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Part 2 -India: A Powerhouse for Castings, Fabrication & Machined Components



In my previous article I had written about how the landscape is changing for the Castings, Fabrication and Machined components suppliers in India. I had highlighted how skilled workforce, modern infrastructure, focus on quality and sustainability are giving these suppliers a competitive edge in the ever-evolving global manufacturing sourcing scene.


In this article I’ll be highlighting a few areas that could to be improved. These are based on my observations during my recent supplier visits and is not meant to pass judgments or otherwise be critical of any suppliers, nor does this cover the entire supplier spectrum that India has to offer in the Castings, Fabrication and Machined components space.


Safety Standards:


Safety should be a top priority, not just in words but in action as well. Several suppliers took safety seriously and had qualified people leading their Environmental, Health & Safety Initiatives. Some of them had a Master’s degree in Industrial safety and were doing a commendable job in creating a safe working place. However, there were other suppliers who had an ISO certificate for EHS, but didn’t have anyone lead the efforts.


This was invariably thrusted on HR who unfortunately didn’t have the required qualification to do the job. Safety meetings were few and far in between. Any safety incidents were recorded only to comply with Government requirements, but no follow up was done to prevent such incidents in the future. Near misses, which provides a good indicator of any Unsafe Act/Unsafe Condition on the shop floor were not recorded or utilized as a health check of the facility. In the foundry shop, many a times it was a case of two factories in one. The first one being a world class facility with good infrastructure and knowledgeable people which ended after the metal was poured.


The second one was the knocking, fettling and other post casting processes where neither safety or operational procedures were being followed. Not surprisingly several safety incidents were being reported in these areas. Even quality was getting hit in these areas resulting in reworks and multiple pre dispatch inspections.


PPE Adoption:


Although every supplier had a clear PPE usage policy, adherence to the same were not consistent. In several places, especially in the foundry or a fabrication shop, use of basic PPE like safety glasses, gloves, steel shoes and hard hats were missing. Each supplier had a reason or two on why they couldn’t enforce the same. (It is too hot in the foundry and if we insist on PPEs, the workers will quit!). The other area that bothered me were the quality of the PPEs themselves. Safety glasses that broke after one use, or hard hats that come off the straps, etc. Suppliers need to pay attention to the quality of their PPEs just like they would for other parts of their organization.


5S Implementation:


The 5S methodology if implemented properly, can streamline production processes, improve efficiency, and minimize waste. This also demonstrates the supplier’s commitment to continuous improvement. This is also the first impression that customers get when they visit a shop floor. A tidy and organized shop floor presents a confidence that no company PowerPoints or videos can.


There was a wide spectrum on how different suppliers adopted 5S in the factories, with some having 5S champions and competition between different departments for 5S awareness, making 5S part of their everyday activity. There were some who had left their shop floor drift to whatever the operators think is best to get the days production done. Parts and tools were lying everywhere. Bins, trolleys, etc. were not maintained, so material movement were quite inefficient. (parts falling during transit, more than one person required to push a small trolley, etc.) I think the cost of getting these fixed is lot less than the human resources wasted on the Jugaads (hacks) required to keep them running!


In the next article, I plan to write on some effective ways of vetting new suppliers in India and how to keep the suppliers engaged during the entire process.


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