Coimbatore-based Omega Weldrod Systems makes mother machines for manufacturing welding electrodes.The brainchild of I.G. Vallal, a veteran mechanical engineer, Omega was started in 2011 to meet the burgeoning demand for state-of-the-art machinery for electrode making and MIG wire manufacturing in the country.  Testing the waters early on, Omega plunged into developing the most complex production machines and allied equipment in the process chain to yield optimum and consistent outputs.The company which is customer-centric to the core has over the years built up an impressive clientele base at home and abroad, discovers
P.K. Balasubbramaniian in an interview with Vallal. Excerpts:

Q. You are a well-known manufacturer of welding electrode plants. Could you update us on your standing and niche?

Omega Weldrod Systems is a proprietary firm. I started it way back in 2011 after a long stint in electrode manufacturing elsewhere in the industry since 1985. Omega specializes in making welding electrode manufacturing plants. We make coated electrode manufacturing machines capable of producing electrodes of diameters ranging from 1.6 mm to 6.3 mm. So far we have made 60 plants of which 10 were exported. We also supply lab models of extrusion press upto12 MT capacity.

Q. What’s your range of manufacture today?

Our range includes plants for manufacturing welding electrodes as well as MIG welding wires. We also make all auxiliary equipment which include: Dry Mixers (both Ribbon Blender and Rotating Double Cone), Wet Mixers, Briquette Presses, Wire Straightening & Cutting Machines, Special Cutting Machines for Flexible Wire Rope Cutting, Winders, Spoolers, BB Blocks, Copper Coating Units, Pay Off Stands and so on. The Wire Straightening & Cutting Machine comes in two capacities: Giving an output of
35 meters per minute and 70 meters per minute.

Q. Who are your major customers? What value additions do you do to them?

Superon, Sharp Electrodes, Greentech, Sunny Weld Rods, Vautid India, etc. are our major customers. We work closely with them in order to meet their special requirements. Whenever they need to increase their production capacity, they come to us. We also provide R & D models against specific requirements.

Q. Do you also export your products, and if so to which countries?

We have exported our productsto USA, Hong Kong and Philippines, and to quite a few African countries like Ethiopia, Nigeria, Kenya, Sudan, Ivory Coast and Algeria; and Gulf countries like Oman and Dubai.We have also supplied an electrode plant meant for a German company through their Indian arm Vautid India, in Pune who make cement plant maintenance electrodes.

Q. What are the challenges involved in exploring and developing export markets for your products?

Export is certainly a thrust area for us. We normally get all export enquiries through word of mouth, references given by friends and through online promotion supported by Google, Trade India, India Mart and the like. Once we participated in WELDEX-2018 held in Russia.

In the case of export business, the lead time is very long; the cycle time is more. This apart, the logistics costs are very high. Despite the fact that our cost is hardly 35% of that of the European machines, we have to compete in the international market on price. Technology-wise we are at par.

Q. Could you throw some light on your infrastructural facilities?

We have our manufacturing facilities in Neelambur, Coimbatore – An 8,000 sq ft built-up area equipped with our own machine shop, CNC Turning Centre, Tool Room machines, centre lathes and so on. We have invested heavily on design software including AutoCAD and SOLIDWORKS. Complementing this capability is our dedicated and committed team of engineers and workforce well-versed in their respective domains by virtue of their vast experience. Be it design, production, tool room or maintenance, our people work with unwavering commitment to quality and finesse. No wonder we have been able to chisel out the most complex machines to meet the requirements of the demanding global market. The Horizontal Twin Cylinder Extruder we developed with a downtime of one minute is a case in point. We have supplied such machines to Oman, Nigeria and Turkmenistan. This speaks high of our design acumen, engineering capabilities and the high caliber of our core team.

As a matter of fact, 50% of our production goes to exports.

Q. What’s the role of R & D in your business?

It’s basically applied R & D. We keep on innovating and improvising things. In our equipment we mostly use electrical controls rather than electronics.This is to simplify the controls since the equipment are used in remote places. Now we have incorporated VFD’s on the system for speed variation and power saving.

Q. Somewhere we read that you are transparent in your development process. Could you elaborate this?

Indeed, we are transparent in our processes and operations. Our quality obsession permeates all hierarchal levels. Our documentation is meticulous. We provide the operation manual for each and every machine which is explicit with details of the equipment, list of components, details of circuits, maintenance spares and so on. It also lists out the wear parts which they should keep in stock. Thus our offerings to the clients and dealings with them are also transparent.

Q. What does it take to design a customized production line?

The question of customization comes only in the case of lab models. We have developed a customized production-line for Welding Research Institute(WRI),Trichy. It is designed to produce 6 mm dia electrodes with an 18 mm coating.

Q. So, what’s your competitive edge?

We are known for providing machines of impeccable quality and superior technology. This is possible because we are usingcomponents such as motors, hydraulics, etc. which are international brands. If the user needs to replace anything later, those products are available globally. Further, we deliver what we promise so that the customer gets the daily output consistently in full measure. Our delivery is invariably ahead of scheduled time, our after-sales service is prompt and we maintain a cordial relationship with our clients. These are some of the attributes that give us the competitive edge.

Q. What are the dynamics of the welding industry and how do you attune your growth strategies?

Like any other industry segment, the welding industry too was reeling under the impact Covid-19. Work from home was the new normal. But how can you do business without meeting people and interacting with prospects? Our turnover also dipped to the extent of 50% last year. Anyway the problem is universal and we could do little.

Added to the challenges posed by the pandemic, the raw material costs went up phenomenally. The production of 6013 class electrodes slowed down. I think it will take another one year for things to stabilize. The silver lining in the horizon is that we have nearly a thousand electrode plants in India, and many more will crop up. The upcoming Greenfield projects as well as modernization or expansion of the existing plants would increase our business prospects. We also plan to increase our footprints overseas.