Godrej Aerospace has made and delivered 1,000 Proportional Solenoid Valves, a critical component for making ventilators, for the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO).
The Proportional Solenoid Valve regulates the flow of oxygen based on the requirement of the patient in each breathing cycle, and is a critical component for the manufacture of ventilators and other medical devices.
Following the success of production of complex electro-magnetic valves for medical devices, Godrej Aerospace will now ramp up the manufacturing of different types of PSVs to meet current and future demand for critical medical and other equipment that are completely ‘Made in India’. The business is drawing up plans for the international market as a new supply link in the global medical devices industry, as companies look to re-engineer supply chains in the aftermath of COVID-19.
As the COVID-19 pandemic increased demand for ventilators and other life-saving devices across the country, Godrej Aerospace undertook the challenge to produce the entire Proportional Solenoid Valve for the first time in India. Teams from DRDO, Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and Bharat Electronics (BEL) collaborated with engineers at Godrej Aerospace. The teams worked 24×7 and took just 10 days to start production under severe supply side and logistics constraints. This included setting up a test-rig for prototypes based on DRDO designs. This was done with due focus on strict sanitization, safety and social distancing protocols for Godrej Aerospace employees.
Accepting the handover of the 1000th Valve in a digital ceremony, the Chief Guest Dr. G Satheesh Reddy, Secretary, Department of Defence R&D, Government of India, Chairman, DRDO and Director General, Aeronautical Development Agency, said, “We’re pleased to have partnered with Godrej Aerospace in the development and production of the first 1,000 ventilator valves in a very short time as these components are critical in saving lives in this tragic pandemic. Through the many decades of our association, Godrej has always been a reliable partner. We encourage them to further ramp up production to serve beyond just our nation in such times and will support them as needed. We’d like to congratulate the top management of Godrej, the production staff and shop floor workers and, the company’s suppliers for going above and beyond, especially in such a difficult time.”
Anil G Verma, Executive Director and President, Godrej & Boyce, said, “Making the nation self-reliant has been a part of the DNA of Godrej since 1897 when we began manufacturing locks and soaps. The hard work and meticulous planning of our teams at Godrej Aerospace has paid off and despite the lockdown in Mumbai, we were able to deliver 1,000 of these critical valves in a short time-span. This success would not have been possible without constant guidance and encouragement from the DRDO, BEL, ADA teams as well as the collaboration of 22 supply chain partners who supported this important ‘Made in India’ initiative answering their call of duty.”
Surendra M Vaidya, Executive Vice President and Business Head, Godrej Aerospace, added, “Our partnership with the DRDO in areas like defence, space missions and satellites spans over three decades. Based on DRDO design, the Proportional Solenoid Valves were developed and manufactured in 10 days. 1,000 valves have been shipped and we aim to further deliver 2,000 by the end of June. My heartfelt thanks to DRDO, ADA and BEL for their constant faith in us and India’s self-reliance in manufacturing of such critical components.”
Many senior DRDO scientists from Bengaluru and Delhi, senior executives of Godrej and their supply partners joined the virtual event and witnessed the handing over ceremony.
