The Hindu Business Line : New way to move

FOR this entrepreneur, the urge to innovate was so strong that he gave up his teaching profession and turned to the business of making gears. This happened in the early 70s. But Subramanian of Shanthi Gears has not looked back since then.

Recalling his early days in the business of making industrial gears, the Chairman and Managing Director of Shanthi Gears says "it was not easy. We were just a start-up company and there were other forceful brands. We had to compete and prove our capability. It took a while. The first break came when a company in Hyderabad placed an order for robot-like equipment (an arm) for lifting a load of 8 kg. This order was not placed with us. It was a chance happening. The supplier was not able to meet the specification of this order on time and the buyer approached us, giving us hardly 56 hours to complete and deliver the equipment at Hyderabad. All this happened on a Friday night. By Sunday afternoon, the 1:2 step up gearbox for lifting the 8-kg load was ready for despatch. We managed to deliver the item on Monday at the customer's destination. This was a turning point for us. Even today, our delivery schedule is considered the best in the industry," says Subramanian.

Incidentally, Shanthi Gears is the only approved manufacturer of aviation gears in India.

The product mix and manufacturing prowess is diverse - from a few grams to more than 15 tonnes; from textile loom gears to aviation gears; from simple worm gear box to complex planetary helical/bevel helical gearboxes; from standard gears to custom-made speciality gears. Today, the company is boasting of enquiries from technically-advanced countries such as Japan for a gearbox to increase the speed of lifts and elevators.

A streamlined process, higher precision, better manufacturing techniques and enhanced customer satisfaction levels "have helped us reap benefits on our investment," says P.K.R. Kurup, Senior Vice-President, Shanthi Gears.

By making use of software tools such as AutoCAD Inventor, Unigraphics, KISSsoft and CIMATRON, Shanthi Gears has been able to sharpen its design practices. "Earlier we use to do the drawings the conventional way. It was a time-consuming process. Now, with the press of a button, we are able to visualise the pattern and fine-tune it to suit the requirements."

The components used in manufacture beginning from the raw material are screened thoroughly to ensure the quality of the finished product. The production machines and quality control instruments are calibrated at predetermined periodic intervals to maintain dependable accuracies, says Kurup.

Has the company become totally dependent on technology? "What's wrong?" retorts Kurup, adding that in the present environment, companies canot afford to remain lackadaisical on investment in technology.

The global market demand for gears in industrial applications is estimated at Rs 12,500 crore. The size of the industrial gear market in India hovers at around Rs 450 crore annually. Major users are producers of steel, cement, coal, paper and the fertiliser industry apart from the aeronautical and defence sectors.

Shanthi Gears' investment has not been confined to upgrading its manufacturing process. The company is also in the process of implementing an ERP solution to spot its strength and weakness (online) across the various functional departments such as design, production, quality control, purchase, marketing, finance and accounts.

The company has envisaged an investment of Rs 40 crore in the coming financial year. `Well, this is just a beginning' remarks Subramanian.

Despite the growing demand for industrial gears, does he foresee an end to the gear era due to automation of processes? "As things stand now, we can't envisage a world without gears. In certain applications, however, it has been overshadowed by electronic gadgets. But then, industrial gears are being put to varied use. Can you imagine a lift or elevator without gear?' asks Kurup.

lnr@thehindu.co.in

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