Investments by Larsen & Toubro into smart technologies in defence and space manufacturing over the years are starting to pay off
JD Patil, whole-time director and senior executive vice president, L&T’s defence business and new age smart technology businesses Image: Mexy Xavier
When it comes to hitting a target at war, whether on land, in the sea or in the air, precision is everything. Miss, and you in turn become the target because you have revealed yourself and your position. From warships to submarines and unmanned armoured systems to missiles, precision is what also comes into play while manufacturing these defence capabilities at Larsen and Toubro’s (L&T) plants across India—with the use of Industry 4.0, including automation, Internet of Things and artificial intelligence.
Take, for instance, the process of building a ship. The metal fabrication and cutting of plates happen through a server connected to the final cutting machine using CNC (computer numerical control), where a machine processes the material with precision in order to meet specifications by following programmed instructions—without a manual operator directly controlling the machine operation. Even as the material is being fabricated, a laser scanner keeps an eye on the dimensions and integrity, so that the smallest distortion or slightest variation from the original dimensions is corrected before the job is finished.
And while conventional methods would involve building of the hull and decks, then cutting through the decks to put in the cables, pipes and equipment and welding it back again, at L&T’s plants, the process involves the coming together of sections and blocks, with pipes, cables and equipment being fitted in at various stages alongside. Sections come together into blocks, blocks into mega blocks and then superblocks, four of which would make the entire ship.
“So before the ship is fully assembled or the hull is assembled, you have more or less 80-85 percent of the work on the ship complete,” says JD Patil, whole-time director and senior executive vice president for L&T’s defence business and new age smart technology businesses.
Digitalisation of processes means that every single nut, bolt and washer is accounted for, and every pipe and cable is barcoded to fit in the right place—a system that would appear to work particularly well in the making of submersibles and submarines. The physical fitments (or components) in the case of warships and submarines, points out Patil, can be anywhere between a few lakhs to 25 lakhs.
(This story appears in the 15 July, 2022 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)