Under the aegis of a UN sponsored development programme, a member of TWI's Welding Engineers Group was invited to Bharat EarthMovers Limited (BEML) in India to undertake a comprehensive assessment of their processes and systems.
Employing approximately 17 000 people in 3 different manufacturing plants, including about 2000 staff engaged in after-sales and support services in 11 Regional and 20 District offices, BEML is one of the largest earch movingequipment manufacturing companies on the sub-continent. They produce shovels, excavators, bulldozers, dumper trucks as well as diesel engines, transmissions and axles. BEML also manufactures railway rolling stock, track layingequipment, spoil disposal units and overhead inspection equipment.
During his two-week stay, Owen Gorton visited the three main BEML sites at Kolar Gold Fields, Mysore and Bangalore reviewing operations ranging from materials, stock levels, shop layouts, fabrication process and materials handlingto design, NDT and training. Technical presentations were made to a variety of groups and a written report was submitted and discussed with senior management at each site. On the final day of the visit, an overall presentation was madeto senior group management in Bangalore.
BEML management were delighted with the wide-ranging and comprehensive analysis made by Owen Gorton and are determined to act on the recommendations given in the reports.
