October 1993
Sat 16th
Taken by Malcolm to Heathrow. Picked up ticket from BA and caught the flight BA139 to Bombay. Left on time 22.15hrs in window seat as promised (21K).
Sun. 17th
Arrived on time, 11.30hrs. local. First problem - wrong disembarkation form given to us on the plane so had to fill in forms again! Then waited like a lemon until nearly all the bags were off the carousel before finding someone had already removed it and bunged among a heap of others similarly mis-treated. Next had an interesting 30 minutes or so with customs getting a re-export visa for this toy - I dont think they could make up their minds what category it came under since it wasnt a video camera!
All was now well and a Dr Chatterjee (not AKC) was there to meet me, frantically waving his ACC placard thinking he had missed me as I was practically the last one out. Freezing when I left London into a muggy 34 C Bombay afternoon.
Brought straight to the CRS Campus at Thane and installed in the Guest House. All the creature comforts and two manservants told off to cater for my every whim. All very well but a bit difficult to cope with trying to go to the loo without attendant assistance!
Met and had dinner with Mr Cursetji who is to head up the new advanced materials laboratory and had an interesting discussion with him regarding his ideas of policy and progress. Easy to work with and appears to have very similar ideas to my own. Much tireder than I thought slept soundly.
Mon. 18th
Started at 09.00hrs. in Mr Cursetji's boss's (Mr Page) office joined by Dr AK Chatterjee and carted off to the library for a presentation. First, a video of the current activities and capabilities of CRS - a very impressive documentary which, having been round the site again today, I have no difficulty in believing. I am going to try to obtain a copy on loan to bring back.
I was presented with a caucus of four engineers as a basis for the ferrite work, presumably for my approval, Dr Chatterjee, Materials Scientist; Mr Tushar Bhuta, Chemical Engineer responsible for Pilot Plant processing development; RM Anklekar, currently heavily involved in advanced dielectric materials, mainly Barium Titanates, Zirconia and ultra pure Alumina; S Krishnan another Material Scientist who will be the Lab. Superintendent.
All good keen lads who appear, at this early stage at least, to be very easy to work with. The overwhelming impression is that they have been told to bare their souls to me tell me everything so that I might make a favourable report and proposal for the development and long term growth of magnetic and dielectric materials RD&P.
Their is no point in listing all the labs and pilot plants I saw today as I have asked Them to provide me with a list. Naturally everything is cement biased but the techniques available are impressive! The arrangements are for me to go to Calcutta tomorrow afternoon ; work at Kalyani all day Wednesday and return either that night or on Thursday.
Then they are arranging for me to meet the Professor at the Bombay Institute of Science and Technology to be briefed by him on the state of Materials Science in India; following this I am to meet the Directors of the principal Defence establishments at Pune and Hyderabad and another company called Morris(?) - all with a view to deciding how I saw the broad Microwave Market in India. Various other visits and interviews might still be added.
It has only just struck me, having written down the impression of today's activities, the enormity of the task I have before me and what appears to me to be it's strategic importance to ACC's future aspirations! GOD HELP ME.
Tues. 19th
Being looked after by a manservant is quite exhausting! He is so helpful - I cant turn round without him insisting on wanting to do something for me - but I am bearing up manfully under the strain! Started as before 09.00hrs in Mr Page's office searching for Mark's fax and persuaded them it wasn't a good idea to wake him up at 04.30hrs.
Discussed idly yesterday's activities; cleared up a mis-understanding that he wanted me to list out my findings when he really only wanted me to list out what I wanted his chaps to prepare for me while I was in Calcutta and then went off with Cursetji, Krishnan Anklekar and Chatterjee to see the last two areas of the complex.
The first turned out to be the pilot plant for catalysts (in particular for cutting down emissions from two-stroke engines which contribute to 80% of the pollution in Bombay i.e. 1500 tonnes a day). The technique appears to be quite interesting and involves a gelling stage which yields very small and very controlled particles which may well be useful in making ferrites and since they have all the equipment anyway it will be no problem to utilise it.
