Founded in 1986, Craftsman Automation is one of India's leading engineering firms possessing diverse and deep knowledge in product design and development. Based in Coimbatore, the company's pan - India manufacturing unit houses a world-class infrastructure that uses cutting-edge technology to manufacture automotive products, gears and transmission, castings, special purpose machines, hoists, and automated storage systems to provide solutions that find acceptance with global OEMs operating in India.

In 2012, the company ventured into warehousing solutions, a niche in the high-growth sector that resulted in the incorporation of Craftsman Storage Systems, a division of Craftsman Automation. Craftsman Storage systems is an integrated manufacturer of racking, shelving, automated storage, and retrieval systems such as Vertical Lift Modules, storage-retrieval machines (Stacker crane), shuttles, conveyors, Rail Guided Vehicles for pallets and bin handling. Every device/machine is enabled with industry 4.0 and controlled with warehouse management software which interfaces with the existing ERP software.

Expanding products and solutions as per customers' needs

Currently, the company's focus is to expand the array of existing products and solutions aligned to customer needs and improve our ability to deliver quality products and solutions with speed. Gautham Ram Ravi, managing director of Craftsman Automation, says, "We strive to earn the confidence of leading players in the food and beverages, dairy, FMCG, and eCommerce sectors. Also, we aim to explore opportunities that could arise from key Government announcements such as Make in India, and Atmanirbhar Bharat, among others."

Craftsman Automation at ANUTEC

Sharing about their upcoming participation at ANUTEC, India's largest international fair for food and drink technology from 14 to 16 September 2022, Ravi says, "This trade show provides us a platform to add more value to our business development processes and helps in widening the user sector presence to de-risk from overdependence on any one business space. Despite being a relatively new entrant in the highly competitive space of storage solutions, we wish to understand the varying needs of the warehousing industry across sectors and align our manufacturing abilities to provide end-to-end storage solutions."

At the event, Craftsman Automation will be displaying:

• VStore - Craftsman's Vertical Lift Module provides quicker storage and retrieval with high-density storage. VStore offers flexibility for various picking methods that makes the best use of vertical space with minimal floor area and high inventory accuracy and monitoring. Vertical ASRS are entirely autonomous and provide flexible solutions for inventory management requirements.

• Multi Deep Pallet Shuttle ASRS - Multi deep Pallet Shuttle ASRS is a revolutionary dense automated storage system for Pallets, consisting of a shuttle and a carrier moving in orthogonal directions to each other inside the racks. The pallet shuttle ASRS and Carrier can communicate using the Shuttle Fleet Management Software (SFMS), which relays instructions on which pallet to store and retrieve from which location. The shuttle and shuttle carrier are fitted with state-of-the-art distance, positioning and proximity sensors and are highly accurate and able to place pallets within 5 mm accuracy.

• Static Racking - Conventional racking system ideal for a warehouse with both fixed and variable storage needs. Our horizontal load beams are held in place by connectors, with the pallets resting on these beams. These beam levels can be easily adjusted to fit the various load and recommended pallet sizes. Our pallet racking systems are compatible with a complete set of accessories, including gratings, weld mesh panels, decking panels, claddings, pallet support beams, guided type pallet support, collision protection elements, etc.

He believes that platforms like ANUTEC would increase their visibility in the market and offer an opportunity to showcase their capabilities and enable them to self-evaluate better in the market. He adds, "We expect to capitalize on the collective opportunities and emerging trends in the food and beverage industry, particularly in the dairy and food processing sectors."

Insight into future plans

According to Ravi, the company's strength lies in its strong engineering team, vast knowledge in manufacturing, and proactive customer engagement. "We aim to position Craftsman Storage Systems as the preferred storage solution provider for all sectors. To achieve this goal, we will focus on team building, knowledge sharing, and expanding our manufacturing capabilities in the shortest time possible. Our penchant for strengthening our relevance in this dynamic ecosystem has positioned us in the right place at the right time to capitalize on the limitless opportunities arising out of changing trends," Ravi concludes.

Meet the Craftsman team at ANUTEC – International FoodTec India, BEC, Mumbai at Booth No F 30 from 14 to 16 September 2022.

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