Metal Power offers the world’s widest range and most advanced spectrometers, allied equipment and accessories designed to meet the analytical needs of virtually every user in metal industries.
“One of the major reasons for our success has been our ability to provide high levels of accuracy and precision along with a wide range of spectrometer models meeting the needs of different market segments and applications. When all these combine with affordability, reliability and service support, this leads to great customer satisfaction as well as market penetration”, said Mr. Priyadarshan Pant, Managing Director, Metal Power Analytical (India) Pvt. Ltd.
During its formative years from 1987 to the major part of 1990s, the company headed by Mr. Pant and ably supported by his then partners, Mr. Kulkarni and Mr. Ramchandran, gained experience and knowhow of the segment by distributing instruments from a company called Hilger Analytical. They also added non-destructive testing equipment like a hand-held portable grinder, a hand-held portable electrolytic polisher, etc.
“By the end of the 1990s we felt we were well-versed enough to start manufacturing of spectrometers and ventured into it. It took us four years to develop our first spectrometer that could test aluminum alloys. We sold it in 2004,” reminisced Mr. Pant.
There was no looking back for Metal Power since then, as its first spectrometer had attracted a lot of buyers and opened the way for various other tailor-made requirements. There was a good market for aluminum alloy testing as many companies were making aluminum rods, castings, etc., while some others were making extrusions. Imported spectrometers were extremely expensive. “Some of the spectrometers were valued at 70 to 80 thousand pounds, but the one we sold in 2004 was only around Rs. 7 lakhs, and the imported ones would have come at around Rs. 40-50 lakhs. As a result, many could afford to have our spectrometers,” said the Managing Director.
Expanding range
In the next 2-3 years, Metal Power added spectrometers that could analyze steel, cast iron, copper, nickel, etc., depending on the customers’ requirements. With his research and analytical knowledge, Mr. Pant established a strong R&D team that churns out patents and innovations providing a range from higher measurable requirements to even sub-ppm requirements.
“Featuring scientists, technologists and applications’ specialists, our DSIR-accredited R&D set-up rolls out unique yet industry-specific instruments that not just meet but beat the competition across metrics in every product segment.
Equipped with a plethora of tools and packages for design, simulation and testing, our infrastructure ensures that the instruments we offer to our customers are designed from inception to meet the most stringent application and environmental conditions.
From the largest spectrometer that comes with integrated safety modules to the smallest spectrometer, in terms of size, weight and price, in the world, we make products which are easily affordable by the smallest customer in the market. Our R and D is the engine that drives our business,” disclosed Mr. Pant.
Metal Power’s spectrometers are made to be to be precise, which means that they are capable of giving repeatable results within the specified and accepted tolerance limits. For obtaining such results, he said: “Our spectrometers are calibrated using sets of high accuracy & precision standards. Spectrometers are calibrated, and within the given range, if there are some elements that can be calibrated too, enabling our spectrometers to give a simultaneous analysis of different elements. A calibration can be checked by putting a standard material.”
Stringent and focused approaches are even required as different clients like automotive and steel plants have varied needs. “Take, for example, automotive, within it will be definitive things they may want. In gears they may want low carbon steel, which would be carburized to get a very hard exterior where the teeth are for wear resistance. In the centre, the gear has to be tough and not brittle as it would then break under an impact. So, when you take a low carbon steel and carburize it, it becomes hard. In this manner our spectrometers should be able to analyse different materials of varying needs and compositions. There are steels for fastener applications where they have micro-alloying elements like Boron, which would be present at low ppm levels. Slight differences can cause material rejection and losses to our customers,” said Mr. Pant.
Maintaining excellence
Starting from 2004 when the total number of spectrometers sold was 50-60 units per annum, today Metal Power enjoys more than 50% of the market share in Bharat which has grown to 550-600 spectrometers per annum. “We are able to sell such large numbers per annum as our spectrometers help our customers get dramatically improved profitability.
They achieve this by controlling their alloy consumption, cut rejections and reworking and by improving productivity. Our products are sold with one-year warranty, both for service and spares. We have been able to win the trust of manufacturers,” asserted Mr. Mukund Pant, son of Mr. Priyadarshan Pant, and Director, Metal Power Analytical (India) Pvt. Ltd.
Metal Power’s service spans the length and breadth of the country with engineers spread across 17 different locations. “All our customers are assured of the highest levels of response and service through our own, in-house, R&D-trained engineers, assuring them of a service level no other can match,” beamed the Director.
Today, Metal Power is the supplier of choice for customers, both big and small. From Tata Steel, Sterlite, Godrej & Boyce, CMERI, CPRI, Tata Tinplate, Ashok Leyland and Gestamp to Bharti Industries, Deem Rolltech, NTPC, Kosei Minda, Melwire, Megatherm and Magnatherm, Metal Power’s customers bear testimony to the quality it offers.
Apart from consolidating and increasing its domestic market share, the other major focus for Metal Power is to expand its presence in the export market. “Currently we export to 35 countries and still want to expand our presence in terms of the vast variety and quality of products we offer. Although we are happy with the current 30 per cent revenues being generated from the overseas market, we want to double the revenues from exports in the next 5 years,” Mr. Pant concluded.