The last was the area where they have a pilot plant which can treat up to 7 tonnes a day of dolomite in some kind of double treatment which reduces in some way very considerably the energy required to make dolomite cement. A bit out of our size league so I couldn't work up much enthusiasm but I am sure it didn't shew! We, Krishnan, Anklekar, Chatterjee (not AK) and I, repaired to the library to discuss what I wanted them to prepare for me while I was swanning off to Calcutta.
Agreed a list of equipments and the respective team leaders whom I had met would be a good start. We also discussed space and equipment and location for the new laboratory and it emerged that Krishnan had been instructed to make sure that not only I had every facility I might request but that he had also to make sure that all the facets of Dr Ganguly's specification were covered. To this end we discussed Bangalore which had been mentioned and it appeared that there may well be good reasons for me to suggest that this may be a good site as it is both central to the Indian Microwave Industry and has a temperate climate.
Krishnan is convinced that this is why Ganguly suggested it in the first place and has gone off to try and arrange the appropriate people and presentations to be made to me on my tour. So on my return from Calcutta the touring may well have increased from the Bombay Institute of Technology, Prof. Katni, followed by Pune and Hyderabad to include Bangalore and Nagpur. Calcutta has now been increased to include an extra day anyway. Saw AKC at lunch responded to his insistence for first impressions by saying that I was highly optimistic and enthusiastic.
Got organised by George, my man, and caught the 17.00hrs flight to Calcutta in the company of Mr Cursetji who deposited me at the Taj Bengal while he had been cosseted elsewhere having remarked in passing to me that the Taj was probably the best hotel in India - I am not disagreeing. Had an interesting discussion in the car from Dum Dum with Cursetji about exothermic catalytic reactions which could lead to revolutionary low energy fast calcining of materials and maybe even elementless high temperature furnaces! More perhaps later.
Had invitation under the door from the General Manager of the Taj to join him for cocktails tomorrow evening almost as soon as I arrived and the receptionist knew me by name when I ordered room service dinner. I dont know what is going on but I shall enjoy it while it lasts. The flight was uneventful but full, no downright crowded and we arrived at the hotel about 21.00hrs. and have arranged to be picked up by Sinha at 08.00hrs. tomorrow to go to Kalyani so I had better get some shuteye now.
Wed. 20th
It is now 22.40hrs. I have just got back and ordered dinner and I was picked up by Sinha at 08.00hrs. this morning! Haven't I had a busy day? Well I have and it has been interesting in many ways and yes, the journey to Kalyani has not become shorter or mundane.
Let me explain. I was picked up just before time and we set off to collect Cursetji who was at another hotel and that took three attempts to find and then we were really off. The road as far as DumDum is very much improved from last year being dual carriageway most of the way - but that only means that more people can occupy it and it only appears you are going faster. The journey took over two hours including an argument with a bus which insisted in backing into us and pushing us back the odd few yards, no harm done except to tempers as we were in a 4x4 with a substantial bumper.
The return journey in the dark was even more a nightmare because you cant see the potholes for one thing - and when we reached the dual carriageway everything stopped and it then took us 90 minutes to go the next couple of miles - three lanes on a two lane road with a three inch gap to the next vehicle of ANY size ALL round. Nevertheless we did not actually touch anything and we are all back safe and sound and now, having fed well, its midnight and I am ready to try and chronicle what we managed to do at Kalyani!
Most of the familiar faces were there and after a very brief introduction we, Cursetji and I, were whisked off view the process from scratch. Not my brief but I did not argue. It became quite interesting because all the problems started pouring out especially after I started questioning every step of their process and how they thought they were maintaining control.
They are not fools as we recognised last year but they can be called enthusiastic amateurs. Their troubles are basically teething ones and I persuaded them to give us samples from various stages of the process to take back to Thane and Lincoln to look at.
