After almost a decade of marketing their products in India, Schmersal Group, manufacturer of electrical and electronic safety switchgear and systems, set up its first manufacturing plant at Ranjangaon MIDC near Pune that became operational less than a year ago. This was to make a part of their huge portfolio of products that include electromechanical safety devices, electronic sensors and lift switchgear. The products manufactured at this plant are targeted at serving the local markets and find application in machinery used in the food, pharmaceutical, material handling, textile, alternate energy, and automotive sectors. In this interview, Sagar Jeevan Bhosale, Managing Director, Schmersal India (P) Limited, elaborates about the journey so far and what lies ahead.

How many of the products are now being made at this new plant in India?

Schmersal has different series of products. For example, in the safe switching and monitoring category there are safety-related switchgears for the position monitoring of guard doors and the non-contact protection of hazardous zones and danger points, as well as safety switching appliances for special applications. In safe signal processing there are safety relay modules for various safety technology applications (e.g., for emergency stop and guard door monitoring) as well as centralised programmable safety controllers and decentralised field bus systems, e.g., a modular concept for safety functions control on small machines.

In automation technology are switching appliances for the mechanical position detection in various fields of application as well as safety sensors with different operating principles; this section furthermore includes a comprehensive programme of command and signalling devices. Then there are devices that can be used in accordance with the harmonized standards - in areas with potentially explosive atmospheres due to the presence of gas and dust, e.g., position switches, safety switches and safety sensors with non-contact operating principle. In lift switchgears are various applications in the shaft pit, the lift car and the machine room: floor and fine-adjustment switches, positive-break door contacts, position switches, magnetic reed switches, remote alarm systems, etc.

The Schmersal Group makes about 20,000 products. Out of this vast portfolio, we have started making seven to eight series, which ultimately build up to about 150-200 different models. There are various categories and sub-classifications, e.g., plastic switches, metal switches, and so on.

So, is the India plant equipped to eventually make all the products?

As of now, we are making the electromechanical switches but we have a plan to start manufacturing the electronic switches at a later date. We also have enough space to expand and put up an additional plant but that would be four to five years down the line. As of now we are utilizing only about 20-30 per cent of our installed capacity to make around 20,000 switches per month.

What kind of innovations has the company introduced in recent times?

Innovation is an on-going process. Last year, for example, we introduced the SLC/SLG 445, a new series of safety light curtains and light-grids. The differences in the SLC/SLG 440 series are related to the additional functions. The functional diversity allows the individual application requirements to be more flexibly adapted - with the aim to have the highest productivity and safety possible. With this the operator is offered an additional precautionary measure to prevent entry into the danger zone with a teachable protection zone. There has also been a new generation of safety hinge switches that can be mounted on the hinge side of a rotating protection door. This replaces a conventional hinge and at the same time takes over monitoring the position of the protection door. Additionally, assurance against tampering is increased because the protection door query for the operator is not accessible when installed on the inside of the switch. The machine builders benefit the most because their machines and enclosures are constructed with the commercially available aluminium profile systems.

Are any of the products being customized for the India market?

Based on the application areas, we have started our own R&D and customisation in India because it has been realized that at times all the features encompassed in a product may not necessarily be required. So this need to create stripped-down versions is being taken into consideration. The Group will also introduce new products in the Indian market, including the non-contact type switches and more importantly the RFID devices, which will provide advance warning to the operator in case there is the slightest malfunction in the machine. This will no doubt help prevent injuries of any kind and cut down costs due to machine downtime.

Are Indian companies taking the safety aspect seriously?

Safety has always been a part of any production process and it is not that Indian OEMs are now taking it seriously because of regulations or the entry of MNCs. Rather, their hurdle was that who would provide all such safety switchgear equipment and customise and install them. But now there are companies like us who operate in this specialised domain and therefore the demand is certainly going up.

What's the future investment and growth strategy?

We have already invested in land and are equipped with the wherewithal to increase our production capacity in tune with the growing demand. And this demand is bound to grow because an increasing number of companies are investing in safety equipment. Therefore, the capital investment will happen as per the requirement over the coming years. As for growth, we have already posted a 30 per cent increase in sales over the last year and we expect to take it up to more than 40 per cent in the coming year. The important factor is that this growth has happened despite the economic downturn and the dip in industrial production figures. The reason is that installation of safety switchgears is not related to production numbers. In fact quite a few companies make such investments at a time when the growth cycle has been adversely affected.

What is the market size for safety switchgears in India and what is your market share?

It is very difficult to provide any figures because it is an evolving market and you cannot take the figures of a few companies and say that this is what the market size is. More than focusing on market share, our objective is to create increasing awareness about the need for safety devices in machines and thereby let the demand grow on its own. For example, we don't just sell our products but we now have customers who tell us to study their machines, do a risk evaluation study, suggest the right devices, install them and provide training to their workers. So it's more of a comprehensive package.

(Schmersal India, Plot No. G-7/1, MIDC, Ranjangaon, Taluka Shirur, Pune 412 220. Tel: 02138-614710.)