Lakshmi Machine Works Ltd. (LMW) is one of the most respected organisations in India Inc. which has made significant contribution in taking India onto the global textile map. Established as a provider of spinning technology to Indian textile mills, the company currently is a leading global textile machinery manufacturer and one among the few in the world to offer complete spinning solutions to customers.
Today the name LMW has become synonymous to high quality spinning solutions in India and across the world. LMW is undoubtedly the pride of Indian textile industry. It is indeed a testimonial to the company’s strong focus on research and development that it has managed to stay at the top even after so many decades, in what is one of the most competitive market segments.
From being a market leader in India, LMW today has established very strong presence in all important global markets. Hence ITMA in Barcelona assumes greater significance for the company to showcase its R&D capabilities, new products and innovations on the global platform. The company is all set to unveil the future of spinning technology – Automation, Digitization and Sustainable manufacturing.
As the company prepares for the much-awaited global event, we spoke to the company’s Chairman and Managing Director, Mr. Sanjay Jayavarthanavelu on the LMW’s participation at ITMA 2019. In a freewheeling chat, he touched upon a variety of topics, including the company’s recent performance both in India and overseas markets, products it will be showcasing at ITMA 2019, the foray into new product segments, pioneering new technologies, aftersales service focus and future plans, among others.
Edited excerpts:
Performance
The recent past has been a period of upheavals for the spinning industry. Topsy-turvy global market trends meant a rough ride for most companies in this particular market segment. Speaking about LMW’s performance during 2018-19, Mr. Sanjay said: “We had a successful year as compared to the previous FY 2017-18. LMW was well aligned with the market fluctuations and has successfully managed to stay ahead in the race during the difficult times. The export trend showed a phenomenal growth over the previous year. Technology being the key to LMW’s success in both domestic and international markets, LMW brought out various innovative products during the year and worked towards its three pillars – Automation, Digitization and Sustainability – with a greater focus on aftersales & service,”.
Going into details about the performance of the company in the Indian market in FY 2018-19, Mr. Sanjay felt that the textile industry as a whole in the country went through a sluggish phase. “The reason being the yarn price fluctuations. The investment opportunities were quite low as compared to the previous financial year. The year 2018-19 was indeed great for SPINPACT – LMW’s Suction Compact System and Autoleveller Draw Frame LDF3. Our aftersales & parts and components business have also grown significantly during the year,” he added.
While throwing light on the company’s performance in the global market, he stated: “It has been a great time for LMW in terms of exports. We have been expanding our presence in the global markets and increasing our market share. Our exports have nearly doubled as compared to the FY 2017-18. This shows the wide acceptance of LMW’s products in the international market. The key markets in which LMW witnessed higher growth include Bangladesh, Kenya and Vietnam.”
LMW had launched a slew of new products, including the new drawframe, higher capacity carding machines, longer ringframes, new compact systems, Spin Connect, etc., in the recent past. Pointing out to the performance of these new products in the past one year, Mr. Sanjay stated: “We at LMW feel the pulse of the customer. We work towards producing quality products that are tailor-made to suit the customer requirements. Our new launches of Drawframe LDF3, Card LC636 and Ringframe LR9/SX and new Compact System SPINPACT which are well accepted by the global markets helped LMW to increase the market share in these products.”
LMW @ ITMA
With ITMA around the corner, a glimpse into LMW’s export journey was but natural. Mr. Sanjay said: “It is a good sign that the percentage of exports is growing Y-O-Y and the customers worldwide are accepting LMW as a brand to look upon for their spinning machinery needs. Our first overseas export commenced in the year 1977 and the company has come a long way from there to establish its presence in more than 20 countries. LMW has a strong presence in Bangladesh, Vietnam, Pakistan, Turkey, Indonesia, Iran, China and many African countries. Recently in Kenya, LMW has supplied a complete turnkey project wherein the end to end solution was given and furthermore are lined up in the coming months. Currently exports sales contribute to more than 40% of the total revenue.”
LMW first participated in ITMA in 1999 held in Paris. “Needless to say, at every ITMA event, LMW has brought out a lot of new products, and each ITMA is memorable for LMW in one aspect or the other”, Mr. Sanjay said and added: “The main purpose for LMW to participate in ITMA is to showcase our R&D capabilities and our new products and innovations on the global platform. Not to mention, our expectations from ITMA is to reach out and expand our presence in the global market.”
Going into details about the product range that LMW will be showcasing at ITMA 2019 at Barcelona, Mr. Sanjay observed: “At LMW the theme for the year 2019-20 is ‘Innovation in all spinning technologies combined with Automation & Digitisation’. Industry 4.0 is the core of the all the technologies we offer. We would be showcasing the latest developments from LMW which are the result of extensive research and development work. LMW has expanded its product portfolio and will continue to do so in the years to come too. The new products to be displayed will go a long way in taking the textile industry to the next level.”
ITMA is normally a platform to showcase the next level of manufacturing technology, setting the trend for the future. So, what the visitors to the event can expect from LMW in terms of the next level of spinning technology? Responding to this query, Mr. Sanjay said: “Undoubtedly yes. LMW is working towards becoming the technology leaders and is more focused towards R&D in recent times. This is evident from the products we deliver. Industry 4.0 is the core of all the technologies we are offering to take the spinning industry to next level. LMW will cater to the advanced technology requirements for all the segments of the spinning industry.”
