It’s a company that leads with approximately 95,000 employees around the world and has solutions that penetrate all spheres of life. Right from electrical to aerospace to filtration and hydraulics, Eaton is globally one of the largest power management companies. Manufacturing Today speaks to Nitin Chalke, Managing Director, Corporate (India) and President; North America; Crouse-Hinds, B-Line and Oil & Gas, Electrical and Syed Sajjadh Ali, MD – India, Electrical Sector, Eaton, to understand how the company is dealing with creating cost-effective solutions for its customers, and ways it is dealing with the pandemic.
You have four businesses in India. Could you telling me the advantages each one of them offer across sectors?
Nitin Chalke (NC): As a company, we are dedicated to improving people’s lives and the environment with power management technologies that are reliable, efficient and safe. Everything we experience in our modern world is made possible by power, be it planes or hospitals or factories or data centers or vehicles or the electrical grid. Every day, all around the world, people depend on technology, transportation, energy and infrastructure to live, work and thrive. And the companies who provide these products and services depend on us to help solve some of the toughest electrical, hydraulic and mechanical power management challenges on the planet. Because we never lose sight of what matters.
Syed Sajjadh Ali (SSA): We have several businesses and this is what they do:
Electrical: We help customers meet the demands of the world’s ever-growing need for power through improving efficiency and uptime, meeting regulatory requirements and protecting people and equipment. Our electrical products help utilities generate, transmit and distribute power. And once that power is distributed, we help people use it efficiently and safely, whether in a building, industrial facility, data center or home. Our solutions range from circuit breakers to switchgear to machine controls to LED lighting. We offer a full portfolio of backup power and surge protection, providing maximum uptime and guarding against power surges or outages. In hazardous environments we help protect people and property with explosion-proof enclosures, signaling, notifications and surveillance systems. Our comprehensive portfolio of end-to-end electrical solutions is complemented by our full-scale engineering and support services.
Our customers span a wide range of markets, including residential, commercial and institutional buildings, industrial facilities, utilities, data centers, oil and gas, mining and machine original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
NC: In our vehicles business, the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) count on us for technologies that enhance overall vehicle efficiency, reliability, safety and driveability. Our vehicle products include emission control components, engine valves, valvetrain systems, superchargers, transmissions, clutches and torque management products and systems.
Our hydraulic products boost the power, speed and precision of equipments, ranging from industrial machinery to mobile equipment such as excavators and tractors. And, our filtration systems remove debris and impurities in industrial and process applications. Our customers are represented across many segments, including agriculture and forestry, biotech, construction equipment, commercial and passenger vehicles, food and beverage processing, manufacturing, mining, oil and gas, power generation and renewable energy.
We help our customers realise greater flexibility in machine design, maximising equipment efficiency, reducing unplanned downtime and delivering more productivity and energy efficiency in a smaller
footprint.
Then there’s the aerospace vertical. We are a market leader in hydraulics, motion control, air frame fuel, air frame pneumatics and engine solutions. Our aerospace products help control aerial navigation and propulsion systems as well as fuel management and distribution.
Our hydraulic, fuel, motion control and engine solutions power hundreds of military and commercial aircraft platforms. From the Mars rover “Curiosity” to today’s most cutting-edge commercial and private aircraft, we help ensure aircraft availability, improved operational performance and regulatory compliance.
We mean it when we say that we make what matters work, every day, everywhere.
The pandemic has affected different companies in different ways. What effect has it had on your company in India?
NC: Eaton is over 110 years old and has survived depressions, recessions, and other economic crises. Along with being a health pandemic, COVID-19 has brought unprecedented challenges for economies around the world and has an unforeseen impact on global businesses at large, along with Eaton.
Businesses worldwide are dealing with varying concerns such as stress on working capital, supply chain disruption, and forced realignment of investments and projects. At Eaton, we were able to quickly realign ourselves, adapt to the new normal and while continuing to support our customers.
At Eaton in India, our priority has been the safety and wellbeing of our employees, partners in our value chain and our communities. Once this was addressed. we have focused on leveraging our Eaton Business System (EBS) tools to optimise our operations and business processes to make our operations lean and agile by weeding out inefficiencies. We ahev worked closely with our customers to understand their expectations and tailor our operations to meet them. The aftermarket segment has always been a key focus for us, and we will continue to ensure that our customers are offered robust, reliable and efficient solutions to their challenges. While responding to market demands, we lay utmost emphasis on employee safety, support our key stakeholders and maintain our position as global leaders in the market.
Last year, you unveiled your first aerospace manufacturing facility in India. Tell us some of the highlights of this plant.
NC: The opportunities in the aviation sector in the country – both civil and military, made Eaton consider India as a promising destination to establish a manufacturing facility and expand our global footprint.
The Bengaluru manufacturing plant will be a Centre of Excellence, as we leverage the abundance of talent, a young skilled workforce, and supportive government initiatives to meet the requirements of our customers in the country and region.
The Bengaluru facility is located in the aerospace SEZ near Devanahalli, is planned to produce fluid conveyance products like hoses and couplings for our customers.
Engineering is at the heart of Eaton. Across the numerous products, tell us about some of the innovations in the last couple of years.
NC: Eaton India Innovation Center (EIIC) located in Pune has been established to enhance Global capabilities by leveraging high-end engineering talent and best-in-class infrastructure. The Innovation center creates a vertically integrated engineering organization and delivers complete product design lifecycle management solutions for Eaton’s global businesses.
In the age of big data and IoT, digital connectivity exists across the manufacturing floor, electric grid, buildings, healthcare facilities, transportation and in the home. We’re innovating Intelligent Power solutions that collect data, learn and provide actionable insights to optimize power use and continuity.
