Manufacturing Today June 2013

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Registered with Registrar of Newspapers under RNI No. MAHENG/2011/37959, Postal Registration No. MH/MR/N/154/MBI/2013, Published on 5th of every month. Posted at Patrika Channel Sorting Office, Mumbai-400001, Posting date: 7th & 8th of every month VOLUME 3 | ISSUE 5| JUNE 2013 | `50 | TOTAL PAGES 70

Manufacturing YOUR DECISIVE TOOL FOR MANUFACTURING EXCELLENCE

WHAT IT TAKES TO PULL THE AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY OUT FROM THE DUMPS

PLANT VISIT

HOW M&M’S OLDEST FACILITY IS STILL MAKING PROFITS

SUPPLY CHAIN TOOLS OPTIMISING MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEMS

USING IPR FOR A COMPETITIVE EDGE Published by ITP Publishing India





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Contents

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Plant visit Despite being almost 50 years old, Mahindra & Mahindra’s Kandivali tractor plant continues to be an epitome of operational excellence. Sudhir Pathak, senior VP, M&M, who heads the manufacturing, SCM and CME functions for the division, tells us how.

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18

22

44

News

Aerospace

Cover story

Innovation

Round up on key happenings and major announcements

Updates on investments, launches and strategies

How Indian automotive OEMs are engineering their revival

How the Tatas are leveraging inter-company collaboration

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Manufacturing Today JUNE 2013


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EDITOR'S NOTE

Mind over machine

D “While having world-class plants may be necessary, it is more important to have worldclass mindsets.”

uring an insightful panel discussion at last year’s Manufacturing Today Conference and Awards, the operations head of Kirloskar Brothers made an interesting point. Speaking in the context of India’s aspirations for manufacturing leadership, he said that while having world-class plants may be necessary, it is more important to have worldclass mindsets. We had a first-hand experience of this approach when we visited the Mahindra & Mahindra’s tractor plant in Mumbai. Once on the verge of shutting down, this plant is today thriving as an exports hub due to the efforts of the people working here. What’s more amazing and inspiring is the fact that these people have done it by mostly using machines and equipment that are at least 30 years old or even more. A fierce focus on training and maintenance has given the men and machines at this plant the ability to compete with much younger and better-equipped plants within the group. The manufacturing head of this facility, who is very passionate about lean manufacturing, has been able to make this possible only by changing mindsets. We believe people like him and those working with him are the real heroes of Indian manufacturing. We will be seeking out more such amazing case studies to showcase the transformation that Indian manufacturing is going through. By the way, we have also created the awards platform to recognise and honour the achievements of such star performers. Nominations are now open. Do you think your team has set new benchmarks? Has your manufacturing plant touched the peaks of operational efficiency? If yes, then what are you waiting for? Send your entries now.

Editorial Advisory Board

Niranjan Mudholkar, Editor

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Kishore Jayaraman, President Rolls-Royce South Asia

Aman Chadha, Chairman, EEPC India (Also MD, Nikko Bearings)

Anant Sardeshmukh, Executive Director General, MCCIA

Manufacturing DECISIVE TOOL FOR MANUFACTURING EXCELLENCE

TODAY

Volume 3 | Issue 5 | June 2013

ITP Publishing India Pvt Ltd Notan Plaza, 3rd fl oor, 898, Turner Road Bandra (West), Mumbai - 400050 T +91 22 6154 6000 Deputy managing director S Saikumar Publishing director Bibhor Srivastava Group editor Shafquat Ali T +91 22 61546038 shafquat.ali@itp.com

Editorial Editor Niranjan Mudholkar T +91 98 1953 1819 niranjan.mudholkar@itp.com

Advertising Business head Sanjay Bhan T +91 98457 22377 sanjay.bhan@itp.com Advertising & Sales Hafeez Shaikh T +91 98331 03611 hafeez.shaikh@itp.com

Studio Head of design Milind Patil Designer Reshma Jhunjhunwala

Production Deputy production manager Ramesh Kumar ramesh.kumar@itp.com

Circulation Distribution manager James D’Souza T +91 22 6154 6032 james.dsouza@itp.com

Disclaimer The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for error or omissions contained in this publication, however caused. The opinions and views contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. Readers are advised to seek specialist advice before acting on information contained in this publication, which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the readers’ particular circumstances. The ownership of trademarks is acknowledged. No part of this publication or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publishers in writing. An exemption is hereby granted for extracts used for the purpose of fair review. Printed and Published by Sai Kumar Shanmugam, Flat no 903, Building 47, NRI Colony, Phase – 2, Part -1, Sector 54, 56, 58, Nerul, Navi Mumbai 400706, on behalf of ITP Publishing India Private Limited, printed at Repro India Limited, Marathe Udyog Bhavan, 2nd Floor, Appasaheb Marathe Marg, Prabhadevi, Mumbai 400 025, India and published at Notan Plaza, 3rd floor, 898, Turner Road, Bandra (West), Mumbai - 400050 Editor Niranjan Mudholkar

Arun Jaura, VP Technology, and Head - India Engineering Center, Eaton Corporation

Manufacturing Today JUNE 2013

Rajesh Nath, MD & CEO, German Engineering Federation (VDMA), India

N Tarachand Dugar, President, All India Manufacturers’ Organisation (Also Chairman, Dugar Group)

Published by and © 2013 ITP Publishing India Pvt Ltd RNI No: MAHENG/2011/37959



Aerospace... pg18

News

Plant visit... pg30

• Announcements • Orders • Data

Manufacturing bouncing back There are indications that Indian manufacturing will bounce back in the coming months. The HSBC India Manufacturing PMI suggests that manufacturing activities in India are likely to gain momentum with operating conditions improving further during April. “Manufacturing production increased fractionally, following a solid rise registered over the first quarter of the year. Growth in order book volumes was also sustained for the forty-ninth month running during April, amid evidence of firm demand and new product launches,” the HSBC PMI survey reported. Similarly, the quick estimates of Index of Industrial Production (IIP) for the month of March 2013 show that the General Index stands at 192.3, which is 2.5 per cent higher as compared to the level in the month of March 2012. The cumulative growth for the period April-March 2012-13 over the corresponding period of the previous year stands at 1.0 per cent. The indices of industrial production for manufacturing for March 2013 stood at 205.0, growing at 3.2 per cent as compared to March 2012. The cumulative growth during April-March 2012-13 over the corresponding period of 2011-12 has been 1.2 per cent. “The sector seems to have picked up. And if the April numbers are any indica-

The current up-tick in industrial production numbers augurs well for the India's economy.

tions then we can safely assume that rest of the year will see manufacturing bouncing back. A good monsoon will add to the momentum,’ said Sudhir Pathak, senior VP, manufacturing, SCM & CME, M&M Ltd. However, Naina Lal Kidwai, president, FICCI said that it is too early to conclude that revival has started. “The current up-tick in industrial production numbers combined with decline in inflation numbers augurs well for the economy. However, we will have to strive harder to keep up this momentum,” she said.

Boost for private sector in defence The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has approved the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2013. The move will go long way in encouraging participation from the private sector in defence manufacturing. It will also lead to sharing the public version of LongTerm Integrated Perspective Plan. Industry body FICCI, which welcomed the move, said its recommendations had materialised. These included preferential treatment to domestic companies, simplification of Buy and Make (Indian) and Make category, defining indigenous content, ironing out discrepancies in the taxes as well as the duty structure. “Issues such as loading of taxes and duties on Indian offset partners, as also domestic firms given purchase preference over foreign OEMs need to be addressed,” said Dr A Didar Singh, secretary general, FICCI.

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The proposal regarding revival of five closed units of Fertilizer Corporation of India Ltd has been approved. The demand-production gap for urea in India is projected at around nine million tonnes during the current plan period.

During 2006-12, India’s import of electrical equipment grew at a CAGR of over 30 per cent in rupee terms and was Rs75,175 crore in 2011-12, according to DGCIS data. Imports have captured over 40 per cent market now.

Indian Construction Equipment Manufacturers Association has appointed Amit Gossain, executive VP at JCB India as its new president. Anand Sunderasan, VC & MD, Schwing Stetter India takes over as the vice president.

The Government of India has granted in principle approval for setting up of 15 Greenfield airports across the country. Work at six airports, namely, Gulbarga, Hassan, Shimoga, Durgapur, Pakyong and Shirdi has already started.

PTC will host PTC Live Service Exchange to help service professionals to transform their business into a source of competitive advantage for manufacturers. Event is planned for June 11-12 at the Hilton Anaheim in California.

Gandhi Automations has become the first and only Indian company in the field of entrance automations to receive the ISO 9001:2008 certification in accordance with TUV NORD CERT procedures.

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Sandvik to strengthen its R&D in India; to source more, and to build a new plant Sandvik is aiming to develop its India unit as a specialised centre of excellence by 2016. Accordingly, the company has acquired 50 acres of land for Rs64 crore in the Chakan industrial area of Pune. The plant will produce India specific products across Sandvik's portfolio for mining, machining solutions, materials technology and construction. The company will also be investing considerably in R&D by 2016. It continues to successfully add new products across business interests. To start with, Sandvik has launched its locally designed, sourced and manufactured surface rock drill 160 D for the Indian market. This is one of the first developments from Sandvik's engineering and design centre, which will now be expanded. This will be complemented by strengthened teams at Bangalore, Kolkata and Gurgaon. Ajay Sambrani, MD, Sandvik Asia, said, “We believe in the India growth story and will continue to invest in this market. However, the government needs to push for reforms to

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in numbers

Rs

2052.58 crore

Olof Faxander, CEO & president, Sandvik Group and Ajay Sambrani, MD, Sandvik Asia announcing acquisition of land for a new plant in Chakan

unleash India’s potential in the manufacturing and infrastructure segments.” Olof Faxander, CEO & president, Sandvik Group added, “Sandvik will increase sourcing from India for its global operations for components, assemblies, materials, spares and consumables. Our overall focus is to provide added values to ensure the customers’ enhanced productivity, higher competitiveness and increased profitability.”

Funds approved by the government for setting up a diesel locomotive factory at Marhowra, Bihar, besides Rs1293.57 crore for setting up of an electric locomotive factory at Madhepura, also in Bihar.

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News

in numbers

Rs

49,000 crore

The annual plan size for the year 2013-14 for Maharashtra finalised by the Planning Commission. In addition the PSE (public sector) plan has been fixed at Rs31,500 crore.

9.1

million

Valvoline Cummins opens new plant Valvoline Cummins Ltd has opened a new manufacturing and packaging plant in the Ambernath Industrial Area, near Mumbai. The new facility will produce automotive lubricants for the consumer, industrial and heavy-duty markets. Built on 10 acres of land, the new US$30 million plant expands the Valvoline brand’s in-house production capabilities. Initial capacity of the plant is 120 million litres per year with future capacity of 150 million litres. Current blend lines include simultaneous measuring and blending as well as automated batch blending and oil products produced include engine, gear, hydraulic, industrial and transmission. “Western India is a manufacturing hub that has the largest consumption of industrial lubricants among all regions,” said Sam Mitchell, president of Ashland Consumer Markets, a commercial unit of Ashland

Foundry

The employment needed to create the estimated value of output as per the perspective plan of the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) in 2020.

Rs

4,76,159 crore

Exports from SEZs in 2012-13 registering a ten-fold increase from about Rs34,615 crore in 2006-07.

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The plant at Ambernath

Inc and the producer of Valvoline branded products. Sandeep Kalia, CEO of Valvoline Cummins Ltd said, “The new plant will enable us to provide our customers with additional innovative solutions and products to improve business results.” Valvoline Cummins also recently opened a new training center in Pune. Cummins engineers and technicians receive on-site training including all aspects of engine lubrication and maintenance.

