Atlas Copco: Bringing Up Water to Rural India
In India’s cities and villages, drinking and irrigation water can be difficult to access. Infrastructure across villages may not be up to date or well managed, and the nearest distribution site may require travel or, in the case of truck deliveries, waiting in line. Furthermore, many households rely on several sources of for their water, both public and private.
Experts say there are many reasons behind India’s water challenges. But one solution has been to drill more wells in rural areas. That’s where Atlas Copco comes in with its line of water well drilling equipment.
The TH 10 drill modules sit on the back of trucks that can travel on rugged roads. Sold worldwide, Atlas Copco water well drills are perfect for small- to medium-sized projects in rural villages. The drills can create a hole up to about a foot (314 mm) in diameter, and reach aquifers 1000 feet (304 m) below the surface.
And even with these small portable systems, technicians can use sophisticated mud pump systems as they drill. A mud pump pushes water and gel into the hole as the equipment drills. The pump action then pulls up the excess earth and deposits it in a pit, while the gel seals the well walls, preventing collapse.
Atlas Copco, designs and manufactures its self-contained drilling systems from its Nasik, India location. With 50 employees, the drilling division (ADS) creates 50 to 60 rigs a year says Shivanand Bhat, system support engineer.
To design and configure its drilling systems, Atlas Copco uses PTC Creo Parametric and PTC Creo View. Recently, it’s also implemented PTC Windchill PDMLink.
PTC Creo Parametric provides engineers with the standard in 3D CAD software, featuring state-of-the-art productivity tools that promote best practices in design, while ensuring compliance in the industry.
PTC Creo View helps people inside and outside the company view and interrogate designs with high-performing, easy-to-use visualizations.
PTC Windchill PDMLink helps keep data organized and processes moving. “In the past, when a key person didn’t come into work, nothing happened. The work didn’t get done,” says Bhat. “PTC Windchill PDMLink workflow gives us the capability to track everything online and reassign the signoff task to alleviate the roadblock. It lists all the engineering changes, who has to sign off or approve, and exactly where all the packages are at any time.”
Bhat says the results have been good. In fact, revenues at Atlas Copco were up 40% in 2012.
To find out more about how PTC Creo is participating in India’s fast-growing economy, click here. To learn more about Atlas Copco, and its commitment to bringing water to the world, check out the corporate history video:
