Established in 1973, Austin Engineering Company Ltd (AEC Bearings) has made rapid strides in a highly competitive and high technology business of bearings, with a firm belief in two things: the power of innovation and the sheer force of focus. Mr N C Vadgama, is the Chairman of the company. Mr Jana Prasad, Vice President - Global Business Development, shares the company's vision and business profile in this interview with Industrial Products Finder. Excerpts:

AEC is an indigenous success story in bearings. Tell us something about the origins of the company.

AEC Bearings (Austin Engineering Company Ltd) was started in 1973 by five technocrats in the city of Junagadh, Gujarat. The manufacturing of needle roller cages was the first to be made in 1973 followed by needle roller bearings, cylindrical roller bearings, taper roller bearings and the product line extended in due course. The brief chronology of important milestones is:

• 1978 - Incorporated as a private limited company
• 1985 - converted to a public limited company and listed on Bombay Stock exchange
• 1986 - Moved to a new facility at Patla, near Junagadh, Gujarat
• 2000 - Started AEC Europe, in Milan, Italy
• 2004 - Started AEC USA, in Auburn, Alabama

Today, we are one of the few companies in the world manufacturing large roller bearings up to 2000 mm in diameter.

The company has never had any foreign collaboration. So how about the technical know-how?

Yes, the company has never had any technical collaboration and we have developed our own technologies and gauging techniques to manufacture these bearings. AEC Bearings is an engineering driven company and we have engineers right from the board of directors to the heads of each our departments.

Bearings are a vital component in any application and reliability is always an issue. What are the quality parameters set and followed?

Our bearings are designed to the ISO/DIN specifications and as per the AFBMA standards. These bearings meet or exceed the duty ratings set by the standards. AEC Bearings is an ISO 9001 and TS16949 certified company and we follow strict quality and high process standards during the various stages of process and manufacturing.

For example, each batch of steel is cut and inspected under a electron microscope to study the microstructure and to qualify that batch of steel before any process is done. This is followed by several inspection procedures such as online testing at each machine station and as well as a random hourly inspection during the manufacturing process. We use SPC techniques and quality process in addition to several hours of training to our associates. Also, quality audits are conducted randomly as well as on a predetermined basis to ensure quality is never compromised.

The company seems to have a wide product range. What are the applications?

Yes, you are correct. AEC Bearings has developed and manufactured more than 4500 different kinds of roller bearings. These include cylindrical, taper, spherical, ball and needle rollers. This product line is extended by providing thrust bearings for all the above types and we also offer our customers inch and metric series for all the bearings, which is a great value addition to them. Our bearings are used in a variety of industries including but not limited to gearboxes, centrifugal pumps, farm equipments, earth moving equipments, construction machinery equipment, infrastructure equipments and defence equipment.

Why should the customers prefer AEC bearings?

Customers prefer solutions to most of their engineering products and problems and we provide that to our customers day in and day out. Our application engineering department is suitably equipped to recommend the correct bearings or develop the correct bearings depending on the load conditions and for the correct working environment. Since we manufacture all types of bearings, we are in a better position to understand our customer's needs and they prefer AEC Bearings over other bearings.

What are the manufacturing facilities? Is the operation totally integrated or do you have to depend on vendors?

AEC Bearings is a fully integrated manufacturing company which includes machining, heat treatment, grinding, and super finishing. Also, testing of these bearings for noise and vibration is done at our integrated plant and along with various other parameter measurements to match our quality standards.

How strong/effective is the after sales service, especially for large bearings?

We have our presence in the USA and Europe staffed by engineers who call on these customers and understand their applications before recommending the bearings. To date, we have not had any complaint from our customers about the quality aspect or an application going wrong. Since we are staffed by local people in all these countries who are bearing experts, in the event of any issue, the problems can be corrected on site.

How does the cost of ownership over the life cycle compare with competition?

Since our bearings are made to AFBMA standards and are designed to meet and exceed the duty ratings, our products outlive the competition. Many of our customers have mentioned to us that AEC bearings offer enormous value to their products beyond measure. In addition, we are priced correctly and the quality of the products and reliability of the products can be compared to the best in the industry. Since we certify each application, our bearings function as per the design and to our customer's satisfaction.

What are the company's landmark achievements?

AEC Bearings has continuously believed in process innovation and continuous product development and we take on challenges that many in the bearing industry do not venture. Our landmark achievements are many, but a few of our achievements that can be listed - which are the large thin section bearings, P4 class spindle bearings, heavy-duty cross roller and cylindrical bearings.

Today, 60% of production is exported to USA and Europe and is used by multinational companies in very critical applications. In addition, we have been receiving awards from the ministry of trade and commerce and also accredited as a star exporter which makes us very proud. We have been achieving all this due to a diligent workforce and excellent team work. We are also very proud to be involved in India's premier defense and space programs for the supply of bearings.

Any breakthrough product launch that made a difference?

Since the launch of our P4 class bearings, which are a higher precision class bearings that are used in machine tool applications, our products are finding newer applications. Since only a few companies in the world manufacture these class of bearings, we find ourselves in a unique position.

How is the present business environment?

We believe that our industry is always on the move, and our customers expect us to provide them a reliable and a longer life for the bearings we supply. The present business environment is a growth-oriented environment and if we continue to provide our customers solutions and as long as we continue to innovate and deliver to the customers expectations, we do not see any issues.

What are the future plans?

We at AEC Bearings want to ensure that first and foremost, we want to continue to delight our customers by offering a world class product. Our customers have been our source of growth and we have grown with most of our customers since the last 38 years. We will continue to strengthen our products, and continue to be a strategic partner to our customers and be growth enablers for all of us in the supply chain.

On the product development front, we are developing bearings for aerospace applications, tunnel boring machines, steel mills, defence applications, machine tools and infrastructure equipment companies. Our R&D is also continuously trying new materials to enhance the bearing life and also to ensure that the bearing reliability is of the highest order.

(Mr Jana Prasad, Vice President - Global Business Development, Austin Engineering Company Ltd (AEC Bearings). Mobile (India): 099404-15273. (USA): 925-640-3314, 925-218-4030. Email: jana.prasad@aecbearings.com)