Very urgently they need a vital piece of equipment - an OPTICAL MICROSCOPE. The usual all sorts of equipment but missing out the one critical item. Without going into detail, because it is late, they have problems with the quality and price of raw materials; presintering appears to me to have question mark over it since the Mg/Zn needs 1120deg C and the Mn/Zn needs over 1080deg C; there may be slurry tank agglomeration giving rise to inconsistency; spray drier gives odd results from time to time which is no surprise; free-flowing spray dried powder doesn't also now and then; tools basically look competently made but they have not been properly demagnetised; some polishing, though good, has been rubbed the wrong way; I showed them how to crack yoke rings properly which has really boosted my standing; colour TV yokes pressed quite well but tool has never been dimensionally proved in it's own right and have been fired on their own purpose made saggers and they are oval - 2 mins with a vernier proved the saggers at fault, they had been struggling for months and given up; pressing cracking is occurring but it could be from anywhere so we have samples to take back and look at; firing is odd at times and can they put everything down the same profile - I suggested they selected by weight and carried out experiments to determine the range; saggers were a problem with sticking so suggested an alumina wash instead of scattered spheres; they need a lubricant and bacteriostat in their grinding fluid; suggested blister/vacuum packing for their product which they could do for themselves; testing and material quality control though perfectly competent, is not adequate or stringent enough especially at this early stage of their understanding of the art;
I think moisture is playing a part in their troubles but I can't pinpoint where at this moment. I had input at every stage; they need more materials (types) presented properly developed by ACC so I now think our tech. transfer should be to ACC with consultancy input to Kalyani till we get ACC up to standard then take royalty in exchange for buyback.
It is now 01.45hrs and Sinha is coming for me at 09.00hrs to discuss marketing and Salt Lake.
Thurs. 21st
Well it is now midnight and I am back in the RCD guest house in Bombay having been picked up by Sinha as promised at 09.00hrs; had a short discussion with him about yesterday; booked out of the Taj with a bath robe (which I bought from them); picked up Cursetji and went to Sinha's office for our marketing discussion and general wash-up from yesterday; half way through had to indulge a bout of Delhi belly or Calcutta gut if you prefer!
But Nursey's pills did a grand clogging job and I was even able to enjoy a light lunch. We then visited ERTL for a grand tour and then dropped off at DumDum for our flight with a couple of hours to kill and the flight was nearly an hour late as well.
There is quite a lot of technical input to address from today but I am just too whacked especially as I am expected in Page's office bright eyed and bushy tailed by 09.00hrs. I have to set the 'team' going with some investigative work on the samples we brought back from Kalyani and then gird my loins ready to make intelligent noises with Professor Katni of the Bombay Institute who, Cursetji assures me, is India's leading authority on matters ferrite and with a formidable international reputation.
We can but do our best I'll try nodding wisely while listening intently.
Fri. 22nd
Well 09.00hrs. saw me in the office as required dosed to the gunwales with a sample of all my pills and feeling not too happy. They did the trick and I have steadily improved all day and I have just eaten a hearty dinner and now it is time to chronicle the day's events.
My first meeting was with M.A. Purohit the General Manager of the SFO plant at Falta. He had come especially to see me and expressed sorrow at my not going to Falta as he hoped! He is most anxious to know about the potential markets for a really good ferric oxide.
I helped him all I could but said that I felt that if he did not have a substantial Indian market for his output then his best hope was for a distributor or two used to moving 50+ tonnes per lot and who would be prepared to stock sufficient material to service JIT customers. We discussed specifications and prices in some detail and I wound up advising him that the best chance he had in capturing the market because of the enormous cost in evaluating a new supplier was for him to aim for a <50 ppm Si grade at no more than $450 per tonne. I said I might have some further information for him on my return if the queries I initiated have matured to answers.
Page then proceeded to inform me of the programme for the next few days. Tomorrow I'm free with a car and a driver to go where I will in Bombay - so Neil, Aleya and Prof here I come. Sunday 08.00hrs. Page picks me up to drive to Pune (pronounced Poona) to enjoy the beauties of a hill station ready to visit Morris's (?) who is a rival soft ferrite and component manufacturer and I am to be introduced as a visiting lecturer to RCD because they would not let ACC in alone!
Then back late Monday night to be ready to catch the 07.00hrs flight to Hyderabad to meet the defence procurement supremo to discuss the future of ferrite materials in general and their perceived needs to meet their own requirements. Back to base late on Tuesday night unless we hear we have to proceed to Bangalore as well in which case we wont be back till Thursday.
