reason why many companies are entering into manufacturing of

Aerospace- Jun-2012

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Indian Component Manufacturers

MODERN MACHINE TOOLS - Supplement June 2012

additional and adequate training to their workforce, generate innovative ideas from within the organisation, create awareness among the workforce about the aerospace requirements & the quality issues, to sustain the market competition,” explains Raghav.

Instant Prospects To mitigate the constraints of capital, capacity and capability, the government has already opened the sector to private participation. Tata, Mahindra and Hinduja are groups with strong financial credentials that have entered into various alliances for manufacturing parts and assembling machines under offset agreements. However, there are strong prospects and good reasons for these groups to move from defence offset to licenced manufacturing and beyond to civil aviation manufacturing, as the defence market becomes saturated. The move from these big companies will further boost the demand for aerospace components, which will create good business opportunities for Indian SMEs. According to Raghav, “Aerospace component manufacturing and precision machining have created high demand for the machine tool building industry. This spells good news for OEMs. The machine tool building industry was earlier focussing on the general engineering, automotive, tool, die, mould, capital goods, consumer durables and intermediate goods sectors.

Exports of aerospace components from India 2000 1,467

1600 1200

1,030

800

716

693

400

Source: Indian Ministry of Commerce

Q1-2010-11

2009-10

2008-09

2007-08

2006-07

2005-06

2004-05

2003-04

2002-03

2000-01

Aerospace Exports in USD Mn.

aerospace components and technological upgradation. K Sai Venkata Raghav, MD, Raghav Aerospace Manufacturing Technologies Pvt Ltd, says, “The Indian component providers are ready to grab the defence-offset opportunity. Our industry is ready to cater to the offset requirements. However, the major task ahead for Indian aerospace component manufacturers is seeking/pumping investments to expand the existing facilities, recruiting skilled & trained additional manpower and retaining them. Most of the Indian aerospace machining industries need to work towards AS9100C Quality Management System Certification established by the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG), as it is now mandatory for exporting to global aerospace giants.” The aerospace industry, which calls for high-precision machining, requires equally high-end machines and technology to strike the equilibrium between the demand for quality & technology. Although Indian components have been accepted in the global market, they still need to graduate from low-cost secondhand machines to high-end technology. “To capture the aerospace market, component providers have to initiate and carry out more R&D activities to pump in additional investments to recruit technical and highly skilled manpower dedicated to this segment, constantly interact with the aerospace machining industry, give

Much of the growth in the machine tool industry came from these sectors. All these sectors need high-production, lowcost machine tools. These machine tools are produced and sold in significantly higher volumes with decent profitability. However, the needs of the aerospace and precision machining market are a little different; they need high precision machine tools, which are produced in low volumes, but fetch higher profits.” To meet its own challenge of having enough trained personnel to respond to opportunities in the wider aerospace sector, manufacturers plan to focus on training specialist technicians and engineers. The Society of Indian Aerospace Technologies and Aerospace is preparing to address this gap along the lines of the Automobile Components Manufacturers Association (ACMA). In addition, an investment of over `20 billion is expected to be made by leading aerospace manufacturers in the Devanahalli Aerospace Park, a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at Bengaluru, a designated design and manufacturing hub. HAL and Mahindra Group have made strategic investments to develop internal design and manufacturing capacity to reduce dependence on assembling components under licence to OEMs. HAL is planning to design and manufacture a multi-role helicopter for civil and defence use. The company expects a major upgrade in its capabilities by 2015 to allow it to begin to produce its own designed helicopters and aircraft. With the support of the state in areas such as technology development, tax incentives, establishment subsidies and access to state-owned resources (both infrastructure & inter-governmental alliances for design and manufacturing) and a focussed & clearly articulated policy commitment to the sector, Indian component manufacturers should be able to establish a strong presence in the global aerospace market over the next 10 years from what, on the surface, appears to be a small beginning. nishant.kashyap@infomedia18.in

