Exclusive interaction with Dr. Tansen Chaudhari, COO, Fluid Controls

Naomi Pandya Posted on: 2020-11-23 12:54:00 Viewer: 6,049 Comments: 0 Country: India City: Mumbai

Exclusive interaction with Dr. Tansen Chaudhari, COO, Fluid Controls Dr. Tansen Chaudhari, COO, Fluid Controls Pvt. Ltd.

Dr. Tansen Chaudhari is the Chief Operating Officer at Fluid Controls Private Limited since 2011. He has a Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Bombay.

Tansen has over 20 years of rich experience in Research & Development as well as Enterprise Sales and General Management. His experience includes a stint in the USA at the GE (General Electronic) Global Research for over 5 years and management roles with GE Business for another 5 years. Tansen has 5 US Patents to his credit and has published more than 20 papers in international journals.. He is a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and DFSS Black Belt.

In a recent conversation with Urban Transport News, Dr. Tansen shared his thoughts on how Fluid Controls is achieving its milestones in the global market by innovating quality products.

First, kindly accept our heartiest congratulations on receiving the “Railway Innovator of the Year” Global Award at Rail Infra and Mobility Business Digital Awards 2020.

It is really an honour to receive such a prestigious award. The awards received by Fluid Controls recognize the vision of the company to design, develop and deliver high quality, high-performance products that delight customers.

Please tell our readers about your professional journey and leadership experience in the industry?

products. Design & Development along with Testing is the foundation of our business, which is in line with the Fluid Controls Vision statement as well. Across the Rail and Metro industry, expectations from vendors are very stringent and process focused. Personally, I have presented at all the Rail & Metro Design Centers, and have enjoyed the technical know-how exchanges. Indeed, my journey at Fluid Controls has been engaging and full of leanings.

Give us a brief overview in respect to the vision, mission and business/operations of Fluid Controls Private Limited.

Fluid Controls Private Limited was established in 1974 by Dr. Y.E. Moochhala, a Ph.D. from Northwestern University, the USA with a Vision to be a Global Leader in the field of hydraulic fittings, valves and allied application solutions.

Fluid Controls’ Mission is to exceed customer expectations by developing and delivering innovative solutions and providing them quality products and services. Within a framework of continuous improvement, we operate our organisation safely, efficiently and profitably, and provide a challenging work environment for our employees.

Integrity, Innovation and Reliability (I2R) are core values of Fluid Controls business operations which helps us stand uniquely for our People, and hence the Products and Services Globally!

Fluid Controls is a “Vocal for Local” company with over 45 years of experience in engineering fittings and connections for rail & metro brake piping assemblies. We offer customers comprehensive end-to-end “Make in India” solutions for locomotive and coach brake piping arrangements – from design & engineering services to supply of high-performance connectors and installation services.

Fluid Controls is the  recipient of the CII Industrial Innovation Award for Medium Scale Manufacturing Organizations and has been recognized as one of the Top 25 Innovative Companies of the Year at the Indian R&D Ecosystem Conclave 2019. Other recognitions include the “Top 10 Urban Infra Solution Provider of Year” by Urban Transport News and the award for “Excellence in Technical Innovation” by ISA Maharashtra Section at PPA Meet 2020.

Tell our readers about some innovative products recently developed by Fluid Controls for Rail & Metro sectors.

Over the years, Fluid Controls has built a comprehensive expertise for manufacturing, by identifying the right materials and ensuring "fit and forget" assembly. For Rail & Metro applications, we started with Double Ferrule Fittings, and Clamps. Recently we have added -

• Complete fitment of brake piping components
• Engineering and site installation services
• Pre-piped assemblies for easy site fitment

How do you view Govt. of India’s ambition to create smart urban infrastructure and public transport systems in various cities? What role do you see your company playing there?