Infrastructure

Metso adds capacity

New ports development

The investment will triple the production capacity of high-chrome wears from 1000MT to 3000MT

Besides plans for two new ports on the eastern coast, the Vishakhapatnam port will also be upgraded

Metso has expanded its foundry located in Ahmedabad recently. This expansion rides on an investment of Rs400 million and addresses the global demand-supply gap in cast wears. The investment will triple the production capacity of high-chrome wears from 1000MT to 3000MT. “With this expansion we will improve our capability to supply wear parts to our mining and construction customers close to their operations and further develop our services business”, said João Ney Colagrossi, president, services business line, mining and construction, Metso. Kamal Pahuja, vice president, mining & construction, Metso India, said, “The expansion of the Ahmedabad foundry is in line with our global strategy of increasing our presence in emerging markets.”

The Ministry of Shipping plans to set up a new major port at Sagar Island in West Bengal through the PPP mode. Existing port facilities at Kolkata and Haldia are riverine and are facing huge draught limitations. The plan is to provide a deep draught port at Sagar Island which would obviate the need for heavy maintenance dredging and also be able to handle large vessels. The ministry has also commissioned techno-economic feasibility reports for a new major port at Dugarajapatnam in Andhra Pradesh (AP). Rapid industrial growth in the hinterland of Visakhapatnam Port has rendered it necessary to have another major port in AP. Meanwhile, the project for upgradation at Visakhapatnam Port for iron ore handling has also been approved.

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News

IN BRIEF

Ceratizit starts its second unit in India

Lafarge sells stake

Lafarge SA signed an agreement to raise EUR200 million through capital increase subscribed by Baring Private Equity Asia. The deal represents a 14 per cent stake in the Indian subsidiary, Lafarge India. Subject to the approval of local authorities, it will accelerate Lafarge’s growth plans in India in all its product lines: cement, aggregates and concrete. Sinoma enters India

Hong Kong based Sinoma International Engineering has signed a JV with Chennai based cement equipment manufacturing company LNV Technology to enter the Indian market. Total transaction price of this deal is approximately Rs130 crore. The JV aims to expand local manufacturing at international quality standards. Estimated demand for cement production capacity in India is 20-30 million tonnes this year. PlastIndia in Gujarat

Gandhinagar, the capital of Gujarat, will host PlastIndia 2015, the country’s largest plastic trade show. This will be the ninth edition for this plastics exhibition and conference, which aims to offer a global platform for buyers and sellers from plastic industry. The exhibition space will be spread over a large area of 1,00,000 sq m.

Cutting tools major Ceratizit India announced its expansion in India with the setting up of a second production unit Uluberia Industrial Area near Kolkata. The new plant will cater to the demand from Indian and other Asian markets. Ceratizit India has already been manufacturing hard metal products in Bengal for 17 years and has become an integral part of the global production and is now responsible for the supply of cutting tools for the entire Asian region. Hence, it intends to expand its business to meet the demand and supply of cutting tools with the new plant. The new production unit is spread over 6.2 acres with the production capacity ex-

pected to increase three times compared to the present unit at Barisha. The expansion would also lead to creating job opportunities for 200 people and projected to generate revenue of Rs150-200 crore in the next couple of years. Besides the domestic market which has grown by 9-10 per cent CAGR, Ceratizit will serve the market in China in addition to all major Asian markets like Taiwan, Korea, Thailand and Malaysia. “We are enthusiastic about this plant. The increase of our production capacities will create new job opportunities and will also enable us to significantly develop the manufacturing of cutting tool inserts,” said Ashwani Sareen, MD, Ceratizit India.

NZ lift firm in India

Tata Technologies all set to acquire Cambric Corp

ESP comes to India

Tata Technologies has signed definitive agreements for the acquisition of US-based Cambric Corporation. The US$32.5 million deal will provide it access to high-end, systems engineering, engine design and powertrain engineering capability. The partnership will strengthen Tata Technologies’ global footprint and domain capabilities to provide high-end engineering services to a diverse set of existing and new clients, especially in Europe. It will also provide Cambric access to the Asia Pacific region. Cambric is a US headquartered company with a significant footprint in Eastern Europe. The company has three development centres in Romania and its customers include some of the world’s marquee heavy machinery, agricultural, off-highway and automotive companies. Cambric had revenues of $25 million as of 31st December 2012 with majority of revenues coming from the Construction and Heavy Equipment sector.

An agreement has been signed between New Zealand based manufacturer A-Ward Attachments Ltd and Light Lift India (P) Ltd for distribution of A-Ward’s Bulk Material Handling products in India. A-Ward products would be targeted at companies importing or exporting shipping containers as well as for material handling applications. A-Ward solutions will be especially relevant to India where container handling and evacuation capacity is a major issue. Tecpro Systems Ltd has entered into a license agreement with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mechatronics Systems Ltd (MHI-MS) to exclusively collaborate for manufacturing of electrostatic precipitator (ESP) for India. MHI-MS shall provide technical support including design, material procurement, procedures, QC, engineering and training to Tecpro Systems.

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The new plant will cater to the demand from Indian and other Asian markets.

Patrick McGoldrick of Tata & Florin Muntean of Cambric

Commenting on the acquisition, Patrick McGoldrick, MD and CEO, Tata Technologies, said; “Cambric gives our customers in the construction and heavy equipment as well as in the automotive sector access to specialists in this field as well as an access to Cambric’s power-train expertise. Additionally, Cambric’s customers will have access to Tata Technologies’ footprint in Asia Pacific and complementary capabilities including embedded systems, enterprise IT and extensive automotive domain experience.”

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News Aerospace

HAL-BrahMos for indigenisation Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and BrahMos-the supersonic cruise missile manufacturer in the country have forged a partnership. This partnership will work for long-term support towards all variants of BrahMos programmes. HAL will install and augment required facilities under the technical support of Research Center Imarat (RCI, a DRDO agency dedicated for development of inertial systems) to meet the current and the future program expectations, according to Dr RK Tyagi, chairman, HAL. The two sides also agreed to partner and enhance indigenous content of the BrahMos programme wherein HAL will develop certain critical electronic systems.

HAL registers record patents With a huge R&D spend of 12 per cent of its annual turnover, HAL has filed a record 32 patents in 2012-13 to reinforce and protect its intellectual property. The year also saw it as handing over of the first weaponised Advanced Light Helicopter ‘Rudra’ to Indian Army, exporting Cheetah helicopters to Republic of Surinam and Do-228 light transport aircraft to Seychelles and doing the first flight of the Jaguar DARIN-III upgrade and LCA Naval prototypes. The last of the limited series production LCA took to skies this year. HAL now plans to foray into civil segment which is forecast to have promising growth. Separate operations are planned to handle the civil segment.

Boeing, BEL expand partnership Boeing and Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) are expanding their partnership through a follow-on contract involving the manufacture of subassemblies for the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter jet. This contract expands work Boeing awarded to BEL in 2011. BEL delivers components for the Super Hornet and P-8I maritime reconnaissance aircraft; and is a partner with Boeing at the Analysis & Experimentation Centre in Bengaluru that opened in 2009. Through the new contract BEL will produce Super Hornet subassemblies including the Ground Power Panel, Helmet Vehicle Interface Stowage and Switch assembly and Cockpit Console Panels.

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Manufacturing facilities for integrated cryogenic engines will be set up at HAL’s aerospace division in Bangalore according to Dr K Radhakrishnan, chairman, ISRO.

BAE Systems Chairman Dick Olver has insisted that the relationship with HAL should go beyond the Hawk programme. Both the partners could think of working on new projects.

Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) has ended the FY 2012-13 with Rs6,010 crore turnover. BEL registered a growth of 5 per cent over the turnover of FY 2011-12.

India’s Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh has said that efforts will be made to get HAL’s Advance Light Helicopter (Dhruv) certified by the Federal Aviation Administration in near future.

India’s first Manned Chamber Welding (MCW) shop was recently inaugurated at HAL’s Koraput facilities. India and Russia are the only two countries having this facility.

Following the third consecutive year of record revenue and profit in 2012, the aerospace and defense (A&D) industry will likely generate flat results in 2013, according to a PwC report.

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NEWS AEROSPACE

TITANIUM MACHINING TO RISE SUBSTANTIALLY At a recent summit in Switzerland, aerospace professionals discussed achievements, applications and technologies of titanium machining as well as future challenges

T

itanium machining is expected to see a volume rise of almost 10,000 tonnes within the next four years in the aerospace industry. This forecast came out of the International Machining Technology Summit of the Aerospace Industry organised by Blaser Swisslube in Switzerland. The summit also indicated a proliferation of materials, which are diffi cult to machine, as the aircraft industry looks to save fuel through weight reductions by using newer materials. Experts and scientists from helicopter and aircraft engine manufactures like Airbus, Boeing, Embraer, Sukhoi, Eurocopter and Rolls Royce as well as from suppliers, component suppliers and universities participated at the summit to share their Aerospace industry professionals touring the Blaser Swisslube technology centre knowledge about titanium machining and the latest materials like composites. Conclusions from the summit included the fact that the aerospace industry is going to grow substantially within the next ten to twenty years – from over 12,000 aircrafts (per day worldwide) today to over 30,000 until 2031. Overall the number of aircrafts needed is going to more than double. Titanium components have doubled to Blaser Swisslube, very high investments hen it comes to materials, a key as- more than 14 per cent from 6 per cent, while into the latest analytical equipment and pect of the structural part and com- Al/Al-Li dropped to below 20 per cent. A machining centres have been made and ponent production is the so-called ‘buy to volume increase in titanium machining to speak for the uniqueness in the industry, fl y ratio’. The industry looks at the ratio of almost 10,000 tonnes is forecasted within as this allows lubricant to be tested close how much material a company needs to the next four years as well a proliferation of to reality and under promising machining parameters. purchase to machine the fl ying parts. Due materials, which are diffi cult to machine. To optimise the machining operations, The event was organised in cooperation to the complex geometry, which mostly causes extra costs, the ‘buy to fly ratio’ can machine, machining strategy, material and with Abamet (distributor of Blaser Swissbe very high for the ‘to be’ machined com- tools/the tool are traditionally analysed lube and Haas machine tools in Russia) ponents. For example, when machining ti- and optimised. With a lubricant of the lat- and VSMPO (world’s largest titanium manest generation, these parameters are infl u- ufacturer). tanium, a ratio of 10 to 20 is achieved. Out of every 1000 kg feedstock pur- enced signifi cantly. Therefore this element chased, only 50-100 kg is used to manu- has to be considered more in future as the facture an element. Thus, close to 95 per chosen lubricant is a measurable produccent of the material gets dragged out over tivity factor. “An optimally adapted coolthe chips. Due to the efforts of the aircraft ant has a big impact on the tool life, costs industry to save fuel by weight reductions, per piece, energy effi ciency and recycling the machined materials have changed sig- costs,” said Max Zuber, Blaser Swisslube AG. As the summit was organised at Blaser’s nifi cantly over the past few years. From originally over 70 per cent of Al/Al-Li there head offi ce, the participants also had the has been a change to composites, which opportunity to visit the advanced in-house laboratories and technology centre. At grew from 10 per cent to over 50 per cent.

Titanium components have doubled to more than 14 per cent from 6 per cent, while Al/Al-Li dropped to below 20 per cent.

W

30,000 aircrafts Estimated rise in the number of civilian aircrafts by 2031 from 12,000 plus (per day worldwide)

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Manufacturing Today JUNE 2013


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23:00:49


cover story

Testing time

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MES!

