The Indian market is progressing and Haas is pleased to play a significant role in this process

By Niraj M Wanikar, Chief Editor, CNCTimes.com, 2015-02-16 12:17:00

Haas Automation is the largest machine tool builder in the western world, manufacturing a complete line of CNC vertical machining centres, horizontal machining centres, CNC lathes and rotary products. The company also builds a variety of specialty machines, including 5-axis machining centres, mold making machining centres, toolroom machines, and gantry routers. Mr Gene Haas founded Haas Automation Inc in 1983 to manufacture economical and reliable machine tools. The company entered the machine tool industry with the first-ever, fully automatic, programmable collet indexer – a device used to position parts for machining with very high accuracy. In 1987, Haas Automation began developing its first vertical machining centre (VMC), a machine designed to perform such machining operations as milling, drilling, tapping, and boring. This machine, the VF-1, was introduced at a cost that was competitive with machine tools from offshore manufacturers.

Today, Haas manufactures four major product lines, VMCs, HMCs, CNC lathes and rotary tables, as well as a number of large five-axis and specialty machines. The company has so far installed over 150,000 machines worldwide. Over 5000 machines are operating in India with around 500 HAAS machines being sold every year in India.

“ Our USP is that our machines offer true value for money, easy to maintain, easy to use, feature packed and designed keeping the operator in mind. In India HAAS sales and service is done through 10 Haas Factory Outlets (HFOs) which sets us apart and allows us to consistently deliver a high level of service,” the Managing Director of Haas Factory Outlet Mumbai India, Mr Terence Miranda said while speaking to CNCTimes at IMTEX 2015. He added that through these HFOs, the company provides localised service, sales, application and part support. “This is a set pattern across the world with the same concept applied worldwide. We also provide demonstration and training services at these HFOs. Our HFO network allows us to provide service within 24 hours and our goal is to solve the problem in the first visit itself,” he said.

“Just before IMTEX, the company launched the UMC-750 which is a extremely capable 5-axis machine with industry leading design features and excellent pricing,” Mr Miranda said adding, “Today we look at exhibitions in India as an opportunity to interact with our customers and so is the case with IMTEX. It is a platform where we can connect with customers as well as vendors and continue to build the relationships so key to our company and business.”  

Commenting on the present market scenario, he said, “The market has improved in the past six months and we have been receiving many enquiries. Sectors such as aerospace, medical, sanitary ware fittings and the export market overall is doing well which has provided a much needed boost to the machine tool industry in India. The automotive sector is still slow but we do feel that there are positive signs here as well. We look forward to continued stability and growth in India and globally.”

“The Indian market is price sensitive with our entrepreneurs always looking to maximise the value they get for each Rupee spent in a capital equipment purchase. This ideally suits us at HAAS with the excellent brand recognition and customer confidence in our proven world class support. Once a customer purchases a Haas machine in India, we work to provide a level of service that is unparalleled in the industry and creates a  lifetime attachment bonding both the HFO and the customer closely. I bet there are very few manufacturers who can claim the kind of backward integration and service support as that of Haas,” Mr Miranda said.

Sharing the company’s vision for the next 10 years, he said Haas is very optimistic about India as it is progressing rapidly and Haas will be part of that progress. “In 2014 HAAS achieved a global turnover exceeding USD 1billion and the company wide goal supported by the global HFO network is to get to USD 2 billion by 2020. We in India share this passion and vision and will work with our HFO counterparts globally to create this result.”  

• Follow @CNCTimes