FACILITY VISIT - GOODRICH AEROSPACE SERVICES PVT LTD

HIGH ON FIRST

ADVANTAGE It takes courage to tread into uncharted terrains and discover newer skies. ies. The terrain wa was full of risks for Goodrich when it decided to enter into the aerospace domain even before India cou could think of gearing up to take off in this direction. Today, the first ‘flight’ advantage has fetched many advantages for the company, including a plum position of being one of the largest MNCs in India in the aerospace segment. Debarati Basu reports…

n the year 1997, there were only 82 commercial aircraft flying in the Indian sky... no one planning any business strategy in the aerospace domain... It was then that Goodrich Aerospace Services Pvt Ltd decided to step into the country with its small maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) business for aircraft evacuation systems. Today, after 15 years, Goodrich stands tall as the only multinational aerospace company with a large activity in India. From a small shop with around 12 employees, the company today sprawls across a facility of over 4,50,000 sqft spread over two campuses in Whitefield, Bengaluru, with over 1,500 employees promoting innovation & excellence. What possibly could have been the mantra behind its success? “Of the 82 commercial aircraft, 60 were owned by government airlines (Air

India and Indian Airlines) who had their own MRO shops. So, starting an MRO service meant that we had only 22 aircraft to potentially offer our services to. From that perspective, it did not make strong business case as the economy of scale was simply not present. But what we had in mind was to do something different,” recalls Chris Rao, Head, Goodrich, India.

been constantly adding to its product line. The end customers include bid integrators like Airbus and Boeing, among others. “The quality parameters are very high in any aerospace product. While exterior lighting is a critical part of the aircraft, the precision demanded in interior lights cannot be neglected,” says Udayshankar Ravoory, Director – Operations, Goodrich, India.

Manufacturing a Saga

Strategising a Business Plan

The company started with its MRO service, which was later terminated. However, it has eventually been transitioning the production of a fair amount of products to India. From evacuation systems, specialty seating systems, interior & exterior aircraft lighting systems, cargo systems, actuation systems and power systems, the Indian subsidiary has

Spearheading a race also means that you need to carve the path to walk through. Goodrich went through the same grid, as it took its own steps to prepare the Indian industry to understand aerospace. The company, during its initial phase in India, had to struggle to create and educate the vendor base. “We were the first company in India to begin discussing aerospace

GOODRICH AEROSPACE SERVICES PVT LTD

MODERN MACHINE TOOLS - Supplement March 2012

Manufacturing Value Everyone talks about providing value to the customer today. But it is important to understand and assess the value within. This is something that Goodrich shop floor in India follows. A culture of Continuous Improvement (CI) is religiously practiced at every level of the company. This culture, over the years, has been integrated as a part of the overall functioning of the unit. “Along with delivering quality and meeting targets, we focus on bringing in improvement in manufacturing. Incorporating CI, we have improved productivity on every product by 25-30%. People usually think that India is not a highly productive country. We wanted to prove them otherwise,” emphasises Ravoory.

Goodrich’s Unique Shop Floor Practices manufacturing with vendors who were into automotive and general engineering. The vendors had to be educated about the aerospace business and we had to handhold them at every step,” explains Rao. While the industry itself is in a very nascent stage, the vendor base in the country is yet to pick up in a big way. But despite the odds, the Bengaluru unit of Goodrich has become a strategic centre for the company’s growth. “The Indian economy had opened up in the mid 90s and there was a sudden flurry of activities in the airlines business. Many realised that India was in the growth mode and with passenger traffic increasing, we chose to support the servicing of the aircraft evacuation system,” says Rao, adding, “Our strategy was simple. We were a young and enthusiastic team who entered into totally uncharted territory. We were the benchmark trend-setters and wanted to prove that India would be the right destination for aerospace manufacturing.”

Operating approach: Continuous Improvement (CI) is followed at every level. CI is all about eliminating waste from any process, which, in turn, reduces costs. People philosophy: It deals with openness, trust and respect. It is followed at all the company’s facilities across the globe. Free work environment: Instead of binding people with rules and regulations, they are given the liberty to make decisions.

go up. The increase in production of aircraft will have to move to Asia since the APAC region’s demand for aircraft is almost 30% of the global demand and is expected to increase further... China has already embarked on its own aircraft production and India wants to do the same now. Aerospace is a low-volume high-mix industry and the right combination of engineering, manufacturing and supply chain is ideally suited for India,” explains Rao.

