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The ?Make in India? move is expected to boost the approximately Rs 1,000 crore bearing industry.
India is set to be one of the biggest manufacturing hubs in the world, within the next few years. What does this entail for the bearing industry? Will ?Make in India? campaign boost the industry? According to Hrishikesh Kulkarni, Business Head - Drives and Off-highway, Industrial Market, SKF India the government?s call for ?Make In India? has sent out positive cues to the global manufacturing community. This augurs well for the domestic manufacturing sector and will aid economic activities in the country. Kulkarni says, ?Focused spending on future growth projects is likely to pave way for a sustainable demand led recovery and growth. The ?Make in India? policy is likely to see a lot of PPP models in infrastructure and construction sectors. The expected reforms can materialise into favourable environment for the core sectors like infrastructure, mining, energy, metals amongst others.?

Says Kaustubh Vasant Phadtare, Managing Director, Kavitsu Transmissions, ?The ?make in India? concept has rejuvenated the slow moving industrial growth and put it on a high track. Kavitsu is pretty much excited by this concept, because now it can prove to the customers that they can stand at the same levels as the European counter parts when it comes to matching the quality and redundancy of the bearings. The lead times will surely be low and after sales service will be better taken care of.? Bharat Mehta, Managing Director, Collective Trade Links says, ?Definitely this is going to help the bearing industry as there is no more scope for importing the products except from China. And China is now going to a level of saturation. Even now, in many cases we feel that cost in India is competitive than in China. Only thing we need is investment. China has a facility of huge investment, while in India there are constrains for investment, action, and government support. If these constraints are solved, definitely India is going to be another manufacturing hub.?

Market size
According to Phadtare, the total market for the bearings is approximately Rs 1,000 crore and the industry is expected to register fast growth thanks to the clearances given to the delayed projects. These projects will help the construction industry grow exponentially. The CE sector is nearly Rs 600 crore and will be twice of that in the next five years. This augurs well for the bearing manufacturers and suppliers. In general, in mechanical engineering industry, the most significant factor is automation. All bearings are in coordination with automation in any industry - for robotics, construction industry, process industry, or automotive industry. Earlier we were only selling stereo type bearings. Now the role of taper roller bearings will reduce because it gives a lot of friction and so consumes a lot of power. Today in place of taper roller bearings, more and more angular contact bearings are being introduced. So manufactures who are in tune with this trend will be doing good, according to Mehta.

Tech trends
High static and dynamic load capacities, ?extended life? low tolerance, good friction, wear properties, excellent resistance to shock, misalignment, chemicals and contamination are some of the properties an OEM is looking for. What are the developments happening in these areas in bearing technology? Says Kulkarni, ?Since SKF began operating the Group?s efforts in the area of research and development have resulted in numerous innovations that have created new standards and new products and solutions in the bearing industry. Based on these, we are developing specific bearing, sealing and lubricant solutions for challenging agri and off highway equipment applications. Moreover, SKF engineering tools can help machine manufacturers to seamless and fast design. New solutions can help reduce assembly times and improve machine operations. These innovative solutions increases productivity and provide other benefits including lower total cost of operation achieved from increased reliability, reduced environmental impact and increased operator safety.SKF is also investing heavily in production facilities for heavy machinery.?

Every day technology is being updated in terms of metallurgy, profile, stabilising microstructure of the metal, introducing ceramic balls instead of metal balls, etc. Bearing is the component where each and every technology of the world is used. According to Metha, new concept is very thin ball bearings and for this whole new technology has been introduced. Mehta says, ?We are making thin bearings which are as thin as flexible; you can press the bearing and when leave, it will retain the perfect circle. People are now shifting from needle roller bearings to linear bushes, which is the low cost low friction giving more load ratings. For such thin bearings with high rpm, you need facilities in the bearings for driving away the carbon from the bearing area. For this we need perfect metallurgy, grinding to control dimensions, and a perfect profile. The contact angle between the ball and thread is very important and bearing itself is a very complex technology.?