Krishnan, Anklekar and I departed post haste to the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. It is a vast establishment behind a guarded perimeter housing and catering for ALL the needs of the population of 25,000. I didn't just have one Prof to deal with I had THREE! All with international reputations viz. Prof CM Srivastava, Prof MJ Patni, Dr Venkatramani, Dr Bahadur and Prof Om Prakash (who spent 30 interminable minutes detailing his CV so that I could recommend him to ACC for a job in the new Materials lab.)
Far from being able to sit back and listen intently I was put on the spot and found myself having to present a lecture to the assembled academia on my ferrite experiences. I think I have done too good a job because Patni immediately invited me present the same lecture to the assembled Institute on my next visit to Bombay!
This is Durga Puja and a very special holiday to government bodies so we were honoured by the time we were given and Patni himself took me to see the principal facilities in his department. The equipment was good but nothing to spare and covered in a universal grime even in a clean room. They can do all the fundamental parameter measurements necessary to characterise ferrites and dielectrics but I fear for their pragmatism. Academically Patni and Srivastava and their students (all post-grads) deserve their high reputation I have no doubt.
Had a late lunch, which stayed down happily, and then got caught up the puja here in which they insisted I took part. Puja is the most holy festival of the Hindu - all the labs are cleaned down and all the pieces of equipment are ritually marked. Each lab is then blessed by paying homage to the equipment which has functioned for the people over the past year. I was also honoured by being invited to make an offering to their main shrine at the time office.
Not more to say for today but I finished up spending a couple of hours setting MY ferrite team to examining and evaluating the samples we brought back from Kalyani ready to discuss on my return from my travels.
There is only one thing wrong with Puja - the tom-toms beat tunelessly and insistently till about 02.00 every night in a sort of fairground just outside the campus compound!!
Sat. 23rd
Not much to say about my day off except that I enjoyed very much being with Aleya, Mitali and Neil. The car was here as promised at 08.30hrs. and I left as promised at 09.00hrs. and arrived at Saranath at 10.00hrs. We talked, had lunch when Neil came and then Aleya and I went out to sight see and buy saris etc. Back to tea and a cake Mitali had baked for her mother's birthday today! In the evening when Neil got back from work we went to the club all together for dinner. I dropped them off back at the house and came back to my guest house. Delib watered me and I sent him scurrying off to find my safari jacket which I need to take with me tomorrow. Hope I can be ready for Page by 08.00hrs!
Sun. 24th
George has let me down - no safari jacket, he couldn't get it back from the laundry at midnight on a Saturday! Made do with what I had and Page and I set off at a cracking pace at 08.30hrs. Cursetji was lying in wait for me before this asking for passport details so that he can arrange the return journey on Sunday arriving at Heathrow on Monday at about 06.00hrs. - maybe!
I have now established the programme as far as Wednesday PM when we are due to see Ganguly and Shenoy at Cement House. So tomorrow it is the Pune visit to Morris and perhaps also to NCL; back to Thane probably very late and off again at 07.00hrs on Tuesday to see the bigwigs of the Government of India RD&P establishments i.e. the Director and down.
The trip to Pune was marvellous; the roads remarkably good considering what I have been used to in Calcutta and Bombay. Half way up over the top of the first set of ghats we stopped at a watering hole where we had tea and a Dosa Masalla (south Indian dish) which Page insisted upon despite the fact that I was in no mood for more food - this has gone on all day with lunch at 13.30, tea at 18.00 followed at 21.00 with dinner - his excuse is that is our weekend so enjoy! I noticed him hanging back so I rebelled and reduced my intake too.
Pune is a wonderful place, relatively well laid out with two and three wheeler traffic predominating. The town is spread out on a vast plain which I think is about 3000ft up with hills all round it rising up another 500 to 1000ft. The weather being pleasantly warm even when it rained quite heavily tonight.
Page has been brought up here and is rightly very fond of the place and arranged to meet his mentor who retired from ACC last year and is now consulting with them and others, a Dr AV Deo a delightful chap a bit in Kalyan Basu's mould. He took us out to a large cult complex where the devotees all go around in red kurtis, totally cosmopolitan. We couldn't have the quick tour but we did see the garden they had laid out, beautifully done with literally hundreds of common and exotic plants and species. The only thing that gave me pause was a notice which said 'Watch out for Snakes'!