COVER STORY

WITH SLOW DEMAND PUTTING A SPOKE IN THEIR PROGRESS, INDIAN AUTOMOTIVE OEMS ARE NOW ALIGNING THEIR MANUFACTURING CAPABILITIES WITH MARKET DYNAMICS TO CHANGE THE SITUATION BY NIRANJAN MUDHOLKAR

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he Indian automotive industry has been going through a tough time due to consistently sluggish market demand over the last 10-12 months. (The overall growth in domestic sales during April-March 2013 was only 2.61 per cent over the same period last year.) As Dr Pawan Goenka Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd (M&M) told Manufacturing Today magazine sometime back, the market needs to be fed with newer and refreshed launches to keep it going. He should know. The company registered a 17 per cent growth in its auto sales numbers for FY2012-13 basking in the glory of its new launches despite challenging market conditions. In fact, it will continue the same strategy in 2013-14. Abdul Majeed, partner, Price Waterhouse, too says that OEMs have to launch a new product quite often to meet customer aspirations and sustain their interest levels in their respective brands. “Competition is only increasing and the race for claiming the top position in the Indian market, in say 5-7 years from now, has already begun,” he adds. However, launching newer products on a regular basis is easier said than done.

Manufacturing Today JUNE 2013

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COVER STORY

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t puts a lot of pressure on the industry in terms of engineering, manufacturing and supply chain costs, more so when it is already in the dumps. Moreover, being very well aware about design, engineering, built-quality, brand and so on, the end-customer too has become very demanding today. M&M’s success is not a coincidence or an accident. The company has been extremely focussed on innovation. Every time there is a lull in the market, it comes up with a game changing product. Of course, knowing what kind of product the market wants is one thing. Developing and launching that product successfully – and in time – is another. Besides the right kind of design and production capabilities, the organisation needs to have an equally competent IT infrastructure. Realising this need, Mahindra’s Chakan facility invested substantially in this aspect to support its growing business needs with an eye on the future. Accordingly, a new IT infrastructure was put in place to address the demand in terms of volumes, quality as well as variety. Thanks to an extremely competent IT team, the new Datacenter was developed in a fl at period of 100 days. What’s more, the entire operations migrated from a decentralised to centralised set-up with zero downtime! This resulted in reduced operational maintenance while saving on power cost and project cost. Importantly, the new infrastructure facilitates new product development and is also future ready to ensure on-time product launch.

52.20 %

GROWTH REGISTERED BY THE UTILITY VEHICLES SEGMENT, WHICH WAS BOOSTED BY FRESH SUV LAUNCHES ON A REGULAR BASIS

WHAT OEMS NEED TO DO 1. Integrate customer feedback with the new product development 2. Streamline processes to iron out inefficiencies and avoidable costs 3. Integrate quality at the design level through to the manufacturing operations 4. Enhance coordination amongst design, engineering and production 5. Focus more on platform development to expedite variation introduction 6. Automate design for faster innovation and quicker configurations 7. Leverage crowd sourcing to save cost 8. Optimise supply chain to reduce cost, improve quality and achieve on-time-delivery 9. Implement relevant best practices 10. Provide more value-adds in terms of product as well as service.

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hen a company is really large, it also needs to refi ne and redefi ne its organisational structure from time to time, if it has to remain relevant in the market. Tata Motors, which brought infl exions in the Indian market, whether with the 407 or the Ace, the Indica or the Safari, the Indigo CS or the Nano, has been struggling off late to fi nd its magical touch. But serious efforts are on to change this. In the last six months, Tata Motors has introduced a slew of changes. While the Indian automobile market has become intensely

Tata Prima Assembly: Tata Motors is rolling out six first-of-its-kind heavy trucks this year, along with an intelligent vehicle and driver management solution


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COVER STORY

Flexible manufacturing practices and frugal engineering have stood our company in good stead during diffi cult times. A Ramasubramanian, president, AMW Motors Ltd

OEMs need to develop a robust link between enquiry management and product development; innovation has to be customer driven.

Rafi q Somani, country sales manager, PTC India

OEMs have to launch a new product quite often to meet customer aspirations and sustain their interest levels in the respective brands. Abdul Majeed, partner, Price Waterhouse

The problems are not just because of a decrease in market demand but also due to inherent defi ciencies in OEMs new product development processes. Chandan Chowdhury MD- India, Dassault Systèmes

competitive, the company’s goal is to enhance its market leadership in commercial vehicles and restore itself in passenger vehicles to the position of a strong number two and eventually aim for leadership. Overarching all the initiatives is the company’s motto of ‘One Team One Vision’; in the past, the two businesses were guided by individual missions. Accordingly, three signifi cant organisational changes have been done at Tata Motors. These include creation of exclusive functions for quality, purchase and supply chain, and programme planning and project management, with respective heads reporting to the MD. And have these changes brought some early benefi ts? “Yes”, – says the Tata Motors spokesperson – “the delivered quality of the recent launches like the Safari Storme, Manza Club Class and the Vista D90 have come in for praise from both customers and dealers.

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Manufacturing Today JUNE 2013

Another series of introductions, in products and marketing initiatives, are on the anvil, in a matter of days.” Tata Motors capital expenditure will be about Rs3000 crore a year, in the coming years. “The main thrust of our investment plans is on new products, variants, improvements, innovations and technologies,” adds the spokesperson. So, Tata Motors, as in the past, is dynamically responding to market trends. “We are very confident that as 2013-14 rolls on, we will see sales picking up,” adds the spokesperson.

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Ramasubramanian, president, AMW Motors Ltd, too says that automotive fi rms should strive to update their existing product portfolios through innovation. “It is necessary to be aggressive in the market place,” he says, giving the example of his own organisation. AMW was started in 2008 when the market situation was much worse. But the company stood its ground and introduced some game changing innovations focused on operator comfort and vehicle performance. It is this aggression, which catapulted the company as India’s fastest growing and the third largest CV manufacturer in a very short time. AMW has thus focussed on engineering and design,


cover story

The lean period is the right time to implement best practices across the board, including in training

especially for its specialised products targeted at the infrastructure and mining industries. “Flexible manufacturing practices and frugal engineering have stood the company in good stead during difficult times,” Ramasubramanian says. AMW has invested in a technology infrastructure that has allowed it the four advantages that every manufacturing company dreams of – capability to innovate, built-in quality, speed with efficiency and reduced costs. For example, it is the first OEM in India to adopt an automatic robotic laser cutting cell besides installing an automatic shot blasting plant and an advanced air-controlled powder coating system. A fully automated CNC controlled roll forming machine reduces set-up change time from the conventional six hours to less than five minutes! The truck manufacturer has also installed two automatic punching lines for a single-piece flow, which considerably reduces overall assembly time and also saves cost.

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afiq Somani, country sales manager, PTC India draws attention to another interesting aspect related to the market slowdown. Most automotive CEOs tell him that their capacity lies under-utilised due to the reduced demand. “The smart CEOs are utilising this time to turn their challenges into opportunities by

increasing their focus on innovation and quality,” Somani states. Somani, whose firm provides PLM solutions to the entire automotive value chain, also emphasises on customer feedback. “All success stories in the current scenario have happened because these OEMs have paid proper attention to what the customers have been saying. Thus, OEMs need to develop a robust link between enquiry management and product development; innovation has to be customer driven,” he says, adding that there is a serious need to look at service lifecycle management if the industry wants to revive its fortunes for a long-term basis.

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ajeed of Price Waterhouse highlights the role of suppliers in an OEM’s innovation efforts. “OEMs and suppliers should share the burden together in a partnership with a common goal of addressing the larger issues,” he says. Somani agrees and says that in the quest of design and quality, it is important that OEM and its suppliers are completely aligned. “They need to speak the same language in terms of design and engineering,” he adds. Majeed gives another reason why Indian OEMs need to focus on these two aspects (quality and design) – the aggressive launches from competition, especially American and European automakers in India. Manufacturing Today June 2013

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Introducing newer products and variants can be faster with the right kind of technology

They bucked the trend! Company

Growth rate

Honda Cars India Ltd 35 per cent Mahindra & Mahin17 per cent dra Ltd Maruti Suzuki 4.4 per cent Ashok Leyland 3 per cent

Units sold 73,483 5,63,373 10,51,046 70,917

Recent / refreshed launches Brio, refreshed City XUV 500, Quanto, refreshed Verito Ertiga, Alto 800 Dost

Domestic sales in FY 2012-13

Of the 70,917 vehicles sold by Ashok Leyland in 2012-13, the newly launched Dost’s share was 34,917!

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ndian OEMs have to improvise their product design and development strategies to gain domestic market share. At the same time, they have to continue to explore new export markets for their products in Africa, Latin America, South-East Asia, etc,” Majeed says. In fact, Indian OEMs should also look at developing products that are specifically developed for the exports market. “While there is an urgent need to revive the domestic market, it is equally important to focus on developing exports market,” Prasan Firodia, MD, Force Motors, told Manufacturing Today recently. The latest launch of his company – Gurkha – was developed with one eye on the overseas business. Firodia underlined another trend that Indian OEMs will have to rely on – more focus on platform – development leading to product variants based on the same platform. “Platform integration will reduce development cost and realise greater economies of scale per platform,” he says. Somani of PTC agrees: “This is indeed a critical aspect. Sustained improvement in cost structure is possible only through platform integration. The cost structure can be further enhanced through vertical integration.” He cites

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the example of Hyundai, which was able to substantially improve its global standing because of a strong platform strategy. “Leading global automakers are able to produce a wide range of different models from a small number of platforms. That’s what Indian OEMs need to do,” Somani adds. While many international OEMs (e.g. Nissan-Renault) have even successfully shared platforms with their partners, the concept hasn't really taken off here. Perhaps, the market needs to mature more in India.

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lso, thanks to a trend started by foreign OEMs, as Chowdhury also says, more and more cars are turning into ‘computers on wheels’ with huge amounts of software controlling the body’s electronics, infotainment needs, and basic connectivity needs of young consumers. So rather than catching up later, it would make sense for Indian OEMs to invest and innovate on this aspect right now to gain the competitive advantage. Somani agrees: “Yes, use of electronics will continue to grow. Luckily, with the latest application lifecycle management software, it is possible to introduce changes in this context even at the last moment.” Notwithstanding the present difficult times, an exciting, new era awaits Indian automotive industry. Currently, the very definition of mobility is undergoing huge changes and the new era will reflect this transformation. With huge domestic potentials, there is enough scope for many to grow. However, the competition will only intensify. And only those will remain in the race for leadership who have their manufacturing capabilities aligned with market dynamics.

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PLANT VISIT

Ploughing success!

Despite being almost 50 years old, Mahindra & Mahindra’s Kandivali tractor plant continues to set the standards in operational excellence. Sudhir Pathak, senior VP, M&M, who heads the manufacturing, SCM and CME functions for the farm equipment sector, explains why. BY NIRANJAN MUDHOLKAR


Photographs: Ashesh Shah

The plant's chassis paint shop uses an environment-friendly process.

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Plant Visit

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t 48 years and 1,47,356 sq m, it is one of the oldest and the largest manufacturing plants within the limits of Mumbai city. But that’s just part of its claim to manufacturing fame. Mahindra & Mahindra’s Kandivali plant for the farm equipment sector (FES) is better known for its efficient operations. In fact, despite being the eldest in the family (with other younger plants located at Nagpur, Jaipur, Rudrapur and Zaheerabad), the Kandivali plant caters to the exports market to a great extent. Of course, Sudhir Pathak, senior vice president, manufacturing, SCM, CME, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd - Farm equipment sector, dismisses this point saying that irrespective of whether the product is for the exports or the domestic market, the quality remains the same. Interestingly, Pathak started the interaction with a video tour of the Zaheerabad plant, the latest and possibly the most advanced plant in Mahindra’s farm equipment (FE) segment. With its stateof-the-art equipment and infrastructure, the swanky Zaheerabad

unit offered a total contrast to the Kandivali facility. “Well, almost 30 per cent of the machines in Kandivali are 30 years old or even more,” Pathak says, almost reading my mind. “But believe me, the strength of this old war horse actually lies in its machine shop,” he adds immediately. With an admirable net block to gross block ratio of 25 per cent (total value of all of the assets that a company owns), the Kandivali plant is more than giving a run to many newer plants - and not just within the FE segment or within the Mahindra Group.

