Nord Drivesystems Pvt Ltd (NDPL), the 100 per cent India subsidiary of Getriebebau Nord, a global leader in drive systems serves clients in almost every industry including steel and metals, infrastructure, cement, mining, packaging, airports, pharma, chemical, pumps, effluent treatment, material handling, robotics, cranes, automobile, dairy, beverage, packaged food, agriculture, and more. In Kolkata for IMME, PL Muthusekkar, Managing Director (Plm) and Amit Deokule, General Manager – Sales (Ad), Nord Drive Systems Pvt Ltd offered Shrikant Rao an understanding of the company’s business and plans for the future.
Coming into this exhibition how do you view the market for mining products today and where does Nord stand in the whole business?
PLM: I see a very positive mood with a lot of work going on in road construction and infrastructure. With a court’s ban on using river sand for construction, there has been increasing focus on M Sand or manufactured sand, which is one area in which we see fantastic growth. Irrespective of the market, political or geopolitical situation, Nord has always been an optimistic company in terms of looking forward to growth because we believe that in the case of outer world you can’t do much but inside you can do much more. That’s the way we always focus in terms of launching new products, doing marketing activities, irrespective of whether the sector is performing or not performing. People tend to say defence is the best form of offense but I personally believe that offence is the best form of defence.
So how offensive have you been in the market place this year, particular with regard to mining products?
AD: Let me just say that we have not been much present in the mining market so far therefore our efforts are now aggressive. In the past we have developed different sectors across India and have become strong in those areas. Mining is now a focus sector for us and that is the reason why we are present at this tradeshow. We want to do branding and aggressive marketing in this particular sector, expecting that it will further grow and provide us with more opportunities in the future. Irrespective of the market or the government we have to find a way for ourselves. We have a young and dynamic team at Nord. We press the accelerator in the way the market is growing. So if textile is doing fine, we press the accelerator on the textile side. If it is m-sand or construction, we press the accelerator in that segment. So, we are quite dynamic to switch over to market trends. We are quick in catching up and therefore have shown good growth.
Can you name some products that you have launched with regard to the mining segment?
AD: Mainly our products are Industrial Gear Units (IGUs), the big size gear boxes which are particularly suitable for mining operations. We have specific solutions even for dust protection in the mining industry. Since it’s a dusty environment out there we provide these solutions to the industry which have been found to be extremely reliable and make the product almost maintenance free for a long time.
How do you view the response to your products at this show?
PLM: Unlike previous editions of IMME, I see a good response at this show in terms of a large number of exhibitors and the kind of products they have exhibited outdoors. We are seeing a lot of big equipment which was not the case earlier. It is my feeling that Make in India and change in mining policies due to the Supreme Court ruling on need based mining for coal, bauxite, mica or other metals has brought about a positive transformation. We expect good growth in the sector in the coming years irrespective of who is in power. India has huge potential.
Tell us of the products you have displayed here?
AD: We have displayed an industrial gear box weighing at least 800kg. It’s of a really big size, with high torque and slow speed. In terms of application in the mining sector it is used on a belt conveyor mainly used for material handling. From our regular products we are displaying out helical bevel which goes more as a direct mounting on the conveyors so that you don’t need coupling and many other things also can be avoided. In mechanical engineering, less number of parts there are less number of problems. We basically supply drives, spreaders, bucket elevators and belt conveyors to cement companies and OEMs which are into material handling activities.
Has there been any increase in demand for these products you have noticed in the last 1 year?
AD: There has been a big enquiry from the US for belt conveyors in the mining industry. There is an increase in demand with new projects coming up and people increasingly investing in the sector now. In the next one or two years we expect it will still further grow.
Tell us about the company’s performance this year?
PLM: This year, we are well above the target. I have always believed that if numbers are good, then everything is good. This year we should be closing with Rs 173 crore from Rs 136 crore last year. The performance has always been very good irrespective of the market or the country GDP growth. The growth which you see is because some sectors like construction, infrastructure and chemical pharma are showing promise. We plan to reach Rs 200 crore by next year and we also have a vision of reaching Rs 500 crore in the coming years.
From a construction industry perspective how do you view bauma Conexpo India 2018 exhibition which is coming up in New Delhi?
PLM: The exhibition has been doing very well from the point of view of the infrastructure and construction industry. We cannot afford to participate in all exhibitions every time, we do it selectively. However, because Nord products are used in various sectors like steel, sugar, pharma, textile, beverages, and packaging technology we have to be present. We regularly participate at bauma in Germany, we are also looking to participate in a trade show in Nepal.
Are you looking at expansion at your facilities?
PLM: We have already done some expansion in Pune in terms of assembling benches and testing centres for motors particularly, because of the BIS standards. We will also be getting our other plants certified by BIS. We have taken a 2000 sq metres warehouse in Pune, close to our plant. We also have an idea to put up a separate motor plant, looking at the volumes going up. With currency fluctuations we are encouraged to become more and more local and opt for the Make in India route.
Overall optimistic of the way forward?
PLM: Yes we are upbeat about market prospects for our products.