Godrej Material Handling will expand the range of Skutros to meet the growing demand for intra-logistics solutions

Godrej Material Handling Bravo ForkLift

Godrej Material Handling BRAVO ForkLift

Godrej Material Handling equipment SKUtro

Godrej Material Handling –  Equipment  SKUtro

MUMBAI, 30 SEPTEMBER, 2020 (GPN):

Godrej Material Handling, a business of Godrej & Boyce, today announced that it is preparing to expand the range of its exclusive intra-logistics, mobility-cum-transport solution, Godrej Skutro. Launched last year, the Skutro is a manual rider device used to move goods from one place to another in the shopfloor.

Godrej Material Handling is India’s largest manufacturer of lift trucks. The range includes electric, LPG and diesel counterbalanced forklifts up to 25 T capacity, warehouse trucks and special trucks for specific applications.

Material handling equipment (MHE) market size was worth over $140 billion globally in 2018 and is estimated to grow at around 6% CAGR between 2019 and 2025.

The rising penetration of advanced technologies such as RFID, IoT in 3PL, food & retail, and e-commerce industries is driving growth of MHE. The incorporation of these technologies will help in saving time and costs in manufacturing processes, leading to increased accuracy and enhanced customer satisfaction. Players operating in the market are gradually adopting these technologies to maintain their position and to gain a competitive edge.

Importantly, equipment has been made safer too. Mr. Anil Lingayat, executive VP & business head, Godrej Material Handling, says, “We have always put people first. So safety ranks very high on our charts. Over the years, we have explored (and continue doing so) ways to make our equipment safer and stronger.”

The Indian market for MHE accounts for about 13% market share of the country’s construction equipment industry. This growth is primarily being driven by increasing investment in infrastructure development, growing penetration of advanced technologies, rising demand for increased automation, and safe working practices in the manufacturing space.

The reason innovation is important and matters. RFID forklift systems to improve material handling coupled with acoustic sensor, broad beam antenna, and controller logic to identify the pallet tag are only some of the innovations.

in April, Godrej Material Handling forayed into the 3-wheel electric forklift truck segment. The country’s largest manufacturer of lift trucks, GMH launched the latest three-wheel electric variant of its Bravo Forklift Truck for the 1.6 to 2 tonne category. The Bravo has been entirely produced in India to meet the needs of the Indian market with an R&D effort of over two years. It is compact in size and offers the fastest travel speed of (15 km/hr) in the category. It offers the best-in-class turning radius (25% shorter than four-wheeled trucks) to deliver efficient operations. Most importantly, as standard feature, all 3-Wheel Bravo Forklifts come with the latest wet disc brakes which provide higher braking efficiency and reduce operator fatigue. Wet disc brakes ensure a long servicing interval of 6000 hrs making the truck more reliable and productive.

Growing automation capabilities in the manufacturing space will provide a fillip to the material handling equipment market size. Lingayat says, “Automation aids in reducing costs and delivering high-quality products. It eliminates the need for manpower to check-in, sort goods, or to move bins and totes containing materials. These automated systems scale up the operational needs and drive the business results by reducing errors, increasing pick rates, surging throughput and decreasing labour costs. For instance, automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are an automation solution for moving parts to and from the manufacturing facilities or conveying pallets for put-away in distribution centres. The logistics robotics market benefits from optimised work-flow procedures, high productivity levels and reduction of labour and operating costs.”

Given the Make In India initiative and the government’s focus on ease of doing business, this industry presents several opportunities. The increasing demand for customised solutions brings in the opportunity to develop after-sales services like onsite training and assistance. There is also an increased emphasis on environmentally friendly and green machines, ergonomics and aesthetic designs.

The need for MHE is directly related to the amount of cargo and freight traffic. With a wide production capacity base, India is perhaps the only developing country which is totally self-reliant in such highly sophisticated equipment. Manufacturing will continue to remain one of the biggest demand drivers of the warehousing sector with an annual requirement of 61 million sq. feet of incremental space between 2014 and 2019. With the government’s renewed focus on incentivising the manufacturing sector, the logistics market will reap the benefits in the coming years.