We talked a bit about using a catalytic reaction to power a fluidised bed for calcining ferrites Page wasn't too convinced until Deo supported what I was saying. One up to me.
I need to be in the lobby at 08.45hrs tomorrow and this is the first night I have a chance of going to bed the same day in which I arose so that is where I am going.
Mon. 25th
Made it with 5 minutes to spare. Departed post haste to NCL to pick up Dr Deo to take him with us to Morris Electronics Limited, MEL for short. Arrived early, hung around for some minutes before presenting ourselves. Was met by Mr Saraf, VP Business Development. He was reasonable and gave us a short presentation of his Company's position and a brochure. In essence 2400TPA hard ferrite and we think about 60TPA of soft ferrite with a Rs.35Cr pa and 600 employees.
Then Mr Tilloo, MD, came in just as I was about to start my presentation. Cold suspicion ousing out of every pore. His only contribution was to establish what we could do for them! Told him shortly that we could collaborate, develop special materials and consult - good I will try to remember. Oh I see you are really just a research unit - yawn -look at watch - gaze around.
If I had been on my own I would have walked out without another word. I stuck it out for Page's and Deo's consideration and battled on. By the time he had finished he had mellowed a little and seemed interested in RCD's capability in furnace design and refractories. He only agreed for Saraf to shew us the 'hard' facility. The process is almost identical to that at Kalyani but on a bigger scale - They make pellets which they proceed to sinter at a temperature slightly higher than the final fire.
Comment then was that the pellets were very hard and they had to go to a three stage grinding operation to reduce the particle size to 1 micron (?) That part of the operation was glossed over as was the powder preparation for dry pressing. Slurry pressing was referred to as an agitated suspension of 60:40:: Solids:Liquid mud. Filter pressing in a field, the water being pressed out and sucked away by vacuum. The filter was kept clean by putting a fresh piece of paper as an intermediate each time - only works because of the blotting paper nature of the paper here. Nevertheless a clever idea.
They design their own press, grinding and firing tools shewing an obvious flair and strength. All Hitachi compositions who own 40% equity in the Company. Quietly ushered out on our way. I'm glad I saw an alternative to ACC if only to appreciate how much better they are as customers and colleagues!
Had lunch and then went with Deo to pick up some magic MnO (stabilised!) and a tour round the characterisation department of NCL by Dr Date the Deputy Director. The equipment he has is nothing short of wonderment. In the eight labs or so he took us into they each had upward of £1M worth of gear - TEM, SEM, TGA,DTA,EDAX and variants, Mossbaur, MNR, std. LCR, std Magnet, Lasers and Spectrophotometers of all shades - and is happy to carry out any material characterisation at a very modest cost according to Page.
Left as arranged at 16.30hrs for a beautiful run back down the ghats etc. and should have been in by 20.00hrs. All was beautiful until it got dark and we were almost all the way down the mountain. Then we hit a traffic jam which our driver proceeded to circumvent any which way but up. I suppose he gained a bit of space and we appeared to be moving.
Then just as the jam cleared and we were entering New Bombay his headlights went. Imagine if you will pitch black roads, heavy lumbering lorries going past in all directions, many with no lights either, and a potholed road up to your armpits. Quite interesting! But we were in by 21.20hrs. Tickets all set for our trip to Hyderabad leaving here at 07.00hrs. Santa Cruz airport where Page will be there to meet me. Back tomorrow night by 20.00hrs if I'm lucky. It also seems that I am due to return by Indian Airways on Sunday in the company of Cursetji arriving at 04.00hrs. Monday morning! I wonder how that is going to go down with whoever offers to pick me up! Bed again the same day - twice running!
Tues. 26th
Up at 06.00hrs. away at 07.00hrs. and in a car at Hyderabad at 10.00hrs. Page and I were taken to the ACC office in the twin city of Secunderabad. How the hell you tell the difference is beyond me - it seems that it all depends which side of the lake you are. The cities are built round a huge lake; the streets are wide and well metalled; potholes are rare; traffic lights abound and the driving populace almost obey them! The ACC office is to be found at the ACC roundabout and fountain - where else! Every time I go to a new city the residents claim that their city can boast the worst drivers! So far Hyderabad have the best I've seen.