Building an Ecosystem Creating a business is not just about grand vision, but also about translating the vision into reality by taking appropriate action at the right moment. Being pioneers in this field; Goodrich, over the last few years, has been working with the industry and the government to build the right ecosystem for the Indian aviation industry. “This ecosystem has to link industry, academia and government bodies with a vision to create a worldclass capability,” says Rao. Goodrich has already taken its step to put the Indian aerospace industry on the global map. In the US-India bilateral talks of manufacturing airworthy products from India, Goodrich is about to set a milestone where the company’s life raft programme has been selected to be the first Indian airworthy product. The certification, which is being closely worked out between the FAA and Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), is in its final stages of approval.

Rampantly Changing Scenario The automotive industry came to India because there was a market and a rising demand that justified the investment. However, the aerospace industry entered the country when it had no aerospace manufacturing capability. The scenario is rampantly changing and many companies today are investing in this segment in India. “The current global production is 1,500 aircraft per year and that will only

Future Course The company, which is currently into mechanical, hydro mechanical and electronic assembly, is continuously expanding its product portfolio. “The company is now focussing on combining its engineering and manufacturing capabilities so that the unit will be responsible for the complete product life cycle,” says Rao. debarati.basu@infomedia18.in

Policy Watch â&#x20AC;&#x201C; FDI in Aerospace

to Glob s e i a Sk

he Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) has, so far, issued 178 Letters of Intent / Industrial Licences (IL) with 10 ILs issued last year to companies for manufacturing a wide range of defence equipment on the recommendation of the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Further, 17 joint ventures have been formed so far, between private Indian and foreign companies. It is estimated that deals worth approximately $24.6 billion have been signed by the MoD with global integrators in the last two years and deals worth approximately $42 billion are in the final stages. The emerging opportunities in the aerospace and defence sector coupled with large equipment and modernisation programmes in the pipeline and a projection of an overall spend of over $100 billion over the next 10 years, is resulting in foreign OEMs to compete over big projects. A recent case in point is the multi-billion dollar Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA)

The increasing number of deals that have been signed with global players in the recent past and the Government of Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s approach to liberalise the sector and enable private sector participation in defence production, makes India an attractive market for the aerospace and defence sector. However, the global aerospace industry is still waiting for the government to liberalise its policies to facilitate business to pour in.

ings

MODERN MACHINE TOOLS - Supplement June 2012

n i n g In e p O dia

deal, which, at a cost of about $10 billion, involved the procurement of over 126 aircraft and attracted bids from six companies from eight countries i.e. Boeing (USA), Lockheed Martin (USA), Dassault (France), RSK (Russian), Eurofighter (European Conglomerate) and Saab Gripen (Sweden).

The Framework India is one of the largest importers and users of defence products. Despite this, the government has adopted a highly regulated regime, which can be termed as conservative. Although foreign participation and private participation in the aerospace and defence sector has been relaxed over time; Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows have steadily increased, the potential for growth, investment and advancement is far from saturation. FDI in India is governed by the policies of the Government of India (GoI) issued from time to time by the DIPP, Ministry of Commerce and

Industry. In terms of the FDI Policy, FDI is permitted either under the automatic route or under the approval route. While under the automatic route, no prior approval is required (Automatic Route), under the approval route, approval from the Foreign Investment Promotional Board (FIPB) is mandatory (Approval Route). As per the existing FDI policy, which came into force with effect from April 10, 2012, FDI in the defence sector is permissible up to 26% under the approval route subject to an industrial licence under the Industrial Act, 1951. An industrial licence under the IRDA is subject to certain conditions which, inter alia, include: The license application will be considered and licenses will be given by the DIPP in consultation with the MOD The applicant has to be either an Indian company or a partnership firm The management of the applicant company/partnership firm must remain in Indian hands with majority

FDI in Aerospace

MODERN MACHINE TOOLS - Supplement June 2012

representation on the Board and the Chief Executives of the company/ partnership firm have to be resident Indians The government can verify the antecedents of foreign collaborator sand domestic promoters including their financial standing and credentials in the world market There would be no minimum capitalisation requirement A foreign investor cannot transfer equity to another non-resident investor before the expiry of a lockin period of three years. Even after that, such transfers would only be permitted with the prior approval of the government. The licence will contain capacity norms for production, which will be arrived at after taking into consideration existing capacities for similar and allied products. A licencee can produce only the licenced products, in the sanctioned quantity. He can neither diversify nor enhance production without necessary sanction. Purchase preference and price preference may be given to the public sector organisations as per guidelines from the Department of Public Enterprises. Arms and ammunitions will be primarily sold to the MoD. The sale of such items to other government entities and their export will require prior approval of the MoD. Non -lethal items may be sold to nongovernment entities.