In India, people used to say that we measure distance by time taken, i.e. time to cover the distance. This myth has been broken with the revolution in Rail Transportation across cities. Indeed, this Rail-revolution has brought connectivity, and helped the economy to be connected across geography. Within the same town, distance now is narrowed, and this has paved the path for all-around development of cities. In the good old days, the train station and around used to be only the hub for commercial establishments. With last mile rail and metro transport connectivity, now industrial and commercial establishments have spread. Fluid Controls has supplied brake system components to many Metro establishments such as Delhi, Chennai, Pune, etc. and we look forward to expand our supply in the forthcoming projects of this transport revolution.

Tell our readers about some value-added products, services and solutions being offered by Fluid Controls to overcome the industry challenges.

Fluid Controls realised the importance of customer wanting to have a system than buying components, and assembling these components together. In fact, if this assembled system develops some issues, each component manufacturer highlights how their supplied component is okay with respect to others. To address this, Fluid Controls started offering engineering and site installation services, pre-piped assemblies for easy site fitment, and specialised products such as Across Frame Connectors, FlexiGripTM Connectors and so forth. This service provides our customers with an end-to-end solution as they have a single source vendor for engineering and design, connectors supply and fitment.

Traditionally, the Indian Railways has sourced brake piping parts from individual suppliers, and the installation of the piping was carried out at the site by separate vendors. With the expansion in the manufacture of carriage and locomotive rolling stock, it is imperative that the railways have zero-defect, leak-free connections in the pneumatic brake piping system as this is a critical safety item which requires superior materials and precise expert installation. 

With our composite expertise of manufacturing connectors, our understanding of tube and end connector performance and our decades of experience of swaging and accurate tube bending, Fluid Controls offers customers a complete end-to-end engineered supply and installation solution. With this, working flexibility in the system is established, keeping the same performance.

What are the key challenges faced by Fluid Controls due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country and how are you addressing them?

Due to the current pandemic Fluid Controls, like all other industries has faced Supply, Transport and People challenges. Currently, we have teams who are working from home. We are working with our suppliers so that supplies can be better planned.

Though, given the project nature of our business, we  continue  to  receive orders as there is activity in the infrastructure segment which constitutes our business.

At Fluid Controls, we “Engineer Connections Everyday”. In the COVID-19 situation we are in today, we are also committed to “Staying Safe Everyday” and ensuring business continuity as well as the health and safety of our employees, their families, our customers, and our business partners. With a systems and process focused approach, we have restructured our operations and have put in place detailed guidelines for operations and conducted extensive training of our employees. The core of our EPRP Protocol is the “Fluid Controls Focus Five” to ensure safe working. We have also re-structured our facilities and offices to ensure compliance with government guidelines and have modified our manufacturing processes to ensure safe production and inward & outward material handling. In addition, all our employees are provided with individual PPE kits which are tailor made for their area of operation and have been provided with adequate insurance. As a responsible citizen, Fluid Controls has also reached out to the wider community and have extended support to NGOs such as UnLtd 

India, OSCAR Foundation, Masoom and Goonj who are involved with COVID Relief Work.

What is your personal vision for Fluid Controls and where do you see it five years down the line both in terms of the brand and revenues?

I joined Fluid Controls as an employee in year 2011, and now I am a Shareholder in the Company as well. This clearly shows the professionalism and the trust, of the Board of the Directors. Along with our Managing Director Ms. Sophie Moochhala, and a Winning Team, we have grown Fluid Controls 10 times in last 9 years!

We would like to expand the Fluid Controls’ footprint globally in coming years. Currently we have a manufacturing tie-up in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and we would like to have one or two more geographically. We would also like to tie up with one or two global universities, and fund a Research Project for Fluid Controls.

A key part of our future plans is to tap into the brake piping business for the emerging high-speed train operations. We are also focusing on global supplies to Europe, North America and SE Asia. 

Anything else, you want to tell our readers about the business strategy and future expansion plan of your company.

Trustworthy, Transparent, and Walk-the-Talk Brand is what any customer of Fluid Controls would describe us as. Unyielding Integrity in our People and Products is an added tag! Like the Rail and Metro transport industry, which is growing globally, I want to grow Fluid Controls multi-folds by taking everyone along, and contributing to our nations development!





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