“Innovation is deeply embedded in the DNA of our company.”

ParagSatpute
Managing Director, Sandvik Asia

Parag Satpute, Managing Director, Sandvik Asia

“As a company we invest heavily in R&D and we believe that has been the key to our long term success – Sandvik has been in existence for more than 155 years now.”

What spurs developing game-changing products for your end-user segments?
Customer focus and innovation are most important core values of Sandvik. This has helped Sandvik achieve leading positions in a number of high technology products such as tools and tooling systems for industrial metal cutting, mining and construction equipment and solutions as well as advanced stainless steels and special technology for industrial heating.
We have an experienced sales, product development and aftermarket team who engage continuously with customers. They develop a deep understanding of the needs of the customer and develop solutions to address these needs –such as improve productivity, enhance safety, increase lifetime, reduce cost of ownership, etc. With the insights from this deep understanding we realise there is an increasing demand for more intelligent equipment with control systems and automation features and therefore are working extensively to develop such products.
Having a good understanding of the customers’ operations/application has allowed us to propose innovative solutions. For example we recently introduced a top hammer drill for a surface mine where the customer was conventionally using the DTH technology. They have witnessed phenomenal results in terms of higher availability, faster drilling and lower fuel consumption due to the Sandvik solution.

Could you spell out your company’s philosophy of innovation?
Innovation is deeply embedded in the DNA of our company; it is in fact enshrined as one of the core values. We define innovation as shaping the future by creating pioneering solutions throughout our operations. The enablers in the journey includethe courage to think in completely new ways and embrace new perspectives; proactively share knowledge and experience and constantly seek to improve our ways of working. All this of course starts with understanding our customers’ needs, hence we believe in working very closely with the customers.

To what extent soft solutions and back up support has a bearing on the innovation?
Aftermarket support has extremely important role in ensuring product lifecycle success. Our professional after-market support makes our product offering much better than competition. It is through the aftermarket team that we maintain a very close contact with the customer and really develop the knowledge and understanding of how our products are used – this information is invaluable in improving our existing products as well as feeding the new product development pipeline.

What are the major challenges while introducing innovative technology?
The main challenge is off-course convincing customers to try something completely new and which might not have yet build up a track record. Another factor includes driving value in a price sensitive market.
Now, with the availability of new digital technology we can demonstrate using simulation and detailed value calculations the benefits of new solutions. This, along with the strong track record we have developed, helps to overcome these challenges.

Brief us about the R&D?
Research is focused on a number of priority areas, such as developing new materials, efficient industrial processes including automation and information and communication technology (ICT), energy efficiency and additive manufacturing (3D printing). We prioritize innovation based on customer needs. Our Research and development team works extensively in the areas of material technology advances. Productivity optimisation of existing processes and methods spurs new ideas and thinking that lead to this type of innovation.
Our committed aftermarket team works round-the-clock to ensure optimum availability and productivity and at the same time resolve bottle necks through innovative methods which builds customer confidence and ensures repeat business.
Last year, we launched a record-breaking number of new products and solutions, more than 15,000 in Sandvik Machining Solutions alone. Our global statistics are a proof of our commitment towards R&Din shaping a sustainable future. We have about 2700 employees worldwide, 60 centers around the world and 8000 active patents as well as intellectual property rights, amounting to an investment of 3500 MSEK (in 2015).
India is a leading country for Sandvik in R&D. We have five main R&D units within India with a combined headcount of around 300 engineers and scientists. One example is the R&D center in Pune, India, that specializes in modeling and simulation as a key technology, and carries out computational research and experiments for our business areas.

How do you perceive the upcoming trends in innovative technologies in the CE industry?
Automation and digitisation are the big macros trends across industries and also the CE industry. The possibilities offered by the new technologies such as IOT, remote monitoring and operations, big data analytics have the potential to really improve this industry. The possibilities are numerous from having remote controlled equipment to increase safety, being able to predict failure of parts so as to ensure uninterrupted operations to being able to utilise all the data gathered to optimise the equipment as well as operations.

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