Benefitting Component Manufacturers The Defence Procurement Procedure, 2011 (DPP) issued by the MoD which deals with requirements of all capital acquisitions has adopted an offset policy, which applies to all capital acquisitions by the MoD, categorised as Buy (Global) or Buy and Make with Transfer of Technology, where the estimated cost of the acquisition proposal is `3 billion or

more. While in the case of Buy Global a uniform offset of 30% of the estimated cost of the acquisition is the minimum required value of the offset, in Buy and Make category acquisitions, 30% of the foreign exchange component will be the minimum value of the offset. In terms of the DPP, the offset obligations can be, inter alia, discharged through comninations of (a) direct purchase of or executing export orders for eligible products and components manufactured by Indian industries; or (b) direct foreign investment in Indian industries for industrial infrastructure for services, co-development, joint ventures and co-production of eligible products and components. Further, for the discharge of future obligations, OEMs can create offset credits, which can be banked and will remain valid for two financial years. With the offsets policy, the sheer volume of planned expenditure will create new opportunities for Indian firms, enabling them to have broader market access and platforms that can be met by foreign firms. The DPP has further liberalised the policy as it entitles an OEM to choose its Indian offset partner, change the partner in exceptional cases and choose any combinations for discharge of offset obligations. Although, the offset policy appears to be quite liberal in its approach, it is still viewed with an element of conservatism. In contrast to acceptable global practices, the offset policy does not permit indirect offsets, and technology transfer through offsets. This implies that discharge of offsets will be primarily through export of defence goods and services. Since, present Indian defence exports amount to $50 million annually, it will be difficult to convince OEMs that the Indian defence industry can absorb offsets worth billions of dollars. One cannot ignore that it is primarily defence technology that India needs to achieve its objective of 70% indigeneous production. However, the government has neglected this significant aspect and does not accept technology transfer under

its offset policy. As mentioned above, a period of two financial years, the present validity period for banking of offsets, is far too little to attract foreign investors who intend to establish a long term presence in India. Further, evidence shows that OEMs have found governmental requirements for industrial offsets extremely onerous and expensive. Bell helicopters cited this as the main reason while withdrawing a proposal to sell the MOD 197 of its 407model, light-utility helicopters. As part of its efforts, the MoD proposes to permit transfer of technology as a valid offset; extend by two years the period within which vendors must discharge their offset obligations; and extend the validity of banked offset credits to seven years (as compared to the existing 2 years).

The Way Forward The current regime which only permits 26% FDI in the defence and also prescribes that the management of such company/firm should remain in Indian hands with majority representation on the Board, and the Chief Executives of such company/firm to be Indian residents, is perceived to be a protectionist approach by OEMs. Such restrictions often work as an impediment in attracting FDI, for the simple reason that, with little control over the joint venture company, the OEMs do not get comfort over their operations and investments including the use of technology which is also transferred in the process. Yet, it cannot be denied that the MoD along with GoI is making conscious efforts to liberalise, streamline and simplify its procurement procedures. The revised offset policy is testament to this fact. But, given the significance and sensitive nature of the defence industry in India, and the potential impact any revision in policy may have on national security, change is slow and often misdirected. Author: Shivpriya Nanda, Partner, J.Sagar Associates

Ultrasonic Machining

MODERN MACHINE TOOLS - Supplement June 2012

Beyond Milling or Grinding Ultrasonic machining, a process a little like milling and a little like grinding, but ultimately different from both these methods, opens new possibilities for NASA engineers using previously unmachinable materials.

