 When, in 1975, Suresh Champhekar, a young engineer then, was inspired to take up an electronic machine design assignment and start his independent manufacturing activity, little did he know that three decades hence he would be in the enviable position of being fully prepared to cater for the impressive growth in the Indian automotive sector. Today, Champhekar is also glad that he remained in Pune considering that it is this city which has turned into an auto hub for some of the biggest national and international automobile companies. “I can still vividly recall those early days when the only cars available were of the Ambassador and Fiat make, and how people had to wait for a long time to be able to get a car unlike today’s situation when you can just walk into a showroom and drive out with any car that you fancy,” he says.
At that time even the heavy vehicle sector was limited to only two manufacturers viz. Ashok Leyland and Telco, and the market was perfect for the black marketers to thrive considering that the production volume was not sufficient enough to meet the demand. “The scenario changed with the arrival of Maruti Motors Limited, leading to a huge qualitative and quantitative change,” Champhekar states. Setting up Minitronix Machines in 1975, the company’s first product was an engine protection device to safeguard engines from high cylinder head temperature, low lubricant oil pressure and over-speed faults. These devices were used by generator set manufacturers. “It did not have an application for the auto sector but it was useful for engine manufacturers,” Champhekar informs.
Today, Minitronix Machines, which has become a private limited company this year with two more directors on board viz. Avinash Limaye and Ulhas Parashtekar, is known for its unique induction heating machines. This is a two-station, trolley-mounted mains frequency induction heating machine to heat pole wheels for shrink fitting on the front and rear axles of heavy vehicles on which anti-skid systems are used. These pole wheels are used to sense the speed of the front and rear wheels of heavy vehicles. The sensed speeds are fed to a microprocessor, which calculates the amount of braking force to be applied to the wheels to avoid skidding. The machine has been designed as an assembly line product but is flexible enough so that it can be used off it too.
Elaborating on the journey that has brought the company to produce such complicated machines, Champhekar states, “Our first growth phase was from 1982 to 1985 when we received monthly orders from Ruston Limited for engine protection devices. The second growth phase was from 1987 to 1992 when we introduced the earth resistivity meter. These were used by geologists for prospecting ground water for village water schemes by many state governments. During this period, we also received monthly orders for analogue timers which had been introduced by us in 1990. They were used by generator manufacturers for automatic mains failure panels. The most important phase in the growth of Minitronix was from 1996 when we developed the induction heating machines for shrink fitting application.”
 The company sold its first induction heating machine to Kirloskar Cummins in November 1996. “It had considerable potential as an assembly line machine in the engine manufacturing sector as well as the automobile sector. We could exploit this potential to an extent and supplied machines to major auto manufacturers like Telco, Bajaj Auto, Firodia Group, Ashok Leyland, Simpsons & Co, etc,” Champhekar states. Though there are many induction heating machine manufacturers, the speciality of Minitronix Machines is that their product is equipped for shrink fitting application. “We do not have a standard product. Each machine is designed to suit one particular application. Our inductor designs are unique. The mains frequency as well as medium frequency induction heating principal is used to heat different components using one machine. No other manufacturer in India manufactures such a machine” he adds.
With just seven permanent employees along with three full-time directors, the company offloads its fabrication as well as panel painting work to vendors. “The inductors, fixtures and mechanical systems are designed by our staff and then implemented at our vendors’ workshops under strict control. The electronic controls required for all the machines are assembled in our workshop. We have the latest electronic testing equipments to monitor each and every control circuit. These include oscilloscopes, meters with high resolution and accuracy and power measuring meters. We practice single source purchase of all the electronic components and electrical switchgears,” Champhekar elaborates.
With its present turnover of Rs 56 lakh, the company has now set into motion an ambitious plan to increase it to Rs 1.5 crore over the next five years with an approximate growth of 20 per cent each year. Reveals Champhekar: “We are developing high frequency induction heating machine for brazing applications keeping in mind the requirement of compact and efficient machines by the auto industry. We hope to introduce this product in the next financial year.” Around 80 per cent of the company’s turnover will be because of the auto and the engine manufacturing sectors.
According to Champhekar, what will help Minitronix Machines to take advantage of the auto boom is its emphasis on research and development. “We keep abreast with new trends in induction heating. We also study new power electronic components developed by multinational companies. R&D is done in designing flux concentrators using available material to achieve better efficiency for existing machines. Sometimes new methods are implemented in existing machines with the consent of the user. The major thrust of our R&D is on energy conservation by improving the efficiency of our machines using new components and new control designs,” he adds.
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