Economy and manufacturing sector are poised for heavy growth in the coming years

January 3, 2022 4:28 pm

We are investing 30 percent of our turnover in our own R&D activities to prepare the next generation of products.

In a telephonic interaction with OEM Update, Anil Anand, Director, Kistler Instruments sounded positive about the manufacturing industry sharing details about company activities and solutions and well awaited IMTEX event. 

Share with us a little bit about your company. 

Kistler Instruments is a more than 60 years old Swiss company, started by the pioneers of piezoelectric technology for manufacturing pressure sensors. And from that point, till now, we have diversified into different kinds of products for force measurement, pressure measurement, vibration and torque measurement. And that goes for the cementation part of the journey. Thereafter, till about 15 years ago, the company ventured into the more industrial side of manufacturing and marketing. Today we have not only a comprehensive range of instruments for testing and measurement but also the products used on the manufacturing side. Presently, It’s a global company with manufacturing mostly in Switzerland and Europe with marketing operations at all the major industrial countries of the world covering America, Europe and Asia. 

Walk us about your journey and company’s activities 

Yes, of course. In India, we started direct operations in 2010. We have offices in three locations, north and west and south in Pune and Chennai respectively with a team of trained marketing and after sales service specialists, and all are engineers. They are supporting various industries that we are catering to, such as the automotive or defence; educational sectors or sports industry. So, a variety of products for a variety of industries are there that we sell in India and it’s been quite a satisfying and significant journey in the last 11 years in India. As India progresses on the path of becoming a manufacturing hub, we are poised for higher growth in the coming years. 

Please talk a bit about measurement technologies. 

So, like I said, the companies do their Testing and measurements, and we have a whole range of products for force measurement, vibration measurement, pressure measurement, and torque measurement. Along with, we have the electronics and the software that goes with the sensors for a complete measurement solution for the industry. We now also have Test stands for Electric Motors, COF measurements of Fasteners, Servo Spindles and XY monitoring devices for Assembly lines. To support the calibration of Instruments, we have a calibration lab in India itself. 

What various solutions does Kistler have for automotive testing? 

On the automotive side, we have products for the engine R & D, for the development of new engines, we have pressure sensors, the combustion analyzers with the software that goes along with it to provide a complete end-to-end solution. All the major automotive industries the world over as also in India are using our solutions for developing new engines on the test beds, that’s one part and on the vehicle testing side, we have solutions for complete Crash Testing, wheel force measurement, noise and vibration analysis that reinforces measurement and testing of the vehicles. So, all in all, We provide a complete range of vehicle testing solutions. 

What is your say on automation in respect of implementation of industry 4.0? 

So now, it’s a step higher from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0. There are the concepts of cost optimization and greener solutions out there in industry which are now covered under industry 5.0. And, Kistler being a Swiss company, we are marching pace with the global advancements and I spoke about servo spindles for assembly lines. For example, the greener solutions that are coming, you know, energy optimization. Industries were using the older hydraulic spindles, which contain a lot of oil and these are now replaced by electromechanical solutions in terms of servo spindles, which has no pollution in terms of oil usage and that is a key optimization. And so, we are moving with these Greener solutions in our Country. There may be an initial investment which may be marginally higher, but over a period; over the lifetime of the product, there is up to 40 to 50 percent saving that is realised. This implies that Industry 5.0 will improve the production processes and lead to the cost saving in the long run. 

Kistler will be participating in the IMTEX 2022. So, state your views about the manufacturing outlook for the next year? 

Yes. The immediate thing of concern is that we are coming out of Corona. For the last two years businesses have been hampered by Corona and hopefully, the third wave should not come. That’s what we wish for and it is the first thing to be said on priority. But apart from that, with the last two years of backlog, we expect the economy, and the manufacturing sector are poised for heavy growth in the coming years. And on another global stage, with the abridging and snapping business activities with China by major countries, India should become an alternate manufacturing hub for establishing more manufacturing industries. These are some of the things that are happening at the global stage. So, keeping it in view, I think it should be exciting next year. 

Various solutions Kistler would be displaying. 

Like I said, we are now a Multi-product and a Solution providing company catering to multiple industries. So, here at IMTEX our mission is specifically focused on the industrial side. We will be focusing on Servo Spindles, Torques Test stands, and XY monitoring which would include our solutions for assembly lines. Our Servo spindles go for major assembly line operations; then we have controlling units which are also on assembly lines to check the parts and it supports in process inspection. Also, we have very special sensors for controlling the injection moulding and for the casting industry we have another set of solutions that go with Fastener industry. 

Expectations from the IMTEX 2022 

IMTEX is one of the major shows that happen for the industry in India and so, with all the participants, there is expectation that new business opportunities will be created. Along with that there is always a scope for new learnings, new products, and new technologies that is why the visitors and the participants come to this show. Also another important dimension is the new networking that is created. A face-to-face interaction happens between the buyer and seller or with an interesting prospect in the field. So, these are some of the main expectations from IMTEX. Further, taking into account the corona situation it is of utmost importance that adequate care would be taken. 

Please state about the upcoming technology trends and future plans in the next three years? 

We moved from component manufacturing to being the solution provider, and now multiple solutions are being presented for multiple industries as a next step we are on digital foray and consulting businesses. This is the new aspect that we are adding to our product portfolio, the digital and consultancy business apart from the regular product line that we have. We are investing 30 percent of our turnover in our own R&D activities to prepare for the next generation of products. So, our next generation of products for all the existing product lines will be expected in a phased manner every year. So, this is what I can imagine for the mid-term in the next two to three years. 

And would you like to add any quote or something 

Looking at the current situation, the last few years have been a dampener for the manufacturing industry. We are hopeful that things will not only become normal soon, but we will be on top of steady growth thereafter. These are some of the topics occupying our mind and our thoughts right now.