We commend the ?Make in India? campaign by our Prime Minister and hope to see a lot more quality Indian filter manufacturers that assist development across the various industries in which filters play a role, says Ravinder Singh Anand, Proprietor, New Era Engineering. Excerpts from the interview...

What does New Era Engineering deal in?
We at New Era Engineering provide quality filtration solutions across an array of industries with mining and construction, material handling, marine, compressor and automobile applications. Our operations began with filter manufacturing over 50 years ago, under the company Auto General, focusing on make-to-order filters, catering to the wide applications and complex filters which were not easily available in the aftermarket. New Era Engineering has been expanding its inventory size since its inception, delivering to growing market demand. Over the years, we have moved from stocking a single brand to over ten currently. With warehouses spread out strategically, our distribution channel enables us to reach you faster. Our business being only filters and filtration products, experience has enabled us to understand the product inside-out.

How important is the functioning of the various filters in a machine?
To make it sound simple, think of a machine as human body. The kidneys are an excellent example of how filters work. Filtered blood is passed back to the body, while the waste moves on to the bladder to exit the system. Some other examples of the human body filters are - the liver, the lungs, the spleen or even the tiny hair follicles on our body. The importance of these organs to our body is how important filters are to a machine.

Why pay extra for quality?
I am sure after reading the above correlation, people want to keep their machines fit, if not as healthy as their human body. Filters are not expensive components in comparison to others. You may save a couple of hundred or thousand rupees in buying other cheaper filters but compromising on quality may cost you five times over, hence the choice is yours, temporary satisfaction or long-term.

Do filters have a fixed life depending on their quality?
People have different views on this. Filters will obviously work more efficiently with better quality, but the life totally depends on the working conditions such as the air, oil etc. For instance, air filters in mining conditions may even have to be changed after a day or two juxtaposed against an air filter in a machine located in a clean enclosed room which may not have to be changed for 2-3 months.

Do you stock any particular brands?
As I said earlier, we believe in providing quality filters. Hence we stock filters of companies that are not only focused on the pricing, but also the quality. We are the authorised distributors/stockists of brands such as Mann Filter (of the ?2.7 billion Mann+Hummel Group), Parker (of the $13 billion Parker Hannifin Corporation), MP Filtri (Italy), Filtrec (Italy) among other reputed filter OEMs.

How is the market now in comparison with what it was two years ago?
After a slow two to three years, we sense acceleration by the Central Government. The more filters sell, the more the machines are going under maintenance, which means the more they are being put to use. The Union Power Minister, Piyush Goyal has said that an amount of Rs 3 lakh crore would be invested in building infrastructure for transmission and distribution of power in the country. The Centre has also set out to double coal production by 2019.

What is the road ahead for the filtration industry?
Being Indian by heart, we commend the ?Make in India? campaign by our Prime Minister and hope to see a lot more quality Indian filter manufacturers that assist development across the various industries in which filters play a role.