Assomac has been churning out new technology machines for the wire manufacturers at comparatively competitive cost both for domestic and international markets
The name Assomac Machines is notable among leading manufacturers of wire drawing and wire cutting machines. The Group began manufacturing wire manufacturing related machines at accessible price with global quality standards in 1970s. Their effort received enormous acceptance by the Indian wire industry first, and later by overseas wire manufacturers, for machines being flawless in terms of technology and understanding the true requirement of wire making industry.
Today, the Assomac Group of Companies is an integrated conglomerate of engineering companies engaged in manufacturing all types of equipments and the accessories used in making alloy steel, carbon steel, mild steel, stainless steel and other non-ferrous wires. Wire & Cable India recently interviewed Mr. Ashish Tyagi, Director, Assomac Machines Ltd., on the art of machine making which has suits the wire making industry quite well. Excerpts:
Wire & Cable India: Share with your experiences of three decades of machine making.
Ashish Tyagi: Being closely involved with the manufacturing of wire drawing plants for more than four decades, we should look to the background of growth of wire industry in India. Machinery building is closely related to the requirement of quality, type, size and grade required for particular usage. Review of the world wire chronology of the manufacturing of wire reveals that India has been using iron from the ancient times in different forms. Though the wire industry in india is around 75 years old and the first steel wire manufacturing was established in Jamshedpur by Indian Steel Wire Products Company.
Earlier sophisticated steel wire and wire drawing machinery were imported from U.K. In the post-independence era, especially early 1950s, wire drawing industry came into prominence due to all-round industrial growth and civil construction activities picking up at a fast pace this led to the growth of wire machinery builders. Analyzing the changes that were taking place and the part played by the local entrepreneurs, these entrepreneurs initially procured machinery from European countries but later on the demand for the spares for these machines naturally grew and also led to new developments.
Indian machinery manufacturers were then considered as near copying industry, which could produce proto-type of the original imported plant and machinery; but then came the era of few joint venture companies with foreign collaborations. In the early ’70s, our group came into existence and we strived hard on our own to cater and enhance this ever growing wire industry. Indian wire drawing machine manufacturers were not in a position to understand the basic requirement of steel wire industry, but their overwhelming desire to supply the plant and machinery at economical cost made them the major supplier to some of the important manufacturers of steel wire manufacturers. Since then Assomac has never looked back and developed new technology machines for the wire manufacturers and is serving the wire industry with the latest machines at comparatively competitive cost both for domestic and international markets.
WCI: As a leading supplier of wire cutting, wire drawing and wire making machinery for India and overseas, please tell us about the most pressing challenges faced by the wire and cable industry in the areas of drawing, cutting, and making wires. How does your process technology come to aid in addressing those challenges? (Elaboration with examples would be more appropriate).
AT: As is often said, making machinery is an art and can never be achieved by an accident; one can only achieve it by a dedicated work force supported by a team of highly qualified and well trained personal. The company Assomac faced its own challenges, but always had a vision to provide high quality wire drawing machines to its customers. We understood the basic requirement of wire drawing industry.
For a while, many entrepreneurs showed an overwhelming desire to indiscreetly procure the plant and machinery at a cheaper cost; this sort of haphazard combination of capital equipment to important and sophisticated industry proved disastrous for some of them leading to their down fall and ultimate closure. But this proved to be a blessing in disguise to other genuine machine manufacturers who were keener to understand the quality of wire rod available, condition of labour in India and the requirement of finish products. We developed our own design and working acceptability to the wire industry. During last two decades, we further strived to meet the new challenges of developing plant and machinery for drawing, CO2, MIG welding wires, PC wires, stainless steel wires, high carbon wires, cold ribbed wires and other non-ferrous wires.
WCI: As a machine maker, none can understand the utility of latest technology better than you. Please give us your views about the adoption of latest technology by elaborating your own technological adherence at your manufacturing facilities.
AT: We have the distinction of having a fully integrated plant facilities right from Induction casting of ferrous, non-ferrous metals and their alloys, steel fabricated, stress relieving and shot blasting cleaning, in-house machine shop, assembling and testing. Assomac is the only machinery manufacturer to have a specialized robotic in-house facility from HVOF Thermal Spray Wear Resistant Coatings on wire drawing machine parts.
WCI: Quality is crucial for wires and cables as carriers of electricity and data today. What are your quality commitments while making machines and how do these reflect in the quality of eventual products i.e. wires and cable?
AT: The Globalization taking at a fast pace has its own vast range of effects touching the various sectors of the economic scene in different ways; this has also resulted with the increased production and the inflow of technology. Assomac has never ever differentiated with any customer with the quality of the machine. This has made us to boast with well satisfied customer base of more than 1000 customers in India and abroad. We simply believe performance is the only language of quality and these quality machines not only pays to our customers but to us too.
WCI: Your comments on the present state of the wire and cable industry. Do you see any major capital investments by the industry towards expansion and machinery?
AT: With the vast investments in infrastructure coming up in a big way, and also the investments on proposed 100 smart cities coming in the country, we see heavy demands of wires and cables in the country. Assomac is fully prepared and geared to serve the wire and cable industry amid the busy days to follow.
WCI: What are the major destinations overseas for your export activities? Presently, what’s the ratio of domestic vs. overseas supply?
AT: We have good customer base in African continent, the Middle East, SAARC countries and are getting export award uninterrupted from Engineering Export Promotion Council (Ministry of Commerce, Government of India) since last 10 years. Our sales ratio (domestic vs. overseas) hovers between 50-50, or sometime 60- 40.