We were ushered into the manager's office (R Venkatramani) and 10 mins later S Sundaram, Director of DERL, and SL Badnikar. Sundaram is responsible for approving any and all materiel bought by the defence establishments. If he has not approved they dont get it. He is probably about three years my junior but is widely travelled - has been to Baddow; knows Sonia Maxwell and uses her write up in the Marconi Review as their bible in magnetic measurements; had met John Penney and had been to Billericay in 1978/9. I gave him my now familiar presentation followed by discussion of samples to their delighted interest. SS promptly told Page that he had to be given enough warning of my next visit so that he can organise the appropriate clearances for me to lecture to Indian Defence Establishments (much along the same lines as IIT last week).
In the meantime they want catalogues and data of all sorts e.g. Multilayer Ceramics - all about them; our Microwave products catalogue and especially ALL OUR MATERIALS; HEMT, PHFET (mmWave); what work are we doing in modelling ferrite components; how do we measure effective permeabilities (perhaps DGS can contact on this); provide information on the technicalities of metallising Ferrite substrates (thin film, Phil Skinner) and above all any catalogue information. SS commented that Marconi blotted their copybook for a while in the 70's by supplying something to Pakistan - but that is now all in the past.
HOWEVER, we will continue to fail if we do not service our customer and put the time and effort into it. This point was made ever so delicately but the message was very clear. The business is there but you have to go for it and work at before and after sales. Many other companies are doing quite well; they import heavily and there is plenty of room for more suppliers.
Had lunch and rushed round to our next visit which turned out to be to Flic Microwaves PVT Ltd. where we met Sukumar Pradhan the MD. Gave a truncated version of my presentation and sample discussion. Caught his attention and he would like us to quote for standard blocks and triangular blocks at the rate of 50 to 60 per quarter. They want to do the cutting and grinding. Special interest in CVG's but is more than interested in our narrow linewidth In's. Hence needs all the paperwork we can lay hands on.
The other area of main interest is DRO's, CRO's and filters and this appears to be at the start of their programme - so, as SS says, the job is up for grabs. Get bumf and samples in fast. TT has put out a filter design sheet Publ. No. 50030200/210 - get it. These are nice people to work with in marked contrast to yesterday's mob.
Page had wanted us to visit a museum here but we all talked too much so I missed my chance this time round. Caught Jet Air flight 452 - back in the Guest house by 21.00hrs. and the usual fight with George. Phoned, by insisting, KBL for W6 composition and MH for presentation papers. Now 01.00hrs and so to slumber land ready for my visit to Ganguly and Shenoy p.m.
Wed. 27th
Up late for me at 07.30hrs. but still had time to spell check this document and print it off. The print routine worked well but the print quality on the 5th and 6th pages has fallen off. I've only printed about 12 pages so I hope that that is not the print capacity of the bubble jet cartridge. In with Page by 09.15hrs. Found Keith's fax and set Krishnan on his way to finding the ways and means to make some ferrite blocks by Saturday. Gave him a procedure and he and the others scurried off to get started. We nearly tripped at the first hurdle when they could not lay hands on some suitable rust. However, a reasonable material came to light and I now hope all is on the way.
Page and I had an early lunch and were on our way to the presence - Ganguly would be mortified to have himself described as such but, in fact, I was much more at ease than Page and Ganguly was quite charming as usual and solicitous for my welfare. He effectively re-affirmed his two letters as the expected specifications. He did, however, clarify his thoughts on siting the activity and when I said that Thane for many reasons appeared a good choice he quickly urged caution and give more than due consideration to all the other possibilities i.e. be sure and not be over-influenced by vested site interests and provide him with an independent assessment.
Even to the extent that next trip I can make a much wider survey of the possibilities before making a final judgement. Page, I think, was impressed. I confirmed that he did want a market assessment as to whether I thought he should go for this area of diversification. A costed, detailed study may well be appropriate as part of the proposal but he will need some comfort words in the report. Verbally I said that I had no doubt that there was substantial business to be had but that I was going to have to go away and think of the justifications for my thoughts. A bit weak but, I think, sensible - he did say we would meet before I left so I will re-affirm then, my total belief in the work we are proposing.
