Robots to replace factory workers at India's Exide Industries
Exide Industries, India's largest auto-battery maker, aims to fully automate its manufacturing process, eliminate inconsistencies in quality due to human error and increase battery life by up to 20%.

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After invading the shop floors of automobile makers, robots are entering battery plants as well. India's largest auto battery maker Exide Industries has started an ambitious project to produce batteries fully manufactured by robots to eliminate any inconsistency in quality due to human presence on the shop floor.

The first of the project, with technology sourced from East Penn Manufacturing Inc of the US, would be implemented at a 25-acre facility at Haldia in Bengal, where it has an existing plant. Exide would be spending Rs 1,400 crore over the two years to extend this to its other manufacturing facilities.

"We would be using highly automated robotic machines where human skill would not be there. The first phase of the project would get completed by fourth quarter of this year. We are taking the human skill out of the manufacturing process and not leaving anything to chance," said Gautam Chatterjee, managing director and CEO, Exide.

Under current manufacturing technologies, there are chances of inconsistencies between different units of batteries based on the skill levels of individual machine operators who are working on the shop floor. "With this technology we would have consistent product range," Chatterjee said on the sidelines of the annual general meeting of the company.

The batteries thus produced would also have a longer life.

"The punch grip technology would help us produce next-generation high-performance long-life batteries. The life of the batteries would improve by about 20%. These batteries would be targeting primarily the after-market," Chatterjee said.

According to a research report of Edelweiss, punch grip technology developed in the US has already been introduced in Japan and can improve the life of a battery from the current 3 years to 4-5 years, resulting in lower warranty costs for the company.

"The battery grid punching system can address the demand of end customers and needs of the manufacturers. Punched battery grids have logged superior performance as compared to grids manufactured with other technology. The punching system not only produces consistent grids, but also increases overall plant efficiencies, and produces grids at very high production rate," the report says.

Headquartered in Pennsylvania, privately-held East Penn operates world's largest single-site lead-acid battery manufacturing facility in the industry.

"With 7,41,000 square feet packed with robotics and new technology, our newest automotive battery facility, A4, is one of the largest and most sophisticated lead-acid battery plants in the world," East Penn says in its sustainability report.