Metro Rail News team Interviewed Mr. Neelesh Dixit during IREE 2023, that entails the profile of the company Renmakch, which he holds the reins of. This interview explores the latest innovations and technologies ushered by Renmkach in the Indian mobility sector, with particular emphasis on Railways. This interview also unravels the company’s commitment towards revolutionising after-sale & maintenance services in India and Worldwide. 

Mr Neelesh Dixit, the MD of Renmakch India, is a visionary in rail equipment manufacturing. With 25+ years in the industry, he shares insights into Renmakch’s ‘Make in India’ success and its pivotal role in global rail innovation.

Q1: What are the company’s efforts to hold its market share and continue being one of the key players in rail equipment manufacturing amongst several global conglomerates?

Renmakch has been a distinguished manufacturer of depot equipment since 2018, aligning its operations with the ‘Make in India’ policy introduced by the government. Since its inception, the company has comprehensively modernised its manufacturing facilities, significantly reducing import dependency. Presently, Renmakch proudly engages in the production and supply of a comprehensive range of depot equipment, encompassing mobile jacks, turntables, spit jacks, boogie testing machines, spring testing machines, damper testing machines, and tailored solutions to cater to diverse requirements.

Renmakch’s market presence is distinguished by its pioneering role in introducing ‘Make in India’ initiatives for such sophisticated equipment, effectively covering the entire spectrum of depot equipment. This proactive approach has benefited the Metro railways and extended its advantages to other Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) entities, such as Siemens and L&T, along with various EPC bidders and rolling stock manufacturers. In the wake of major projects like the Delhi Metro Rs 17 project and the Bangalore Metro project, Renmakch now extends its offerings to EPC bidders and train manufacturers, presenting them with the opportunity to acquire European-quality equipment manufactured in India at a considerably more competitive price point.

Q2: In an era of growing automation, digitalisation, and technical scale-up, what are Renmakch’s major R&D initiatives and capacity augmentation activities?

Yeah. So all these European equipment under transfer of technology, which are being manufactured at our factory in Mumbai, needed a lot of design interface because the European equipment was manufactured using European steel and some of the very high-end European products. We had to set up our own design and R&D department to integrate those designs in the steel available in India with SAIL, Jindal, or Tata. And as far as the other high-end items are concerned, we could source them in India. Some of them are still being imported for which we need the manufacturers. So our design and R&D department plays a major role in interfacing under this technology transfer with the foreign partner, the end user customer, and within our organisation with the manufacturing and procurement team. So, after this make-in-India tie-up, we have purchased all the high-end simulation software. We conduct all the simulations in-house and are not dependent on external sources. So, this has been a good contribution from our side after the Make in India initiative. 

Q3: What are the various comprehensive solutions and depot equipment the company provides for India’s railways, metros, and high-speed rail projects?

Renmakch is proud to announce that we will celebrate our 29th anniversary in January of this year. Since our establishment in 1996, we have been dedicated service providers specialising in reconditioning, automating, and repairing sophisticated railway machines. Over time, we have formed partnerships with European companies, and in 2007, we became sales and service partners with the Metro after Delhi Metro’s launch. With the implementation of the make-in-India policy, we have become manufacturers, and today, Renmakch offers comprehensive solutions to railways, metros, and high-speed rail. Our comprehensive approach includes design, support, manufacturing, supply, installation, commissioning, warranty support, long-term AMC contracts for five, ten, and fifteen years as required, and the entire range of maintenance equipment, testing equipment, and condition monitoring equipment. This allows us to provide our customers with a complete range of depot equipment, making Renmakch a one-stop shop for all their needs.

Q4: Kindly share details of your major overseas initiatives and essential orders on the book for the Indian market. What are the major projects being undertaken?

We are pleased to announce that the Make in India initiative has been a tremendous success for Renmakch, as we have received a full year’s worth of manufacturing orders and have executed many of them. Over the last 18 months, we have manufactured an impressive 160 mobile lifting jacks, many of which have already been commissioned, some of which are currently undergoing factory acceptance testing and will be delivered and commissioned by the end of this year. These efforts have brought us closer to our European partners and Japanese shareholder Yashima, and we have extended our support to their projects in India and the Southeast Asian region. Furthermore, we have offered to extend this support through our European principles to other parts of the world, which has opened up new export avenues for Renmakch. As a result, we are proud to hold the distinction of being one of the first Indian companies to enter into a manufacturing joint venture with European associates under the Make in India scheme.

Q5: Renmakch holds the repute of being one of the first companies in India to have entered into manufacturing joint ventures with European associates under the Make in India scheme. How have you benefited, and what have been your significant accomplishments?

We proudly announce that we have successfully manufactured products that meet the same European quality standards. Our customers have expressed their satisfaction with the quality of our manufacturing, painting, electrical systems, panels, assembly, performance, and noise levels. Our products are so comparable to those manufactured in Europe that the only noticeable difference is the steel profiles. This is an excellent achievement for us. We have also reduced customer costs and improved delivery schedules by manufacturing in India. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID pandemic and semiconductor shortages, we have delivered our products on time. 