Just as he was winding up our session I got in my point about what size of bite size chunks would not give him indigestion. This threw him briefly but he came up with the statement that he expected to lay out $1,000,000 for each of the next three years for the Advanced Materials Development Laboratory as specified with it's capability across the board in materials. In addition there would be other consultancy and other spin-off technology transfer opportunities. So there we have it a spend and a time-frame. Page was instructed that he was to provide me with the future expansion plans and the siting implications which he was to discuss with me so that I could have a true insight into the situation at RCD.
So that is part of tomorrow's work. I gave him my assessment of the Kalyani situation and that I had, I hoped, helped to put the colour TV yoke back on stream.
Next we went to have a short session with Shenoy (here again Page was not really at ease) and I went through what I thought of the Kalyani situation and we talked marketing which amounted to selling. I re-emphasised that the key to success had to be much lower raw material prices and ultimately to resource all of them from Indian resources. Promised to let him and Sinha have all my price up-dates which should be awaiting me on my return. All in all a very pleasant meeting and Page and I departed at 17.00hrs. only to return here by 18.45hrs.
Page and I had a brief un-winding chat during which I phoned Janice and got her to identify the presentation papers I wanted faxed to me. Which she did and I now hope are awaiting me on the machine.
Apparently I have another visit to look forward to viz. to naval research station here in Bombay as yet another input to the potential market trends in such ferrite and dielectric needs.
Well, this is the earliest yet - it is only 22.45hrs. and GOODNIGHT!
Thurs. 28th
09.00hrs. start as usual in Page's office (or cabin as they say here) looking for the fax that hasn't come. Spent most of the rest of the morning trying to find an alternative to vinamould and was carted around the bazaar talking to what passes here for an Engineers supply house. Open fronted glory hole approached across a 2' wide open sewer by means of a paving slab; enter and sit down in front of a desk with the proprietor sitting behind, totally hemmed in by his goods; a few scraps of paper in front of him and a telephone; we exchange pleasantries and try to explain our needs; PVC he understands but soft PVC - ney; then tries to palm us off with rubber sheet of all sorts until I suggested silicone rubber and he then proceeded to sell us (and there were three of us) the acetic window sealing compound and appropriate caulking gun; some extended discussion and the deal was sealed, paperwork done and having consumed a courtesy cool drink, Limca, we were free to go!
I've had great fun shewing them how adapt even in High Tech and we now have a rubbery mould which I hope will serve to press some matchboxes with the pre sintered powder they made in the W6 composition. The ball-milled powder looks very good and they are busy getting it characterised tomorrow and I will try and bring back with me copies of their results. It is looking good for us having a fired sample to bring back with me.
I was told this afternoon that the Director of the Naval Research Laboratory is coming to see me here at RCD at 09.30hrs. I presume to discuss the Indian Navy's needs for advanced materials and hopefully to be able to tell me how he views the future. I have two positions to address here; us to supply his needs through ACC as agents while we get them up to speed to fill the need indigenously. This is what Sudaram was suggesting, out of my hearing, to Page in Hyderabad who told me about it this morning. He only did it out of my hearing because he was not clear about the relationship with ACC and us - not surprisingly. Still let us see what develops tomorrow.
I was presented with my cheque for $4000 with due ceremony and duly signed for. I also received confirmation of the return flight - Sunday, AI135, depart 10.15hrs., arrive 14.45hrs. local time; phoned and told Joan only to be grumbled at for changing my mind!
Talked to Nigel after Janice phoned to say she was having great difficulty faxing my foils and I had tried to get back to her - communication is not easy here. He suggested that we might need some statistical information on the Defence budget requirements for materials from Sudaram so I wrote out a few direct questions, as we would ask them and tried them out on Page for size and reaction - he paled visibly because I asked him to put the questions for me, although he agreed that the information was a matter of public domain. He said that he had been at a seminar last year when most of the information I sought had been published in a pamphlet which he would let me have tomorrow, hoping, I suppose to stave off my being too crass.
