Padmini VNA Mechatronics Local Tech, Global Ambitions
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PADMINI VNA MECHATRONICS LOCAL TECH, GLOBAL AMBITIONS Padmini VNA Mechatronics is one among a select group of home-grown Indian companies that indigenously develop technology, catering to Indian and foreign customers, and commanding about 90 % marketshare for EGR and EGR valves in India. In our Shopfloor feature this month, we take a look at the product and manufacturing technology, which enables the company to deliver global quality at low-cost.
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INTRODUCTION
The moment one enters the Gurgaon plant of Padmini VNA Mechatronics, one can sense an urgency to deliver and follow processes. Every area and department of the facility seems to be working towards one common goal. That goal, as we learnt, is to grow ten folds of its present size in about five year, and all through indigenous technology. In an effort to understand the plan, we talked about foreign technology partners, a practice followed by many in the industry. Officials at Padmini VNA Mechatronics though, completely downplay the idea, suggesting this isn’t anywhere remotely in their plans. The company presently manufactures exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems, solenoid valves, throttle bodies, brake vacuum pumps and related sensors & electronics as mainstream products. It has started off by making horns and combination switches, and has now moved completely to emission and safety-related products. The kind of product shift that the company has made, speaks well about the investment made in developing its technical capabilities. In its path towards the specified goal, the company is relying on its own technical capabilities to develop a wider portfolio of products in order to cater to more customers. These new products will primarily help customers meet Euro V & VI equivalent emission norms. Some of these products will deviate from the areas of emission and brakes, but will continue to be a part of the engine. The company will continue to focus on diesel technologies as it foresees a huge potential in that area, both in India and abroad. Padmini VNA Mechatronics claims it’s able to deliver global quality at a price, which cannot be matched by anyone in India presently. We were told that in some applications for Indian OEMs, the imported EGRs could cost as much as twice or thrice of the price offered by Padmini VNA Mechatronics.
EGR units for various vehicles
Automation of final assembly improves quality
percentage of engineers making up the total employee base. The factory workforce is numbered at about 150, while regular employees count for 140 people. Of these 140, more than 60 employees are engineers and are working on various aspects ranging from design & development to product testing. The engineering department is directly supervised by Kabir Bhandari, Managing Director of the company. The annual investment in R&D at about 10 % not only ranks significantly above most Indian suppliers, but matches or exceeds some of the global players too. The infrastructure at the facility is fully capable of handling a project from
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