hen you think about the technical challenges of unmanned space exploration, chances are that you consider the difficulty of safely delivering a spacecraft to some precise location in orbit or to another world. The ability of engineers to do this remains a marvel. However, the challenges do not end there. That unmanned craft also needs to explore. Specifically, it needs to take measurements—often precise measurements of minute substances or discrete wavelengths of radiation. The craft’s equipment has to be sensitive enough to accomplish this, but at the same time rugged enough to function through demands that include extreme variation in temperature. For NASA, the Space Instruments Shop, part of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, is one of the locations where these sensing devices are made. An essential area of this shop’s expertise is micromachining. Precise machining centers, including two microscopeequipped Bostomatic machines, mill and drill small instrument components to produce features that are often just barely

visible to the unassisted eye. Another CNC milling machine, custom-built for the shop by DAC International, handles work that is even finer—using a 110,000rpm spindle and positioning resolution of 10 microinches. Typical of the parts the shop produces are microwave blocks with milled waveguide channels that are generally smaller than 0.010 inch wide and often nearly as small as 0.001 inch wide. Peter Bruneau is one of the machining specialists engaged in this work. He says another area of the shop’s expertise—an area he sees growing in significance— is machining of exotic materials. In fact, he sees this area growing in importance specifically as it relates to micromachining. The shop recently expanded its capabilities with the addition of a Sauer ‘ultrasonic’ five-axis machining center from DMG/Mori Seiki. With the ability to produce precise electronicsrelated components from previously unmachinable ceramics, the machine will add to the design possibilities available to NASA’s engineers.

High Frequency NASA design engineers and scientists routinely consult with the Space

Instruments Shop, relying on its staff not only as machinists, but also as manufacturing advisors. Usually, the shop helps them by suggesting refinements to part designs to ensure manufacturability. Sometimes, where critical parts require it, the shop seeks out new capabilities. That was the case with a set of mirrors made from Ultra Low Expansion Glass (a Corning product) for the Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 satellite. The mirrors were being ground prior to a gradient lapping operation, but the grinding was slow, costly and prone to leaving surface cracks. Seeking an alternative, JPL found that ultrasonic machining would produce the mirrors more efficiently and reliably. The ultrasonic machine tool is equipped with a 42,000-rpm spindle that accommodates a machining center’s toolholder and cutting tool. During ultrasonic material removal, however, the machine holds an abrasive tool instead. By rapidly oscillating the tool through a tightly controlled amplitude, the machine chisels the material away using microscopic impacts at the rate of tens of thousands of strikes per second. The process takes a little bit of

Ultrasonic Machining

MODERN MACHINE TOOLS - Supplement June 2012

getting used to, Bruneau says, but only a little bit. Machining this way involves at least one parameter that is alien to other processes, because a tool is ‘tuned’ to find a stable oscillation frequency. That frequency is somewhere between 20,000 Hertz and 50,000 Hertz. Where the process does use familiar parameters, he says the values of those parameters challenge his expectations. “I continue to be surprised by the material removal rate we can achieve in hard materials,” he says. He says he constantly reminds himself: “Let’s try pushing it a little more.” He adds that one additional challenge is how to hold the part precisely enough that setup error does not compromise the machine’s accuracy potential. This workholding challenge is greater with the ultrasonic machine than it is with the Bostomatic machine because five-axis workpiece pivoting can cause location errors to compound trigonometrically. The shop therefore uses the Fine Tooling System from Erowa on this machine—a system consisting of a pallet and receiver that both clamps the work rigidly and ensures repeatable location. Apart from these considerations, Bruneau says that the ultrasonic machine behaves practically like another machining center. He programmes it using the same CAM software the shop uses for its other machines. In fact, currently, it serves primarily as a conventional machining center. The high-pressure coolant system the shop

The mirrors to be used in the Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 are made from Ultra Low Expansion Glass

bought to clear swarf from the mirror surfaces makes the machine particularly effective in that role. With a coolant centrifuge capturing that swarf to clean the coolant, the shop is able to switch to conventional metal machining without having to change the coolant. For now, those conventional operations—five-axis milling and drilling—account for most of the work done on the machine, but that will change, he says.

Hard Machining Yet another area of expertise on JPL’s campus is found in the Microdevices Laboratory. That department is, among other things, a chip foundry—producing

Peter Bruneau shows another component that is typical of the micromachining work that the Space Instruments Shop routinely performs

microprocessor chips to performance requirements that outside industry would not be able to achieve cost effectively. While these chips have to perform well across extreme ranges of temperature, the miniature structures holding these chips also have to maintain their precision across the same large temperature range. Increasingly, chip designers are looking at exotic ceramic materials to achieve this thermal stability, but Bruneau says this choice imposes design limitations. Metal can be machined into precise shapes, but the hardest ceramic materials historically could not be machined— so they have instead been built up through an additive process that is less precise. The additive process is poorly suited to building straight walls, for

