Expanding global footprint for ring travellers
The Coimbatore-based VXL Group comprising VXL Systems and VXLRT is known for raising the benchmark in its product domains. It is a growth story that has been based on design strength, sophisticated engineering, intelligent technology and dedicated customer support services. While VXL Systems has emerged as a one-stop solution for waste evacuation and baling systems, VXLRT has grown over the years to become a preferred choice of customers when it comes to rings and ring travellers.
In an exclusive interaction, Mr. N. Damodharan and Mr. R. Govindaraju, Managing Directors of the group, gave detailed insights into the company’s core values, product specialties, aftersales service support and future plans.
Throwing light on the recent performance of VXL Systems, Mr. Damodharan said: “VXL Systems has been doing well because we have always been focused on adding value to our products. For the last 2-3 years, we have been working on power savings, with respect to our high efficiency centrifugal fans, and we are glad to tell the world that we have achieved what we set out for. In today’s competitive scenario, if you were to compare our centrifugal fans with others, we can confidently say that they consume minimum power”.
What makes the fans more energy efficient? Replying to question, Mr. Damodharan pointed out that the company has launched its 3rd generation centrifugal fans about 4 years ago. “We have been continuously working on improving the design. The size of the fan is now bigger and the speed has been reduced to around 700/800 rpm, which has resulted in significant energy savings”.
Centralised baling system
Referring to further innovations in the field of waste collection, Mr. Govindaraju spoke about the centralized auto baling system which has been installed across many large mills. “Typically in large textile mills with multiple spinning units within one compound, earlier there was a need for separate baling stations for each unit. In the centralized baling station, waste from different locations can be transported over long distances to the station. This concept enables savings on manpower, reduction in the capital cost, etc.”
Some of the top mills where the company has installed centralized baling station include, Vasantha Industries, Jay Jay Mills, Shanmugavel Group of Mills, Eveready Group of Mills, Best Group of Mills, etc. “Earlier waste collection was a labour intensive task. Thanks to our product, today two workers per shift are enough to handle the task of waste baling for 1 lakh spindles. They just need to eject the bale out manually. The rest everything is automated,” Mr. Govindaraju added.
Shedding light on how aftersales service support has been a crucial factor for VXL Systems’ consistent growth, Mr. Damodharan observed: “When it comes to aftersales service, we have very few challengers. We never talk to a customer from the point of view of just selling a product. It is more of a consultancy leading to sales. VXL Group has been a top player in the market from day one because we have made a conscious effort to educate customers for the past 26 years. We have built an enormous amount of trust and goodwill. We can proudly say that we have never failed in our commitments”.
Asked as to what makes VXL Systems products stand out, given the fact that there is huge competition in a highly crowded market, Mr. Govindaraju said: “It is the trust that we have built with our customers. Cost-wise we may be hit in certain product segments. However, given our commitment to top quality and service, the moment a customer buys from us, he will never go back. In fact, some of those who have chosen other solutions have come back to us within a year”.
VXL Systems has a team of 18 engineers who take care of the service wing. Mr. Damodharan said: “Most of them have been with us for more than 20 years. They are stationed at different geographical locations to cater to the particular regional needs”.
Mr. Govindaraju pointed out how VXL Systems has become a generic name for waste management systems. “You go to any mill and you will find a ‘VXL room’. Even if the system is from another supplier, you will find the name ‘VXL’. This is perhaps the biggest testimonial for our product quality”.
What next?
So, what next for VXL Systems, in terms of product innovation in the waste management systems? Mr. Damodaran said: “We are entering the Industry 4.0 domain. Automation and collection of data will be important providing the customer complete information on the laptop or the mobile phone. We have already implemented the same in one mill. We are implementing it in two more mills right now. We hope to come out with an official launch announcement very soon”.
Explaining how the data generated by the system will be useful to customers, Mr. Govindaraju said: “Take, for example, the case of centrifugal fans. There could be instances when temperature rise may occur in bearings. The sensors will monitor this and send the data. The power of individual motors will be sensed and the suction pressure will also be constantly monitored. The customer will get the data and we will get the data through cloud. If anything crosses the alarming level, it will immediately alert. This helps in avoiding sudden breakdowns. The feature can be used as a retrofit in the existing systems too”.
Bullish on ring travellers
Speaking about VXLRT, Mr. Damodharan highlighted the fact that the company has been focusing a lot on research and development for the past couple of years. This has led to an exciting period of growth. “We are doing very well now. We have done a lot of development with respect to processes, new product introduction, trying out new types of metal, etc. At last ITME we had introduced the immensely successful ‘Ulti Fein’ ring traveller designed specifically for compact spinning mills. We have received excellent feedback from customers. We are launching ‘Ace Jet’ rings at ITMA Asia in Shanghai”.
Mr. Govindaraju further pointed out that along with the increase in sales volumes, there has also been a corresponding increase of late in the number of countries importing its ring travellers.
Ring travellers is a highly tricky market segment given the fact that most OEMs have their own manufacturing capability. How does VXLRT manage to not only sustain itself but also be a frontrunner in such a scenario? Replying to the question Mr. Damodharan explained: “There are three areas where we are strong, namely, selection of products, quality and service. We are serving some of the most demanding clients in overseas markets. It is the quality and performance of our products that speak for themselves. We strongly believe that WHEN YOU (Customer) EXCEL, WE EXCEL (VXL).
According to Mr. Damodharan, another key reason for VXLRT’s continued growth trajectory in ring travellers is its excellent team. “We have a team of about 8 engineers who take care of service. Similarly, we have a 7-member sales team. They are travelling throughout the world. While we utilize our engineering expertise, we also seek the help of expert consultants in fields like metallurgy from time to time. Whenever any innovation happens, we see whether we can adapt it to our products and whether we can be the first or second one to introduce it. All in all, this success is hard earned. It is not something that happened overnight. This is something that we have achieved over a period of about 19 years”.