Is the Indian Jewellery Industry High-Tech Enough?

Embracing Technology

Post By : IJ News Service On 16 October 2018 11:31 AM
The charm of handcrafted jewellery may be irreplaceable, but to stand a chance in the export markets and given the diminishing number of karigars, adopting the latest in technology is non-negotiable says Vijetha Rangabashyam.

The Indian jewellery sector is one-ofa- kind. On the one hand we have family-run businesses who have relied on craftsmen for hundreds of years – a skill is a trade secret known only to them and is mostly not passed on to anybody else other than family. On the other, we have the current crop of young entrepreneurs who are smitten by technology and they see how it can aid in new product development. I use the phrase one-of-a-kind because while we are rooted in our tradition, we are also keen on moving ahead and embracing the gift of technology with arms wide open.

While the idea of a piece of jewellery crafted with bare hands by an artisan who has learnt the craft from his forefathers is charming, the use of machine and technology is unavoidable, simply in the context of catching up with the world in terms of export, producing more jewellery in lesser time, accuracy, finish, employment generation, becoming organized and more.

Cutting-Edge Companies

How is a brand like Tanishq consistently able to churn out excellent designs while maintaining quality? Thousands of customers trust Tanishq’s quality and purity of gold and frequent the stores for its veritable range of designs. Tanishq’s success is predominantly due to its embracing of technology since the early 90’s. It’s cutting edge, highly mechanised manufacturing unit in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, has the latest equipment and machinery from Switzerland, Germany, UK and Japan. Tanishq’s product development cycle is extremely efficient because of the use of CAD/CAM technology. Today, Tanishq also uses the power of 3D Printing, which unlike traditional casting methods enables one to feed the designs in a CAD file, which in turn is converted into 3D Printable formats.

A fully corporatized brand like Tanishq is known for its deep pockets and capitalizing on technology has been a second nature to them. But how does a company with all of 6 employees, become one of the most sough after, cutting-edge manufacturers of gold jewellery in India? No company has understood the fruits of a technology driven business more than Emerald Jewel Industry. To understand how other markets are incorporating technology to manufacture jewellery, K Srinivasan, MD, Emerald Jewel Industry and his people travelled the world and employed the latest equipment. From 40 grams of gold jewellery, the company deals with almost 24 tonnes of gold today. Adopting a completely mechanised manufacturing process has helped them reduce the duration of the cycle of production, giving them a competitive edge over their competitors. ‘Only because of adopting the latest technology, we are well ahead in the market compared to our competitors. Given the current scenario of manpower, adopting technology is nonnegotiable. Without technology we lose the competitive advantage and without the advantage we can’t survive ,’ says Srinivasan. A smart use of technology has also helped them in product diversification. Today Emerald has five manufacturing units with state-of-the-art machinery, which melts, molds and shapes gold jewellery in latest designs. The manufacturing units together can produce 4 tonnes of gold jewellery in a month. Innovation is the company’s core philosophy. They began with combining casting with handmade techniques using high-tech machinery from Japan. The company brought in stamping technology from Turkey to create hollow and mesh lightweight jewellery – today approximately 60 kilograms of gold is utilized to make lightweight jewellery in a month. Further, in order to meet the demands of consumers who want lightweight jewellery, which are large in size, the company adopted Electroforming technology from Switzerland, which aids in making large, lightweight pieces in complex 3D designs. The company is also the first to use cutbagging technique in India, a method, which is used to add more shimmer to diamonds. ‘We have the latest in drilling and milling including CNC and Electrofusion. Without CAD we can’t produce so many designs. We are able to feed in designs through CAM and get quicker results with lesser number of workers – in short more productivity with lesser man power is possible only with technology,’ adds K Srinivasan. From a humble beginning of 6 employees, Emerald Jewel Industry now has almost 4000 employees, thanks to a highly technology-oriented scaling.

Adding to the gamut of technologically savvy companies is Derawala Industries, one of the biggest exporters of gold jewellery in India, with a manufacturing unit spread over 25,000 sq-ft in Jaipur. Well equipped with Italian and German machinery, Derawala’s unit has Computer Numeric Control (CNC) machines that help in crafting complex designs that are manually impossible. The company is also known for manufacturing different kinds of chains as it is home to almost 300 chain-making machines, which are capable of creating more than six varieties of chains. Apart from this, the manufacturing unit is also home to stamping, tubing, casting and mesh-jewellery making machines.

