Kennametal provides Wear-Resistant tools for Foundation drilling & road milling

Kennametal India, Vijaykrishnan Venkatesan - Managing Director

Our highlight at Excon will be our next-gen Road King® tool series in the road rehabilitation category that provides superior milling machine performance. Their new design elements maximize tool life and make tooth changes easy and efficient for operators.

Kennametal offers a diverse range of tooling and wear resistant solutions for foundation drilling, road rehabilitation, mining, and wear protection solutions, which find applications across various industries and jobsites. The products are designed to help customers improve efficiency and increase productivity to support the nation’s ambitious infrastructure growth.

Delivering solutions that maximize productivity in Indian operating conditions

The company improves customers’ competitiveness through advanced technology to master the toughest of application demands. Our competitive edge is fueled by world-class innovation capabilities delivered through ~500 global scientists and engineers, three global R&D centers - one being in India, and 22 engineering hubs – yielding over 1800 patents and around 20 new product launches every year.

We offer cutting edge technology for foundation drilling, road rehabilitation, mining, and wear protection applications that help customers solve challenges above and below ground. Our strength lies in adopting the best technology available with Kennametal globally which has enabled us to deploy several first-of-its-kind solutions in India. For example, one of conical tool variants, KSM18TP, has improved performance by 20% for a construction customer working on an airport development project in India, by enabling reduction of the number of tools used in every machine.

Sustainable practices that stem from a robust ESG framework

Kennametal’s sustainable practices stem from a robust ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) framework that is integral to every aspect of doing business. I am pleased to share that Kennametal Inc. released its third ESG Report for fiscal 2023. This report outlines our continued progress throughout the year in advancing our ESG strategies and our commitment to accountability and transparency. Further, Kennametal India published its first Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) as a part of its Annual Report for FY23, highlighting our performance on the parameters that are most critical to our stakeholders.

When it comes to our products, sustainability is integral to our product lifecycle, and one of the areas where we have significantly progressed over the years is recycling. For example, globally, 90% of Kennametal’s end-of-life sintered carbide products and hard scrap carbide, on average, consist of tungsten carbide, which is infinitely recyclable. In FY22, 51% of the material used in feed plant production was recycled.

Bringing value additions to enhance brand value

Kennametal’s solutions for earthworks keep our customers’ high-value equipment running longer and performing better in the most demanding environments. Our strength lies in understanding customer needs and offering value-based offerings that enhance productivity and performance.

We have a strong network of sales and service team supported by channel partners that help customers with optimum solutions for their most challenging applications—from tool recommendations to feeds and speeds, and any customizations required to deliver high performance in specific operating conditions.

With Mining and Construction equipment running round the clock, where even an hour of downtime can impact profits significantly, our customers depend on us as a reliable productivity partner for quality and availability. This is made possible through our global manufacturing footprint and a robust supply chain to ensure on-time delivery at sites across the country.

Initiatives to increase sales and expand markets

With the Indian government’s thrust on enhancing mining and construction activities to support the nation’s growth and propel self-reliance, there has been a significant progress in the adoption of mechanization to bring speed and productivity in operations.

Today, Mining and Construction equipment majors bank on reliable tooling partners for value-based solutions where Kennametal is a market leader. We are constantly innovating our portfolio to offer world leading tungsten carbide tooling for a wide range of earth cutting applications, namely, Foundation Drilling, Road Rehabilitation, Trenching, Surface Mining, Underground Mining and other earth cutting applications.

Few highlights at EXCON comprise our key portfolios. In the foundation drilling category, KIL’s premium shank series conical tools and concomitant holders for hydraulic rigs and wall cutters, as well as the KF Series quick change flat cutters, weld on teeth and flat teeth with TC buttons, etc. are known for maximizing productivity and boosting overall performance.

In the road rehabilitation category, our recently launched Next-Gen Road King® tool series, and new design improvements in the current generation of tool holders for optimum carbide tip usage, better rotation and reduced axial play, further improve holder protection as well as retention.

In the surface mining solutions category, Kennametal is known for its conical tools with the industry’s first Taper Tip for surface miners that yield new levels of performance and productivity, while KenCastTM wear protection solutions prevent wear damage to equipment.

Our go-to market strategy in devised on a three pronged approach: working with OEMs to develop and customize tools that meet the required standards of efficiency and uptime, engaging with key accounts for optimizing maintenance standards, and expanding our channel network and salesforce to penetrate high potential territories in the country. We aim to stay closer to contractors and end-users for on-time delivery and application support.

Outlook for construction sector

As per industry insights, the Indian mining and construction equipment (MCE) industry is expected to continue its growth momentum in FY24, supported by a positive macroeconomic outlook, thrust on mechanization, and project completions. The industry recorded an impressive first half with close to 25% growth in the first five months. The tooling demand is expected to grow in line with this momentum over the years. With our strategic initiatives, we are well poised to benefit from these trends to achieve growth, though uncertainties continue to exist.