Mr Rajesh Mandlik, Managing Director, Setco Spindles India Pvt Ltd, shared insights on how adapting to innovation and lean management can drive global excellence
Company Profile
Company Name: Setco Spindles India Pvt Ltd
Year Established:: 2002
Headquarters Location:: Pune
Number of Employees: 180
Website:: setco.com
Influencer Profile
Name of Influencer: Rajesh Mandlik
Current Position: MD
Years of Experience in the Industry: 35 years
Educational Background: Graduate in Productuon Engg
Industry Insights
1. Can you describe the key trends currently shaping the machine tool industry?
Machine tool industry seems to be on rampant growth path for two reasons, one is Atmanirbhar Bharat Appeal by Govt of India and second one geo political happenings around the world. Atmanirbhar Bharat has opened up many gateways for Indian machine tool industry in PSUs, Railways and Defence. Moreover, some sunrise industries have created opportunities for machine tool industries which are non auto segment which is in a way good sign. Geo political condition has brought India in to sweet spot. Like many other South East Asian countries, India too has become beneficiary because of world’s “China+1” or “Anything other than China” policies. In that case many engineering and electronic components manufacturing industry is looking at India as their suppliers.
2. What innovative technologies or solutions is your company implementing to stay ahead in the market?
As a spindle, which is machine tool accessory, manufacturer, we are launching various products. After establishing conventional belt driven and direct drive spindles, now we are moving built in motor spindles which is need for tomorrow. Apart from this, milling head is lined up for coming years.
We are also working on developing “Smart Spindles” which will be IOT enabled which can give real time information of its critical parameters like vibration, temperature and even torque.
3. How is your company addressing the challenges faced by the machine tool industry today?
However, opportunities are knocking doors, realistically, we are yet to achieve international quality standards. We have set that our primary objective to reach out world class product quality. We have adapted TPM techniques to conquer this problem. As every one of us know that many auto and auto ancillary companies have successfully adapted TPM methodology to improve upon their various measurables. We at Setco have adapted it and sure that we will be recognised as the best spindle manufacturing industry in India.
Another challenge is availability of skilled manpower. At Setco India, we are investing huge on training through internship and on job training . This has helped us to address this critical issue in a better way.
4. Can you share a recent success story or project that highlights your company’s capabilities and impact on the industry?
We are being in to repair and manufacturing business, we have stories happening almost every day which save costs, machine downtime etc. Without naming a company, we can mention about setting up spindle rebuilding facility for our customer itself which is anti-commercial purpose, but we think we lived by our core purpose. We have developed on site taper grinding machine which is used for taper grinding of huge and complex machines spindle shafts and thus saving millions of Rupees of Indian customers which otherwise they would have spent on maintenance of spindle bearings.
As far as new spindle business is concerned, we understand Indian machine tool industry is divided in two types of models of spindle usage. A set of people produce spindle on their own and never looked at spindle as outsourcing sub assembly and second set of customers are outsourcing spindles but from Taiwan. Setco has tried to bridge the gap and created import substitute, saving foreign exchange. It has also worked closely with OEMs who were not looking spindle as outsourcing subassembly. Prototyping process is on at many customer places and sooner or later we will see spindle as outsourced sub assembly. That we can call Setco as trend setter in this area.
Future Outlook
1. What do you foresee as the major developments in the machine tool industry over the next five years?
As mentioned above, many sunrise industries are coming up in India in manufacturing domain. Dependence of machine tool industry in auto industry will be less in coming years and it will have many other market segmentations to work upon. As of now many machines are still imported from Europe or China and there is huge scope to develop these machines in India.
2. How is your company preparing for these future trends and challenges?
We are spindle manufacturer and working on various products required for these machines. Categorically, these spindles are low wattage but high rpm in parameters. We have set up in house R&D department and also taking help from our Principal in US and subsidiary in Taiwan to develop these products.
3. What advice would you give to emerging companies in the machine tool industry?
Personal Insights
1. What motivates you in your work within the machine tool industry?
Machine tool industry is mother industry and thus it gives immense satisfaction that we work on fundamentals of engineering on which rest of the manufacturing industry is largely dependent upon. It also gives us an opportunity to work on import substitute which in turn helping our nation to save foreign exchange. Meeting international quality standards is challenging task but it helps our companies to grow holistically and for much larger purpose.
2. Who or what has been your biggest inspiration in your career?
Frankly, we don’t need to go outside our industry to look for inspiration. All stalwarts of machine tool industries are humble in nature and carry huge entrepreneurial spirit. This paradoxical blend of personal humility and aggressive professional will always inspire me to work hard and work for much bigger purpose than mere profits and commercial gains.
Having said this, there are also many business leaders who are inspiring with their technological mindset, huge social impact. I don’t want to name only one as it would prejudice to other hundreds of leaders who are not only inspiring me but the entire fraternity to work for better tomorrow.
3. What key qualities do you believe are essential for someone to be a successful leader in this industry?
I am too tiny person to advice on this as I am yet to carry tag of being successful business runner. Nonetheless, I would like to say few aspects which I follow. If I want to take top five qualities out of many which I pursue are
Learning………………..Unlearning……………….Relearning
Meticulous planning
Decisive and action oriented without procrastination
Perseverance
Never give up attitude.
As world is betting on India, its time that Manufacturing MSME should leave back their orthodox manufacturing practices and change their face by adapting innovative mindset, embracing technologies, imbibing new practices like TPM and lean management. I feel that conglomerate of India have done their work and taken our country to global arena. Its’s time that MSME should throw tag of anarchic management and adapt progressive mindset to bring glory to the Brand “India”
