The industrialists are not ready to adopt modern technology in their units, as they are not aware of the changes that can be brought about by doing so.
There are over 50 units in this industry, wherein nearly 1,000 people work. This industry largely manufactures axles, rims and hubs of wheels, and earns about Rs. 70 crore as collective annual turnover.
The industry sells its products in almost all North Indian states. It earns about 10% of its total turnover through exports.
“ This is an old industry, and I have been working in this sector for the past three decades. We have been using the same technology that we used to use 30 years back. We use a traditional furnace and other old manufacturing processes to make products. Neither have we changed the working techniques, nor have we added anything new in this industry,” says Manohar Lal, one of the industrialists.
“We are earning our bread and butter, and are feeding our families through this business. We never tried our hands on new technology, and do not want to bring in any changes in the industry,” he says.
“We do not know modern techniques of production or how to use modern machinery, nor do we have any skilled workers who can use such machinery efficiently,” says Chaman Chauhan, another industrialist.
“We have not introduced any diversification in our range of products and do not provide a very good environment to the workers, but it would be risky to install new machinery, as we would have to find new workers and offer them higher wages in that case,” he says.
“We have installed modern machinery in our unit, and have realised that it reduces the cost of our products. The state government must come forward to train the industrialists in the adoption of modern technology by making them aware of its benefits,” says Vivek Kumar, another industrialist, who has installed modern machinery in his firm.