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Employees rewarded for breakthroughs in safety, quality, productivity and operational efficiency
Innovation on the Shop Floor
Pooja Srivastava | Anytime News Network
The Modern Coach Factory (MCF), Rae Bareli, honoured railway employees for their outstanding contributions to safety, quality, productivity and operational efficiency. General Manager Raman Krishnan presented awards to employees whose in-house innovations have helped improve manufacturing processes and workplace safety.
Safer Overhead Drilling
A major innovation emerged from the Furnishing Shop, where a foot-operated drilling machine was developed to make overhead drilling on underframes safer and more convenient.
Earlier, workers operated hand-held drilling machines while applying upward thrust through their thighs, creating safety risks and the possibility of affecting workmanship and quality.
The issue was identified by Ravindra Kumar Chauhan, Deputy Chief Mechanical Engineer, and a solution was developed with support from the Tool Room. M. Nair Kalam, Amarnath Yadav, Shivkant and Nurul Hoda also made significant contributions.
Reinventing the Bogie Fixture
Sarvesh, Senior Mechanical Engineer/Bogie, developed a rotation fixture that eliminated the time previously required for changing fixtures. The innovation reduced rail inventory blockage and lowered the possibility of human error, making the coach production process faster and more efficient.
Tiny Crack, Timely Detection
During Vande Bharat coach manufacturing, Dharmendra Kumar Meena, Senior Technician/Fitter, and Saurabh Kumar, Technician/Welder, detected an extremely fine hairline crack on an end wall during routine inspection.
The defect was subsequently confirmed through a DPT machine, allowing the potential quality issue to be addressed before it could escalate.
Painting Cycle Cut by Two Hours
The Paint Shop also witnessed significant improvements. Anshu Kumar Pal, Senior Section Engineer, introduced an ergonomic work table and weighing machine for accurate mixing of body filler putty and hardener.
Ford Cup testing was introduced to maintain consistency in paint viscosity. Additionally, 20 exhaust fans were installed in the Garnet Shop to improve ventilation and the working environment.
These measures reduced the painting cycle time from eight hours to six hours, creating capacity for approximately one additional coach per day, while also improving paint finishing and overall coach quality.
GM Applauds In-House Innovation
General Manager Raman Krishnan appreciated the employees’ efforts, stating that such innovations and alert working practices improve safety and quality while saving time, labour and resources.
The recognition underlined MCF’s growing emphasis on practical, employee-driven innovation to strengthen railway coach manufacturing.