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ur strategy has been to sweat the assets to the maximum. And if we are to do that successfully, then we have to ensure that our machines are maintained to their maximum efficiency. That’s where the concept of TPM (total productive maintenance) has helped us,” says Pathak. Originated in Japan in 1971, TPM is a method for improved machine availability through optimised utilisation of maintenance and production resources. “TPM is an important extension of the lean manufacturing principle. What sets apart this methodology is the inclusion of the machine operator as a member of the maintenance team,” Pathak explains. Accordingly, the operators at Kandivali are trained to perform many of the day-to-day tasks of simple maintenance and faultfinding. Known as ‘cell members’, these operators are equally involved in the improvement process as well. “In fact, we have specifically set aside one hour of the working time on every Wednesday for project improvement. And it is reaping huge benefits,” Pathak says. One term that is always at the top of a manufacturing leader’s mind is machine uptime. Ideally, every plant should be able to predict its machine uptime and sustain its process capabilities. Otherwise, it has no option but to stock extra equipment to meet Mahindra FE’s share in the 5.5 production schedules. To avoid unprelakh tractors per year industry. dictable uptime, it is critical to ensure Combined with the share of that the maintenance is at its best and Swaraj Tractors (acquired in 2008), the total share is 42.5 %.

29%

Self certification at Quality Points.

Panoramic view of the assembly line with 21 stations.

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PLANT VISIT there are no breakdowns. TPM plays a big role in making sure that the machinery stays fi t and gets the required job done properly and on-time.

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big benefi t of TPM has been increased productivity. Moreover, we could defer our capex for new machines. Initially, we had planned to replace the older machines but we did not as these machines continued to function optimally,” shares Pathak giving full credit of the plant’s fantastic performance to TPM. “Thanks to TPM, our breakdown graphs have been coming down consistently.” Initially, the FE segment was considering TPM only for the Kandivali plant but subsequently it was adopted by the other plants as well. It was in 2006-7 that Kandivali went for the first stage of TPM. Gradually, it even achieved TPM excellence and TPM consistency. Another thing about the Kandivali plant (or even the Zaheerabad plant) is its capability to bring out a wide range of products on a single production line. As of today, the M&M FE segment has 36 models with more than 250 variants and all these are rolled out from a single line. Pathak explains with a smile: “First of all, we follow what we call as the Mahindra new product development process. It is an internal, well-structured and well-documented methodology. Secondly, our assembly line is extremely fl exible.”

Our strategy has been to sweat the assets to the maximum. To do that successfully, we have to ensure that our machines are maintained to their maximum effi ciency.

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he Kandivali plant has dynamic SOPs on each station. The moment a tractor is loaded on a particular station, the operator immediately gets instructions on his monitor about that model or variant. So there is absolute operational clarity. The line has been installed with a ‘no fault forward’ system at each stage. So a job will move to the next stage only if it has no fault. “Then, we have interlocked each station in accordance with the skill-set required for a job. The skill-sets of each operator are recorded on his respective swipe card. As soon as a new job comes to him, he has to swipe his card. The job will open only if he has the required skill sets for the job,” Pathak explains further. That’s not all, as with any manufacturing plant, at every stage

Pathak proudly riding a tractor manufactured at the Kandivali plant

Manufacturing Today JUNE 2013

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PLANT VISIT PLANT DATA In-charge: Dinakar V Khobrekar, senior general manager Plant: 1,47,356 sq m (37 acres) Manufacturing started: In 1965 Products manufactured: Tractors & engines for tractors, gensets, and backhoe loader application Capacity: 92 /shift / day Catering to: Domestic & exports Number of staff: 320 offi cers & 1,580 permanent operators Manufacturing principle: Lean Sequential engine assembly line with 2.47-minute cycle time and 188 / shift capacity.

A cell member working as per the SOP (Standard Operating Procedure), which is available on every workstation. some amount of torques are required. “At our plant, machines are programmed to provide the required torques in accordance with the model or variant the operator is working on. Importantly, the job will not move ahead if the required torque is not given by the operator.” Thirdly, when picking up the proprietary items like FIPs (fuel injection pumps), tyres, hydraulics and so on, the system is programmed to pick-up the exact item required.

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n addition to that, M&M Kandivali has Poka yokes installed to avoid possible mistakes. (Originally adopted for the Toyota Production System, Poka-yoke is a Japanese term that means ‘mistake-proofing’). “The objective of this system is to eliminate product defects by preventing and correcting human errors as they occur,” Pathak explains. Thus, with the help of the no-fault

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Manufacturing Today JUNE 2013

Recent milestone achieved: TPM Consistency Award.

forward system, Poka-yokes and skills of the operators, the plant ensures that the job is performed efficiently, safely and on-time as per the specifi cations. “Our manufacturing is based on the QCDPSM philosophy, which stands for quality, reduced cost, ontime delivery, productivity, safety and positive morale.” Like machines, individual operators are key to the success of the plant. Obviously the operators need to be suffi ciently skilled. “In fact, for every operator, we have a skill matrix. If he is skilled for the particular job, only then the system will allow him to proceed,” says Pathak. Dexterity is very critical on the shop-floor, so the plant ensures that operators are regularly upgradaing their skills through training. For this, the plant has created an excellent training facility. Effi cient operations also mean safe operations. The biggest safety issue at the Kandivali plant was related to fi nger injury due to the nature of work; it involved extensive use of hammers. Understanding this challenge, pneumatic gadgets were introduced and all activities were made hammer-less. Similarly, all injury prone activities were eliminated with a conscious focus on safety. Taking good care of the employees facilitates good relationship with the labour union. There is a healthy rapport between the management and the union because of regular dialogue and positive engagement. “This has a tremendous infl uence on the morale of the operators and motivates them positively.” Equally important is the plant’s focus on sustainability. Sustainability encompasses several factors that have a direct impact on effi ciency and productivity. “A good, clean working environment ensures that my operators can give their best. Effi cient usage of water, electricity, oil and gas has a direct impact on the bottomline.” The Kandivali plant has been monitoring and measuring the usage of resources regularly. This has helped it cut down on wastages and optimising the available resources.


Plant Visit

The dexterity training facility is an excellent example of learning best practices from partnerships.

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o, with such high internal standards, how does the Kandivali plant in particular, and the M&M FE in general, ensure that its supply chain partners are aligned with its focus on excellence? “All our vendors and their processes have to be certified by us before we take them into partnership. For this, they have to pass through various stages of evaluation. Once they are aboard, we work with them on the DOLP (direct online products) system. This means the products from the suppliers come directly on the line; there is no inspection,” Pathak says. Very recently, the company has started a new system that encompasses the entire value chain – from suppliers on one end to the customers on the other. “This is continuously monitored and improved; accordingly we have reduced a lot of constraints from the supply chain. The aim of this project was to ensure that the availability of tractors at the stockyard should increase, while reducing our end-to-end inventory.” Mahindra FE also works towards supplier up-gradation. This involves improv-

M&M is the only Indian manufacturer to produce a tractor with an AC cabin.

ing their processes as well as helping them get the requisite certifications. “So practically, all our suppliers are ISO 9000 certified. In fact, today ISO certification has become a minimum requirement from all our vendors. Many of our proprietary suppliers – like Rane and TVS – are today doing quite well and some of them have even gone for the Deming, which speaks a lot about their focus on quality.”

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nternally, of course there is a continuous endeavour for improvement at all levels. “As a manufacturing set-up, we have two contributions towards our customers; one is the availability of tractors and the second of course is quality.” Accordingly, about one and half years ago, Pathak launched the ZMD (zero manufacturing defects) initiative. He says: “This was to ensure that anything that we produced has zero manufacturing defects. Today, we have come a long way and practically, each of our products has ZMD. This has been achieved by building in quality on the line rather than inspecting the final product for quality checks.” However, recently, ZMD has evolved into ZMCVL, which stands for zero manufacturing complaints at very low hours. Pathak explains the thought behind this shift. “Companies put a lot of effort in getting the quality right on a product at the factory but forget about it once it leaves their premises. Many times, the product stays in the stockyard for a long-time and even loses its effectiveness due to external factors. When such a product reaches the customer, he is obviously unhappy about the quality. Thus, despite keeping hundred per cent control over quality within the facility, the customer ends up receiving a bad product. That is the reason why we decided to adopt the ZMCVL strategy, which aims to ensure that customer gets the same quality product, which leaves our factory. Rather than ensuring quality only within the facility, we decided to take it to the nearest point to the customer, which is the stockyard.” This evolution from ZMD to ZMCVL has been giving fantastic results in a very short time in terms of customer satisfaction. “When we were doing only ZMD, we asked ourselves what is the purpose of this endeavour. We are not doing it for the sake of it. The ultimate aim is customer satisfaction.” Manufacturing Today June 2013

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The 335.25 disc cutter reduce the cost per part and increase productivity with its innovative features. The milling insert features a V-shape concept that creates an optimum cutting geometry, reducing cutting forces and noise.

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The 335.25 disc cutter reduce the cost per part and increase productivity with its innovative features. The milling insert features a V-shape concept that creates an optimum cutting geometry, reducing cutting forces and noise.

WWW.SECOTOOLS.COM/IN

X4 is a new concept intended for parting off and grooving with a fouredged insert for optimal cost efďŹ ciency.

Turbo 10 is a new high performance cutting tool for square shoulder milling, with improved tool life and precision.

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Innovate, But also protect! Indian manufacturers need to recognise the use of intellectual property rights as a strategic business tool for achieving commercial goals. By Niranjan Mudholkar

B

eing a US$2 trillion economy, which has been experiencing GDP rates of above six per cent for almost a decade now, India certainly is growing rapidly. There are hopes and ambitions that it would become a US$16 trillion economy (the current size of the US), within the next three decades. The only way of accomplishing this target is to ensure that the country’s manufacturing sector grows faster than the overall economy. Manufacturing growth – at this scale and speed – is possible only through focus on three factors - efficiency, productivity and innovation. In an extremely competitive industrialised world, it is critical to protect and be able to leverage on your innovation. This

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can happen only if there is a strong IPR (intellectual property rights) culture and regime in the country. In fact, the Government of India’s Department of Industrial Policy Promotion has officially stated that the 7 per cent growth registered by India’s manufacturing industry in the last 30 years has been – to a great extent – because of the IPR contribution. More importantly, the department has also said that this growth can not only be sustained but also built over if Indian manufacturers quickly learn the significance of IPR. Like the rest of the world, India too celebrated the World Intellectual Property Day 2013 on April 26. To mark the day, industry body FICCI in association with Intellectual Property

Manufacturing Today JUNE 2013

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TOOLS

We ensure involvement of our IP team right from the product conceptualisation stage to the fi nal design stage thus establishing a comprehensive and robust system. Nikhil Sawhney, joint MD, Triveni Turbine Ltd

IPR gives the company space to develop products and solutions around that innovation, while ensuring that it is protected againstt me-too imitations. Dr Kumar N Sivarajan, chief technology offi cer, Tejas Networks

