Aniruddha R Vilekar, Sales Head - Consumables, and Head - Marketing, Ador Welding Limited, responds to the IPF Questionnaire. Excerpts...

As one of the oldest and well established Indian companies in the welding segment, what are the changes you witnessed in the last few years in the field?

The biggest change is the huge shift towards continuous welding consumables. This has been caused by the ever increasing need of consumers to be increasingly competitive and profitable by lowering costs and increasing productivity. Continuous welding consumables have been able to replace electrodes in the low alloy high tensile strength segment to meet the rigorous demands of the industry as it transitions to meet sophisticated custom built structural welding needs.

The industry has therefore witnessed a huge increase in demand for submerged arc, MIG and FCAW consumables. Ador Welding Limited (AWL) has been at the forefront in meeting this change in demand.

Automation requirements have been on the rise. With the threat of global warning looming large the thrust has been on renewable energy, especially wind power and solar power. Shipbuilding defence, LNG equipment, crude oil storage tanks and pipelines, stainless steel coach manufacturing, the pre-engineered building structure industry have all seen a surge in the recent past.

Welding is vital process that joins the engineering world, literally and metaphorically. What is the range of products on offer?

Ador Welding offers the entire range of welding consumables for the SMAW, GMAW, GTAW, SAW, FCAW, MCAW processes and is constantly upgrading its products and developing its capabilities to meet new demands.

AWL’s welding automation division provides custom made products. Ador is also into CNC plasma and flame cutting equipment besides having a vast array of indigenously developed CE certified world class inverters for SMAW, GMAW GTAW and SAW processes as also equipment for cutting and gouging applications. Ador also has the entire range of gas cutting products and personnel protection equipment (PPE) to offer a complete welding solution package to the industry.

Automation and robotics are today the buzzwords in industry and welding/cutting operations today are highly automated. How does the Indian market fare on the global scale in this respect?

The Indian markets have not peaked as far as automation goes but are fast getting there. There has been a surge in welding automation requirements in the recent past.

Ador is proud to be playing a major role in this transformation with it latest high definition CNC plasma cutting equipment and custom made automation systems for the industry.

AWL’s technology development department is working round the clock towards potentially path breaking technology.

Several global welding giants are all present in India. What is the USP of Ador?

Ador is a complete welding solution provider with a rich legacy of quality and reliability. It understands the Indian market better than any competitor with its experience of serving the industry for more than 65 years.

What is your strength in sales/marketing network across the country?

Ador has its own sales and service engineers placed across the country and a vast network of distributors and retailers running into many hundreds that ensure prompt service to the customer in the remotest corner of the country.

What about the export market?

We have been exporting since 1968 and have grown steadily. The export business is doing well despite the uncertainty in the global market. We are now supplying to all major Oil & Gas projects in the Middle East and have a decent reach in Africa as well. We export to more than 40 countries and retain our prime position amongst exporters in the Indian welding manufacturers’ fraternity

In last 5 years what are the company’s landmark achievements? Any breakthrough product launch that made a difference?

The latest range of indigenous welding inverters, CE certifications of saw wire and fluxes and welding equipment, CNC plasma cutting equipment, high volume fast moving consumables, gas cutting equipment and PPE have all contributed to the growth story.

Ador has grown consistently in quantities and value consistently over the last 5 years in spite of the sluggish market scenario and has been clocking its best ever sales revenues each year. Ador has invested a lot in technology development and is perhaps the only company in the welding fraternity in India to have a state-of-the-art “clean room” for the manufacturing of inverter welding equipment.

The Indian Welding Society is highlighting serious shortage of welding skills in the country. Any comments?

There has also been a special emphasis by Ador on training and skill development especially in the welding industry. Skill development in the welding space is the need of the hour and will go a long way in helping Indian companies surpass global benchmarks. The Ador Welding Academy (AWA) has been sharing its vast experience in welding through its meticulously formulated training modules. This year the welding academy trained a group of women welders for specifically for the automotive sector. The AWA also undertakes courses Welding Technology in several engineering colleges. Ador’s marketing department organises and participates actively in events at engineering colleges to increase awareness about the welding industry.

How is the present business environment?

Let us focus on the positives. Focus on infra projects; on railways, metros, renewable energy (wind), defence, water pipeline projects and growth in the automotive segment provide avenues of growth in the near future.

The GST upon implementation should convenience businesses and usher in growth

What are the future plans?

AWL has its growth plans and strategies very much in place to cross the Rs 600 crore mark in the next couple of years and continue its robust growth.