‘Make in India’ mission of our government leading to opening up of opportunities for indigenization at all levels of technology is a real boon.

– M. V. Rajasekhar

Director (Mining & Construction), BEML

What are your views on India as a global construction equipment manufacturing hub?

The infrastructure sector is receiving an intense push from the Government, propelling India’s overall development and GDP with the focus on the theme ‘Building India for a New World. The new policies announced by the Government would ensure the time-bound creation of world-class infrastructure in the country.

With this drive, the industry estimates sales of construction equipment to grow by 15-20% in fiscal 2023 both in domestic and exports sales, compared with an 8% fall during the last fiscal year.

The Indian construction equipment industry, being the third largest market in the world and further with a greater thrust on automation, adoption of advanced technologies and global best practices, usage of alternate fuels, new emission norms and innovations, India would definitely be an emerging hub for construction equipment component outsourcing base and design base.

Adding to above, the ‘Make in India’ mission of our government leading to opening up of opportunities for indigenization at all levels of technology is a real boon for the industry.

Give us details about your manufacturing facilities in India?

BEML is a diversified Company engaged in the design, development, manufacturing and after-sales–service of a wide range of products for core sectors of economy such as Coal, Mining, Steel, cement, power, irrigation, construction, road building, Defence, Railway and Metro transportation system & Aerospace. 

The Company has the following four manufacturing complexes located at Bengaluru, Kolar Gold Fields (KGF), Mysuru and Palakkad.

Earth Movers Division (EMD): Is the biggest manufacturing plant located at Kolar Gold Fields (KGF), around 100 Kms from Bangalore. It caters to Design & Development, Manufacturing, Testing and After-Sales-Service of Earth Moving Equipment and its aggregates. The Division is accredited with ISO 9001 – 2008 & ISO 14001 – 2004 Certificate for QMS by BVCI.

Hydraulics & Powerline (H&P) Division: Is distinctly separated from the Mother Plant (EM Division) considering the classified nature of the products. The division has successfully manufactured high-precision components and assemblies indigenously.  Currently, the unit is catering to captive requirements and external customers and has now grown into an independent strategic business unit and a profit center.

Rail & Metro division: Located at Bangalore, this division was manufacturing Rolling Stock producing various models of Broad-Gauge Coaches. Subsequently, over the years, the division has been equipped to manufacture hi-tech metro coaches and in addition to some of the defense products.

Truck division: Located at Mysore, this division majorly caters to Mining & Construction Segment. Some of the equipment manufactured are Dumpers from 35 Tons to 100 Tons capacity, and range of Motor Graders and Water Sprinklers.

Engine Division: Located adjacent to Truck Division at Mysore, manufactures heavy duty Diesel Engines for application on a wide variety of Earth Moving, Mining and Construction Machinery and Defence Equipment. Apart from these, the engines are also offered for other industrial applications as well as diesel generator sets.

Palakkad Division: The youngest division located at Kerala, the plant was set up to cater to the requirements of Defence Ministry & Indian Railways.

Research & Development Division: R&D division is manned by highly qualified engineers with specialization in advanced fields of mechanical design, engine technology, structural engineering, material science, fluid power and electronics. This Centre is making vital contribution towards strengthening the earthmover and related industries in the country.

How technologically advanced are your manufacturing facilities in India? Also, what are the safety features incorporated in these facilities?

BEML’s production divisions are equipped with the latest version of upgraded machines matching the requirement for producing quality products. Some of the facilities are listed below:

Machining Facilities equipped with Different Varieties of CNC Machining Centres and Heavy-Duty Boring Machines (SKODA, WMW and GLF).

Gear Manufacturing Facilities for operations such as Hobbing, Shaping, Grinding, Shaving, Gear Cutter Grinder, Vertical Broaching and Horizontal Broaching.

Plate Working & Fabrication Facilities which includes Flame Cutting Machines, CNC Plasma Cutting Machines, Bevelling, Shearing, Rolling and Straightening Machines, Hydraulic Presses & Press Brake and Shot Blasting Machines. Welding processes viz., GMAW – Gas Metal Arc Welding, FCAW – Flux Cored Arc Welding, GTAW – Gas Tungsten Arc Welding, SAW – Submerged Arc Welding, SMAW – Shield Metal Arc Welding

With regards to the safety features, BEML has a dedicated safety department in all the divisions which interacts with directorate of boilers factories safety and follows stringent norms as per factory safety act.

Can you give us a brief about your employment strength in terms of contractual and payroll?

As of end June’22, in BEML there are 5300 employees on the payrolls and 4500 personnel have been engaged on contractual basis.

What are your company’s initiatives in skilling and training?

As an integral part of the Govt of India Policy, BEML is committed to Skill & Competency development of its Employees, Contract Workmen, Vendors, Customers, local Youth etc.  The umbrella framework for Skill Development activities includes Centres of Excellence, Service Training Centres, Apprenticeship Training Centres. BEML ensures Skill Training as per the specified standard and the processes to achieve the desired level of productivity & efficiency. As a recognition of this, BEML has been announced as the winner of the Golden Peacock Award in Training in 2022.

All the major Manufacturing Complexes of BEML located at Kolar Gold Fields (KGF), Bangalore, Mysore & Palakkad have Centre of Excellence (CoE) to support Skill Development. BEML provides holistic people development to all its employees focussing on emotional, intellectual and professional development. The company is positioned as a value enhancer for the employees and its stakeholders. Going forward, at BEML would continue to leverage Training for Skilling/reskilling, creating an agile and efficient workforce ready for the Global competitive markets

How do you make use of robotics in your facilities?

In BEML the application of robotics is primarily used in Welding of Critical structures. BEML is equipped with Robo Welding Machines for welding of Arm Structures of Excavators, Heavy Structures for Dump Trucks and spot welding in Metro Coaches production line.

Hits: 1