Godrej Material Handling has always been looking for opportunities to use digital tools.

– Anil Lingayat

Executive Vice President & Business Head, Godrej Material Handling

What do you think are the latest ‘smart technology’ trends in the manufacturing sector, especially in the manufacturing of construction / mining equipment and what do you think is the impact of this on the manufacturing processes, enterprise value chain and supply chain?

The latest ‘smart technology’ trends in the material handling manufacturing sector are Industrial IoT, cloud computing and digital twin technology. The ability to connect, automate, track and analyze is required for manufacturing success — Industrial IoT (IIoT) is the key to facilitating this, and is at the core of any successful digital transformation. Transitioning to cloud-based systems is about agility, speed, nimbleness, and gaining a 360-degree perspective on factory operations in real time. Cloud computing is an on-demand computing service used for data (cloud) storage with computing power without direct user management. In a cloud-based solution, productivity can be tracked remotely from anywhere and the supplier and manufacturer can be updated daily. Also, operational data is accumulated automatically to calculate performance areas such as machine utilization and line utilization. Digital Twin technology is having the most immediate and significant impact in implementing smart technologies in the sector. Adoption of this technology is fairly at a nascent stage but has a great potential. With the power to provide visual representation of the as-designed, as-built, and as-maintained physical product, this technology has the power to open doors for new innovations. Use of digital twin is applicable at every stage of manufacturing from engineering to design to production and operations.

Smart technologies automate the analysis and collection of machine data that enable the predictive ability to anticipate and correct the failures and before they occur, data analytics and visualization tools help improve the supply chain. Supply chain management apps can be accessed through any tablet, smartphone, or computer, simplifying the supply chain by bringing together the latest in cloud, big data, graph, and mobile technologies to deliver accurate and real-time information.

Can you elaborate on the manufacturing philosophy & production principles of your company?

As India’s largest manufacturer of forklift trucks, we offer an extensive range of forklifts, which include electric and diesel counterbalanced forklifts, warehouse trucks, and specialised trucks for specific applications. We also design and manufacture accessories to address a wide range of handling applications besides offering accessories made by specialists.But because we have a large portfolio of products and changing customer needs, we have moved to a more data driven and agile manufacturing philosophy.We have for a long time been a proponent of lean manufacturing principles, agile manufacturing adds an extra dimension to lean manufacturing. Talking about lean manufacturing, it is a systematic approach of minimizing waste while maintaining the quality and production level within a manufacturing unit.  On the other hand, agile manufacturing is more focused on fulfilling the customers’ demand in minimum time. We have established a central planning team which ensures perfect cohesion between supply chain and market demand. Using data driven sales forecasting, we are able to ensure the supply chain team maintains right parts and components in the inventory for the plant to manufacture the right equipment within the delivery time committed to the customer. This real-time management of inventory and equipment manufacturing ensures the sales team and customers are informed about the status of their orders. In addition to being lean, this tactic accentuates inventory and capacity flexibility and cushions against market volatility and forecast inaccuracies, strengthening the organization. Capacity and inventory buffers act as the shock absorbers between strategic planning and operational planning in the event of unpredictable events. What-if scenarios for alternative courses of action and contingency plans help the organization mitigate risk and enable greater responsiveness to changing customer and market needs.

How do these principles help in ensuring ‘zero defects’, ‘environment-friendliness’ and ‘safety’ in your production processes and supply chain? Brief us on the on-going / on-the-pipeline initiatives to make your manufacturing more sustainable?

Computer-integration and data-driven manufacturing ensures that any deviance in manufacturing or process is caught in real time. Godrej Material Handling has always been looking for opportunities to use digital tools. To ensure faster delivery time, we have integrated our manufacturing with our CRM system. This ensures the right equipment gets priority on the manufacturing line. We used state-of-the-art laser cutting machines for sheet metal cutting operation. This ensures optimum use of raw materials and keeps human intervention with the process to the minimum, making the process safer. Our robotic arm welding system ensure consistent high-quality welds. We’ve had reduced wastage and less rework on mast and chassis fabrication. We have also digitized all major component testing rigs. Previously, we tested our masts on the equipment in outside environment which resulted in a lot of wastage in terms of fuel. Our in-house digital test rigs ensure that the mast is error free before it is integrated on the equipment. This has helped us improve reliability of our equipment. We have already deployed end of line digital testing of our forklift trucks, which ensures that each forklift meets all the performance parameters in terms of speed, acceleration and gradeability. We are currently working on deploying the same for our warehouse range of products such as Reach Truck and Articulated Forklift.

These digitally integrated machines and inspection rigs have helped reduce defects due to human error while also ensuring minimal wastage throughout the manufacturing line.

To what extent has your company imbibed digital technologies on manufacturing & how have you been able to leverage the digital platforms in the range of MHE such as Arial Work Platform, Forklifts, Pallet Trucks, Stackers and others? 

The users of material handling equipment are looking for techniques and solutions that can provide them the data required to enable them to improve operations. We’ve been successful in providing such a solution by creating and launching our own fleet management system – Godrej Safelog – to monitor fleet health, provide proactive or predictive maintenance and optimize fleet size. All product manuals and service support are already available on digital platforms to customers. We continue to provide our customers with the best data-driven solutions, which help them run businesses efficiently with thorough analysis, enabling them to make informed decisions concerning material handling requirements.

What do you think are the major challenges in replacing the legacy system with newer and smarter technologies?  

It’s easier for new manufacturing facilities to start with the smart technologies wherein the machines are digitally integrated to talk to each other. Replacing the legacy system requires more investment in terms of money and training of workforce. Very few machines can be upgraded and even upgrading them is a complex process with a lot of trial-and-error approach. In some cases, the entire manufacturing line cannot be upgraded and hence replacement of machines is required. This comes with its own challenges as most of these are huge machines, in some cases a new process line is established bypassing these machines as a quick and far economical solution.

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