
Italian manufacturer of gearboxes, drives and allied components, Bonfiglioli, is undertaking intensive R&D to develop products which will address demand for higher duty cycles, enable faster uptime, enhance productivity, and ensure optimization and availability of equipment, inform Stefano Baldi, Global Sales Director, Marco Cesari, General Manager, Business Unit Mobility and Wind Industries at Bongiglioli Riduttori S.p.A, along with Kennady V. Kaippally - Country Manager India - Mobile and Wind Solutions at Bonfiglioli Transmissions Pvt. Ltd.
Demand today is becoming more complex; at a macro level, the market is seeking solutions for end-to-end improvements in productivity. This means that the demand is for products that deliver higher application throughput and have reduced downtime due to timely IoT-based information on the maintenance/repair areas of the equipment.
OEMs are looking for solutions for faster speeds even on gradients, higher lifting capacities, faster duty cycles, and good braking, in order to get the best possible performance from their machines. And component suppliers must deliver accordingly.
Bonfiglioli has a robust co-engineering capability to develop products jointly with OEMs. We are now scaling up productivity to make new and more advanced components by capturing information and feedback on essential application criteria involving hydraulics, mechanical, and duty cycles, to come up with the most appropriate solutions. We are supplementing this by integrating the components with sensors. Our aim is to offer ‘smart’ solutions with the latest software to capture a machine’s historical data for predictive maintenance. This would enhance the machine’s performance and productivity, increase its lifespan, curtail downtime, and operational cost.
Bonfiglioli’s engineering centre in Chennai is the fastest growing in our global business. It caters to the requirements of the Indian subcontinent and exports 30 percent of the products to world markets. Backed by an R&D division and new assembly lines, the centre works closely with OEMs to come up with the most appropriate solutions, some of which are specific to the Indian market, while some are for machines that are exported.