Cursetji who is travelling back with me on Sunday to attend a six weeks course somewhere down Brighton way, wants me to arrange a visit to Stafford to talk about alumina and tape casting and to Harwell to talk about the environment among other things. Dr AK Chatterjee phoned from wherever he is in the world to demand my address and contact nos. so that when he is in London around 14/15th November he can contact me, for a chat I suppose. I have also just remembered that Dr Venkatramani wants confirmation Metals Research's present location.
The practical exercise I am doing with my four lads is a valuable one for me because I am beginning to appreciate some of the limitations these fellows are labouring under, many of which we take for granted, like vinamould or silcoset or paper or books (yes - books) or release agent or or or and all this amidst a plethora of sophisticated high tech tools we would give our back teeth for. They have all the best equipment but never quite make it for want of a bit of sticking plaster. Or is that a bit trite because, in fact, they are remarkably fine fellows and do very well despite everything.
To hell with philosophy it is half past ten and I am having another early night!
Fri. 29th
No early night tonight! I returned to Page's office at about 19.30hrs. after having been rushing round trying to get the W6 pressed and then trying to find a suitable furnace to fire it in which as you can imagine involves going into the hottest places bearing in mind that in the shade in a breeze is 34deg C with 90% RH, to find that he had organised for Prof. Srivastava from IIT to come to dinner tonight especially to talk to me about how he saw the ferrite and dielectric market in India. Awfully thoughtful of him. However, he, the Prof., is a very nice man and I have had a very enjoyable evening with him and Page, Cursetji, Krishnan and Amit Chatterjee.
The work content of what he said boiled done to; the material content of the defence budget in microwave ferrite materials alone amounted to Rs.10Cr or (£2M if you prefer approx.); there is no indigenous feed to this market; any indigenous source is automatically patronised when it appears; it is vital to have a component/application capability as a materials' supplier; there is a great need for advanced materials both raw and finished; go to it the market is there such a collaborative venture with ACC can't fail. At least, that appeared to be the message contained in all the circumlocutions.
Let us now return to the beginning of the day. With Page awaiting the arrival of the navy man, gave up and went to find the team and see how they were faring with the pre sintered powder. Just ready to take out of the furnace with a great debate going on about actually removing the tray from the box! So I took it out! Best looking powder I have seen for a long time. I had them take samples at every stage so I hope we will be inundated with results quite soon e.g. X-RFS, X-RD, SEM, EDAX, BET, DTA, TGA,particle size analysis, optical and thermal micro graphs and chemical analysis. I asked where they intended to fire our blocks they shewed me a pristine brilliant white 1750deg C; I insisted they found another which we did eventually!
The pressing was even more a pantomime; the silicone had not set fully so plan B; find a disc die; frantic hunting produced a 25mm one which I said might do at a pinch; so more searching producing a 50mm die which I approved; then we had the bright idea of using the 2" cube die in isostatics by half filling it with rubber; I have a photograph of the result so no more now; eventually had a moulding which I cut in half before firing, plus one disc. This practical exercise as I thought last night is very revealing - all the high tech facilities in the world but no paper, no wipes except handsfull of jute, no mould release, no Vaseline, no proper washing facilities - the little things we take for granted just do not seem to be around - it takes me back to the labs of the early 50's. Still with any luck I might yet bring a piece of the first ferrite made at RCD.
The principal visitor of the day was Dr Ramji Lal, Deputy Director, Naval Chemical and Metallurgical Laboratory, Tiger Gate, Bombay. Page took my questions of last night and put them to him obliquely and got the answer that the defence spending on materials, by way of imports, was Rs.1,500Cr last year and that if Krishnan visited him next week he might glean some information to our advantage! The main burden of his song was, however, that the navy was heavily into stealth and did, in fact, buy 10 tonnes last year (RAP is obviously important to them). See rest of my notes in my book for all the deal.
Cannot write any more - so off to bed at 01.15hrs.
Sat. 30th
It's 08.30hrs. and I have just remembered one of the most important things the Prof said last night viz. that there were THREE major areas of interest to ferrites and advanced ceramics Defence, Telecommunications AND Railways who were currently embarked on building among other things a communications and microwave infra-structure to encompass their 70,000 Km of track.
Page also gave me a list of requirements for the space programmes and , of course he needs his list back as I have never had it. So here goes: