‘Machine safety integral to effective implementation of AUTOMATION & INDUSTRY 4.0’: Sagar Bhosale, Schmersal India
Involving machine safety at an early stage of the machine conception in the era of Industry 4.0 and increased automation helps not only in achieving productivity goals associated with these technologies, but is also economical, opines Sagar Bhosale, Managing Director, Schmersal India. In an interview, he talks about The Schmersal Group’s scale and presence, its manufacturing facilities in India and how it is using India as a R&D hub for meeting local, as well as global requirements.
Excerpts:
Q. Tell us about the scale and geographical presence of Schmersal Group and the company’s India operations.
The Schmersal Group is a global market leader in the field of functional machine safety. Our product range includes the latest generation of safety sensors and optoelectronic safety equipment to secure hazardous areas, as well as programmable safety and automation controllers, lift switchgear and switchgear for explosion protection. With our international subsidiaries and trading partners we are present in over 60 countries. And we are still on an expansion course, especially in the region Asia Pacific, Middle East. We have just opened new branches in Bangkok and Dubai. Schmersal India was established in the 2007. In 2013 we started manufacturing in Pune. To date, Schmersal is the only company producing safety switches directly in India – true to the motto ‘Make in India’.
Q. What are the market requirements that are driving the usage of automation? What opportunities is Schmersal sensing in the automation segment?
Competition is the driving force behind automation. Therefore,companies in any industry are under pressure to improve their efficiency and the productivity of their machines. It is a principle that machine safety should not be allowed to impair the productivity of a machine. This is far from a new requirement, but in the age of
increasing automation and Industry 4.0, it has become even more pressing. At best, well planned safety solutions contribute to productivity. The opportunity lies in convincing our customers to involve machine safety at an early stage of the machine conception in order to achieve a high-level of machine safety and productivity. There is no doubt that it is also more economical to consider safety technology at the planning stage.
Q. In your observation, what are the key challenges faced by manufacturers while leveraging automation? How does Schmersal help companies address these challenges?
The industrial production in times of Industry 4.0 is data driven. Real-time data of every machine and component will create more transparency and will be used to leverage further potential for efficiency. Therefore, Schmersal will continue to focus is R&D efforts to develop intelligent and reliable sensors and integrated system solutions. As more and more data are generated and processed in the future, we work on solutions that enable our components and systems to deliver data to a cloud environment. Another essential aspect of Industry 4.0 is autonomous production methods powered by robots that can complete tasks intelligently, with the focus on safety, flexibility, versatility. The majority of robot workstations will still need
separating protective devices. Schmersal offers a comprehensive range of products to safeguard
the robot workstations, such as optoelectronic protective devices, safety mats, RFID based interlocks
etc
Q. With automation becoming more and more prevalent, how is Schmersal addressing the safety aspect?
Machine safety is a complex issue;therefore, we see an increasing demand for qualified support on different aspects of machine safety. Also, our global customers are increasingly demanding complete solutions from a single source which they can apply all around the world. From their suppliers, they expect a single point of contact to be available for all their questions and problems, a contact who knows and understands their applications and has comprehensive know-how. Therefore, Schmersal has set up an independent services division,the tec.nicum. tec.nicum offers all machine manufacturers and operators a manufacturer-neutral
consultancy on all statutory guidelines and supports them with the safe design of their machines.
The modular range of services available from tec.nicum covers four different areas: knowledge transfer / training, consultancy services, technical planning and implementation. Depending on the requirements, customers can order individual services or the whole package. Upon request, the tec.nicum specialists carry out safety-related projects from A to Z for customers. Our safety services division is a worldwide network
with Functional Safety Engineers certified by TÜV Rheinland. At Schmersal India alone, we have employed six certified FSE professionals. Thus, the services of tec.nicum can be easily and conveniently called up on site by our Indian customers.
Q. Please tell us about your manufacturing facilities and R&D initiatives in India? Do you use India as a hub for product development, R&D and manufacturing to cater to your global requirements?
The manufacturing facility of Schmersal India is designing and manufacturing customized safety products as per the needs of the customer specific applications in India. Also, Schmersal has added more skilled manpower to enhance the local R&D team in the engineering center in Pune and in the local Product Management to focus on developing even more products for the Indian market. However, we have also started an export-oriented unit (EOU) in our factory to manufacture products and export to other parts of the
world. So, India is a major hub, not only for the Indian market, but also the international market. Our R&D team is focusing its efforts on the new challenges posed by industry 4.0 or the Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT). The industrial production in times of industry 4.0 is all about increased data gathering and exchange, strong communication channels and intelligent networks. Therefore, we are working on solutions that
enable our components and systems to also deliver non-safety related data and to communicate these data
right up to the cloud, if needed. The products that we produce in our Indian plant are absolutely competitive on the global market. Because even though the products are manufactured in India, the quality checking is done by our German counterparts in Germany. Every component is checked and approved by our Germany team before being sold. Basically, the quality is aligned with German standards. In 2018, Schmersal India
inaugurated its first global support IT centre in Pune today. It is spread across an area of 3,305 square feet
with a workforce of 15 Functional and Technical Consultants. It is the first global support activity that has
been established outside Germany, and India has been recognized as one of the competence centres with
skilled resources to provide support for SAP implementation and software development to the entire Schmersal Group. The IT centre is working very successfully, and we have plans to further expand it.
Q. What would you describe as your USP? How do you stand out from the competition?
Schmersal is a globally recognized supplier and specialist in machine safety with decades of experience in
this field. For the globally operating customers of machine manufactures it is important that the components
are always available worldwide and the suppliers can also be contacted locally if necessary. Which is the
case with Schmersal, we have a truly global network of branches. Also, we do a lot to keep pace with the technological change and invest continuously in our R&D capabilities. That’s why we can always offer our customers state-of-the-art safety solutions. The Schmersal Group holds about 350 globally valid patents. A
genuine USP of Schmersal is its global network of skilled safety consultants and the services provided by our tec.nicum division.
Q.What is your future vision and growth plans for the company in India?
The Indian market offers massive potential for the years to come and we will continue to see an increased
demand for the high-quality safety technology from Schmersal. Hence, we see a promising future
for Schmersal India and we are expecting further growth in production and employment.
