Candid Conversations with Mr. Balachandra D. Badan: Executive Director of Jinabakul Forge Pvt. Ltd.
Jinabakul Forge Pvt Ltd was incorporated in 1982 by four promoters with diverse expertise. Can you provide insights into the founding vision and journey of the company since its inception?
Jinabakul , the name itself comprises of the four founding promoters, who are the pillars of Jinabakul i.e Jinagouda’s , Badan and Kelgeri. Forging was a difficult process during those times, i.e early 1980’s and fortunately four friends converged unleashing the forging experience of Mr Badan, Marketing experience of Mr Gopal Jinagouda, Civil and Administrative experience of Mr Chintamani Jinagouda and Purchasing Experience of Mr B.B Kelgeri to give birth to Jinabakul Forge. There was always demand for forged parts and cast parts and the concept of starting a forging unit brewed amongst the founders.
Starting in Belgaum also was a very thought over decision as Belgaum is exactly at the centre between Mumbai and Bengaluru, which gives a very big logistics advantage to do business. We started with one forging line with an installed capacity of aprox M. 100 Tons per month , and today we have 10 forging lines with an installed capacity of about 3000 M. Tons per month.
Can you elaborate on the significance of bearing races in the automotive and industrial sectors, and how Jinabakul Forge Pvt Ltd’s expertise contributes to the reliability and performance of these components?
As our punch line says ’Nothing except man and animal moves without bearings’, which holds very true in the real world. A bearing as you know is a critical component, which fits in all the mobility vehicles, i.e two wheeler, three wheeler and four wheelers and also in various industrial applications and capital equipment’s.
We started with small components of bearing namely thrust washers, and over the years matured into a wide variety of rings for bearing application, including automobile wheel bearings, which you understand is very life critical component. Our expertise in metallurgy and forging near net shape has been a contributing factor in understanding the application specific requirements and delivering flawless products to our customers who are world leaders in bearings like SKF, Schaeffler, NSK, ILJIN etc.
How does Jinabakul Forge Pvt Ltd maintain consistency and accuracy in the manufacturing process of TRB races, THU races, DGBB races, HUB Gen 1 and Gen 3 rings, and CRB rings?
Our robust internal process controls with meticulous raw material inspection, established process capabilities and religious final inspections gives our customers confidence in our supplies, and the repeat orders from them and our sustained growth are proof of our customer confidence in our supplies.
What is the current capacity of Jinabakul Forge Pvt Ltd in terms of forging production, and are there any plans for expansion or enhancement of manufacturing capabilities in the near future?
Currently we have an installed capacity of aprox 3000 M. Tons per month with aprox 80 % capacity utilisation. Further we are also expanding and have already built a factory building at KIADB, Kanagala industrial area to add capacities there. We had an investment plan of arpox INR 50 crores and 75 % of the same is complete in adding forging capacities of aprox 1000 M. Tons per month as well as heat treatment capacities.
Can you share examples of how Jinabakul Forge Pvt Ltd’s dedication to quality management has translated into customer satisfaction and long-term relationships with multinational clients?
We have always been a very quality and cost sensitive company since inception. We are a IATF 16949 , ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 company which has been a very basic requirement to do business in automobile sector.
As informed earlier, our robust internal Quality management systems and our discipline are our key performance indicator and keeps our customers more than satisfied. That’s the reasons we have always been motivated by receiving best quality awards, innovation awards etc not only from Indian customers , but also from multinational customers like SKF, Schaeffler etc. We have always been a preferred supplier partner to all our customers.
We also run a lot of internal projects for improvements like lean management, Kaizen competitions, safety competitions etc and share the benefits with our customers, which has made our customers delighted.
How does Jinabakul Forge Pvt Ltd envision positioning itself as a world-class forging company, and what strategic initiatives are in place to achieve this vision?
As we all are aware, India is now become an epicenter for manufacturing activity , there is always a challenge in getting skilled manpower. Also our kind of industry which has been historically more manpower dependent, we are now forced to think about automation in forging as well as CNC turning. Initially we are reviewing low cost automation solutions like auto inspection of our products. Further we are in discussions with some agencies who are into forging automation and robotics, Hopefully we will start investing in automation solutions by mid or end of this Calander year.
Also our new factory built at Kanagala Industrial area is a spacious spread across aprox 13 acres and we hope to make it a state of the art facility in the coming years.
We are also putting a lot of efforts in other areas like sustainability, ESG, CSR and reducing carbon emissions. Today we are using almost more than 95 % energy from green source which has already put us on a great advantage position as our customers have started monitoring our carbon emissions and will value the same for further businesses.
We are also working towards some water recharge projects to enhance the ground water level. All these efforts will surely put is in a leadership position globally.
Finally, let’s talk about Belagavi. What does this city offer in terms of food, culture, and business opportunities? How can it contribute to the growth of Karnataka and the overall manufacturing sector in the country?
Belgaum has always been very entrepreneurial in its culture . If we look back, we had the Kirloskars, Pusalkars, Chitnis who established industries related to pumps, motors, hydraulics etc. Belgaum also had a lot of foundries , which we can say was like a cottage industry . Therefore we are full of entrepreneurial spirited citizens.
We have a very diverse culture like Kannada , Marathi , Konkani and Hindi speaking population, therefore we also have a very diverse cuisines. Each cuisine is worth relishing. The climate of Belgaum is also quite good and congenial for a better industry friendly infrastructure.
Belgaum is also known for its educational institutions, which has produced a lot of Engineers, Doctors, Lawyers, Pharmacists etc. Being such a multi-profession area, the talent can be utilised for the growth of Belgaum, eventually Karnataka and India.
But we feel the absence of big OEM’s in Belgaum, which will really give scope for youth in and around Belgaum to work as well as more tier 2 and tier 3 companies can grow in Belgaum area, giving a lot of employment oppurtinities to belgaumites as well as surrounding villages.
Company Profile.
Jinabakul Forge Private Limited was established in the year 1982 by four founding promoters with wide experience in forging, marketing, purchase and administration.
Started manufacturing bearing related components since 1988 with deep conviction that ‘NOTHING BUT MAN AND ANIMALS MOVES WITHOUT BEARINGS’.
Started with 1 forging line in the year 1983 , Jinabakul currently has 10 forging lines with an installed capacity of 3000 M. Tons per month spread across three forging facilities. To give customers more value-added services, Jinabakul started machining the forgings in the year 1988 and currently has 40 CNC turning centres. To further enhance value added services, Jinabakul installed an induction hardening furnace in the year 2023, and a continuous hardening furnace is planned to be installed and commissioned in April 2024.
Jinabakul has been growing at a healthy pace because of its robust process developed over the years , gaining expertise in forging near net shapes, with minimum material wastages, which makes Jinabakul a globally competitive supplier. Because of its competitive edge for costs, quality, deliveries, sustainability and best ESG ( Environment , Social and Governance) policies, Jinabakul has always been a preferred supplier partner to all its customers, be it Locally or Globally.
On its expansion plan, Jinabakul has come up with a new facility at KIADB, Kanagala Industrial area with an investment of aprox INR 50 Crores, to cater to the ever demanding bearing related components for domestic supplies as well as Exports.
CSR activity has always been in the core value chain at Jinabakul and we have been supporting relentlessly in the field of education and water conservation. We are involved in a English Medium School in a rural area close to Belgaum where currently aprox 2000 students are gaining knowledge for a better future.