Solid stamp of trust and reliability of Godrej Locks reflects in Haas machines

By Niraj M Wanikar, Chief Editor, CNCTimes.com, 2015-12-31 13:22:00

Since its beginning in 1897, the Godrej Locking Solutions and Systems, a unit of Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Company Ltd,  has set several benchmarks in the locks industry – from the first spring-less lock in 1907 to the iconic 'NavTal' in 1954 to the Ultra range in 1995 to the revolutionary 3KS in 2007. From a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in a suburb of Mumbai, the company provides locking solutions that reach homes, offices, industries and the hearts of millions of people in India and around the world for whom ‘locks’ means Godrej.

A symbol of trust and security for 118 years, lock on almost every Indian home’s front door is of Godrej. It goes to show how the customers have placed their trust and confidence in the company. Since the first lock was manufactured in 1897, it has been Godrej’s endeavour to constantly evolve and design products and services that exceed the expectations of individual and institutional customers. Over the years, the locks have changed in form, function and scope of application, but one thing remains constant – the solid stamp of trust and reliability. The company adheres to global quality norms and hold ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certifications.

“Initially, we were carrying out manufacturing process on conventional lathe and special purpose machines (SPMs). Since our style of manufacturing is quite flexible, we designed some special fixtures also that matched our machining process. However, later we shifted to vertical machining centres (VMCs) and turning centres as they give us opportunity to machine various designs of locks on a single machine,” the Associate General Manager (Manufacturing) of the company, Mr MHM Shaikh said.

“We serve all types of customers and customise locks as per demands of the consumer. This is the reason why one can see Godrej lock on almost every Indian door. This trust of customers on us has transformed us into a company that provides locking solutions,” Mr Shaikh said. Explaining the manufacturing process, the official said they carry out forming, die casting, plating and then machining (that includes milling, drilling, turning, boring etc) of the products. “In fact we do all the processes that a VMC has been designed to do,” he added.

As on today, the company has over 50 machines of which 20 are Haas machines. “We carry out machining on VMCs, turning centres and turnmill centres.  We purchased first Haas machine in 2006 and by 2010 we had 6 Haas machines. After that, we are adding one machine in our kitty almost every year,” the Senior Manager (Manufacturing) of the company, Mr D N Kharat said.

The methodology adopted by Godrej for selecting any machine tool is that they first prepare an exhaustive list of parameters and features as per the end application. After preliminary round of discussions with various vendors, a comparative analysis is done and 5-7 vendors are selected who match at least 80% of their requirement.

Explaining the rationale behind selecting Haas machines, the officials said that when the company decided to go for CNC machines, it categorised the supplier on the basis of power required to run the machine, operational safety, environment friendliness, end application and above all whether it gives the best productivity in terms of optimised cycle time. “We found everything in Haas and decided to go with them. Besides this, we were satisfied with the maintenance aspect of Haas machines as it involves minimum wear and tear that reduces operational cost. Also, the service support from Haas is excellent and their engineers respond to your call within no time. This adds value to our trust on Haas and its machines,” the officials said.

“The installation of ST10Y turnmill centre from Haas did magic for us. It reduced the cycle time beyond our expectations as it gives us advantage of two machines in one. We plan to add many more from this series,” Mr Shaikh quipped.

“Ever since we installed first Haas machine, the company has helped us a lot in the process that included service and application support. We were able to lessen the machine downtime and increase our productivity. Our end component accuracies are in the range of 20 microns and we are able to meet the same with Haas machines,” Mr Shaikh said and added that Haas machines are true value for money.

“And with continual improvement in terms of precision deliverables and responsiveness to their customers, Haas is worth recommending to the industry. I am sure that with Haas’ support, Godrej Locking Solutions will continue to reap rich dividends in the years to come. It’s a partnership built on trust, support and continual engagement which will certainly go very far,” Mr Shaikh concluded.

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