The ultrasonic machining center provided an alternative to grinding that was faster and more effective for machining critical glass workpieces

example, making tight assemblies of these structures impossible. So what is the answer? The answer is ultrasonic machining. Bruneau says that an abrasive tool as small as 0.015 or 0.020 inch in diameter could be used to machine precise features in very small, hard ceramic parts. In fact, because the machine has five axis, multiple faces can be accurately machined in this way to produce novel chip structure designs that are space-efficient indeed. Soon, the Space Instruments Shop will begin its first project investigating the ultrasonic machining of one of the new ceramic materials used to make these chip structures. One of the rewards of this work will be the way it changes conversations with design engineers. In the role of manufacturing advisor, the shop’s personnel often pose negative questions. That is, they ask, “Do you really need this feature?” or “Is that tolerance necessary?” Now, those questions will turn positive. Designers are still unaware of the freedoms ultrasonic machining will give them, so Bruneau will soon be asking questions along the lines of “Have you considered this material?” or “Do you realise you can now produce this challenging shape?” Discovering the possibilities of the shop’s new capability will expand what spacecraft can do, and Bruneau is looking forward to the exploration. Courtesy: Modern Machine Shop Magazine

Product & Advertisersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Index

Sl. No Product

Pg No

MODERN MACHINE TOOLS - Supplement June 2012

Sl. No Product

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Sl. No Product

Pg No

Aerosol multispray ..................................... 12

23 Cylindrical & internal grinding machine .....BIC

44 Solid carbide drill .................................... 6, BC

Airline fluid .....................................................12

24 Dead length collet .........................................25

45 Solid carbide drill with IC ................................6

Assembly & high temperature grease .............12

25 Double angle collet..........................................25

46 Solid carbide mill...............................................6

Auto-diffmachine simulation ..........................11

26 Drill tool ............................................................8

47 Solid carbide reamer ..........................................6

Boring and milling machine ........................... 4

27 Electric discharge machine ............................. 5

48 Solid carbide reamer with IC ............................6

Carbide endmill tool ...................................... 8

28 Expandable mono block-reamer.................... BC

49 Solid carbide special drill...................................6

Chain oil ..........................................................12

29 Form & cylinder tester ..................................30

50 Solid carbide special mill ...................................6

Clamping tool....................................................8

30 Grease...........................................................12

51 Solid carbide special reamer ..............................6

CNC lathe ................................................FIC, 4

31 High speed machining center ......................... 3

52 Solid mono block reamer .............................. BC

32 Hydraulic & gear oil .......................................12

53 Spare part ..........................................................5

33 Industrial metrology ......................................30

54 Special boring bar .......................................... BC

34 ISO collet ........................................................25

55 Special fine boring tool ................................. BC

35 Lube .............................................................29

56 Standard fine boring tool .............................. BC

36 Machine simulation .....................................11

57 Surface & profile grinding machine .............BIC

37 Metal cutting tool..............................................6

58 Threading tool ........................................ 8, BC

17 Composite application .....................................11

38 Milling tool .......................................................8

59 Tool grinding ...............................................BIC

18 Compressor oil ................................................12

39 Model export interface ....................................11

60 Tooling system ..................................................8

19 Coolant ............................................................29

40 Multi gauging system ......................................30

61 Transparent gel ................................................12

20 Co-ordinate measuring machine .....................30

41 Optipath .......................................................11

62 Turning tool ......................................................8

21 Cutting oil .......................................................29

42 Opto-electronic system....................................30

63 Vertical and horizontal machining centre ....... 4

22 Cutting speed optimisation .............................11

43 Carbide reamer .............................................. BC

64 Wear part....................................................... 5

10 CNC machine ...................................................3 11 CNC machine probe .......................................11 12 CNC machine simulation ...............................11 13 CNC machining center .....................................3 14 CNC turning center .................................FIC, 3 15 CNC vertical machining center ........................3 16 Collet ...............................................................25

Pg No

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Reg No: MH / MR / WEST / 235 / 2012 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2014 RNI No: MAHENG / 2008 / 24347 Licence to Post at Mumbai Patrika Channel Sorting Office, Mumbai GPO., Mumbai 400 001 Date Of Posting 5th & 6th Of Every Month / English & Monthly. Date Of Publication: 28th of Every Month