India and the Government’s Department of Industrial Policy we also acknowledge the fact that besides competition is & Promotion had organised a ‘Conference on IP Creation, Pro- growing both in terms of volume as well as complexity. The dynamic markets continuously throw up newer challenges. tection & Exploitation: A Way Forward’. Speaking at this “Many of these require out-of-the-box thinking and conference, Chaitanya Prasad, India’s controller innovative solutions to solve unique problems. general of patents, design and trademark pointTHE INDIAN These innovative solutions are key to taking the ed out that there is a major lack of awareness PATENTS ACT industry forward. Hence in order to encourage among individuals, industries, MSME, uniIS IN CONFORMITY innovation, protection of intellectual property versities, R&D organisations and the public WITH ITS INTERNATIONAL rights (IPR) plays a central role,” says Dr Kusector with regards to IPR. OBLIGATIONS UNDER THE mar N Sivarajan, chief technology offi cer, TeTRADE RELATED ASPECTS OF jas Networks. ccording to Prasad, while the IP policy INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY Established in 2000, Tejas Networks is a pioof India is in tune with the international RIGHTS AGREEMENTS neering telecommunications company started agreements like TRIPS, PCT, WTO and Doha (TRIPS). by three technologists. Serving markets in 55 coundeclaration, it is still a major concern that dotries, Tejas has successfully gained market share at the mestic patent fi ling is not reaching the expected expense of global MNC competitors, who have signifi cantly mark in this country when compared with other major countries. Although domestic fi ling of patents is increasing in larger fi nancial/marketing muscle and a larger product portnumber, the percentage with respect to the total fi ling remains folio in the telecom industry. This has been possible purely because of its thrust on innovation. Of course, it is equally about 20 per cent. The importance of innovation is highlighted further when sensitive to the cause of protecting its innovations. So far, it

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Manufacturing Today JUNE 2013

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Tools

Protecting industrial designs In most countries, an industrial design must be registered in order to be protected under industrial design law. As a general rule, to be registrable, the design must be ‘new’ or ‘original’. Different countries have varying definitions of such terms, as well as variations in the registration process itself. Generally, ‘new’ means that no identical or very similar design is known to have existed before. Once a design is registered, the term of protection is generally five years, with the possibility of further periods of renewal up to, in most cases, 15 years. When an industrial design is registered, the holder receives the right to prevent unauthorized copying or imitation by third parties. This includes the right to prevent all unauthorized parties from making, selling or importing any product in which the design is incorporated or to which it is applied. Because industrial design rights are territorial in nature, this right is limited to the territory for which the design is registered. Source: World Intellectual Property Organisation

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The development of the world’s most economical car Tata Nano led to 31 design and 37 technology patents being filed, thus protecting it from any kind of imitation. In fact, the Tata Group has filed more than 400 patents in the automotive segment has filed more than 130 patents in India, besides over 25 PCT applications and more than 30 US patents. “The company that protects its intellectual property by filing patents gains a definite competitive edge and considerably strengthens its market position. It gives the company space to develop products and solutions around that innovation, while ensuring that it is protected against me-too imitations,” points out Sivarajan.

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ikhil Sawhney, joint MD, Triveni Turbine Ltd agrees with Sivarajan. In fact, he insists that success in a technology-driven business depends a great deal on developing breakthrough products and creating the right ecosystem for long-term sustainability of the business. Sawhney, whose firm recently won the National Intellectual Property Award 2013 for the design category, ensures involvement of its IP team right

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Tools from the product conceptualisation stage to the final design stage. “This establishes a comprehensive and robust system which leads to innovation along the value chain,” he says. Triveni’s continuous thrust on R&D along with strong IPR has helped it create an ecosystem within the organisation that boosts creativity and innovation. “This leads to higher customer satisfaction as well as stakeholder valuecreation,” says Sawhney.

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IPR is playing a big role – worth millions of dollars – in the smart phone war between Apple and Samsung with both sides trying to protect what they claim are their innovations.

Strengthening India’s IPR capabilities The Office of Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks has taken the following steps to strengthen the process and creations of Intellectual Property Rights. 1. The filing of Patents and Trademarks applications has been made online. 2. Almost all the old Intellectual Property (IP) records have been digitised and new records are digitised immediately. 3. Automated Electronic modules have been adopted to process the Patents and Trademarks applications which enabled achieving enhanced speed, accuracy and transparency. 4. The Information Technology infrastructures have been upgraded. 5. The Office has now a dynamic website (www.ipindia.nic.in) which provides users free of cost access to exhaustive information on Intellectual Property matters.

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hile focus on IPR within the organisation fuels innovation, on the outside it protects the company’s commercial interests. Besides preventing other legitimate organisations from using your innovations, IPR can also prove a strong weapon against industrial piracy. For example, Hypertherm, a US-based manufacturer of advanced plasma metal-cutting systems, recently won its first criminal case against counterfeiting in China. A recent ruling by The People’s Court of Guangling District in Yangzhou saw a Shanghai trading company convicted for knowingly reselling counterfeit Hypertherm consumables to other local companies. The distributor was fined a hefty sum, and its business owner was levied a fine as well as jailed. As a result, some other Chinese manufacturers too have stopped the production of unauthentic consumables. That’s impact IPR can have. Brett Hansen, Hypertherm’s corpoIndia has rate intellectual property counsel, acceded to the also draws attention to the losses Madrid Protocol suffered by customers in the case which allows Indian of counterfeiting. “Customers companies to register who unintentionally adopt countheir trademarks in 89 terfeits are adversely affected. countries by filing a Instead of being able to enjoy the numerous benefits of our patented single application. innovations, these end-users end up suffering from poor performance of imitation consumables, and even in fact risk damaging their original Hypertherm equipment.” Aaron Zou, director, Hypertherm China, adds: “Hypertherm has kept a close eye on counterfeiting activities for some time now because we are concerned about our customers and their businesses. This is why we keep a vigilant watch on imitation consumables, and have consistently put weight behind efforts to fight such piracy.”

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f course, Hypertherm is a large corporation but IPR can prove to be a boon for entrepreneurs and SME companies to prepare better against global competition.” Many global players are large, established players having huge infrastructure and economies of scale. If a startup or a smaller company has to compete against them it has to do so by developing advanced technology and innovative solutions that provide superior value to its customers. Many of these innovations might be easy to copy, and hence should be protected through IPRs,” says

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Tools The three point car seat safety belt was developed and patented by Nils Bohlin for Volvo. Rather than holding on to the patent in business interest, Volvo made it available to other car manufacturers for free in the larger interest of public safety!

Sivarajan, who himself has grown through the IPR route. Sivarajan also points out another interesting aspect. He believes India has all the key ingredients to become a global leader in innovation and IPR creation. “First, India has a huge talent pool of skilled manpower. The cost of R&D per dollar is only one-fifth of the cost compared to US/Europe or Japan. Secondly, the requirements of Indian customers and Indian market may not be effectively addressable by solutions developed in western countries. Hence India needs a lot of innovation to overcome those unique challenges. Thirdly, India has a thriving domestic market, which can help bring economies of scale for Indian companies and Indian IPR. So, not only can Indian IPR stem the Forex outflow resulting from imported

GIPC International IP Index

products and licensing of foreign patents, but can generate exports through licensing of these IPRs,” he remarks.

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o it is imperative that Indian manufacturers need to aggressively focus on strengthening their IPR portfolio. That the government wants to encourage and support this objective is a welcome move. However, it simultaneously also needs to facilitate the creation of a robust IP ecosystem that encourages creation, protection, commercialisation and enforcement. And this can be started by simplifying the process of IPR. Currently, there are multiple authorities in the space of the IP system. A common agency, which will coordinate and synergise the industry’s IPR efforts, is the need of the hour. Moreover, as Sivarajan points out, it is very expensive to file patents. “It may cost anything up to Rs30 lakh to file an international patent.” Thankfully, the government is already addressing this challenge. To encourage international filings by Indian companies, it has come up with a policy to reimburse 50 per cent of the expenses incurred in filing these patents by Indian SMEs. “This policy called SIP-EIT should encourage many Indian companies to innovate and protect their Intellectual Properties at a global level,” says Sivarajan.

O •• Out of the 11 key countries surveyed by the Global Intellectual Property Center (GIPC) of the US Chamber of commerce, India ranks last with a score of 6.24 when it comes to IP protection. Also note that the BRIC group is at the bottom, while US is at the top with 23.73 points. Source: GIPC, US Chamber of Commerce

f course, the industry itself needs to recognise the necessity of having a structured way of innovating and capturing innovation. For long, Indian manufacturers have relied on what is called as ‘jugad’, a crude form of innovation that gave immediate but only short-term solutions. It may have worked in the past. But the way ahead is all about understanding the bigger picture and taking on the world. Indian manufacturers need to recognise the use of IPR as a strategic tool for achieving commercial goals. Manufacturing Today JUNE 2013

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Innovation

Activating

ideas! Through a networking platform, the Tata Group is connecting group companies all over the world, stimulating innovative thinking and encouraging collaborative research.

2,000+

By Niranjan Mudholkar

E

very successful organisation has to continuously reinvent itself through innovations, irrespective of its size. In fact, the bigger an organisation is, the larger its need for path-breaking ideas that can be translated into business solutions. With over 100 operating companies across industries, having presence in more than 80 countries and with total revenues above US$100 billion, the Tata Group is a behemoth of an organisation. With this scale and complexity, it is easy for individual companies and employees to remain disconnected, even if they may have useful ideas for others. That can be a big waste of resourceful business concepts. So about six years back, the Tata Group decided to connect the ideators across the board by taking a structured approach to innovation; the aim has been to democratise innovation and make it an ongoing exercise in such a way that the results can be measured. The inspiration actually came from the then chairman Ratan Tata. Speaking at an internal awards function in 2007, he had said:

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entries received in 2013 from 70 Tata firms, compared to 100 entries from across 30 Tata “I would like to see [us] creating companies in 2006 at Tata the environment that allows our InnoVista.

people to dream, giving those people the encouragement to convert that dream into reality‌ Great innovation has been built on questioning the unquestioned and dwelling in areas which others had considered impossible. I have really come to believe that, given the right circumstances, nothing really is impossible.� Accordingly, the executive committee of Tata Quality Management Services (TQMS) established the Tata Group Innovation Forum (TGIF) in 2007. Since then, TGIF has been connecting Tata companies all over the world, stimulating innovative thinking and encouraging collaborative research.

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o understand the best practices followed by companies around the world, TGIF has also organised four missions to organisations known for their innovations like 3M, Microsoft, Intel, HP, Toshiba, Hitachi besides a visit to Cambridge, UK, to un-

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Innovation

Activate bottles with the patented cap technology

2013 Promising Innovations: Products ACTIVATE - Tata Global Beverages: In conventional bottles used

derstand the institution’s ecosystem for innovation. Importantly, to encourage and recognise outstanding innovations done by Tata companies across the globe, TGIF organises the Tata Innovista, a group-wide programme held annually. In 2012-13, there have been a total of 1,305 innovations that have been successfully implemented and have accrued benefits to the companies. In Tata Innovista such innovations feature under the promising innovations category with sub-categories for product, service, core process and support process. Typically, there has to be a time frame required for the adoption and implementation of the winning innovations into actual business situations Acccording to Sunil Sinha, chief group quality management services, Tata Sons, this differs from industry to industry and also depends upon the type of innovation. “For example, a support process innovation in the space of HR, finance, supply chain management, marketing, and logistics, to name a few may take two months as compared to a core process innovation in the manufacturing space, which might take longer and maybe years,” he says.

by makers of enhanced water, the vitamins start deteriorating once they are added to water. To address this, the winning team came up with an interesting solution. It created a cap technology – now patented – that protects the vitamins in a moisture-resistant compartment. The vitamins can be released into the bottle by the consumer moments before consumption. This ensures that the vitamins do not deteriorate in the water, as they do in the conventional bottles.

