Foster the culture of machine tool innovation

June 18, 2019 2:00 pm

The Indian machine tool industry has slowly, but steadily positioned itself in the global market. However, operating the manufacturing facilities in a manner that leaves the smallest environmental impact as possible is what now matters the most, says Mohini Kelkar, Director, Grind Master Machines Pvt Ltd in an interaction with OEM Update.

How do you view Mudra loan to be a game changer?
Mudra Loan or the Pradhan Mantri Yojana (PMMY) is a flagship scheme of the Government of India, to extend affordable credit to micro and small and medium enterprises. One of the major reasons for the government to take this initiative, is to reduce the troubles of debt financing people in the SME and MSME market. However, there are certain issues which needs to be addressed.

Seeking collateral security from the beneficiaries is not mandatory, under Mudra Yojana, this may prove to be bad economics, if large number of loans are not repaid. Secondly, the average disbursed amount under this scheme is less than ₹50,000, certain changes have to be done in the scheme to help MSME’s

What has Make in India made for Indian manufacturing sector?
We are yet to see the real impact of Make in India initiative. Inertia in the system and changing the mind set of officers who are expected to work on this are real challenges. Execution and implementation of such policies in the largest democracy like India is not so easy. I think we should give more time to see the actual results.

How do you view digital adoption in the machine tool industry?
Digital ways of working basically brings in absolute transparency in the transactions and so, it has certainly helped the grass root people who get the money directly into their account. IT awareness program in machine tool industry are making really good progress. Most of the leading machine tool manufacturers are offering Industry 4.0 features in the machines.

What steps should be taken to make India a genuine manufacturing hub?
It is necessary to strengthen the implementation and execution of these initiatives. Educating and getting all concerned people on board is essential. Also, it is necessary to maintain the policies irrespective of whichever government comes to power. We work more on value addition. We foster the culture of innovation that brings in better value products to the customer. There is a continuous upgradation of the technology and the models we offer.

How do you define the company’s contribution towards green manufacturing?
We continuously upgrade processes to utilise current technology, reducing paper and resource consumption. We, at Grind Master Machines, are manufacturing next generation, smart, Industry 4.0 machines now. Most of our machines are green, energy efficient, and pollution free. These machines are very much eco-friendly and operated with 30-40 per cent less power.

How do you view the roadmap for a better future?
We are focusing on our global footprint. Due to the already developed technology and the new ones we are working on, we see good potential not only within India but also globally.

The average disbursed amount under MUDRA loan, ₹50,000, is very less even for MSME start-up
Mohini Kelkar, Director, Grind Master Machines Pvt Ltd