At a time when the price of land is skyrocketing, Rabatex Industries is giving India a revolutionary product to manage space constraints. After seven years of research, experiment and hard work, the company is all set to introduce a vertical storage system, the details of which are shared by Managing Director Haresh Panchal in an interview with Ganesh Kalidas
Rabatex Industries’ Vertical Lift Module (VLM) is an automated electronic machine with human machine interface (HMI), height sensors, space management and weight sensors. The company will sell it to industries that need to store large quantities of products in small spaces in order to overcome challenges of quick access of components while multiplying 5-30 times the space available in vertical storage. VLM is a vertical storage machine segregated into trays. Each tray has a capacity of storing goods weighing 200-700 kg. Thus, 100 trays can offer storage space for goods weighing 50,000 kg! The largest machine is 24 metres tall while the shortest is 2 metres tall. And the larger the product, the lower the price!
Since computerised facilities are equal for all, smaller machines will be comparatively costly against the taller ones. The machines incorporate Japanese and European automation technology to record data about every user and usage. For example, one can log in to the server and notify the activity of a certain tray. If a tray is named X, you can store, extract and restore the tray as many times you need. With computerisation, every data related to the usage of the tray will be recorded. The product is shared in levels and people who can access the machine can keep a tab on the usage. The process helps keep track of the amount of stock available in the machine. Moreover, the internal software facilitates Management Information System (MIS).
Thus, if someone mistakenly puts excess quantity on a certain tray, he will be immediately notified by the device. This minimum and maximum quantity alert by MIS to the concerned person is to help manage inventory effectively. The machine requires separate entry for everyone and multiple people can log in to access the device. This helps people divide the work into levels. For example, at level 1, there can be five people, at level 2 there can be 10 people. Anyone can send messages through the machine to notify the group of people concerned. It reduces manual labour and keeps a record of every activity.
Unique Features
Indian industries desperately needed a product that could help reduce space with the benefits of automation. The USP of Rabatex Industries is that it is not only offering a revolutionary product but also selling it at an affordable rate. “In places like America and Europe, people use such technology in pharmacies to reduce queues. When customers ask for any medicine, they immediately enter the data in their computers and find the tray where that particular medicine is stored. There are specific bar codes assigned to particular trays that quickly help identify what a person is looking for,” says Haresh Panchal, Managing Director, Rabatex Industries.
He also illustrates this with another example, that of a bank locker. Users can access their personal tray by providing lock details so as to quickly get their belongings. Multiple interlocks can be installed into the device to ensure its security. With this innovative product, Rabatex Industries is focusing on sectors such as automobile, engineering, textile manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, warehouses, e-commerce and banks as its most likely customers. Panchal reveals that warehouses have a high demand for these products. Amazon currently uses multiple products like these for their warehouses globally.
Developing the VLM
The product is 100% indigenous in terms of hardware as it is an output of their in-house production. Informs Panchal: “This product is exclusively made in India with the Indian industry’s requirements in mind. We are also working to integrate our own software with all the possible ERP software.” If, for example, there are clients who use Microsoft MAB or SAP, they just have to inform us about the CSP files they need. After that the company will easily deliver the requirement from their device to the client’s device. The company focuses on 3C-based solutions rather than HMI.
“From my Microsoft SQL I can send any amount of data in whichever format you need or an end-user needs. Thus, the integration part has been made very easy,” Panchal says. The VLM product also has a personalised mobile app that makes every data available and accessible quickly. If there is an urgent demand or an export requirement, the manager can quickly access the app and see how much of the goods are available. Both the device and software are prone to upgrade and will simultaneously improve to meet demands. The details would be compiled and stored on iCloud to make information accessible and available all the time.
A VLM machine can store data for 25 years and so the manufacturers target machine usage beyond 25 years. The company has run a test load on two devices with goods dating back to 20 years. By November, they plan to store goods dating back to 25 years. By January 2021, the company will go through full-fledged trials to understand more about the storage capacities and functionality. Currently, only the computerised technology has been imported from Japan and Europe, but within the next 3-4 years they plan to use the Indian version.
Market Scenario for VLM Rabatex Industries already has export orders for textile equipments from the USA, Turkey, Russia and Bangladesh. Currently, the levels of domestic orders are moderate due to the ongoing pandemic. Moreover, according to Panchal, the textile sector has been facing a slump since the past one year. Despite that, however, the company already has 34 domestic orders at the moment, out of which 20 are from the technical textile business. Panchal’s vision for the next five years is to increase the level of manufacturing. He has acquired another parcel of land near Ahmedabad’s Ring Road to set up a new plant and expand production activities. Market trends suggest that Asian and African countries will have a high demand for automated storage machines in the near future. “Thus, Rabatex Industries will maximise its reach and cater to countries across the globe,” Panchal says.