Alkraft Thermotechnologies: Benchmarking Quality With Field Based Data

Basil Siddeeqi, Managing Director, Alkraft, tells us that the company’s thermal management solutions for off-highway vehicles and construction equipment are designed and built from the ground-up for the rigour and performance demanded by infrastructure, construction and mining sites.

What are the key features of Alkraft’s thermal management solutions?
Alkraft’s pedigree in thermal management originated in the automotive industry as a heat transfer technology partner to OEMs for over thirty years. The very foundation of our company was built on performance and efficiency through innovation, and the first product we ever developed shattered the status quo for heat exchangers in India, becoming a turning point for the industry.

Our products and solutions for the construction equipment sector are built using the same meticulous processes and systems that underpin our automotive products, but with technologies developed for defence vehicles. This unique combination of core competencies make our products the class-leaders in thermal performance and durability, yet highly efficient and consistently reliable. Our proprietary core geometries enable clog and vibration resistance, thus ensuring consistently high levels of thermal performance even in very harsh, dusty, and muddy environments. The range of core constructions we specialize in include bar & plate, tube & fin and drawn-cup type cores for a wide range of applications in the off-highway, industrial and construction equipment segment.


How does Alkraft ensure high quality of its components?
The penchant for quality was instilled in us right from the inception of the company due to our automotive heritage. We use high quality super long life alloys that are highly durable and corrosion resistant. Our products are rigorously tested and validated for a wide variety of parameters including thermal performance, mechanical and thermal shock, corrosion, and leaks. They typically undergo extensive on-field tests, thus proving their mettle at every stage.

All of our process technologies involve cutting-edge European and American equipment for consistency and reliability. Our production and assembly systems are governed by TPM principles and are integrated with quality assurance systems and lean manufacturing. Quality is at the core of every process at Alkraft. A recent example of the outcome of our quality systems is our 100% on-field reliability results with BS6 commercial vehicles.

What gives Alkraft products a competitive edge?
Alkraft’s competitive edge lies in our unflinching support to OEMs at every stage of the product cycle. We help construction equipment OEMs optimize in-cab air flow using CFD; provide inputs on fan selection; and extensively partner in on-site testing and design benchmarking with field reliability data. We design and develop highly customized products for very niche applications with bespoke shapes and packaging; and on the other end we also offer standardised solutions for many applications where high levels of customization is not necessary.

In recent examples of customized solutions, we developed a unique L-shaped heat exchanger for a tightly constrained space for a construction equipment customer; while another example is of a very unique system packaged with a total of eight heat exchangers working in tandem that we developed for an international defence vehicle OEM. This ability to convert decades of expertise in thermal management into class-leading products that help unleash the true potential of our customers’ machines is our most compelling competitive advantage.