Industry 5.0 is the buzz word and we need to combine technology and human creativity.
Meena Goel Head Business Development, Polyhose Group With the rise in construction activities, the demand for different types of equipment will also grow. In that scenario, how do you see the demand panning
– Meena Goel
Head Business Development, Polyhose Group
With the rise in construction activities, the demand for different types of equipment will also grow. In that scenario, how do you see the demand panning out?
With the rise in Government allocation through the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), a large growth has taken place in rural road connectivity and is increasing. The recently announced Rs 100 lakh cr, Gati Shakti plan will be a boost when implemented, along with the high-speed expressways which are under construction., and all this will push demand. We are optimistic about Government’s intent to complete around 7400 projects as envisaged in the National Infrastructure Pipeline, aggregating to Rs 111 trillion by FY25.
Last month our company bagged a prestigious contract and delivered several hydraulic motor graders (above 160HP) for lignite mines to a new customer, a PSU.
There is a lot of emphasis on improving the manufacturing sector in India through initiatives like Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat. Do you feel there is enough manufacturing capacity in India to meet the demand?
Aatmanirbhar Bharat translates to reducing imports and producing for the world in which case there is a tremendous scope to add capacity. LeeBoy is increasingly focussing on customers under the leadership of Hatim Shabbir, the next generation of the Polyhose family, whose vision is to regain the glory of LeeBoy brand motor graders, which once had over 30 % market share.
What role is automation, digitalisation, robotics, etc. playing in the process of manufacturing of these products. How has the company adopted technology in manufacturing and what are the benefits of the same? Can you also throw some light on technology/ R&D deployed to develop the products as per the requirements of your clients?
Industry 5.0 is the buzz word, and our Group acquisitions globally indicate that it may not be enough to merely automate tasks or digitize processes. We need to combine technology and human creativity.
While the original design of Leeboy graders was from the United States, a lot of tweaking and modification to suit the Indian condition was done within house design team. Today the Leeboy 995 motor grader offers a high -performance proposition and fuel efficiency. This 24-ton heavy duty motor grader is powered by Cummins engine and features automatic power shift transmission with torque convertor and lock up clutch. It comes with 14 feet /16 feet optional moldboard. List of attachments that can be donned are front scarifier, front dozer, push block, mid-mounted scarifier, or heavy-duty rear ripper. Comparing to a regular grader that covers 150mcube, the 995 is as good as three or four machines. Its entire range are equipped with air- conditioned cabins, driver information display screens, ergonomic seat controls and audio systems. LeeBoy graders both 785/985 models have a robust design and highly engineered components sourced from the top-notch companies globally. Over 600 market graders are in the market today.
Smart Manufacturing is essential to success and while we are increasingly incorporating this at most of our Group companies, we are still at a plan stage at Leeboy.
How do you see the initiatives like Make in India, Aatmanirbhar Bharat, etc. brining in a revolution in the manufacturing sector especially on the components segment?
Aatmanirbhar Bharat is a situation where we are not only self-reliant but also produce for the world.
Polyhose acquired LeeBoy from ST Singapore, an integrated engineering group in 2018. It then re-located the factory from Karnataka near Bangalore to its own Industrial Park in Gummudipoondi near Chennai, with around 2 lakh sqft of space and a world class warehouse for meeting spare parts requirements across the country. Since then, Leeboy has been catering to domestic requirements and export for defence application in countries in Southeast Asia.
Today it can boast of recent exports of its motor graders from its Tamil Nadu factory to global defence.
What are your future plans in terms of increasing manufacturing capacities, introducing newer technologies, investments, etc?
Hatim, son of Polyhose Group founder YJ Shabbir, prefers to take the untrodden path and lead businesses in totally unrelated challenging business verticals. He has proved himself early
as a major supplier of Tipper Bodies to Ashok Leyland (for which Best Debutant Special Award was received in 2021) and several fabricated parts to Global OEM’s. Hatim, along with his childhood friend and an automobile engineer Sharan, are building a strong factory team and a world class manufacturing facility for motor graders.
The dynamic team agreed that a specialized and large marketing network was the key to acquiring customer trust. In a strategic move they decided to outsource the marketing aspect to a reputed OEM. This also leaves them to focus all their attention on new product development and upgradations.
Climate change is a very important aspect, and we are working on an electronic engine which will greatly help improve the environment. We are also working on a model 585 for the growing rural market. Polyhose Group is continuously growing and is actively looking for European collaboration in infrastructure space with advanced technology and freight movement.
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