We make the “things” that make the Internet of Things work. Our electrical, aerospace, hydraulic and vehicle products and services live at the origin of data. And with that data, we help our customers operate more efficiently than ever.
Within the Vehicle group, Eaton has been investing in product and technology development efforts along with OEMs in India. Some of those efforts have been materialised through OEM vehicle launches as part of BS VI.
We introduced the valve actuation products for passenger cars, commercial vehicles, tractors and construction equipment. Our HLA in valve actuation is a fit-and-forget solution that eliminates the periodic need and associated downtime to adjust the clearance. It also ensures consistent valve timings and lift performance over the entire life of the engine thus helping in achieving optimal emission and fuel economy benefits.
We have introduced hollow valve technology in India successfully. Eaton’s hollow valve technology makes it easy to rapidly transport the undesired heat across engine valves with help of coolant ingrained inside the cavity of the valve.
We also launched in India, Eaton’s torque control products (Eaton MLocker). The Eaton MLocker is a mechanical locking differential which provides additional traction without the need for push-buttons or other intervention method. This product with patented carbon friction disc technology enhances performance and durability which offers best-in-class traction, maintenance free and enhanced towing and off-road performance.
We have also adapted and improved our products to suit the changed requirements on the BSVI vehicles.
SSA: With respect to our electrical sector, following are the key innovations that we would like to highlight: Pioneered the introduction of AFDD’s to protect against electrical fire hazards, 1000V MCBs for DC application, digital RCD; along with other offerings, like – 500 KW high efficiency modular UPS, 1.2MW monolithic UPS. We have also designed electric vehicle fuses for Tesla, Tata, BYD and Lucid Motors and supply 1500V DC solar fuses and combiner box; and 1000V AC fuses for traction application developed for Indian Railways, etc.
The manufacturing plants of the various businesses – what are some of the state-of-the-art machinery you have?
NC: All our plants have a strong focus on safety, automation, inclusion and diversity and a continuous improvement culture. We have automated our processes in our valve and valve actuation plants with robotic and manipulator automations.
SSA: In continuation with enlarging our manufacturing footprint we have laid out a state-of-the-art production line for manufacturing RMU’s in the Pondicherry plant equipped with high precision robotic welding machines; 100KV die electric and partial discharge test capabilities; upgraded our power quality test laboratories for various simulation tests and now possess the capability of testing UPS with loads of over 2MW; and real time capturing of auto clave steaming process with SCADA capabilities in the manufacturing of semiconductor fuses.
As a large global company, how much of automation and Industry 4.0 has been adopted across plants?
NC: Automation added with Robots, X-Y Rails and zero balancers, manipulators and other low-cost solutions have helped us strengthen the process and improve safety and productivity; and Industry 4-0: 3D printers for quick prototype and one-off developments, Microsoft Hololens for remote virtual connects, online OEE and hand-held layered process audit softwares
SSA: Our plant in Pondicherry has clear plans of upgrading to the needs of Industry 4.0 through robots for Intelligent automation in data management, data processing and data entry; AGVs for warehouses; Hololens; MES for managing model lines with OEE, SOP, inventory, maintenance, component traceability and FPY (First Pass Yield).
Digitalisation is gaining acceptance, especially after the pandemic. How have you incorporate this at your plants?
SSA: Here are some key figures that we would like to bring attention to: Elaborate factory acceptance tests for products in virtual mode; ISO 14000 and statutory audits accomplished online; online webinars and product trainings; end user and partner trainings – 774 attendees.
NC: In addition to this we use Microsoft Hololens – for Customer PPAPs, virtual leadership plant visits, Plant induction for new hires / interns, interplant benchmarking
It is a given that the products you make must be sustainable. Across each of the businesses, how do you achieve the maximum here?
NC: We believe our success as a company is also defined by our commitment to environmental stewardship, social responsibility and governance. Several of our plants are certified as ‘Zero waste to landfill’ facilities. We recycle our HT fixtures, thus reducing the use of new material. We “remanufacture” some of our products (specifically for transmissions), for better waste management. We also focus on water consumption reduction. Under GHG reduction, we have installed roof top and ground mounted solar panels, use wind energy, deployed LEDs, and focus on natural air circulation. Two of our plants have been rated GOLD in CII Greenco assessment.
SSA: We achieve sustainability by focusing on positive impact criteria and our Electrical Sector plant at Pondicherry has been recognized for its green and sustainable manufacturing practices, some of which are:
Efficient use of power: Launched series of high efficiency UPS (9395P, 93HE, 93PR); 9395 series UPS have energy saver mode; and fuses have lesser watt loss than allowed in IEC standard.
Contribution to energy transition: Photovoltaic fuses for solar application; fuses for electric vehicle application; and NH690V fuses for wind application.
Prohibit hazardous material content: All our products are ROHS compliant.
Do you have a global procurement process? Considering that is risky now, how will you change to local?
NC: Our presence in India is aimed at leveraging the full potential India offers. We have a strong footprint in terms of our Innovation Center and Global Professional Services Center too, which includes our Global Supply Chain Center of Excellence from where Eaton in India is supporting the global business. So we have been very self-reliant in this area and have been striving to support our customers and stakeholders despite the current challenging circumstances.
In fact, Eaton’s Global Professional Services Center supports our global operations for various functions like IT, Finance, SCm, Legal, Sales and marketing, Communications, etc.
You need skilled personnel to work at your plants. What are some of the training you offer?
SSA: Apart from on the job trainings, significant time is spent in classroom sessions to impart knowledge on process and product quality. Employees get to know about various products and process issues through daily Tier 1 meetings and are an integral part of corrective and preventive actions.