Mumbai-based Uma Ornaments is known for manufacturing beautiful diamond jewellery in its 5000 sq-ft facility that houses around 200 professionals, which include designers who are adept in CAD and highly skilled craftsmen. ‘Technology has been of great help when it comes to jewellery manufacturing The Power of Technology

Let’s face it, jewellery making is labour intensive. Even a completely mechanised set up, demands a sizeable amount of manpower. Traditionally, a piece of jewellery first had to be cast in a thickness that is always more than what is required to achieve a certain amount of precision and intricacy. The piece would then be grinded to the desired thickness. More often than not, the process was extremely time consuming, causing the lead time to be long not to mention the wastage of material, add to that heavy production costs. Handmade jewellery is also heavier and bulky. By embracing a tech-oriented approach, one is not only able to lower manufacturing costs considerably but also create very intricate designs in an accurate manner.

Over time, the demand for light weight, wearable jewellery escalated, hence paving way to innovation and advent of techniques such as CAD and 3D Printing, CNC milling machines, laser engraving machines, finishing and polishing machines and more. CAD along with 3D Printing has revolutionized the jewellery industry in many ways. Earlier, when a retailer wanted to place a custom order for a piece of jewellery, the jewellery was designed as per the specifications and the preferences of the buyer. The piece would then be painstakingly hand carved and welded together. The original parts were even sculpted in wax using hands. Cut to the advent of CAD, now manufacturers are able to render a 3D digital piece of the jewellery piece. The 3D Printer produces a thermoplastic wax mold of the jewellery piece. Metal is poured onto the mold and et voila, a figment of imagination comes alive. A piece that would ideally go through days in production cycle hardly takes 12-14 hours to complete. With CAD and 3D Printing, the buyer can be a part of the entire process too, not to mention the level of customization that can be offered to the him.

Engraving, welding, sawing and cutting were part of the arduous process of making jewellery, all of which are slowly replaced by laser machines. Laser technology has gone through a sea of changes and now with a few simple steps, a laser machine can weld, cut and decorate jewellery. The advent of laser has also given rise to new product development. Laser machines also make it possible to microscopically engrave unique identification numbers onto diamonds to prevent duplication.

Lightweight jewellery on the other hand wouldn’t have been possible without the initiation of Electroforming which helps manufacturers create lightweight yet durable pieces of gold jewellery. A 3D design is electroplated with a thick layer of gold (or any other metal) that takes the shape and details of the mandrel. The mandrel is removed leaving the piece hollow. The whole process takes place in an electroforming bath, which uses specially formulated gold electrolytes. With electroforming, jewellery can be created in various caratages. Hollow pieces can be crafted in complex designs and a vast quantity of pieces can be produced in a cost-effective manner.

in our country. With the help of technology we are able to compete with any country when it comes to quality, design and finish. Add to that, cheap labour and infra cost, which have enabled us to provide the best at the most competitive prices ,’ says Sumit Kamalia, Founder, Uma Ornaments. From CAD/CAM, laser machines for better finish to tools for metal texturing and multicoloured metal plating for enameling, the manufacturing unit has it all. ‘We spend almost 2 per cent of our turnover in buying the latest technology and equipment,’ he adds.

Last year, fine jewellery designer Priti Bhatia launched her state-of-the-art manufacturing unit, which she proudly says is in par with international manufacturing workshops. ‘I did research from scratch literally with a pen and paper. I would go to each and every stall at jewellery exhibitions and find out about the equipment before setting up my unit. I think research is extremely important. I even had a consultant who helped in deciding what technology I should employ in my unit.’ According to her, the charm of handcrafted jewellery can’t be replicated by machine, but when it comes to speed and accuracy, machines are indispensible. ‘People who have incorporated technology in their production value chain are obviously more advanced. Of course, handcrafted jewellery has its own charm, it cannot be replicated using machine. But when you talk about producing many numbers of the same piece, it is not possible without technology. There is only so much the human hands are capable of. I have travelled the world looking for the best technology for my manufacturing unit and there is a technology even for microsetting these days, a process that is only done by hands ,’ adds Priti. Speaking about her manufacturing unit in Surat, Priti adds, ‘I have a completely state-of-the-art manufacturing unit in Surat and I am proud to say that the kind of technology I am employing is in par with the international standards. I am manufacturing export quality jewellery for the domestic market. I use EnvisionTEC, which is a very advanced 3D Printer, even its resin gives a very good burnout. I am also of the opinion that if you are using advanced technology you must also use good quality materials. I use Matrix CAD software and I have a very good casting machine which is both manual and automated. Every material we use is of superior quality, to ensure our workers’ safety as well.