Pioneering innovations
LMW has championed key innovations and technologies over the years. Mr. Sanjay pointed out that the company has a strong R&D and NPD cells which regularly come out with innovative products for the global industry. Adding further he said: “We are progressing the TQM way and bringing out the latest technologically advanced products equipped with all automations. We today are offering preparatory machines with 1200 mm delivery can size. LMW card model LC636 is the wider width card well accepted across the globe. Our latest drawframe LDF3 is equipped with advanced features like auto piecing and lifetime greased end bushes, thereby reducing the labour requirement. The latest comber LK69 is equipped with servo drive for drafting. LMW’s suction compact ‘SPINPACT’ has been widely accepted across the globe. Also, our latest model Ringframe LRJ9SX is a gearless ringframe with the flexibility for producing normal and fancy yarns. The LMW range of spinning machines can cater to all types of fibres right from blowroom to ringframes and also to the new spinning technology, i.e., Airjet. LMW machines are also well suited for the Open-End process. All our machines are Industry 4.0 compliant and we offer SpinConnect to the factories for the Control Room Management concept in a spinning mill.”
LMW’s machines are also known for their versatility in terms of the various types of fibers that they can handle, their blends and counts. Its spinning machines cater to a wide range of applications ranging from cotton, synthetics, blends and special fibres of grey and dyed varieties. The machines are also equipped to run varied counts.
One of the trending topics in the textile industry in recent times has been ‘Industry 4.0’. Elaborating on whether LMW’s machines are Industry 4.0, Mr. Sanjay observed: “As mentioned already, at LMW Industry 4.0 is the core of all our developments. All our latest model machines are Industry 4.0 compliant. We are offering SPINCONNECT to mills to effectively manage the spinning unit with the ‘Control Room Concept’.”
Speaking about automation, which has of late become an important area, Mr. Sanjay highlighted the fact that automation is one of the three pillars LMW is focusing on and that various initiatives in this direction have been initiated by its R&D team and the latest in the area will be on display at ITMA.
“The Roving Transport System (RTS) ensures the automatic transportation of bobbin from speed frame to ring frame based on the requirement. The Lap Transport System (LTS) automates the transportation of lap to the combing system. These save a lot of manpower and deliver consistent quality due to lesser manhandling of bobbins,” he said.
Foray into new product segments
Recently LMW has attempted to emerge a one-stop solution provider by offering other allied solutions like OHTC, BTS, etc. Explaining the intention behind offering these solutions, as well as pointing out to the advantages that LMW offers vis-à-vis other such established products available in the market, Mr. Sanjay explained: “LMW as an organisation wants to serve the customer with the complete end to end solutions. The major benefit to the customers in procuring the complete range from a single supplier would be in the seamless operations across processes and enhancing the productivity thereby.”
Asked whether LMW offers these solutions in export markets as well, Mr. Sanjay answered in the affirmative, and stated: “Yes we do offer these solutions in the export markets as well. The allied solutions we offer include Lap Transportation System (LTS) for Combers, Spindle Monitoring and Roving stop motion, Spin connect, etc. We have a strong presence in the Chinese market and our manufacturing base in China assists us in that. We at LMW offer a one-stop solution to the spinning industry starting from project consultancy to process fine tuning.”
Focus on aftersales support
Aftersales service and availability of spares has become a key differentiating factor in recent times, especially in overseas markets. Also, in terms of technology, companies are looking at preventive maintenance by having sensors which provide critical data. Technologies like HoloLens and remote diagnostic capabilities are becoming common.
LMW is geared up to meet all these challenges. For LMW the spares and service aspects of the business is very important from the growth prospective. To facilitate the easy processing of spareparts, LMW has come out with an innovative feature offering an array of benefits via the LMW e-Spares portal. The portal has round-the-clock login facility ensuring immediate booking and quicker dispatches.
“We offer the solution of ‘Remote Diagnosis’ wherein remote monitoring of the machine takes place, and it also helps in predictive maintenance. From the offline perspective, LMW has an excellent global presence with excellent service support and offers the widest range of products and Performance Enhancement Kit (PEK) offering complete solutions. As a step closer to the customer and to ensure zero downtime we have started a 24X7 spareparts hub at strategic locations across India,” Mr. Sanjay explained.
Advantage LMW
What makes LMW a winning proposition? Mr. Sanjay pointed out: “The value proposition offered by LMW is greater as compared to the other suppliers in terms of cost efficiencies and the cost of ownership. The service support at the doorstep differentiates LMW from the other suppliers. The offerings include training and skill development for the customer’s personnel. These bundled offerings provide the customers with immense value.”
Sharing LMW’s vision for the future, Mr. Sanjay said: “Customer satisfaction will be the core, and our products and services will be built around this core. Like today, we look forward to stay abreast in technology by delivering quality to our customers. Maintaining the leadership position in the domestic market being the key focus, LMW would emerge a global player of greater volume in the years to come and capture a considerable share of the global market too.”
By M.K. Prabhakar & K. Gopalakrishnan