- Coimbatore based Janatics will supply equipment and technical assistance interested ventilator manufacturers
- SMEs in Coimbatore have overcome several structural issues and are fully geared up
- There will be huge opportunities as global OEMs are shifting attention from China to India
In the face of formidable COVID-19 pandemic, the Indian manufacturing sector is putting up an unprecedented display of novelty in channelizing its manufacturing resources and engineering expertise into designing ideas into concepts, developing concepts into prototypes, and shaping prototypes into medical equipment and devices, unheard of before from an automotive major or a CNC machine manufacturer.
Janatics India Private Limited, a Coimbatore based leading world-class pneumatics products manufacturer, is proudly part of this brigade, installing not just its pneumatics and other innovative products in many such medical equipment and devices, but instilling a firm belief in us – Yes, We Can. Machine Maker spoke to Ganesh Jaganathan, Managing Director, Janatics India, whose positivity is certainly an antidote to the crisis-stricken citizenry and industry alike.
Established in 1977 in Coimbatore, Janatics Pneumatics has been the premier pneumatics products manufacturer catering to umpteen industrial segments and evolving with growing domestic and internal requirements with the widest range of over 3000 product models and 32000 variants to its credit. As the pneumatics is gradually giving way to the electric solution, Janatics has adapted to the transition, and now also manufactures electric drives and electric motors.
Extending Expertise
The inception of the Janatics pneumatic/ electric actuator predates the corona breakout in the country. Prior to COVID19, Janatics was working with a Coimbatore based Ventilator manufacturer, developed the concept of an electric actuator which got approved.
About this, Ganesh said, “Six months before the coronavirus outbreak, we were making an electric actuator for a ventilator manufacturer in Coimbatore. With COVID19 throwing challenging situations, leveraging that experience, we just had to tweak it a bit, made some minor changes and got it successfully tested”. Further, he clarifies upfront, “We are not going to manufacture ventilators or any other equipment, but can supply components to anyone looking to manufacture ventilators”.
Janatics is playing a major role in helping manufacturers develop such ventilators and other equipment by supplying the essential pneumatics and electric drive components.
Recently one of India’s leading machine tool builders developed and successfully tested an indigenous Ventilator, and Janatics is supplying pneumatic parts for the same. “They have built a system using pneumatic parts and already placed an order with us for pressure regulators and some fittings for the ventilators. We have got the purchase order and one lot is already gone. The second lot is under production” he said.
Economic Woes
On the business front, Janatics Pneumatics, like many other manufacturers nestled in Coimbatore is witnessing pressure due to lockdown. However, the run has not been smooth even before that. “Even in the first and second quarters last year the situation was not good. From September 2019 onwards, business looked like improving and we started getting new orders. But from January and February this year, things took an about-turn”, he said.
As for industries in Coimbatore in general, they are much more ready now. Earlier there were power issues, labour issues, challenges in importing Raw materials which have been sorted out. So, they are all geared up to get this Corona phase pass, and looking forward to doing better
Turnaround for SMEs
SMEs form a sizeable portion of the Indian manufacturing sector and the lockdown has pushed them to survival crisis with no operations, no orders, and no cash flows. While the situation is still bleak, Ganesh is optimistic the industry will rebound soon.
He even cites the opportunity for Indian SMEs ahead. “I think there will be huge opportunities if we can come out of this soon. Manufacturing majors worldwide are pulling out of China and looking at India with a new perspective as the new manufacturing hub and bringing factories here. We are already witnessing Japanese and US companies taking a proactive role in this.”
So, how soon India can come out of this COVID situation, will be critical. If this situation drags on, then there will be a huge impact we might lose the advantage of being a manufacturing hub for the global market
While the industries are leveraging resources and expertise to fight against corona in tandem with the central and state governments, Ganesh feels, the people should take their role more seriously and make these efforts successful by following the lockdown guidelines completely with determination.
For more details, visit www.janatics.com
