We are looking for adding wireless data transmissions and connectivity via the Internet to our products.
Ajit Paralkar,
Director, ACD Machine Control Co P Ltd

Mumbai-based ACD Machine Control Co Pvt Ltd is in the business of manufacturing Electronic Vibration Switches that are increasingly gaining acceptance in enabling safe operations of crushers. In an interview with B2B Purchase, the company’s director Ajit Paralkar explains about their product offerings and competitive edge.

What kind of opportunities you foresee in the crushing and screening industry?
Stone crushing is necessary to improve infrastructure like buildings, roads, bridges and development of other industries. Over the last 10 years, the construction sector has been registering strong growth rates in the range of 7 to 8 per cent. Since stone crushing is an allied industry of the construction sector, growth in construction sector may be considered as proxy for the growth in stone crushing sector i.e. around 7-8 per cent.

In addition, for the building of roads, flyovers and bypasses, there is a mass and consistent need of crushed stone across the country. There are increasing allocations from budget in the public sector for project development. Several projects are in progress and many will take off shortly which will have higher demand of crushed stone all over the country.

Till now, safety and preventive machine maintenance were often neglected area not considered necessary. However, now with safety being the considered as the prime aspect and the advent of time management, TPM ideologies, people have realised that any downtime is loss in terms of productivity.
Our product namely Vibration Switch is an essential component in both safety and machine maintenance of VSI crushers. We foresee a substantial growth in our market.

Could you update us on your latest innovations?
Currently the economical models of vibration switches available in the market can measure vibrations only in a single direction. We have developed a model in which a single switch can measure vibration in 2 or 3 directions providing real meaningful protection and still saving the cost of an additional switch.

With the further upgradation of our wind monitor or switch, we are offering data logging of wind parameters and further web based acquisition of data which can be accessed from anywhere in the world.

What important measures do you take to develop new products?
ACD Machine Control Co Pvt Ltd is a 40-year old Mumbai-based manufacturing company. We are specialised in indigenously developing and manufacturing equipment in the field of vibration and wind monitoring systems.

At ACD customer requirement and feedback is what drives new product development. We have regular interactions with our major customers like Akash Ganga, Proman and Advance Crushing to note their requirements or feedback. Taking this feedback into consideration we continuously strive to develop or update our product line.

Could you tell us about any of your two products that have been in demand for a very long time in the market?
Two of our products that have been in demand in the market are Electronic Vibration Switch and Wind Velocity Monitor or Switch.

Electronic Vibration Switch is designed as direct replacement of mechanical vibration switches. These mechanical switches being used in yester years have very little merit and served the purpose when the requirement was not stringent. As they rely on large impacts or inertia (both acceleration) nuisance tripping during start-up is a usual problem.
ACD vibration switches can be directly installed in place of mechanical vibration switches and offer immense advantages. The basic sensor is piezo electric accelerometer which has no moving parts. These electronically integrate the acceleration signal giving velocity signal. Vibration could be controlled very precisely with graduated controls. Built-in electronic delay takes care of start-up and other spurious signals. Remote reset is another positive advantage. This proves to be a very useful device for protection of VSI Crushers

ACD’s Wind Velocity Monitor or Switch was prompted by some serious crane accidents during erections of tall constructions, where wind conditions appear to have been a major contributing factor. This is very useful device for safety of tower or crawler cranes.

The operation of a crane without knowledge of the expected wind forces can lead to a failure of components and/or turning over of the crane; in cases of negligence there is a risk to life.

The crane operator must be given sufficient warning to decide when the crane should be put out of service because of risks due to high winds and his inability to control the load. It is likely that many fatalities could have been avoided with proper wind condition monitoring.

ACD’s wind velocity monitor continuously monitors wind speed and provides two limit switches with one changeover relay contact per setting. Bright display allows the user to note the readings in poor light condition also. The panel has provision to set the ‘alarm’ and ‘danger’ limits (settable over full range) with one change-over contact.

What makes your product different from the others available in the market?
Most of the vibration switches available in the market are imported products without any post-sales support. Our products are backed with superior technical and maintenance support for the life of the product. We have supplied over 8,000 switches over the last 12 years with almost 60 per cent of our business being repeat business.

What additional features you look forward to attain in respect to your products?
We are looking for adding wireless data transmissions and connectivity via the Internet to our products.

What is your strategy towards meeting the requirements of the customers?
The products we supply are mainly safety products which help in running the plant without danger to its surroundings. We believe in providing complete and timely assistance to our customers to ensure their operation run without any interruptions. We are always available for technical support and maintenance as and when required, hence building a very good working relationship with our customers who keep coming back to us. It is this confidence in our products which make our customers look at us when they embark on their new ventures.