Pendimethalin Flakes – Rallis India: This team succeeded in developing and scaling up the production of Product P (Pendimethalin) in the form of flakes through identification and removal of impurities. This has drastically reduced the processing required and increased the safety not only during production but also for customers. Product P is manufactured in molten form and packed in drums where it solidifies at room temperature. Customers have to re-melt the product before they can use it. Now, customers can directly use the product as it is available in the form of flakes.

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INNOVATION

Innovative dual flux for iron ore pellets - Tata Steel: The researchers at Tata Steel R&D developed a residual fl ux of silicate and carbonate mineral elements with contradicting effects for the fi rst time in the world. This dual fl ux was found to be more stable than normal fl ux making it possible to effectively use low grade iron ore fi nes.

A

Great innovation has been built on questioning the unquestioned and dwelling in areas which others had considered impossible.

Ratan Tata, during his tenure as the group chairman in 2007

The trends observed in the 2013 edition signify a growing culture of innovation in the group with elements of technology-orientation, cross-pollination and risktaking ability.”

Sunil Sinha, chief group quality management services, Tata Sons

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Manufacturing Today JUNE 2013

nd how exactly does the group encourage collaboration and cross pollination of ideas across Tata companies? “There is a concentrated effort to leverage the diversity that exists within the Tata group to drive this across various levels. The TGIF has created several vehicles and two amongst them that make the Tata companies more permeable to enable collaboration include the bi-annual programme, Challenges Worth Solving (CWS) and Tata Innoverse, a networking platform that functions as an innovation hub for all Tata companies,” Sinha says. Under CWS, Tata companies bring forth their actual business problems and seek creative solutions from Tata managers from across companies, leveraging on the diversity of the group. The top management of Tata companies identifi es these challenges and also select solutions that they wish to invest in. For example, Titan Eye Plus, the eyewear business of Titan Industries, was looking at creating differentiation in market place to gain more visibility and a competitive edge. A manager from Tata Teleservices came up with an idea of having an online eye testing whereby Titan Eye Plus can get data on customers in need of eye care. Taking a cue from this, and after several weeks of hard work, the Titan Eye Plus team emerged with the fi rst self administered free online eye test in India. Similarly, Tata Innoverse is a networking platform that functions as an innovation hub for all Tata companies. In the last three years, Tata Innoverse has generated 33,500 ideas, of which over 2000 were selected and 265 eventually implemented. About 42 per cent of the ideas on Tata Innoverse came from outside the concerned Tata company.


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Innovation

A team at Tata Steel developed, patented and commercialised a unique process for agglomeration of Manganese ferro-alloys fines allowing them to be used for steel making.

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o cite one such example, Tanishq, the jewellery arm of Titan Industries, wanted to ramp up its capacity to make gold coins through powder metallurgy technology. One of the intermediate steps that they encountered in this process is removal of moisture from gold powder. It used to take them 16 hours to remove moisture through the conventional furnaces. So to ramp up capacity, Tanishq had either had to set up more furnaces or look for an alternative method, to really speed up the process. Tanishq posted this challenge on Tata Innoverse and the solution to this challenge came from a manager at Tata Housing who also had experience in the pharma industry. He suggested the use of the Fluid Bed Dryers (used in the pharma sector). Tanishq actually explored this solution, and after few adaptations, installed it. The drying time was brought down from 16 hours to just one hour! Interestingly, in the finals of Tata Innovista this year, under the promising innovations-core processes category, all 14 finalists were in the manufacturing space. “There will be approximately 25 per cent innovations directly in the manufacturing space but there would be many more innovations (e.g. in IT) which will improve the manufacturing process,” adds Sinha. Dare To Try, introduced in 2007, recognises sincere and audacious attempts to create a major innovation that failed to get the desired results. The idea is to encourage the culture of ‘risk taking’, perseverance and sharing openly. The initial response to this award was lukewarm as companies, especially in India, were hesitant to share their failures. It is only over the last three years that

48

2013 Promising Innovations: Core Process Cost reduction by use of alternate coal in Mundra - Tata Power Tata Power, the largest private power player in the country operates the 4000 MW Ultra Mega Power Plant in Mundra in Gujarat. With coal constituting 70% of the cost of a thermal plant, the viability of the plant has come under threat due to retrospective doubling of the price of coal imported from Indonesia. Tata Power and its partner, Tata Consulting Engineers, have innovated to achieve coal blending with cheaper, non-design coal to partially mitigate the resultant generation cost increase. The interventions have established new benchmarks in the power industry and have even made global equipment suppliers adopt these modifications into their own design and operations processes.

Novel agglomeration process for ferroalloy fines - Tata Steel: Manganese ferro-alloys produced by Tata Steel for in-house consumption as well as outside sale need to be of a proper size. In the process around 6-10 per cent fines are generated, which sells at a much lower price. The team developed, patented and commercialised a unique process for agglomeration of these fines allowing them to be used for steel making. The briquettes produced by this novel process, using a resin based binder to produce high quality cylindrical briquettes of Ferro alloy fines, do not add any impurity to the steel and allow for easy handling and value addition of the ferroalloy fines.

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Innovation

Tata Power’s Mundra plant, which saved on coal costs through innovative blending

3,764

Ideas generated under 'challenges worth solving' this year. Of these, 25 have been selected for implementation. and Tata projects. Would the Tatas consider companies and managers have begun to participate in this category in larger numbers.

I

n the recently concluded fiscal, the Tata group spent around 2% of its overall revenue, on R&D activities. Sinha says: “With the focus that is being created on innovation and customer centricity, this number will increase in the years to come. Not just for the Tata group but I think this is really a requirement for India as a country. I think the last economic survey talked about India’s spending on R&D as a percentage of GDP being roughly a little over 0.7%. India has a long way to go to catch up with the kind of innovation activity and R&D spend that you see in countries like US. So, I think it is a national priority. Tatas have always been at the forefront of nation building and challenges facing our country. So yes, I think you can assume that in the years to come we would like to see this number increase. Currently, Tata Innovista is open only for Tata companies

ZIP goods carrier – Tata Motors: Due to its integrated monocoque body structure, this first-of-its kind front-cabin micro truck has reduced its weight by 24 kg, improving fuel efficiency.

opening up this forum to the corporate world at large or even to the general public considering the value proposition it may bring to the group? “However, if a Tata company has collaborated with a non-Tata company for an innovation, the non-Tata company becomes part of the project team and hence part of Tata Innovista in that sense. This year, as a pilot, Tata Innoverse has been opened to vendors and suppliers of Tata companies to encourage ideation and enhance collaboration,” Sinha shares.

T

here have been many companies whose innovations have failed but there are no successful companies that have lasted long without being innovative. “TGIF is doing its best to assist Tata companies in building a culture where innovations across all ranks and functions,” Sinha says adding that innovation and the spirit of entrepreneurship have been major factors in the growth of the Tata group over that last 140 years. He goes on to quote the new Group Chairman Cyrus Mistry: “In an increasingly competitive environment, the Group will be able to differentiate itself through a culture built around customer centricity and innovation.”

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Supply Chain

Handling

efficienc A good material handling system is critical to the success of a manufacturing organisation. We find out what are the various aspects on which it has a direct impact By Niranjan Mudholkar

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ncy Manufacturing Today June 2013

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SUPPLY CHAIN

M

aterial handling is an essential set of activities that has a direct impact on the effi ciency of a manufacturing plant. Given the fact that it is both well integrated with the overall operations on the shopfl oor and also goes beyond in terms of backward and forward integration, it is equally critical for the success of the entire supply chain. Basically, it implies providing the required material in the right quantity, at the right time, in the right condition, at the right place and at the right cost. This happens both internally and externally. Little surprise then that Krishnakumar Srinivasan, MD – India, vehicle group, Eaton, says that material handling is a signifi cant element of a manufacturing organisation’s focused endeavours towards ensuring greater effi ciency and productivity. “Manufacturing organisations across industries and regions have leveraged scientifi c material handling systems and processes to improve their overall material accounting, inventory management and material fl ow thereby achieving better control over total cost of production and reduction in material handling time,” he explains. Importantly, Srinivasan also notes that effi cient material handling immensely emphasises on employee health and safety as well. “Thus at Eaton, material handling systems and processes are focused on achieving defi ned process effi ciencies and creating a safe and hazard-free work environment,” Srinivasan remarks.

A

lthough many organisations tend to take this component for granted and do not give it the requisite attention, Alagu Balaraman, partner & MD – India operations, CGN & Associates points out that they could pay a big price for this mistake as effi cient material handling is key to the very effectiveness of manufacturing operations. “It can have a signifi cant impact on critical performance parameters, such as quality, on time delivery and cost. For this reason, it is normal for considerable thought goes into planning material movement into, within and out of any manufacturing location,” he says. While explaining the criticality of material handling, Antony Sebastin K, senior VP-administration & SCM, V-Guard Industries Ltd underlines another factor that governs all businesses today – being customer driven. “Response time has to be shortened in order to fulfi l customer requirements. Customer expectation spurs lower lead times and this is where effi cient material handling systems play a huge role. This ultimately results in decrease of inventory which directly affects reduction of associated costs.”

Incorrect storage during transition of material will not only negatively impact the fl ow but also the quality of the material.

We follow a mix of both manual and automated material handling processes. It is done on the basis of factors such as the type of material, its shape, size, form and weight; the distance to be covered etc. Krishnakumar Srinivasan, MD – India, vehicle group, Eaton

However, selection of handling systems has to be done by carefully by rating the factors like associated cost, adaptability/acceptability, service level improvement and safety.

Antony Sebastin K, Sr. VP-administration & SCM, V-Guard Industries Ltd

There are several indirect costs that are associated with poor material handling. The fi rst is lead times, as people spend more time searching for material. The next is additional inventory.

Alagu Balaraman, partner & MD – India operations, CGN & Associates


SUPPLY CHAIN COMPONENTS OF AN EFFICIENT MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEM

Selection of material handling equipment has to be done by carefully rating factors like cost, adaptability, service level improvement and safety. He explains that a good material handling system facilitates effi cient stock handling using systems like First In, First Out (FIFO), Last In, First Out (LIFO) and so on. “Following a standardised and safe handling pattern also results in reduction of scrap. Palletisation of stock assures faster turnaround as well as improved safety of the material.” Material handling activities can be both manual and automated. Both have their pros and cons in terms of cost, time and labour. And it is generally seen that many smart organisations use a combination of both. V-Guard, for example, does not have fully automated systems. “We apply automation by looking at the associated costs, adaptability and safety. There is a balance between manual and automation based on analysis of tasks against the fi ve levels of automation. We use handling equipment such as pallet trucks, fork-lifts, overhead cranes, conveyer systems and hydraulic lifts for enhanced operating,” explains Sebastin.

Proper storage of materials Proper accessibility to materials Timely, safe and clean movement of materials Optimisation of available space Usage of cost-effective material handling solutions Proper coordination between various departments Focus on safety and environment.

E

aton, a diversifi ed industrial manufacturer, too follows a mix of both manual and automated material handling processes ensuring optimum utilisation of time and equipment. The choice is made on the basis of factors such as the type of material – its shape, size, form and weight; the distance to be covered etc. “For processes where machines are not linked, we usually opt for manual systems or a combination of manual and automated systems. In the case of linked processes, the systems used are 100 per cent automated,” Srinivasan explains. Sebastin, however, also has a word of caution. “Selection of handling systems has to be done by carefully by rating the factors like associated cost, adaptability/acceptability, service level improvement and safety.” In this regard, Balaraman of CGN (which provides business performance consulting) offers some tips. He says effi cient material handling can be delivered at several levels.

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Manufacturing Today JUNE 2013

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Supply Chain

A good system facilitates efficient stock handling using systems like First In, First Out (FIFO), Last In, First Out (LIFO) and so on.

