For the past 50 years, Electro Zavod has been supplying bulk material handling equipment and solutions to Indian industries. How has been the journey of the company so far?
This is a landmark year for Electro Zavod, as it is our 50th year since inception. Electro Zavod (EZ) began its journey in 1973 with a vision to design and manufacture indigenous equipment for the Indian bulk material handling industry that would be at par with imported equipment that were the norm in those days. Over the years, with technology transfer through tie-ups with leading overseas manufacturers, EZ started manufacturing its own product line.

Our product portfolio offers—cable reeling drums, magnetic separators and lifting magnets, vibrating screen and vibrating feeder, industrial metal detectors, and slip rings assemblies. We started with approximately 20,000 sq. ft. facility which has been expanded to 1,75,000+ sq. ft. Today, we have state of the art in-house infrastructure and capabilities to provide end-to end solutions from concept, designing, engineering, to manufacturing with on-site services that include installation, commissioning and after sales service.

With CE, ATEX, BIS and CIMFR certifications, our products are approved to all the national and international standards. Our products are currently supplied to all the leading players in the core engineering sectors like iron and steel, cement, power generation, mining and metals, ports and docks, fertiliser, food, paper and chemical industries. We cater to both, domestic and overseas markets. In 2022, EZ has been acquired by Hi-Tech Systems & Services and is now poised to take its next leap of growth.

What is the USP of your company? How do you contribute to the growth of your end-user industries?
Our USP is execution capability. Our design and engineering expertise ensures that we are able to deliver customised products as per the stringent requirements of each application. Alongside, with excellent product quality, on time delivery and after sales service, we have won customers’ confidence.

We have a strong in-house R&D team which continuously works on upgrading products to withstand the toughest working conditions and meeting the complex application requirements while catering to quite complex and varied applications across industrial sectors ensuring seamless end user plant operations.

How have the collaborations with global companies benefited Electro Zavod and its customers? Are you looking for new partners for business expansion in the near future?
Collaborations with various overseas manufacturers have benefited EZ in terms of understanding the best industry practices which we have inculcated in the EZ culture. We have built on it and currently we have inhouse capability to deliver world class products. We are always open to new collaborations and technologies that can help us in meeting newer applications and requirements of the industry.

Could you please share with us information about your new innovations or products/solutions that you have launched in 2022?
Innovation is a continuous process for us where we keep on exploring better ways of implementing things, however small it may be, with respect to our products, process and systems. Our ultimate objective is to achieve customer satisfaction. We are working on to improve product efficiencies further by making our products smarter and rugged. For example we are launching flip flow screens for high moisture applications, more efficiently designed magnets and customised magnetic sensors for some critical applications.

What are emerging trends in the bulk material handling industry? How is your company tapping these trends?
Some notable trends are higher capacity screening solutions, custom designed magnets, separators for waste and non-metal segregations especially for plastics, metal detectors with higher accuracies, self-cleaning magnets, flip flow screens for high moisture bearing materials, Insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) based technologies in electrical controls of equipment, Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) based systems with encoders and drives for cable reels, energy chains etc. We at Electro Zavod are already providing solutions to many of these requirements and are working to develop solutions for newer applications.

For the benefits of your customers, how is your company incorporating new technologies (like automation, digitalisation, AI, Industry 4.0, etc) in your material handling systems?
We firmly believe in incorporating technological innovations that benefit customers towards ease of application, lowering of operating costs, reduction of downtime, and improvement of safety among others. We are adopting new age technologies by introducing IGBT technologies, VVFDs, Micro-controllers, etc in our equipment. We also plan to bring in technologies that help in condition monitoring of equipment using IoT in the near future.

What is the contribution of exports to your revenue? How do you intend to expand your exports?
Over the years, Electro Zavod has been focussed in catering to the demand of the domestic industry. However, our installations are present in many countries across Middle East, South East Asia, Russia and Africa. We are looking to increase the revenue share from exports in the coming years by leveraging our reputation of excellent product quality and execution capability.

SMEs are the backbone of India's manufacturing sector. Do you think the government is taking the right steps to make SMEs stronger?
We are thankful and appreciative of the efforts made by the government over the years to remove bottle necks and facilitate ease of doing business. One area where we would like government support is regularisation of land records which can further help in ease of doing business for SMEs.

The government is aiming to make India a $5 trillion economy. What is your vision for the Indian manufacturing sector for 2025?
We believe India in on track to become a $5 trillion economy thanks to the various efforts of both state and central government. With the implementation of forward looking policies, India should be able to increase share of manufacturing in GDP from 17 per cent to 25 per cent by 2025. With Indian GDP expected to growth at a CAGR of approximately 6 to 7 per cent in the coming years, Indian manufacturing sector is in a sweet spot.

With rising domestic demand and significant improvement in India’s perception as a manufacturing destination, all segments of the industry are expected to do well. There will be opportunities for Indian manufacturers to tap into emerging technologies and industries, such as renewable energy, electric vehicles, and digital manufacturing.

SMEs are likely to continue to play a vital role in the manufacturing sector, as they make up a significant portion of the sector and have the potential to drive innovation and competitiveness. The government can support the growth of SMEs by providing access to credit, training and capacity building opportunities, and a supportive regulatory environment. Overall, the future of the Indian manufacturing sector looks bright, with a range of opportunities for growth and innovation.

What are your long term vision/goals for your company?
Our vision is to occupy the customer mind space as the default choice for bulk material handling equipment globally. We are targeting to double our turnover in the next three years. To meet this demand, we are looking at further improving efficiencies in our supply chain and production process including setting up latest CNC based cutting equipment and machining centres. We are also working to increase our product offering to cater to a larger application base.