Not an IITian but a Class X dropout- Satish Kumar has revolutionised India's brick-making process with his fully automated brick-making machine that can produce a staggering 300 Bricks per minute. Hailing from Ladrawan village in Sonepat, Haryana, Satish, the founder of SnPC Machines Group, enthralled the world with his ground-breaking Made in India BMM300, a first of its kind Mobile Brick Making Machine that moves like a vehicle and lays down bricks while on the move. The machine is as productive as 120 labours and can reduce production costs by 45 per cent, as per the company. SnPC Machines also won the National Startup Award from the Government of India in October 2020 for this outstanding invention. They received this award, which also includes a cash prize, under the 'construction development monitoring services' category. Today, the product not only gained popularity in India but also across the nation. SURFACES REPORTER (SR) appreciates his brilliance and his outstanding contribution to the construction sector. Read more about Satish and his mobile brick making machine in detail below:
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Truck laying bricks on the field
Inspiration Behind Creating Brick Making Machine
As the construction industry is booming in India, the demand for bricks is increasing rapidly. Even a sizeable 10-storey building requires a million bricks. And the manual process of making bricks, from the mining of clay to digging out mud and filling them into moulds to dry them up in the sun before baking in the kilns, is highly labour-intensive. While machines exist to combine the raw materials and make the bricks, manual labour is still needed to pick the bricks up and dry them. Satish Kumar (46) faced this problem personally while running his family-owned brick kiln. Ultimately, Kumar and his family decided to close the company due to their extreme financial losses.Satish shares, "There is less than 1% automation in the brick industry and which is not a feasible or complete solution. The brick industry is completely based on the manual process from brick manufacturing to the oven worldwide. As we entered this business in 2000 and faced the lack of human resources, quality, irregularity, and legal issues, we finally left this business. Around 2009-2010 we observed that every industry is turning into automation, but no one is focusing on the brick manufacturing process, which is the backbone of construction in rural and urban areas around the world. After mutual discussion with our family, we started R&D, which is specially dedicated to this industry."
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After conceptualisation, Satish started R&D in 2009-2010 and piloted their first product in 2014. During the R&D process, the company scrapped 4-5 machines.
Satish says that though automated machines existed, they were all static. Manual labour was still required to place the bricks to open areas for drying. That's what made him design a movable machine like a truck that could lay bricks.
Satish Kumar (46) (L) with his brother Vilas Chhikara (31)
While Satish Kumar, the founder of SnPC Machines Group- was a class 10th dropout but with this invention he proved that desire, diligence and determination combined with experience lead to success . His brother Vilas Chhikara (31), who is an MBA graduate and the co- Founder of SnPC Machines Group, also aided him in his endeavour.
Challenges
Creating an automatic brick making machine is an arduous task in itself. It requires a lot of effort and financial help from conceptualising the design, testing, modifying, refining the product until final production. Satish says, "In the beginning, we didn't know how to design the concept which is in our mind or on paper in reality. Then we communicated with engineers and other brick kiln makers. We told them about the concept and finally started design. The second challenge was to collect the spare parts from the different markets for production. The third challenge was no financial assistance from the government or any banking institutions. The biggest challenge was introducing the technology in front of kiln owners who were not ready for a change from manual operation to automation."
Semi and Fully Automatic Brick Making Machines
The initial prototype was a small Bmm 300 machine that could lay 9,000 bricks in an hour. Later, the company came up with two more advanced versions, which can lay around 12,000 bricks in one hour.
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Kumar shared with Surfaces Reporter about the cost and the number of bricks that can be produced through the semi-and automatic brick making machines made by them.
The company has manufactured four models:
Semi-automatic brickmaking machines include Bmm150 costing 35 lakh and can produce up to 5000 bricks per hour and Bmm 300 costing 50 lakh can produce up to 9000 bricks.
While fully automatic brickmaking machines include Bmm 160 starts from 45-47 lakh and can produce up to 6000 bricks per hour, whereas the highly advanced Bmm 310 costs anywhere between 62-63 lakh and can lay around 12000 bricks per hour. The price also may vary on modifications and add-ons as per customer requirements.
How Does the Brick Making Machine Work?
The fully automated machine is installed in a truck with a mixer, a generator and a mould to create and lay bricks. The machine can easily and smoothly run or operate from the cabin. Once the raw material fills the truck's tank, you need to push 01 buttons inside the cabin.
SnPC Group
Soon after pushing the button, the production will start like just plug and play. A driver can run the vehicle at a predefined speed over the field, where the bricks are to be baked. The brick drops from the mould gently over the area in an inch distance from the former brick. It gives the manufacturer the freedom to produce bricks anywhere as per their requirements.
This Youtube video explains the process of bricklaying:
The SnPC machines manufacturing and assembling unit is in Haryana, but the company outsources third-party manufacturers to produce few components.
The company has gained massive popularity all over the world. Till date, The company has distributed almost 250 brick-making machines in various Indian states including, Haryana, UP, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Karnataka and the neighbouring country Nepal.
Mobile Brick Making Machine
SURFACES REPORTER feels proud and glad to share such positive and inspiring innovations which would lead to a better tomorrow for all. If you know of any more such innovations, do write to us at press@surfacesreporter.com.
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