Alkraft Thermotechnologies

Our ability to produce customized solutions for complex thermal challenges enables us to meet industry demands, even in challenging regulatory environments. We thrive by developing newer and better products, entering new sectors, and creating customized solutions for our customers.
Basil Siddeeqi - Managing Director, Alkraft Thermotechnologies

What innovations is your company making to meet the evolving demands of the construction and mining industry for faster project delivery?

At Alkraft, we are undertaking R&D and innovating to meet the evolving needs of the construction, industrial, power generation, and mining industries. We use Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to optimize cooling efficiency and improve in-cab airflow, while Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) helps us create robust products. We have developed unique core geometries and innovative design solutions to meet the competing demands of thermal performance, vibration and shock durability, thermal shock resistance, and pressure pulsation resilience.

Our R&D team conducts a variety of accelerated product life cycle tests to validate our designs, ensuring they perform reliably even in dusty and high-vibration environments. This ensures that we deliver solutions that work right from the first time, enabling faster project delivery and greater reliability for our OEM partners.

What solutions by your company are catering to the increasingly complex projects?

We are effectively managing increasingly complex projects by using TOC-based Critical Chain Project Management. This helps us reduce lead times, optimize resource utilization, and mitigate risks.

Our product portfolio covers a wide range of applications, catering to both unique design requirements and standardized solutions. We are active across nearly all sub-sectors of construction and industrial equipment, including backhoe loaders, excavators, road construction equipment, cranes, material handling machinery, concrete solutions, industrial gensets, drill rigs, and electrified applications like e-Tippers.

Our flexible manufacturing lines are designed to handle low to medium volume, multi-variety batches, which allow us to meet highly customized requirements. For performance-driven applications, we have developed advanced, fully integrated cooling systems with up to ten heat exchangers packaged as a single, high-performance unit.

We have also introduced water-cooled solutions tailored for high-performance applications, including battle tanks and Class 8 trucks, which are now part of our offerings for the North American market. By covering the thermal management needs of the entire drivetrain and leveraging our broad application expertise, we have achieved strong vertical and horizontal integration across our operations.

In a competitive market, what key parameters would you recommend that buyers should evaluate when selecting products and finalizing a brand?

When selecting products and finalizing a brand in a competitive market, buyers should consider factors like a brand's commitment to innovation, ability to customize, operational excellence, and supply chain efficiency.

At Alkraft, our domain expertise enables us to offer proprietary solutions and technologies that deliver best-in-class thermal performance. Our operational excellence and well-integrated supply chain, along with our TPM and TOC practices, ensure we execute consistently and methodically.

How do you view the role of digitalization and advanced technologies in enhancing your product line and overall supply chain efficiency?

Digitalization is the key to speeding up product development and optimizing our operations across the board. As mentioned earlier, we leverage Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) for design optimization and validation. This not only enhances product performance but also significantly accelerates the development process.

We are actively integrating digital tools into our product development and supply chain management systems to streamline processes and boost efficiency. We are also exploring the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across various functions like supply chain planning, logistics, demand forecasting, and inventory management. By employing machine learning algorithms, we see exciting possibilities in analyzing large datasets to predict design outcomes, anticipate demand patterns, and manage inventories more effectively.

How are you expanding customer touchpoints, ensuring product and spare part availability, and enhancing your customer services?

We have expanded our customer touchpoints by setting up satellite assembly plants and warehouses across India. This ensures that we can get products and parts to our customers promptly. Plus, we offer on-site testing support and design benchmarking, providing comprehensive assistance that helps foster strong customer relationships. We work very closely with our customers through spare parts portals using TOC methodology to ensure spare parts are available on time.

How are you navigating challenges and capitalizing on emerging opportunities?

We are continuously leveraging our design expertise and engineering excellence to tap into new opportunities, including products for electrified and other new energy applications. We have developed a range of Cold Plates for battery thermal management systems and cooling systems for traction motors. Our ability to produce customized solutions for complex thermal challenges positions us well to meet industry demands, even in challenging regulatory environments. We thrive by innovating and driving change, by developing new and better products, entering new sectors, and creating customized solutions for our customers.

On the organizational side, we have ongoing programmes to develop capabilities, behavior, and culture that align with our mission and values. This holistic approach helps us navigate challenges effectively and drive sustained business growth.

What are the key highlights of your product displays at your stall at bauma India 2024?

We are contributing meaningfully to the nation's growth and journey toward self-reliance by supporting India's infrastructure development ambitions and creating indigenous solutions tailored to local needs. We are showcasing a diverse range of cutting-edge products, including:

• A complex integrated cooling system with over 10 different heat exchangers, designed to perform in challenging terrains and environments.
• A large genset cooling system engineered for an 800 KVA engine.
• A water-cooled transmission cooler developed for heavy-duty automatic transmission applications.
• An integrated cooling system for forklift application.

All these products are also being exported, showcasing India's engineering excellence globally and supporting the Government of India's vision for economic growth through increased exports. Our portfolio also features cooling solutions for earthmoving equipment, road construction machinery, concrete mixers, harvesters, and electrified applications.

We are excited to collaborate with OEMs at the trade event and explore innovative solutions designed to drive success for all the stakeholders in the construction sector.