In addition to our manufacturing capabilities, we are proud to be a service provider for over 25 years. Our proximity to our customers allows us to provide them with unparalleled service for many years. Our customers are confident Renmakch will take care of their equipment and provide continuous support. 

We are proud to be known as one of the trusted routers for the Indian rail industry, with a strong reputation for resolving equipment-related issues. This is a core competency of our company, and we are committed to maintaining our high-quality standards and competitive pricing for the benefit of our customers.

Q.6 What is your present approach to support the maintenance of various critical railway machines?

Our extensive experience of over 25 years as a service provider provides us with a significant advantage in delivering high-quality service for all equipment manufactured in India. Furthermore, we are extending these services to all other equipment supplied directly by our foreign principals. Renmakch has been entrusted with providing after-sale services, and we have been highly successful. Admittedly, there may be occasional issues due to the non-availability of spares or limited technology transfer, but we strive to overcome such challenges in consultation with our foreign principals. 

For instance, we recently encountered an issue manufacturing mobile lifting jacks with the original Siemens design. Unfortunately, Siemens quoted us a delivery schedule of 75 weeks, which the customer was unwilling to wait for. However, we overcame this setback by completely switching over from Siemens and designing a new system from Phoenix Contact, among others. The outcome was highly successful, and our foreign principals were pleased with our ability to manufacture and deliver on time without compromising quality or performance. 

We are continuously upgrading our services, and while problems may arise occasionally, we make every effort to overcome them, considering the level of technology transferred to us and intellectual property considerations. Our foreign principals have been supportive throughout, and we are confident we can move forward. As Make in India progresses, we are becoming increasingly independent, ensuring that the systems manufactured can be easily maintained within India, and customers need not suffer high downtimes. It is worth noting that maintenance always plays a crucial role in ensuring the smooth operation of rail transport systems, whether Indian railways, urban transport, metro, or the newly operated RRTS.

Q.7 So, you mentioned that the end users were also doing some maintenance work in the tenders. So, does it affect the overall life of the products you’re offering? 

It is imperative to properly maintain any equipment manufactured and supplied, regardless of origin, whether in India or Europe. Preventive maintenance is crucial, as is corrective breakdown maintenance. When preventive maintenance is carried out effectively, the machine will provide consistent performance throughout its lifespan. Periodic maintenance can even increase the machine’s lifespan. However, convincing customers of maintenance benefits can be challenging, as many prefer to avoid incurring high maintenance costs. It is important to note that maintenance enhances the machine’s life, ensures consistent performance, maintains accuracy, improves productivity, and preserves the machine’s condition. Ultimately, maintenance becomes an asset for the customer. In light of this, we encourage customers to opt for our comprehensive maintenance contract, which we provide for the machines we manufacture, supply, install, commission, and maintain. For the machines we manufacture in India, we are confident that we can extend the EMC by five, ten, or even fifteen years without burdening the customer with unnecessary costs. Being the manufacturers, we have faith in our products and quality services, and the customer can rely on us to resolve any issues. In the rare case that parts are not readily available, customers may experience slight delays, but we endeavour to maintain maximum stock to provide immediate replacements. In cases where machines are over a decade old, we recommend reconditioning rather than only offering an AMC. It is important to educate customers on the importance of proper maintenance. Still, in the end, they benefit from the machine’s optimal performance, which leads to satisfied customers and a happy workforce.

Q.8 So, this is the era of digitisation automation. So, how is Renmakch leveraging the technology to get productive maintenance done? So, any comment on this? 

I understand these are customised solutions, not standard products like lathe or milling machines. Each piece of equipment is designed based on the train configuration, making it unique to each customer. Consequently, automation during the manufacturing stage is minimal. However, we use high-end quality materials, whether steel, electronic components, or hydraulic or pneumatic components. We rely on the reliability offered by OEMs for these kinds of equipment, such as Siemens, Beckhoff, Rexroth, or any other company that manufactures pneumatic pesto. This level of quality and attention to detail is commendable and speaks to the professionalism of your company.

Q.9 What are Renmakch’s plans? As you have said, you have benefited from the Make in India policy, right? So what about the Make-in-India, Make for the World? 

Our foreign principles have agreed so that we can also export out of India. But presently, more opportunities are there. In India today, the opportunities are minimal if you see the outside world. So there are few export opportunities for our type of equipment. And in India, there are so many projects that focusing on India itself is a big challenge. And these project timelines are so high. Eight months, ten months, twelve months, 18 months. So, keeping track of those projects in India and meeting the manufacturing requirements. We are open for exports and waiting for the right opportunities. We are ready for exports, quality-wise, delivery-wise, performance-wise. Also, our engineers are trained to go to any other country and provide those services. But, yes, it’s only opportunity-based business. So whenever there is an opportunity, I would say we are open to that.

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