Countering spurious products
The replacement bearing market compliments the manufacturer of bearings as both have a critical role to play. Spurious and reconditioned? products especially in the aftermarket is major challenge for the bearing suppliers. Speaking about how they counter the challenge Kulkarni had this to say. ?At SKF our aim is to be closer to customers, so we have set up one of the largest network of Authorised Industrial Distributors across the length and breadth of the country and sell genuine SKF products for all technology platforms and many value added products. SKF?s network of over 300 distributors is an essential part of the company?s supplier ecosystem. Given their geographical proximity to customers and a sound knowledge of the market demand, distributors can effectively service the end users. SKF also has strategically located regional warehouses which stock products based on customer needs and make them readily available as per requirement and location of the customer.?

He adds, ?In dealing with the menace of unorganised sector, we have a very systematic approach put in place. At SKF, we have introduced genuine@skf.com where the customer can just send a photo of the packaging and product at any point of time and our experts are able to determine the authenticity of the bearings in a short span. If they have accidentally purchased a counterfeit or want to anonymously inform about any such activity in a particular area they can write into genuine@skf.com. Based o this we take further actions so that our customers don?t suffer in future by machinery breakdown, costly production stoppages or injuries to people.?

Says Phadtare, ?The aftermarket for bearings is very good and its growth potential really promising. As the aftermarket grows, so be the spurious products. We have always stressed on quality over price, and on a continuous we have been educating people about the disadvantages of using spurious bearings and how a single breakdown can affect them commercially. Even when reconditioning the used bearings, we take utmost care on how the life expectance of such bearings can be increased to the level of life of a new bearing.

Store it proper
The life of bearings depends on how they have used throughout their lifecycle. Some of the critical factors to consider are storage of bearings and when to opt for a remanufacturing practice. The conditions under which bearings are stored can have an adverse effect on their performance. While handling and storing bearings, care must be taken to ensure that they will not rust or corrode. Even a small amount of moisture or chemical left on an unprotected bearing by a glove or hand can result in a small etched area, which may initiate bearing fatigue.

Says Kulkarni, ?SKF recommends the multiple steps to ensure the best storage and service life of the bearings. The bearings should be stored in a flat, vibration free, dry area with a cool, steady temperature. The bearings should be kept in their original unopened packages until immediately prior to mounting to prevent the ingress of contaminants and corrosion. Bearings that are not stored in their original packaging should be well protected against corrosion and contaminants.? He adds, ?SKF also has decades of experience in remanufacturing of bearings and allied components. Remanufacturing can substantially prolong the service life of the bearing in question, reducing costs and lead times. And since it requires less energy than manufacturing a new bearing, it is better for the environment as well SKF currently has 3 Solution factories in India at Pune, Manesar and Jamshedpur which can cater to the remanufacturing needs and requirements of the customers throughout India. According to Kulkarni, the long term prospects for Indian economy remains bright owing to the demographic dividend which will continue to drive demand from across industries and manufacturing industry will be the key driver to cater to this demand. In the short term, with the revival of confidence coupled with positive signals towards reforms by the government, the country and the industry is well poised to gain.

While handling and storing bearings, care must be taken to ensure that they will not rust or corrode. Even a small amount of moisture or chemical left on an unprotected bearing by a glove or hand can result in a small etched area, which may initiate bearing fatigue.

Our plant can provide better energy saving.
Bharat Mehta, Managing Director, Collective Trade Links

Elaborate on your product ranges.
We manufacture slew bearings, ball screw bearings, combined ball and slew bearings, double-raw ball bearings, slew drives, and rack and pinions. These are used by wind power, equipment, and sometimes in solar power for changing the angle and raising the platform to catch sunlight better.

Which are the competitive markets for bearings?
China and India are competitive because in all other countries, the production cost is much higher. As far technology is concerned it is Germany.

Do you manufacture own bearings or have collaboration with others?
We are doing both. There are some regular sizes and technology, which are being manufactured in collaboration with respective players. But there are special bearings which are designed and developed by us and manufactured by our collaborators. Our collaborations are from China and South Korea. Sometimes we do it from Romania.

What about lifetime lubricated bearings?
Now it is not very difficult to offer lifetime lubricated bearings. Nowadays the technology of making synthetic lubricant/grease has advanced very much.