Srinivasan believes that Eaton’s material handling systems have been highly effective in ensuring better visibility and monitoring of work in progress (WIP). “By simplifying and improving the work-process, we have successfully optimised the flow of material - thus greatly reducing manufacturing time and increasing savings. Appropriate material handling procedures has also led to minimised damages and hence loss or rejection,” he says. V-Guard, which is also a multi-product company catering to various verticals, has material handling systems primarily aimed at lowering lead times and cost. “Material handling systems are designed in such a manner that they should either improve the o what are the various aspects on which material hanproductivity or ease handling by reducing manual interdling has direct impact? According to Balaraman ventions. This will result in improvement of service as of CGN, a poorly designed material handling syswell as address unsafe conditions,” Sebastin says. tem can have a direct impact on the quality of Not surprisingly, it incurs just 0.1 per cent of its the product. “Scratches, dents and even gouge turnover as costs for material handling. There are marks can be avoided by ensuring adequate companies which spend anything between 0.5 handling and suitable fixtures and racks for Cost incurred by per cent to even 8 per cent of their turnover on movement,” he says adding that damage durV-guard industries for material handling in this aspect. ing movement from one station to another can terms of percentage lead to uncertain component availability, as of annual damaged items are sent back for rework or are nd in fact, in the case of companies like Vturnover scrapped. This can affect on-time delivery.” Guard, the money spent on material handling Cost can get driven up by unnecessary transportabecomes more of an investment as it goes a long way in tion. Balaraman gives example of an organisation that had a making the operations efficient and profitable. As Balaraman poorly designed layout because of which there was a lot of back points out, there are several indirect costs that are associated with and forth movement and crisscrossing. CGN helped in address- poor material handling. “The first is lead times, as people spend ing this design issue and eliminated the back and forth move- more time searching for material. The next is additional invenment making it efficient. The company saved the cost of moving tory. This increases as throughput decreases, leading to choking the material by reducing a whopping 1,100 km of travel within of the shop floor and more cash tied up in WIP. Finally, there are the shop floor. This obviously reflects in the bottom-line of the additional costs of accounting, expediting and, very importantly, organisation. safety hazards arising from poorly designed material flow.”

“At a basic level, one would look at simple housekeeping models, going up to a 5S system. At the next level, basic storage and elementary handling equipment can be added. Finally, far more sophisticated systems can be brought in to automate, store, retrieve and move material in the shop floor. Depending upon the nature of demand, the throughput and process capability, it is possible to design the appropriate level of material handling and see quantitative benefits for the business.”

S

0.1%

A

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Operations

Staying alert!

This case study explains how the right control and monitoring system helped Russia’s largest petrochemical plant to function efficiently, safely and cost effectively. By Robert Kuipers

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Image courtesy: Pentair Thermal Management

Operations

The right control and monitoring system can help to reduce costs as well as the risk of accidents.

C

ontrol and monitoring is particularly critical for petrochemical plants, where even the slightest uncontrolled increase in temperature could lead to an explosion. Any control and monitoring products used in these areas have to be of the highest quality and designed specifically for that purpose. Polypropylene (PP) is a versatile thermoplastic used in a wide variety of applications including packaging, stationery and laboratory equipment. As a great producer and consumer of PP, the Russian market has been growing steadily year on year, producing over 800 thousand tonnes of polypropylene in 2011 alone. To meet growing demand, PP producers have been increasing production and investing in new petrochemical plants. One of these major PP producers is Tobolsk Polymers LLC. And Tobolsk operates the largest petrochemical plant in Russia.

P

entair Thermal Management partnered with Tobolsk Polymers LLC to provide frost protection and temperature maintenance systems for this particular plant. The scope of the project comprised a range of project management services, including design, engineering and installation support. Moreover, providing solutions to this plant was not without challenges – the site is vast and many of the areas within the plant can be defined as hazardous. For example, part of the process to create PP involves the dehydrogenation of propane, a highly flammable substance. Pentair Thermal Management’s self-regulating heating cables and Digitrace NGC-20 control and monitoring systems were selected to keep the PP at the correct temperature

and avoid any potential accidents. Thus, this challenging project called for innovative solutions.

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he Digitrace NGC-20 control system combined the benefits of a centralised control system with those of local control. Through this system, temperatures, ground fault currents and operating currents could be measured, displayed locally and communicated to a central location. In addition to supplying heat management solutions to these critical areas, Tobolsk Polymers was also provided frost management systems for outside areas, including gutters, downpipes and roof inlets. Actually, controlling a heat-tracing circuit can be as simple as a mechanical thermostat. However, in larger, more complex environments such as refineries or chemical plants, more sophisticated control and monitoring requirements are necessary. With a variety of options available, plant owners need to know that they are selecting the most appropriate system for their application. This is where complete heat management solutions providers can add real value – by partnering with a heat-tracing specialist at the beginning of the specification and design process, plant owners can be sure they are getting the best system and configuration for them. Further to a simple thermostat, there are three advanced control options that plant owners can choose from. The first combines local control with local monitoring, with both of these elements located in the field. This is suitable for smaller applications where maintenance professionals are able to get to the site quickly and easily. Manufacturing Today JUNE 2013

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Image courtesy: Pentair Thermal Management

OPERATIONS

By partnering with a heattracing specialist at the beginning of the specifi cation and design process, plant owners can be sure they are getting the best system and confi guration.

The Digitrace NGC-20 control system combines the benefits of a centralised control system with those of local control.

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he second option combines central control with central monitoring which addresses the problem of sending maintenance operatives to the fi eld since everything is controlled from a central location. Although this may be convenient for the operator, being in one location, they do not have precise, nuanced control over what is happening in the fi eld. As a result, this system may not be appropriate for areas where exact, minute temperature changes need to be monitored. The third approach combines local control with central monitoring. A ‘best of both worlds’ solution, this enables areas with small temperature changes to be controlled locally, with all of the source site data sent to a central location away from the fi eld. This is also a highly cost-efficient option as it incorporates ‘daisy chain’ wiring, wherein all the control systems are connected to each other, with only one wire feeding back to a central location. Therefore fewer cables are required.

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nce a plant owner has decided which type of control and monitoring system is most suitable for his site, he needs to ensure that it is approved for use in hazardous areas. For example, in the European market, this means that all equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially hazardous areas must comply with ATEX regulations. This regulation basically defi nes what equipment and work conditions are allowed in an environment with an explosive atmosphere. How can control and monitoring systems help plant owners comply with such regulations? With a local control and central monitoring system, all maintenance can be carried out from

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Manufacturing Today JUNE 2013

the control room, so operatives do not have to go into the fi eld as frequently. Secondly, as per the regulations, any equipment used should not be fl ammable or at risk of sparking. To ensure this, control and monitoring systems can be fi tted with a temperature limiter. Once a designated temperature limit is reached or a fault occurs within the permitted temperature range (probe break, shortcircuit, component defect or power failure), the device switches off without delay. A system which combines local control with central monitoring and a temperature limiter (such as the Digitrace NGC-20) is defined as a SIL 2 device under the International Electrotechnical Commission’s (IEC) standard. It’s not just the components inside the device that make it safe for use. Many control boxes are double insulated and have been designed so that the live wire cannot touch the casing. As a result, the casing cannot generate an electric shock or cause a spark, even if the wires inside become loose.

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hen it comes to control and monitoring, today’s plant owners have a lot to consider. What will be the most cost-effective option? Will maintenance personnel be able to get on-site quickly and easily if there’s a problem? How will the plant continue to function and hazardous areas remain safe, while keeping costs down? The right control and monitoring system can provide the answer to all these questions, helping to reduce costs and the risk of accidents. The author is Robert Kuipers, product manager, Pentair Thermal Management


OPERATIONS

REWARDING SUSTAINABILITY A recently held summit and awards function focused on the business aspects of sustainability and highlighted three interesting trends in the quest of going green BY NIRANJAN MUDHOLKAR

C

ompanies are now realising that economic viability and operational effi ciency are invariably interlinked through sustainability. “We need to look at new models of growth that will decouple our growth from environmental impact. It makes immense business sense. Becoming green does not add costs,” said Pradeep Banerjee, executive director, supply chain, Hindustan Unilever Ltd speaking at the recently held Green Manufacturing Excellence Summit and Awards (GMEA), organised by Frost & Sullivan in Mumbai. “The pursuit of sustainable growth will enable us to fi nd new models of growth, which will not only be sustainable but will also deliver savings,” added Banerjee, who was the chief guest at the event. The summit showcased some of the best practices in sustainable manufacturing from diverse industries.

harmful to the environment and also quite expensive. In this scenario, it only makes smart business sense to use renewable energy and to reduce dependence on the grid. Many award winning entries demonstrated this trait. Secondly, all manufacturing facilities – due to the nature of operations – generate a considerable amount of waste in some form or other. Getting rid of this waste can be both expensive and complicated due to the stringent regulations. So many manufacturing organisations are now turning to scientifi c disposable of waste within their facilities with the aim of becoming zero discharge plants. Many of them have been successful in this endeavour; some have even started utilising the waste benefi cially either for energy generation or for creating commercially viable by-products. The efforts of such players too were deservedly honoured.

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here were three interesting trends seen at this year’s GMEA. Firstly, there was seen a steady and sure shift towards the usage of renewable energy either partly or even completely. Power coming from the conventional sources – through the grid – is both expensive and short in supply. There would be a long list of companies that have suffered huge losses only because of power shortages. Using gensets, besides being a short-term solution, is

The pursuit of sustainable growth will enable us to fi nd new models of growth, which will not only be sustainable but will also deliver savings. Pradeep Banerjee, executive director, supply chain, Hindustan Unilever Ltd

ACC’s Wadi Plant - Winner of the Challengers Award - Large business at the GMEA 2013

he third important trend seen is the endeavour of taking sustainability beyond the facilities to the supply chains and giving the term a truly comprehensive meaning. According to Nitin Kalothia, director, manufacturing & process consulting practice, Frost & Sullivan, “Finalising the boundary in the supply chain and understanding the risks are the starting steps towards this journey. The process has to bring in required business benefits or mitigate a long-term sustainability risk. So far, companies have focused on improving supply chain effi ciency and reliability with respect to cost, quality, and delivery. But, they now have to also focus on the environmental and the social aspects.” Through these trends, the event also emphasised on the fact that become sustainable is not a destination but a journey.

Manufacturing Today JUNE 2013

59


Announcing Manufacturing T

CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE IN INDIAN MANUFACTURING

TODAY

Nominations now open. For details, visit www.mtawards.in For nominations: Niranjan Mudholkar; niranjan.mudholkar@itp.com; +91 9819531819 For sponsorship: Hafeez Shaikh; hafeez.shaikh@itp.com; +91 9833103611 Sanjay Bhan; sanjay.bhan@itp.com; +91 9845722377 Bibhor Srivastava; bibhor@itp.com; +91 9820439239


g Today Awards 2013

20th SEPTEMBER

MUMBAI

Previous winners Mahindra & Mahindra, Kirloskar Brothers, AMW, JCB India, Dabur, Bajaj Auto, Essar Steel, Kurlon, Dalmia Cement, Hyderabad Industries, ElectroMech, Steelcast, Durovalves, FIEM, MTAB, Anugraha Valve Castings, CHEP India...


products+solutions+services

Even more diameters

The Walter Titex X treme D8 and D12 VHM highperformance twist drills are now available in around 260 standard diameters between 3 and 20 mm.

