Biking is growing in popularity around the world. Largely used as a main form of transportation in cities worldwide, the biking culture has become so widespread that many world governments are investing in bicycle infrastructure. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of Americans that commute to work on bicycles have increased by 60% in the last decade. Separately, biking is also being embraced as a form of exercise and sport, and communities have come together to encourage cycling as a lifestyle activity for the masses.

As cycling continues on its growth trend worldwide, bicycle manufacturers are also increasing production to meet growing demands. Navyug Namdhari Enterprises (P) Ltd. (Navyug Namdhari), one of India’s leading bicycle manufacturers, has also accelerated its production of quality bicycles for the domestic market. Founded in 1950, Navyug Namdhari is headquartered in Ludhiana-Punjab and has two dedicated units for its bicycle manufacturing operations. The production of components and assembly of bicycles takes place in Unit 2, while research and development happens in Unit 1.

Behind Navyug Namdhari’s Operations
A bicycle’s make-up comprises a variety of components, such as the forks (rigid and suspension forks), handle bars, frames, and alloy rims. Navyug Namdhari produces its own components at Unit 2, and inspection checks are required to ensure the precision of each part. This process is crucial for an overall smooth and swift assembly in the later stages.

Since its inception, Navyug Namdhari has performed inspection checks for each manufactured part with hand tools like vernier calipers, height gauges, and measuring tapes. Mr. Harmanjit Singh, Managing Director at Navyug Namdhari, shared, “For years, our bicycles have been manually inspected and then assembled. Quality is of utmost importance to us, and our components undergo rigorous testing and inspection processes. Hand tools have given us adequate support so far, but frankly, the process is time-consuming, and can often be tedious.”

Into the European Market
Due to its uncompromising stance on quality, Navyug Namdhari, now a household name in India, is ready to act on its vision to enter the European market. For years, it has been the company’s vision to bring its bicycles to Europe. With its strong biking culture, Europe presented enormous market potential for Navyug Namdhari.

The move to crossover to Europe was one of the push factors for Navyug Namdhari to acquire more advanced measurement solutions. With this investment, the company would enhance its brand attractiveness to potential European customers while supporting the production of quality bicycles. Mr. Harmanjit Singh shared, “Unlike domestic customers, the European market tends to prefer products that are made with automated processes or machines, as customers there perceive these products to be more reliable and more likely to be error-free.”

The decision to invest was also partly due to Navyug Namdhari’s need for a measurement solution for complicated bicycle parts. With hand tools, results were heavily dependent on the technician’s skill level, and were not as repeatable – whether within or across measurement sessions. Reports also had to be manually prepared, taking up to two weeks. If and when necessary, Navyug Namdhari would outsource measurements for reverse engineering and inspection purposes. However, not only was the process time-consuming and costly, the vendor sometimes took up to 10 days to deliver measurement reports, delaying overall lead time.

The Road to FARO
Thus began Navyug Namdhari’s search for a measurement solution that can cater to complex components, eliminate human errors and inefficiencies, and also provide digital data instantaneously. It was at a trade event for machine tools that Mr. Harmanjit Singh first came across the FARO brand. Impressed with the flexible measuring arm’s capabilities, he got in touch with the FARO team to learn more about the FaroArm technology.
As Navyug Namdhari’s bicycle components ranged from 620mm to 900mm in size and 200g to 5kg in weight, Mr. Harmanjit Singh knew that the team needed a highly versatile tool. He elaborated, “In terms of precision, we required accuracy levels of around 50 microns for our components. When contacted, FARO was confident that it had the ideal metrology device to meet our needs. We were introduced to the FARO Edge ScanArm HD that was capable of performing reverse engineering in addition to refining our inspection operations.”

After learning more about the device’s features and understanding the benefits that it could bring to the company, Navyug Namdhari came to a decision and opted for the Edge ScanArm HD in December 2015. An ideal tool for reverse engineering and inspection, the Edge ScanArm HD features rapid point cloud collection with extreme resolution and high accuracy. The device’s extra wide scan stripe and fast frame rate also enhances productivity by increasing coverage and reducing total scanning time.

Rush of Benefits
The Edge ScanArm HD is placed in Unit 2 at Navyug Namdhari’s Quality Testing Center, and is used for up to 10 hours on a daily basis. Since acquiring the device, Navyug Namdhari has observed positive changes in its production workflow, such as better accuracy in quality reporting and higher productivity in reverse engineering and inspection tasks.

With the assistance of the Edge ScanArm HD, measurement reports can be generated instantly and this provided Navyug Namdhari with accurate quality reporting. “Gone are the days where we needed to wait for two weeks for measurement reports!” shared Mr. Harmanjit Singh. “Now, we can generate reports at the click of a button, providing our customers with an objective benchmark that they can count on. Another benefit that the technology has brought us is the ability to perform reverse engineering and inspection tasks easily, allowing us to stop outsourcing measurements.”
Above all, Mr. Harmanjit Singh especially valued the shorter measurement times. He said, “In the past, we took a fortnight to complete measurements and reports. With the Edge ScanArm HD, we have been able to complete all these in just one day! Time is of the essence in our business, and we are pleased that our investment has increased our overall productivity tremendously, more than doubling our efficiency levels.”

Cycling Forward with FARO
When asked about integrating more FARO solutions to its operations, Navyug Namdhari was open to the idea as Mr. Harmanjit Singh plans to install a FARO measurement solution in each of the company’s facilities, including its other business vertical that manufactures agriculture equipment.
Already a FARO-advocate, Navyug Namdhari has since recommended FARO’s solutions to three of its own customers. Mr. Harmanjit Singh concluded,

“FARO’s close understanding of our needs and what we required was a key factor in our decision-making process. Even though it took us awhile to consider our options, FARO was patient and was always there to provide professional advice at every stage. We are very satisfied with the way FARO addressed our concerns, and we strive to achieve success in the European market with this new found confidence in our products.”

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