Spartan's 40 Years of Rich Engineering Experience

"Spartan Engineering Industries Pvt. Ltd. having 40 years of rich engineering experience is today the largest seller of bar bending and cutting machine in India with over 3,000 machine on site every year with manufacturing facilities in different parts of the country and also in China. We have got a tremendous response to our own manufactured Tower Cranes in China, thereby sending positive signals in the market posing confidence in the Brand Spartan," says Vikram Mehta, Managing Director, Spartan, in an interview with S.K.Khanna.

Please take us on to your journey of 40 years of rich engineering experience, highlighting your core business values contributing to its present stature as the leading manufacturer and supplier of quality construction machineries and equipment in the service of country’s construction sector for over four decades.
We, at Spartan have a successful record of manufacturing world-class construction equipment. We started our journey in construction equipment industry with manufacturing of Bar Bending & Bar Cutting machines, making us today the largest selling bar bending & cutting machines in India, with over 3000 machines on site every year! Along with that, we are known for our quality and safety standards in construction equipment, be it Bar Bending Machines, Man & Material Hoists, Rope Suspended Platforms and Tower Cranes. Our core value- Passion for Perfection & Innovation, sums up our endless endeavor to provide the Industry with the safest construction equipment, matching International standards in quality.


For the benefit of our readers, please tell us about your manufacturing facilities, their locations, advanced technology process machineries, company’s products range and their technical attributes enabling construction easier, faster and economical.
Our backbone is our manufacturing set-up which is spread across 3 different locations- Atgaon (Mumbai Nashik Road), Kalwa (Mumbai Suburb) and China. Kalwa manufactures range of bar bending & cutting machines; Atgaon manufactures Hoists and Platforms; China Plant manufactures advanced range of Tower Cranes. At each facility, we have the latest machineries and processes to manufacture the most advanced equipment. We follow ISO 9001 2008, and 5S at all these manufacturing plants. Each factory consists of well trained staff to manufacture specialized products, which help us to concentrate on each product with more focus to give maximum to customers at the least. We don’t overlook any quality or safety norms, thereby giving the best value for money to the customers.


Also a word about your new facility manufacturing the latest technology flattop tower cranes in China. What are its variants in terms of capacity and models? What has been the market response to this new product line in India and China?
Our plant in China manufactures various models of Tower Cranes, from 6 ton to 50 ton capacity of Stationary, Inner Climbing and Luffing crane models. Producing the cranes ourselves will make Spartan price competitive and most importantly we will control the quality. There is acute price competition on assurance of timely deliveries to contractors as everyone is trying to make sales and have margins amidst falling demand. We will try to maintain a ready stock of 5-6 cranes at our Mumbai plant which can be delivered immediately on order. The manufacturing of cranes and maintaining inventory are also being done by Spartan with future projection for sunny days when there will be substantial growth in demand of cranes in India. The news about our own manufacturing plant for Tower Cranes has got momentum, and we have received positive feedback on the same. The response in pleasing and we are now geared up well to give a stiff competition to others, both in terms of safety and value for money. Day by Day growing orders are a proof to this.

What are the various quality control systems placed in the company to ensure product quality, performanceand its reliability for the clients?
Being an ISO 9001- 2008 certified company, we follow various stringent quality norms, be it in production or after sales. We have recently installed the world’s best CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software from Oracle at its back and front office to serve and delight our valued customers. As we have product centric manufacturing plants, every product goes through stringent process thereby giving an output of the best quality construction equipment. All 3 plants in India and China, have a special purpose quality control team of professionals, who constantly evaluate and confirm the manufacturing quality standards. In China, Senior staff from Spartan, India visit the plant to supervise and implement the best quality standards to support our reliability and credibility in market. Implementation of 5S adds a feather in the cap.


What is the focus on R&D in the company to constantly innovate product lineswith the ever changing dynamics of the industry?
Research & Development has always been a core aspect of any manufacturing business. We know this and have constantly put special efforts on the development of the same. We boast of specialized and experienced team of Research & Development, who constantly strive to get the best out of product in terms of safety and quality. All the aspects of functionality, application and target users are considered before coming up with any product. We have an independent NPD (New Product Development) team, which meet every fortnight at our factories and discuss various ways of enhancing the current product range and develop new and innovative ones. Our attempt has always been to make products which suit every construction site, rugged in structure, low on price, high on quality and simple to operate. Meeting all these parameters is a challenge and we strive doing so.

A word about your marketing distribution network and after market services.
Spartan has always been customer centric, be it manufacturing of equipment or the network. We believe in attending them directly and not through any dealer, as we do not wish to lose their trust in us. We have our own network of marketing, after sales offices, representatives and warehouses across India- Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Cochin, Hyderabad, Kolkatta, New Delhi and Noida. Also we stock all fast moving spare parts in our regional offices and each office has a Service head with minimum 4-6 engineers. With so many wings spread across India, we feel proud to be close to our customers, just a call away! Arguably, we are the first construction equipment manufacturing company to have a Customer Delight department. This team is in constant touch with the customers, once the equipment are commissioned. We follow a system of formats & procedures, where we constantly evaluate customer satisfaction & work towards achieving 100% score. Our Customer Delight team also conducts various training programmes on-site for clients project team and labourers about the equipment’s usage & maintenance. We organise free PMC’s (Preventive Maintenance Camps) for all our top customers periodically and also take AMC’s (Annual Maintenance Contracts) for complete equipment efficiency and maintenance. Our commitment towards customer extends from Satisfaction till he is Delighted, thereby building Trust & Faith in us and our equipment. The Customer Service department is a back office set up which undertakes complete monitoring of the product delivery till commissioning. It also takes customer feedback after delivery of the equipments at the site. We have also appointed Product Heads to monitor the erection of the equipment in accordance with a planned progress chart. These products heads also audit the equipment erection and train the operators at site.

How has the company been performing on business front in the last 1-2 years bracing with current strong economic headwinds in terms of rise in the cost of inputs, interest rates, and pressure on margins to sustain its competitive edge in the market? How do you view your business growing in this environment in the next 2-3 years?
In the current situation, retention of business and getting repeat orders is really important for us. We have hired consultants to make an elaborate Customer Service Strategy as a part of5 year detailed Business Plan to strengthen our customer service processes. We plan to re-emphasize on a better design team and focus on value engineering, so as to pass smoothly through this lean phase. Lot of orders for our newly launched MFH Zip (Multi-Functional Material Hoist), Tower Cranes and ever consistent leadership in Bar Bending & Cutting machines has boosted our confidence and retain our position of the most preferred brand in construction equipment. We have got a tremendous response to our own manufactured Tower Cranes in China, thereby sending positive signals in the market posing confidence in the Brand Spartan.