Mr. Anil Lingayat, executive VP & business head, Godrej Material Handling

Mr. Anil Lingayat, Executive VP & Business Head, Godrej Material Handling

The Godrej Material Handling company also manufacture attachments of its own design for addressing a wide range of handling applications besides offering attachments made by international specialists in the field when the application demands. Mr. Anil Lingayat, EVP and Business Head, Godrej Material Handling shares his views on the warehousing equipment trends. Excerpts from the interview…

How do you assess the transformative trends in logistics and warehousing sector?

The logistics and warehousing sector is focusing on the adoption of mechanisation. The supply chains supporting the essential services saw an immense spike in the first few months of the lockdown, however, they also faced severe challenges due to the lack of labour at hand. Therefore, these sectors are looking to adapt to new mechanisations to reduce their dependency on labour intensive processes.

What is your assessment on the future growth and growth drivers?

The fundamental growth drivers have been the e-commerce and modern retail sectors. They have been accelerating the development of the warehousing industry. The warehousing industry is currently transitioning from traditional to modern infrastructure, with an increased emphasis on automation and other factors such as quality consistency assurance, safety and security of goods, efficiency in operations and quicker turnarounds. Occupiers now also primarily prefer efficiently designed warehouses over cost effective warehouses. Warehouses are also opening up in strategic locations to ensure timely delivery of products to remote areas. There is still a long way to go for the warehousing industry with players ready to invest in opportunities.

What is the impact of the pandemic on the E and WHE segment?

Many companies saw volatility and uncertainty in demand and felt a liquidity crunch. To meet surges, many opted for rental equipment in the short-term because the payback cycle for investing in new equipment wasdelayed. This has driven our rentals business.

The pandemic and consequent lockdown put us to the test and we were proud to keep over 100 customer sites operational, by fully leveraging our in-house digital platform to manage the rental business.

While digital meeting tools have become commonplace, we saw this trend percolating even to the area of servicing industrial equipment. Customers are showing a preference for remote assistance over video to resolve simpler maintenance issues of their forklifts in order to avoid external personnel visits in their premises. At Godrej Material Handling we were a step ahead, by launching our product manuals on a digital platform which both our channel partners and customers could easily access. Thanks to this, we were able to provide effective remote assistance to dozens of customers during the lockdown.

Many of these new measures and ways of doing business will be retained post the pandemic and may require us to modify the current way of working, at least for the foreseeable future.

What is the perceptible shift towards cleaner and greener and smarter technology products in the warehouse equipment segment?

Godrej Material Handling, a business of Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd., pioneered the production of electric forklift trucks way back in the 1960s. The current range by Godrej provides users variety in electric forklift trucks, some of which are designed to deliver speed and power comparable to diesel forklifts. These vehicles combine the quiet and clean efficiencies of electric technology with a power-packed performance, making it a machine of choice.

The recently launched 3-wheel electric forklift in its Bravo family offering three models from 1.6 to 2 tonne capacity is a classic example. With speeds up to 15kmph, a 25 percent tighter turning radius than 4-wheel models and lifting heights up to 6 metres, this compact vehicle is the perfect machine to handle goods in tight spaces and in modern warehouses. Similarly, Godrej SKUtro, first-of-its-kind mobility-cum-transport solution that was launched last year to address the problem of low productivity and fatigue in employeesis also an efficient warehousing solution.

What are the trends especially from power front?

For the users, there have been concerns mainly in the area of electric battery powered equipment to respond to their needs like enabling the forklift to run longer hours on a single battery charge, or enabling users to charge batteries at a convenient time rather than when the battery needs to be charged. With our new range of Li-ion powered trucks we have addressed this concern and will help the users in the industry to shift to a cleaner and greener future.

Brief us on the solution offered?

The material handling industry has been seeing immense growth due to various factors including the booming e-commerce which, in turn, have fast-tracked the setting-up of new facilities entailing a growth in demand for forklifts to facilitate their operations.

Our wide range of solutions including customized service and rental offerings has always been the strength of our core offerings. As a standard practice, we understand the customer’s operations / application in detail and then recommend solutions best suited to their needs. For example, if a company is setting up a warehouse, we study the racking layout, duty cycle, required throughput, type of handling and so on. Based on these parameters we may recommend either stacker, forklift, reach truck, articulated forklift, stock-picker or a combination of these products. This will be the customized technical solution. Thereafter, we offer tailor-made service packages and recommend short-term rental trucks to manage annual operational peaks. We also offer various financing options for our customers through our partners that helps address liquidity challenges, if any. In this manner, we offer techno-commercially complete packages that are driven by market requirements.

