WITH CUSTOMER-CENTRICITY AT THE CORE

Ashish Chandra Varma, CEO, Prime Graphite Pvt Ltd, reflects on the company’s journey to its current stature in this insightful conversation with MMI’s Editor-in-Chief Soumi Mitra. He also sheds light on Prime Graphite’s association with Tokai Carbon, its pioneering role in the introduction of machined graphite electrodes in the Indian market, commitment to minimally impacting the environment, and mantra to stay ahead of its competitors.

The year 2024 is the 25^th year since Prime Graphite Pvt Ltd, earlier known as Prime Industries, was incepted. Hence, it is a perfect time to go down memory lane and commemorate major milestones in the company’s journey. How has the journey been until this juncture where you are renowned as the largest Graphite machine shop in the country and South East Asia?

Ashish Chandra Varma: Prime Graphite Pvt Ltd was incepted as Prime Industries in the year 1998. As we celebrate our 25^th year, we reflect on the major milestones that have helped us reach this stature where we are recognized as India’s largest and oldest Graphite supplier.

We began as a conventional machine shop in 1999 with a few manual machines such as lathes and cutting and grinding machines with only 8-10 people. Today, we have 3 machine shops with 24 VMCs and a workforce of over 250 employees.

We started our specialized CNC machine shop in 2008 and were the pioneers in introducing commercially-made EDM Graphite electrodes that replaced the conventional Copper electrodes in the Tooling industry. Our third plant took off in 2018 with customer centricity as a guiding pillar that has helped us grow consistently over these 25 years.

We take pride in being not just the biggest Graphite machine shop in India and South East Asia but also the most preferred and trusted Graphite supplier in the Indian market. With a customer base of over 400 customers pan India, we get almost 90 percent repeat business every year. We are fortunate to have served some of our oldest customers for over 20 years in this journey, which is a considerable achievement, given the ever-evolving technological changes and the competitive environment we are in.

You are also regarded as the premium quality Graphite supplier, offering the highest quality products in India. How does Prime Graphite’s partnership with Tokai Carbon Co. Ltd. Japan contribute to this reputation?

We exclusively represent Tokai Carbon Co. Ltd Japan, since 1998, and have considerable experience in machining Graphite for all types of varied applications for the Indian market. Tokai Carbon is known for its commitment to research and development, ensuring that its products meet the highest standards of quality and performance.

Tokai Carbon has always been encouraging a culture where application support is the cornerstone of a successful strategy. We differentiate ourselves not only by our ability to consistently meet the ‘Quality-Cost-Delivery’ demands of our customers but also by our assistance through application support that can optimize their process, improve quality, and reduce waste.

The Government over the last decade has done a lot to boost manufacturing. Its monetary support during the COVID-19 emergency and initiatives like ‘Make in India’ and the PLI scheme have been instrumental in accelerating demand and the size of the Indian industry.

You were the pioneers of Graphite electrodes in the EDM market. What was the earlier trend in electrodes? What are the other applications and industries that Prime Graphite’s expertise caters to?

Prime Graphite has played a pioneering role in the introduction of machined Graphite electrodes in the Indian market. Previously, around 15 years ago, most tool rooms preferred Copper as the material for electrodes due to it being cheaper and for its ease of in-house machining.

It was in the year 2008 that Prime Graphite installed its first machine for manufacturing Graphite electrodes commercially. Our team started visiting tool rooms and sharing the benefits of graphite electrodes including cost-effectiveness, enhanced EDM speed, improved surface finish on molds, reduction in wear, and productivity improvement. This garnered initial interest in the product. We later raised awareness for the same by conducting trials at customer machine shops and generating case studies. This generated confidence in customers that Graphite is a superior material to Copper which can be re-machined as well.

Once the customers started to replace Copper with Graphite electrodes and experienced the benefits firsthand, there was no turning back for them.

Can you please elaborate on Prime Graphite’s commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility, particularly in the context of Graphite production?

Being a Graphite machining company comes with its own set of responsibilities towards Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles. From the very beginning, our company has promoted business with partners like Tokai Carbon which encourages sustainable manufacturing in its factories in Japan. We emphasize energy efficiency and water conservation not just for our own gains but for the broader cause of the environment.

Primary in our sustainability efforts is ensuring emissions control which is done by using proper dust collection systems at suitable locations. Our goal is not just meeting but exceeding all compliance and regulation issues. We ensure that our people have the required personal protective equipment (PPE) and that they undergo regular medical tests for their well-being. All these efforts go a long way in building a sustainable company for the coming decades.

We believe that the best way to get favorable outcomes from machines, whether imported or domestic, totally depends on the manufacturing process, periodical maintenance, and tools like TPM to retain the efficiency of the machines in their lifecycle.

How does the company innovate to stay ahead in the competitive Graphite market? What sets Prime Graphite apart from its competitors in terms of product quality, reliability, and customer service?

Staying ahead in a competitive industry like Graphite production involves a combination of factors, including innovation, efficiency, quality control, and strategic partnerships.

Innovation is the key to staying ahead. We were the first ones to machine and market Graphite electrodes when the tool rooms were working with Copper. We take pride in offering premium and high-quality Graphite material.

Our strong team is adept at providing comprehensive technical support to our customers since we have not limited ourselves as a machine shop by being a complete solution provider for all Graphite needs. Along with offering Graphite electrodes, we are also into machined Graphite components for general applications, degassing, rotor shafts, etc.

Our core belief lies in forging strong relationships with our customers by understanding their requirements and providing them with the most efficient solutions. We acknowledge that it takes a team to successfully cater to them for which we invest in training and development programs to nurture talent within the organization. A skilled and motivated workforce is crucial for innovation and growth.

These strategies have so far helped us in consistently optimizing our operations and enhancing our competitiveness, thereby positioning us as a leader in the Graphite industry.

What have been your strategies for navigating diverse markets?

Prime has always been well-diversified across many market segments. It is one of the reasons we have been able to easily navigate and survive the various turbulences along the way. Initially, we were focused on the high-temperature market for Graphite applications like furnace plates, sintering molds, casting dies, etc. Later, as the EDM market grew, our portfolio expanded to cover the Graphite electrode market for the Tooling industry. In the future, we see new-age businesses like Solar cells, Li-Ion batteries, and Semiconductors add to our product mix. Being able to create new businesses in diverse and upcoming markets is an essential skill to survive and thrive in today’s fast-changing scenario.

What is the ratio of Indian machines in your factory to the ones sourced from foreign manufacturers and how do you evaluate the performance and efficiency of both types of machines in your production processes?

In the initial period from 2008 to 2020, the Tooling industry was dominated by foreign machine tool brands. We have been happy with the support we received from brands like Haas and Makino in the Indian market where Graphite machining was a new concept. We still run many of these imported machines even after a 10-15-year period through internal robust TPM processes.

Since 2020, we have started to develop indigenized and customized machines for Graphite machining with local Indian machine tool companies. Though it is still early stages, the local machines we have installed have shown remarkable quality and reliability. A combination of high-end imported machines along with high-quality and customized and indigenized SPMs made in India for Graphite electrode manufacturing is how I see the future.

Post-elections, do you foresee policy changes or initiatives that could impact the Indian Manufacturing industry?