Kaizen Cold Formed Steel (CFS) has been offering high strength steel (HSS) in the Indian market since 2009. The company has developed a strong customer base in the country over the years, all of whom have seen remarkable on-field results thanks to the quality of the steel. During a period when the automotive industry is going through a turbulent phase, Kaizen has created a revolution of sorts, with its customers reaping huge benefits by using the HSS. With sales numbers falling sharping across all vehicle segments, many companies and customers alike are making use of the slowdown to focus on strengthening inherent capabilities and exploring the adoption of new products and technologies.
In this regard, application-builders including manufacturers of tippers, trailers, bulkers, and also bus-body builders are gradually moving out of the traditionally-used mild steel and are finding first-time advantages after switching over to HSS. We bring you success stories of Kaizen’s customers who have benefitted by adopting the unconventional high strength steel.
Shree Jaya Durgaa Industries, Namakkal, is a reputed manufacturer of tankers, cement bulkers, power plant accessories and other mechanical equipment. The fabrication company is headed by Chairman & Managing Director, Mr. T. Panneerselvam, a pioneer in the field for many years. With a mechanical engineering background, having over 24 years of experience in the design, fabrication and erection of tanks and pressure vessels, Mr. Panneerselvam is delighted with the benefits derived from Kaizen’s HSS.
The concept of ‘heavier the thickness, higher is the strength’ holds good for normal grades of steel, but there are also some special grades which are manufactured using modern metallurgical techniques. The special grade steel comes with much higher strength than conventional steel despite being lesser in thickness than the latter. Shree Jaya Durgaa has had a number of experiences with its customers, most of whom are fleet transports in South India, which reflect the growing demand for high strength steel.
Says a jubilant Mr. Panneerselvam: “After a discussion on the benefits of the new material, one of our customers Mr. C. Ananth of Parasakthi Transports has encouraged us to replace the mild steel with high strength steel grades supplied by Kaizen CFS for his cement bulker. We had detailed talks with Mr. Rahul Saraf, Director, Kaizen CFS, regarding the shapes and design of the tankers as well as welding practices and have decided to replace the widely-used mild steel with HSS, confident of its superior mechanical properties.” HSS has excellent mechanical properties, most notable being the high yield stress of over 700 MPa when compared to that of mild steel which has a much lower value of 250 MPa.
The main advantage offered by the HSS is weight reduction of the tank without compromising on its strength. The strength to weight ratio of HSS is higher than mild steel with the total weight of a cement bulker of 25 CuM capacity built with HSS being just 2,450 kg while the same weighs 3,200 kg when fabricated using mild steel, thereby resulting in a significant weight reduction of 750 kg. The weight reduction paves the way for carrying an equal additional payload within the rated GVW of the vehicle, among other added benefits such as better fuel efficiency, longer tyre life, and less wear and tear.
“Many other customers including Mr. P.S. Sekar, Chairman & Managing Director, Sangaiya Roadways, Kumbakonam, Mr. Kanagaraj, General Manager, and Mr. Selvaraj, KRS Transports, Kaatuputhur and Mr. Mohan, Kavi Priya Transports, Namakkal have visited us and seen the vehicles built using HSS. They have all appreciated our efforts and the quality of our products”, adds Mr. Panneerselvam.
With the help of Kaizen’s technical guidance towards design criteria, Shree Jaya Durgaa had calculated the thickness of the bulker wall, taking into account the stress acting on it under both static and dynamic load conditions and with different grades and thickness of HSS plates. The fabricator employs MIG welding as the edge preparation of the HSS plates is adequate enough to get a uniform bead as in the case of butt welding. Also, the highly wear-resistant property of HSS allows surface finishing to be performed and gives an aesthetic look after the painting is done.
Mr. C. Ananth of Parasakthi Transports is a satisfied customer thanks to the excellent quality, reliable performance, aesthetic design and finish of the tanker fabricated by Shree Jaya Durgaa, which in turn is one of many customers who have benefitted greatly after switching over to Kaizen’s HSS. “We thank Mr. Rahul Saraf and the Kaizen team, who have been instrumental in building and developing this project. We look forward to many more customers for our bulkers built using HSS which offers unmatched benefits to transporters”, concludes Mr. Panneerselvam.
Kaizen, buoyed by its recent successes, is looking to go one level up by developing and manufacturing components for OEMs using the advanced HSS, with plans to set up component manufacturing facilities in Chennai in the near future. The company feels that its supply of components to OEMs would result in saving a lot of time and cost for the latter and since HSS is used, it would also result in a more durable, lighter and stronger product.
With increased payload and improved fuel efficiency becoming the norms of the day, Kaizen’s HSS would play an important role in these aspects and help enhance productivity for customers. The material is also capable of creating completely new niche segments in the application industry which could go a long way in shooting up revenues and profits for fabricators and transporters.
Prime Mover TATA 3118C
Capacity of the Cement Bulker 25 Cu M
A. Weight of Cement Bulker using Mild Steel 3200 KG
B. Weight of Cement Bulker using HSS 2450 KG
Weight Reduction 750 KG
“We have been able to successfully bring down the weight of our vehicle from 4.8 tons to 3.5 tons by using Kaizen’s high strength steel (HSS). We are now working on fabricating a 9600 mm x 2600 mm x 2600 mm container at a weight of 3 tons, to be able to offer extra payload to our customers. The use of such advanced HSS grades from Kaizen CFS is helping us deliver better quality and advanced products to our customers. We thank Kaizen and will continue to work closely with them to develop more such top-notch products in the coming years”.
– Mr. Karthick, Director, Shradhaa Engineering, Chennai
Ganga Matha Trailer (GMT) manufactures trailers and specialized bodies at its facility in Tiruvallur near Chennai, catering to various specific customer requirements. The company has hugely benefited by using Kaizen high strength steel (HSS) in building its trailers, especially those which are deployed for carrying heavy cargo loads. The trailers have been tested with 130 tons of payload in the form of granite stone blocks and have not shown any sign of damage. The remarkable load resistance comes as a result of reinforcing the main frame and side channels of the trailers with HSS. With GMT’s customers placing repeat orders for vehicles built using high strength steel, owing to the huge benefits the material offers, Mr. Sivakumar, Owner, GMT, is delighted with the performance of Kaizen’s product.
What HSS has delivered:
• Higher payload
• Longer tyre life
• Improved fuel efficiency
• Lesser vehicle body maintenance
• Increased vehicle resale value
• Enhanced corrosion-resistance