By popular demand: Walter is expanding its standard range of successful high-performance X•treme D8/D12 VHM twist drills to include numerous intermediate diameters. Walter Titex X•treme D8/D12 VHM twist drills currently set the standard for drilling depths of up to 8xD and 12xD. Internal cooling and polished flutes ensure reliable chip evacuation. An optimised point geometry together with a special double head coating produces a high cutting performance and long tool life. All of which means that the drills can reach the required depth in just seconds. Neither pre-drilling with a pilot drill nor pecking during drilling is necessary, saving the user processing time and eliminating the need for extra tools. Four heels also ensure the quality of the drilled holes. In summary, the Walter Titex X•treme D8/D12 is setting new standards in terms of performance, precision and surface finish quality. The features mentioned above make the drills suitable for all materials, i.e. for cast iron, normal steel, alloyed steel, high-alloy steel and materials that are difficult to machine. Both standard emulsions and minimum quantity lubrication can be used as the cooling lubricant method.

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Walter has introduced numerous new intermediate diameters into the range for tools with diameters ranging from 3 to 20 mm. A total of around 260 individual diameters are now available for the two types. With this expansion of the range, Walter is particularly taking account of those applications that require hole diameters with precise intermediate sizes. As a group of companies active worldwide, Walter AG develops, produces and markets precision tools for the metal-machining industry. The four key brands of Walter, Walter Titex, Walter Prototyp and Walter Valenite are united under one company roof. Walter Titex is a brand name known worldwide for high-performance drilling and reaming tools made from HSS-E and solid carbide. Walter Prototyp is a leading brand for innovative thread cutting and milling tools made of HSS-E and solid carbide with high-tech coatings. The brand Walter Valenite completes the indexable insert range of Walter AG, expanding the product range with additional special tools, such as complex draw bar tools. For information, visit www.walter-tools.com or send email to service.in@walter-tools.com

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products+solutions+services

Horizontal honing machines Wendt India with the technical collaboration from Delapena, UK offers range of Horizontal & Vertical Honing machines.

Speed Hone – EM (Manual Version) & EA (Automated Version)

Horizontal Spindle Honing Machine 1. E Series - E 1000S & E 2000S Exclusive features 1. Variable spindle speed 2. Adjustable stroking speed & tool expansion through servo drive 3. Siemens NC controller with user friendly touch screen. 4. Precision & repeatable honing on through and blind bores 5. Safe interlocking door with electric sensor for operator safety 6. Storing options for multiple programme. Some Application areas: Fuel injection parts, Rocker arm, Con-rod, Gears, Fork shifter, Dies, Aerospace components, & various Sleeves / Bushes.

Key Specifications Parameters Dia. Range of job Max. Stroke length Spindle motor power Spindle speed Stroking motor power Stroking speed

mm mm kW rpm Nm m/min

E 1000S 1.14 – 25 300 1.5 200 – 2500 3 1 -25

E 2000S 1.14 – 120 320 3 150 – 3500 4 1 - 25 Exclusive features 1. Available in manual and automated versions 2. Adjustable spindle speeds, stroking speeds (for EA) and stone pressure 3. Built in dial indicator for feed expansion comparison 4. Rigid tray design & adjustable chuck 5. Easily removable, integral, three stage fluid filter unit 6. Ergonomic work platform Some Application areas: Fuel injection parts, Rocker arm, Con-rod, Fork shifter,Gears, Dies, Aerospace components & various Sleeves / Bushes - where high stock removal rates are required.

Key Specifications Parameters Dia. Range of job Spindle speed Rotation motor power Stroke length Reciprocation motor

mm Rpm kW Mm kW

EM 1.143 – 79.375 200 - 2500 1.5 NA NA

EA 1.143 – 79.375 200 – 2500 1.5 0 – 155 mm 0.37

For further details contact: SajuAbraham@wendtindia.com; Venkateshms@wendtindia.com Note: Specifications are subject to change without notice as continual improvements being done.

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products

Arc-resistant, eco-friendly switchgear Eaton is introducing an arc-resistant, metal-enclosed load interrupter switchgear design, providing centralized control and protection for medium-voltage power distribution equipment. With environmentally-friendly switching technology, the ArcGard load-interrupter switchgear is engineered to enhance operator safety during maintenance operations for industrial, commercial, and utility customers. The ArcGard medium-voltage switchgear is the first medium-voltage load interrupter switchgear with arc-resistant enclosures that can be shipped in a single structure – reducing customer costs and equipment space. The new ArcGard metal-enclosed switchgear is an Eaton Green Leaf Label solution and meets stringent standards of sustainability and efficiency. Eaton switchgear solutions incorporate Eaton’s industry-leading vacuum interrupters and avoid the use of Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF6) technology, which contributes to the greenhouse effect. “The ArcGard switchgear is part of more than 40 Eaton arc flash prevention solutions and builds on more than 60 years of switchgear innovation,” said Javvad Qasimi, product manager at Eaton. ArcGard metal-enclosed switchgear is designed to protect personnel from dangerous arcing faults by controlling, collecting, and channeling the decomposition of the products from internal arcing faults to an area away from the perimeter of the gear. Eaton’s arc-resistant load interrupter switchgear incorporates arc chute and flicker blade technology, which means arcing is minimized between the main blades and stationary contacts for increased equipment life. ArcGard switchgear meets American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and C37.20.7 arc-resistant standards for personnel protection. Additionally, the ArcGard switchgear is seismically tested to meet International Building Code (IBC) 2006 and California Building Code (CBC) 2007 standards.

Three cylinder gen sets Cooper Corporation has launched its three cylinder, 62.5 KVA and 82.5 KVA generators under the brand name ‘Cooper Ecopack’ recently. Cooper claims it is eco-friendly with low fuel consumption, besides being lighter in weight, smaller in size. The gensets meets with US and European Emission norms. The range have been developed in-house in technical collab-

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oration with Ricardo, an international design engineering company. It is powered by three cylinder engines with four valves per cylinder, with centrally placed injector with a peak firing pressure up to 210 Bar. The Cooper three cylinder engines come equipped with built in lube oil cooler, hydraulic tappets with roller follower and cylinder head cast in compacted graphite iron (CGI). The Ecopack series is India’s first Euro IV, US EPA Tier IV Interim and CPCB 2 compliant set of generators. With a 7-tank pre-treatment and durable powder coating this series functions efficiently with very little noise - well within 75 dbA at 1 meter distance under free field condition. The range comes with maintenance interval of 500 hours and lube oil consumption of 0.1 per cent. According to Farrokh N Cooper, chairman and managing director: “The Ecopack series comes with benefits like 25 per cent lower fuel consumption, 25 per cent smaller in size, 40 per cent lighter in weight, 42 per cent saving in maintenance cost and several times quieter.”

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products

Air plasma solution Powermax105 is Hypertherm’s latest 105-amp air plasma solution, featuring a remarkable ability to comfortably cut 32mm-thick metals, and to sever metals up to 50mm-thick. The system is a culmination of four years of research and development, which included time spent in the field observing various metal cutting processes. With firsthand knowledge of end-user needs, Hypertherm has developed a product that - it claims - even the most demanding customers can rely on for metal cutting and gouging. Powermax105 is the toughest and most versatile system in its class. On top of its bullet-proof reliability, the air plasma system is compatible with seven of Hypertherm’s Duramax torches, which provide flexibility for both manual and automated cutting and gouging applications. Aside from portable air plasma systems, Hypertherm manufactures a full range of products for mechanized plasma cutting. Such plasma equipment are designed for high productivity with mid-level tolerances, and can cut non-ferrous materials as thick as 15.9cm.

Clamping technology The Kontec KSXNC vise from Schunk is a powerful clamping system for simultaneous 5-axis machining. The compact, and easily accessible clamping system from the competence leader for clamping technology and gripping systems disposes of tool-free adjustable clamping forces between 4 and 40 kN, which are measured directly at the work-piece. This is a great deal of power for a safe hold, even for minimum clamping surfaces. The support surfaces at a height of 211 mm ensure that the workpieces are easily accessible from all sides. With just one lever rotation, they are quickly clamped resistant to vibrations, and have a high repeat accuracy. Since the unit is draw bar actuated, the bending load at the base body is strongly reduced. Moreover, the long guiding system and the arrangement of the clamping mechanism ensure a very stiff, dimensionally stable setup. These are ideal preconditions for precise machining of the second side. The drive and the adjustment mechanism of the 5-axis clamping vise are completely encapsulated and thus protected against chips, dirt, and coolant, and the easy-to-clean design avoids build-up of chip clusters. The Kontec KSX fits smoothly into the Schunk modular system for highly efficient work-piece clamping. Therefore the clamping pins of the VERO-S quick-change pallet system can be directly integrated into the base body of the 5-axis clamping vise. Combined with the quick-change pallet system it can be quickly exchanged and with a maximum repeat accuracy on the machine table. Optionally, the vise of the innovative family-owned company can be equipped with standard, aluminium, or special 5-axis top jaws, pendulum plates and many other standard chuck jaws from the world’s largest standard chuck jaw program from Schunk. The clamping range of

the Kontec KSX lies between 0 - 250 mm. By using draw bar and base body extensions, the clamping range can be enlarged to 749 mm. For more information, visit info@in.schunk.com

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products

Toolmaking machine The further development of the tried and tested S33 from Studer brings important advantages for customers in toolmaking, job shops and the supply industry: Even more workpiece geometries can be ground in a single clamping! The new grinding head with three grinding wheels ensure that the workpiece can be machined even more individually and quickly - complete machining in a class of its own! In addition to the familiar production wheelhead, which can be used at 0° and 30°, the new universal head can be fitted with two external grinding spindles and one internal grinding spindle. Both external grinding wheels with Ø 500 x 63mm (80/110mm Form 5) are arranged on the right. The universal head can be manually positioned every 2.5°, or is available with automatic B-axis with 1° Hirth serration. HF spindles are exclusively used for internal grinding. The clever design of the S33 allows us to achieve an up to 1/3 extended grinding length, in comparison with the competitors. In conjunction with grinding wheel arrangement on the right, reduction of the efficient grinding length with use less than 30° should always be taken into account. The S33 is now available with a CNC control and integrated PC. This enables the use of the new StuderWIN operator interface.

The StuderGrind programming software modules can now be installed directly on the control system. Proven S33 features: Unique arrangement of the motor spindles. Very simple changeover from grinding between centers to live spindle grinding. Swiveling machine table. Optional C-axis for form and thread grinding. Granitan machine bed, large selection of options and accessories.

Compact grinding machine The compact CNC universal cylindrical grinding machine for mid-size pieces to grind externally or internally in one clamping is designed for the grinding of workpieces in individual as well as small and large series production operations. Its ideal uses are to be found in electro motor shafts, pump gears, all forms of plastic injection forms, location pins and naturally all manner of tool holding fixtures e.g. HSK.

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Back in the days, the machining of out-of-round-forms (e.g. polygons), was very complicated and mainly used in the mold and die production. It was necessary to utilize a variety of surface and jig grinding machines to produce a simple part step by step. It was hard to achieve the specified angle and geometric tolerances in a reasonable time frame due to multiple clamping. Nowadays, the whole production process can easily be done by a single universal cylindrical grinding machine. The c-axis of the machine facilitates the grinding of even complex out-of-round work pieces. The compact CNC universal cylindrical grinding machine is equipped with c-axis (round axis of the workhead spindle) and the software module StuderFormHSM (StuderGRIND) and therefore specialised for the machining of curves and polygons. The axis drives are directly controlled at the lowest possible level with high-speed-machining enabling it to follow the highly dynamic process default values and reach highest precision in noncircular grinding. The machine bed is made of Granitan (mineral casting). Handling systems are available for the Studer S31, which can be precisely adapted to each application and its machining processes. Loading systems such as the Studer easyLoad guarantee seamless integration into the machine and control system. Standardized loader interfaces are already prepared. Of course also the S31 is also equipped with full enclosure and has two sliding doors including electronic surveillance. The S31 is CE conform. Both S33 and S31 have been commissioned at Schleifring group’s new technology center in Bengaluru with training and application support.

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