How have you been able to leverage the benefits of disruptive technologies in your product line?

As warehouse operations are growing in scale and complexity, emerging technologies like warehouse trucks for specific tasks, fork trucks integrating with warehouse management systems, etc are catching on.

IoT is fast emerging as a useful tool to monitor fleet health, provide proactive or predictive maintenance and optimize fleet size. With our in-house digital platform, we have ensured safety and well-being of our customer and their employees during the current times.

While forklifts are a necessary and vital part of any material handling operation, they also present a risk in an environment with people and other handling equipment moving around. As such safety accessories like Red and Blue Halo Lights, Camera systems, Biometric access etc are on the rise. Some of these accessories come as standard features on our trucks.

Talking about digitization, the new generation of managers and even forklift operators are more comfortable working with digital manuals, digital training programs and communication platforms. Even transactions are moving online.

All these trends are moving India’s MHE industry towards a more productive, safer and digitally enabled future.

What has been the impact of the same while you designing aftermarket support systems?

Customers are showing a preference for remote assistance over video to resolve simpler maintenance issues of their forklifts in order to avoid external personnel visits in their premises during current times. We at Godrej Material Handling have been a step ahead, by launching our product manuals on a digital platform which both our channel partners and customers can easily access. Thanks to this, we were able to provide effective remote assistance to dozens of customers during the lockdown.

What are the major challenges in today’s context?

Market volatility and uncertainty in demand are major challenges in today’s time. To meet surges, many companies are expected to opt for rental equipment in the short-term. This will drive the rentals business across the industry.

How geared up are you to meet the challenges in the post Covid era?

Godrej Material Handling is investing in digitization for enhancing customer experience by telematics to remain connected with customers’ truck. This shall enable empower our customers to manage their fleet at multiple locations with real time information of their Godrej equipment. It will facilitate our customers to enhance their productivity at a lower cost by maximizing utilization of their assets.

Godrej Material Handling plans to further empower its wide-spread dealer network through sales and service training to facilitate prompt response to customers in any part of our country. ENDS

गोदरेज मैटेरियल हैंडलिंग इंट्रा-लॉजिस्टिक समाधानों की बढ़ती मांग पूरी करने के लिए स्‍कुट्रो की रेंज को बढ़ायेगा

इस वित्‍त वर्ष की पिछली दो तिमाहियों में तेजी से बढ़ने वाली मांगों को पूरा करने पर इंडस्‍ट्रीज के जोर के साथ, एसकेयूट्रो शॉपफ्लोर मोबिलिटी और कर्मचारी उत्‍पादकता बढ़ाने में मदद करेगा

मुंबई, 29 सितंबर, 2020: गोदरेज मैटेरियल हैंडलिंग, जो गोदरेज एंड बॉयस का एक बिजनेस है, ने आज घोषणा की कि यह अपने विशिष्‍ट इंट्रॉ-लॉजिस्टिक, मोबिलिटी-कम-ट्रांसपोर्ट समाधान, गोदरेज स्‍कुट्रो का रेंज बढ़ाने की तैयारी कर रहा है। पिछले वर्ष लॉन्‍च किया गया, स्‍कुट्रो एक मैन्‍युअल राइडर उपकरण है जिसका उपयोग शॉपफ्लोर में सामान को एक जगह से दूसरी जगह ले जाने के लिए किया जाता है।

लॉकडाउन बढ़ने के चलते दो मंद तिमाहियों और अब प्रतिबंधों में दी गई ढील के मद्देनजर, इंडिया इंक इस वित्‍त वर्ष की शेष बची दो तिमाहियों में बढ़ने वाली मांग पूरी करने के लिए अनुमानत: पूरा जोर लगायेगा। रिटेल, फार्मास्‍यूटिकल और एफएमसीजी व अन्‍य क्षेत्रों द्वारा तेजी से शॉप फ्लोर मेकेनाइजेशन एवं ऑटोमेशन को उपयोग में लाये जाने और उत्‍पादकता के अंतर को पूरा किये जाने की उम्‍मीद है, ताकि बाजार हिस्‍सेदारी को हुए नुकसान को कम से कम किया जा सके और वापस हिस्‍सेदारी हासिल की जा सके।

