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Interview with Vijayakumar Sriramagiri, Country Leader- Ingersoll Rand Power Tools India Business.
As a multinational brand with various business interests, describe your business operations in India.
For 160 years we have been waking up every day to help make life better. In India, we have been present for 100 years + and are one of the first American FDI’s in the country. Today, Ingersoll Rand has 7 manufacturing sites in India and many more planned. Ingersoll Rand Manufacturing strategy focuses on line with the Prime Minister Initiative of Make in India. Research and Development: IR has highly skilled 300+ Engineers based in Bangalore, Ahmedabad, and Chennai.
Ingersoll Rand, driven by an entrepreneurial spirit and ownership mindset, is dedicated to helping make life better for our employees, customers, and communities. Customers lean on us for our technology-driven excellence in mission-critical flow creation and industrial solutions across 40+ respected brands where our products and services excel in the most complex and harsh conditions. Our employees develop customers for life through their daily commitment to expertise, productivity, and efficiency.
Help us understand how Ingersoll Rand Products and solutions help the automotive industry in increasing their productivity.
The automotive industry uses various tools and processes for manufacturing products. When it comes to Ingersoll Rand Power Tools, our advanced engineering and manufacturing have a standard of excellence often copied, but never matched. We are into assembly tools, industrial tools, cordless tools, and vehicle service tools.
We provide end-to-end support for the entire automotive process, from design to after-sales service. We help our customers stay ahead of the automotive industry’s ever-changing trends with our intelligent products and solutions. The combination of the right Ingersoll Rand tools and software makes their production line smarter, more competent, and more adaptable.
No matter what the customer technology is, we’ll make it successful. We have an experienced team of industry professionals who are committed to creating new solutions that improve productivity and solve your production line issues.
The e-commerce industry has grown significantly, driven by advancements in technology, where do you stand in this respect?
We are keen to leverage E-commerce platforms as new channels to reach out to a wide range of customers from all segments. We estimate that the Indian e-commerce is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 27% to reach US$ 163 billion by 2026. After China and the US, India had the third-largest online shopper base of 150 million in FY21 and is expected to be 350 million by FY26. So, this medium has great potential in India for industrial products too. We want to be part of this growing e-commerce trend.
What E-commerce platforms does Ingersoll Rand operate on and how would your customer benefit from your presence on those platforms?
We have started with Amazon India and created our direct-to-customer experience on this platform.
One of the biggest advantages of this platform for our customers is the flexibility it provides – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Also, it gives customers a buying experience that’s streamlined and convenient.
To stay on top of the e-commerce platform, it is vital to have key USPs, for Ingersoll Rand what are those?
We plan to offer a broad selection of products from Ingersoll Rand’s Electric & Pneumatic Technologies, giving customers the ability to choose and purchase the right fit for their needs. With this, we offer customers core value propositions like best-in-class price, stock availability, and Customer support directly from the Ingersoll Rand customer support team.
Now industry is all about using digital technologies to streamline and optimise various processes on the shop floor. What solutions are you offering which helps your customers in floor digitisation?
In an age of digital transformation, manufacturers are working to turn their facilities into “smart” factories. The goal of a smart factory is to eliminate all downtime and instead produce perfection in quality and efficiency.
Smart solutions like the Ingersoll Rand INSIGHTqc controller provide simple insights to make the manufacturing process faster and more accurate than ever before. The controller collects up to 50,000 records of cycle data and tightening traces for critical assembly manufacturing applications that require advanced fastening strategies. With this, manufacturers can now analyse the data, implement changes, and transform their factories to increase productivity and save time.
By utilising the power of connected tools, manufacturers can spend more time making strategic decisions to grow their business. The actionable insights help manufacturers produce better products with less effort and contribute to the expansion of digitisation in the manufacturing industry. Connected tools are one-way manufacturers that can develop this data-driven approach and pave their way to a smarter factory.
How can Industry 4.0 bring value to your customers?
We are compatible with Industry 4.0 which improves productivity and automation. To put it briefly, I will say here that with Industry 4.0, Ingersoll Rand can bring to our customers 5 core values:
- Constant improvement
- Transparency and ease of access
- Productivity and flexibility on assembly line
- Quality and Process control
- User friendly solutions.
Does Ingersoll Rand offer customised solutions to its customers?
Yes, we have a dedicated solution team that can assess customer requirements and mold them into perfectly customised solutions. This covers simple adaptations, such as the modification of tools, fully configured rail systems, hoists, or starters thanks to the config team.
Our individual approach also includes holistic integration services, application engineering, installation, set-up, and training. All our services are tailored exactly to your needs. They are not restricted to product expertise but offer value chains complete with integration and project management.
What are your offerings for the emerging EV segment?
Ingersoll rand Power Tools are redefining the electric vehicle industry by offering cutting-edge and precise solutions for a wide range of applications. In India, Ingersoll rand has been one of the first to penetrate its products and solutions in the electric vehicle manufacturing space. Therefore, we can say that we have a proven track record of providing the most reliable and trustworthy solutions/products to enable EV manufacturers to achieve excellence in quality, efficiency, and safety in their manufacturing processes.
Our power tools are designed to meet the demanding requirements of the EV manufacturing world. They are built with durability and long-term performance in mind, using high-grade materials and thorough testing to guarantee reliability and repeatable performance over time. As a result, they are an ideal option for manufacturers looking to streamline their assembly processes and minimise downtime.
For high-tech products, back up service is also an integral part of operational efficiency. How is that part taken care of?
We help you every step of the way, from tool installation to tool maintenance and process optimisation. Even the most durable products require a quick tune-up to stay at their best. If you are looking to self-service your Ingersoll Rand Power Tool, our distributors offer a wide selection of Genuine OEM Ingersoll Rand Replacement Parts. Repair components are available for pneumatic, cordless, and accessory items within our brand portfolio.
We Suggest to all our customers not to wait until something will happen! Our Maintenance service packages based on data analysis and engineering expertise proactively improve your production’s efficiency and quality.
What’s your tech roadmap for the future?
Our goal is to provide an innovative and wide range of products to meet customer needs with new and advanced technology.
So yes, we have a strong tech roadmap, globally we have plans to invest in R&D centers. We are dedicated to the long-term success of our customers’ businesses by providing the most up-to-date innovations like Industry 4-0 solutions and Smart technologies. We want our customers to remain competitive so every year we have plans to launch new products in the area of Assembly, Vehicle Service Segment tools.
Now that there’s a clearer mandate of ‘Make in India’ and localisation. What’s your stand on this and what are the plans?
Make in India is one of the core objectives of India Ingersoll Rand strategy. We have a manufacturing facility in Sahibabad, where we are expanding our assembly lines for manufacturing various tools and Industrial lifting products. We are also producing specialised drills for the defence industry. Ingersoll Rand is committed to the Make in India approach and plans to invest heavily in product localisation projects.
