Electrical Research and Development Association (ERDA), registered under the Society’s Act and Public Trust, was formed under the Charity Commissioner of Maharashtra as a not-for-profit professional organisation. The Electrical industries and some Utilities promoted it with support from Govt. of India through CSIR and a grant given by the Government of Gujarat. ERDA was established at Vadodara on land provided by the Gujarat government free of cost and served the small-scale industries as a premium R&D institution for the development and improvement of their products as per market requirements.
With vast experience in the field, ERDA’s R&D team is well versed with the current trends of the markets and the gaps it intends to fill with its developed technologies. DC charging for electric vehicle application, Smart solar inverter, Thermal load monitoring of distribution transformer using hotspot temperature evaluation, a self-powered wireless thermal sensor for LV bus bar temperature monitoring application, etc., are some of the technologies developed by ERDA that can add value to the electrical equipment manufacturing industries. These technologies that are available for commercialisation are designed keeping in mind the requirements of ERDA’s MSME customer base.
ERDA also caters to individual customer requests to customise technologies as per the challenges faced by the customer. An example of this technology is the design and analysis request for a 3 phase induction motor for a two-wheeler e-vehicle application. Space limitation was one of the most significant factors to be considered while designing this motor. Compacting a massive amount of power in a small frame of the motor became the challenge here. ERDA’s in-house team used multiple simulation combinations to design a motor with a 90.5 % rated efficiency 0.91 rated power factor. An MSME customer, who availed this service from ERDA for designing 2 AC motors. They have shared their pleasant experience as “the in-depth knowledge of the R&D team well supported our innovative motor design in both the designing and testing requirements.”
True to its premises, ERDA encourages the MSME sector to develop new products and evaluate the performance of these products informally through development tests. Apart from the research and development services ERDA also caters to the power and secondary electrical testing requirements of the MSME sector. Mechanical, Insulating and key calibration facilities are also provided at subsidised rates for the small scale manufacturing industries. Apart from the above, ERDA supports small-scale industries, with an annual turnover of less than 5 Crores, by providing an additional 5% discount on its regular in-house testing charges. ERDA also offers its varied membership programme for its regular customers, which entitles them to various benefits like sharing results of its R&D activities and further discounts on in-house testing charges. ERDA provides a 40% discount on its regular testing charges for developmental tests to its Members. These subsidised rates enable MSME companies to maintain quality in their products and services with least expenses. Another MSME customer that availed services for Insulator simulation tests, quoted, “ERDA’s services have always been beneficial to validate the supplier’s product before export.”
While the country is battling the adversity of the ongoing pandemic, the economy is also suffering its harsh brunt. The government has constantly been reforming policies to support and strengthen the precarious condition. With campaigns like ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Make in India’ taking charge of our economy, the most significant employment contributing sector of MSME has taken centre stage. ERDA is appreciative of the support entrusted by the MSME’s who are the growth accelerators of the Indian Economy. ERDA aims to keep contributing persistently towards the quality improvement and development of new products for the MSME sector.