गोदरेज मैटेरियल हैंडलिंग, एक्‍जीक्‍यूटिव वाइस प्रेसिडेंट और बिजनेस हेड, अनिल लिंगायत ने कहा, ”महामारी ने देश की आपूर्ति श्रृंखला और वेयरहाउसिंग सेक्‍टर को तहस-नहस कर दिया है। बाजार की वापसी की उम्‍मीद में और डे ज़ीरो के तुरंत बाद से, बिजनेस अब अपनी वेयरहाउसिंग एवं इंट्रा-लॉजिस्टिक तैयारी का पुनराकलन कर रहे हैं। इसलिए, कर्मचारियों की उत्‍पादकता एवं उनके स्‍वास्‍थ्‍य को प्रभावित किये बिना सामग्रियों की स्‍मूथ हैंडलिंग सुनिश्चित करना इंडिया इंक की एक सर्वोपरि प्राथमिकता होगी। स्‍कु्ट्रो ने पिछले वर्ष अपने लॉन्‍च के बाद से इंट्रा-लॉजिस्टिक क्षेत्र में नवीन मोबिलिटी कम ट्रांसपोर्ट नवाचार के रूप में स्‍वयं को साबित किया है। हमें इस अवधि के दौरान स्‍कुट्रो से जुड़ी पूछताछ में काफी वृद्धि देखने को मिली है। इसलिए, हमने इंट्रा-लॉजिस्टिक समाधानों की बढ़ती मांग पूरी करने के लिए इंडस्‍ट्री को #EmergeStronger (मजबूती से बाहर निकलने) में सहायता देने हेतु स्‍कुट्रो रेंज को बढ़ाने का निर्णय लिया है।”

विशेषज्ञों का पूर्वानुमान है कि लॉकडाउन के नियमों में ढील दिये जाने के बाद से उपभोक्‍ता मांग में अचानक वृद्धि होगी और प्रवासी कार्यबल के चले जाने के चलते कुशल कार्यबल की सहज उपलब्‍धता की समस्‍या पैदा होगी, जिससे आपूर्ति-श्रृंखला और हेयरहाउसिंग क्षेत्र को गंभीर दबाव का सामना करना होगा। ऐसे में, स्‍कुट्रो कर्मचारियों के स्‍वास्‍थ्‍य के लिए जोखिम पैदा किये बिना शॉपफ्लोर मोबिलिटी और कर्मचारी उत्‍पादकता बढ़ाने में महत्‍वपूर्ण भूमिका निभायेगा।

गोदरेज मैटेरियल हैंडलिंग द्वारा कराये गये एक आकलन से पता चला है कि कोविड से पहले, 50,000 वर्गफीट के वेयरहाउस में आठ घंटों के शिफ्ट में एक कर्मचारी द्वार औसतन लगभग 15 कि.मी. की दूरी कवर की जाती थी। स्‍कुट्रो के जरिए कर्मचारी एक स्‍थान से दूसरे स्‍थान तक बिना पैदल चले सामान लेकर जा सकेंगे। अनुभवसिद्ध प्रमाणों से पता चलता है कि स्‍कुट्रो से उत्‍पादकता 25 प्रतिशत तक बढ़ सकती है, इसके उपयोग से थकान कम होगा और कार्यस्‍थल पर भी खुशनुमा माहौल बना रहेगा।

गोदरेज एंड बॉयस मैन्‍युफैक्‍चरिंग कं. लि. के विषय में
गोदरेज एंड बॉयस (‘G&B’), जो गोदरेज समूह की एक कंपनी है, की स्‍थापना वर्ष 1897 में हुई थी और इसने विनिर्माण के जरिए भारत को आत्‍मनिर्भर बनाने में सहयोग दिया है। जीएंडबी ने दुनिया का पहला स्प्रिंगलेस लॉक पेटेंट कराया और उसके बाद से, इसने सिक्‍योरिटी, फर्नीचर, एयरोस्‍पेस से लेकर इंफ्रास्‍ट्रक्‍चर एवं डिफेंस जैसे विभिन्‍न क्षेत्रों में 14 कारोबार फैलाये हैं। गोदरेज भारत के सबसे विश्‍वसनीय ब्रांड्स में से एक है और यह रोज़ाना दुनिया भर के 1.1 बिलियन ग्राहकों की सेवा करता है।

About the Author

Sachin Murdeshwar
Sachin Murdeshwar is a Sr.Journalist and Columnist in several Mainline Newspapers and Portals.He is an ardent traveller and likes to explore destinations to the core.

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