While many manufacturers rely on machine made jewellery, Laxmi Jewellery Export uses both karigars and machines to make their jewellery. Umang Mehta, Laxmi Jewellery Export, feels that a combination of the two gives him a competitive edge over the others. ‘We cater to the domestic market, and using machine helps us in increasing production capacity as well fine tuning the quality, that can’t be achieved with hands. Machine obviously has its advantages – it definitely helps us increase the production capacity, speed, accuracy – with minimum manual interference. But the fineness we want can only be achieved by our skilled karigars ,’ adds Umang. Laxmi Jewellery Export has two manufacturing units, one in Ahmedabad and one in Mumbai, with over 1200 craftsmen under its umbrella. ‘We extensively use CAD and 3D Printers, as it helps us customize jewellery and we get our different parts using casting. We even have 3D Printers that help us customize our jewellery. Most of our equipment is from Turkey, Germany and Italy,’ he adds.

Surat based Enshine is known for its exquisite jewellery with intricate workmanship, which is all created by machine. ‘If one has to compete in the international market, they have to be adept with the latest technology. In my factory, I have the latest equipment, end-to-end. From waxing, casting to finish and polishing, I have all the machines. I have casting machine worth 48 lakhs, and nobody in Surat still has that casting machine,’ he adds. Speaking on the advantage of CAD, Anil says, ‘CAD is one of the most important tools in jewellery manufacturing. I have not yet invested in 3D Printer but CAD aids in perfection and the output is lightweight and delicate. With CAD I can save 20- 30 per cent gold.’ Even with technology, the thirst to research and innovate is very important. ‘Some people use CNC machine to craft diamond jewellery, but I don’t do that. I use CAD to create diamond jewellery because I think the extent of perfection I expect in a piece is achievable only through CAD. You may have all the equipment but at the end of the day, you have to do the research – someone might’ve sold a polishing machine to me, but how I use it is completely left to me, I may use in some other department too. So, with all the latest technology, one still has to innovate,’ he adds. Enshine’s awardwinning bird necklace wouldn’t have been possible without CAD. They used two different machines for polishing and to get the colours on the birds right, they used machines that could handle different chemicals.

Is the Indian Jewellery Industry Adept with Technology?

We are certainly getting there but we have a long way to go as compared to our competitors. One of the reasons we are lagging behind according to Anil Patel is because of our policies and the fact that the banks are not coming forward to fund jewellers. ‘Getting modern technology is also very expensive. To get ahead and stand a chance in the international markets, one has to adopt technology. But in India, what happens is, people are not able to get the funding to invest in technology. Thanks to the current situation and because of defaulters like Nirav Modi, even I am not getting funding from banks. So, how can we be up to date? ’ Priti feels the industry has some more work to do, ‘We are catching up for sure. China is ahead and Turkey is too advanced especially when it comes to gold. In my opinion, those who want to be successful and stand out from the crowd will want to use technology for sure.’ Sumit Kamalia is also of the opinion that India is lagging behind in staying ahead of the curve when it comes to technology.

‘Adopting technology has been relatively slow, but we are getting there. Business houses that have embraced technology are reaping benefits substantially. Hopefully, seeing the benefits, others would follow suit ,’ he adds. Only 30-35 per cent of the manufacturers are using machine, the remaining chunk still heavily rely on the skill of the karigars. ‘Less than 10 per cent of the companies use 3D Printing – a large chunk of manufacturers have no idea about the potential of 3D Printing. We are definitely lagging behind. For many years, India has been a hub for handcrafted jewellery. We have mastered the craft of handmade jewellery but in machine-made jewellery, we still have to catch up with the West. Our karigars still believe in handwork, so until and unless we change their mindset we will lag behind. We still have 5-7 years to get there ,’ he adds. However, K Srinivasan is of the opinion that India is far ahead when compared to China, ‘In my opinion, we are far ahead of China when it comes to adopting cutting-edge manufacturing equipment. When compared to Turkey, we are behind in some areas. A lot of Italian companies have invested in Turkey, and naturally they brought their expertise with them to Turkey.

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