Bosch Rexroth, a specialist in the field of drive and control technologies, is synonymous with specialised and highly customised products and solutions. Being pioneers in hydraulics and automation, the company is a market leader driving digital transformation in the Factory of the Future, says B V Ramesh, Managing Director, Bosch Rexroth India Pvt Ltd. Ramesh has more than 30 years of engineering industry experience, of which he has been associated with the Bosch Group for more than 25 years. In this interview with Rakesh Rao, Ramesh highlights the evolution of the fluid power sector and the company's future plans.

How has Bosch Rexroth business operations in India evoked over the years?
Bosch Rexroth is a leading specialist in the field of drive and control technologies. We develop innovative concepts for manufacturers all over the world automating various Industrial and mobile machines and applications.

With a heritage over 225 years, and an unparalleled industry expertise, our company is synonymous with specialised and highly customised products and solutions.

In India, Bosch Rexroth started its operations in 1974. In addition to production facilities in Ahmedabad and Bengaluru, we have sales and service points located at all major locations of the country to serve our ever-increasing customer base.

In 2013, our presence in India was further strengthened with a new state of-the-art manufacturing facility, commissioned in Sanand (Ahmedabad) with substantial investments. This unit goes beyond a routine production plant to play the role of a technology center. It is one of the key manufacturing units globally among the International Production Network, with technologically intensive products delivered to global markets. What also adds to our pride is that our Sanand manufacturing plant is already carbon neutral, a remarkable feat for a unit of this size and investment.

In Bangalore, we have our gear pump manufacturing facility in Hejjala and our Sales office integrated with application centers & product customizing units. Our company endeavors to constantly innovate cutting edge solutions to meet and exceed the requirements of our local and global customer base.

Which industries are the main demand drivers for Bosch Rexroth products & solutions in India?
We always strive to provide our customers a competitive advantage with safe, efficient, and intelligent solutions. Some of our key contributions are in the sectors of - metallurgy, plastics, bulk material handling, machine tools, FMCG, printing, construction, mining and agricultural equipment.

What do you mean by 'Connected Hydraulics'? How it is different from conventional hydraulics and what are its advantages?
Connected Hydraulics leverages the power and intelligence of Bosch Rexroth's advanced hydraulic technology to break through limits and set new benchmarks for performance, functionality and lifetime.

It is smarter, stronger, and more efficient than conventional hydraulics. This comes bundled with software solutions which simplifies designs, minimises downtimes, streamlines installations, and increases overall productivity.

Connected Hydraulics product portfolio includes innovative solutions such as modular large power units, compact revolutionary Cytropac, variable speed pump drive Sytronix and customised digital solutions to support and maintain your existing hydraulics systems.

It is in short, a new era for hydraulics!

The Government of India (GoI) has announced big investment plans for infrastructure development (including National Infrastructure Pipeline). How will these initiatives propel the fluid power market?
The fluid power sector has evolved comprehensively over the last century and has generated intensive research, efficient production systems and integrated applications.

The wave of Industry 4.0 across the globe is boosting the growth of connected hydraulic equipment with a paradigm shift of focus on smart and intelligent systems. If you see current scenario, the fluid power market is experiencing significant growth aided by the huge demand for construction equipment in the infrastructure projects and a robust growth in other sectors.

The fluid power industry also evolved comprehensively over the last five decades and has generated intensive research, efficient production systems and best of all, a variety of integrated applications. Further with the added initiatives of GoI, we are confident the fluid power Industry will continue to witness a remarkable growth in the coming years.

How is the increase in modernisation and automation (Industry 4.) in the Indian manufacturing industry generating more demand for Bosch Rexroth's products & solutions?
Industry 4.0 is about enhanced connectivity, digitalization and IoT, that creates a wave of new opportunities, the market is just about to discover.

We are developing and testing our new Industry 4.0 solutions in our own factories, which has many benefits. On one hand, we can incorporate our operational experience into the products, while on the other hand, we can provide our partners references from the real time manufacturing data itself. This is the wholesome approach which makes us unique in the market.

How different will the Factory of the Future be from the present one? How is Bosch Rexroth gearing up for the future?
At Rexroth, we say, “Welcome to the new world of versatile, customer-orientated manufacturing”. It's a world of promise and ambition – a world of greater intelligence, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness. At Bosch Rexroth, our vision for the Factory of the Future is complete variability. The walls, floor and the ceiling could be fixed, but everything else could be mobile. Assembly lines will be modular, and their constituent machines will move and reorganise themselves into new lines for new purposes. They’ll communicate wirelessly with one another and with other process functions via 5G and will be powered through the floor via an inductive charging system.

This is our big picture. This is our vision. It’s a customer-oriented proposition.

What are the emerging trends in fluid power technology?
The fluid power industry is pushing for new sourcing strategies, market positioning and, in general, advancing hydraulic and pneumatic technologies into the digital age. Tomorrow’s machines need to be “smarter,” safer, easier to run and, perhaps, a lot more autonomous. Major OEMs are already implementing strategies to meld machine and digital technologies to make equipments more efficient, safe, and sustainable. Developments like predictive maintenance can reduce machine downtime and repair costs by up to 30 per cent. We are already planning and executing such projects of the future.

What are your growth plans in India?
Being pioneers in hydraulics and automation, Bosch Rexroth is a market leader driving digital transformation in the “Factory of the Future”. We constantly strive to break present limitations with Connected Hydraulics and set the stage for transforming mobile machines. We are all set to cater to customers of the future by providing “Now. Next and Beyond” products & solutions.

We are focused on localisation, digitalization and sustainability of machines and production units while ensuring our customers stay ahead of the curve. As part of our 'local for local' approach, we will further enhance our existing product & solutions portfolio along with our manufacturing capabilities in India. We plan to intensify the development work for the factory automation portfolio and emerging technologies like: Electrification of mobile machinery and the associated software activities.

We promise to strive hard and ensure our customers succeed, as our vision statement says “We move You Win”.