Business excellence model

During the plant tour, the Senior Vice President – Operations & TQM, K Sudhakar said, “We are very proud to say that we have come up with the business excellence model. The concept of machining is the same, but the processes are different for each component. We are the third to

In most of the operations, the company has worked on weight optimisation by using different manufacturing processes and raw materials. RTSSL has significantly reduced the weight of the components it makes by using cast iron with modified specification. With the help of Value Analysis and Value Engineering (VAVE) excellent results are arrived at. Around 30% of weight reduction is achieved in SUV steering gears. The company also gets input from its Japanese counterpart and brought down 35% material content in gears.

The RTSSL team has delivered futuristic products satisfying the customer’s expectations. For instance, in tractors, it is working on recirculating ball steering, but it requires modification in the integral column and together with the customers, it has arrived on ‘collaborative approach model.’

Quality is the mantra for RTSSL and works round the clock to achieve ‘zero defects’. It also

promotes 5S (the key targets of 5S are workplace morale, safety and efficiency), suggestions, QC and kaizen programmes. This gets the workforce to voluntarily participate to improve quality levels. The company has more than 175 authorised service centres and they attend to complaints. The consolidated report is received once in a month from them and Warranty Management System (WMS) works on the complaints online. The company currently supplies to Tata, Mahindra, Renault, Ashok Leyland, Nissan, Isuzu and Ford.

Innovation is a focus area for RTSSL. It has developed a special powerful gear for farming operations. Integral power steering in tractors with a combination of hydraulic and hydrostatic mechanisms is what the company deliv- ers to the farmers. It has also come up with one gear to drive 2 axles (front axles). It is cost effective and will be launched in a year. Once this is successful in the market, bagging a business of 4000 gears a month would be phenomenal, the company looks forward. For rear axle gearing, it gets inquiries from Tata Defence team and the steering manufacturer plans to trial-run it in December this year.