Meerut-based Tonk & Associates turns Bharat into the exporter of strategically vital ultra high temperature wires used in Rockets, Missiles and Aeroplanes
The high and ultra-high temperature wires manufactured by his factory have an impressive array of customers. Just look at the names: Department of Atomic Energy, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), Institute of Plasma Research, Defence Electronics Application Laboratory, Electronics Corporation of India Ltd., Bharat Electronics Ltd. (BEL) and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL). The super speciality of these wires/cables is that they can withstand high to ultra-high temperatures (from 260 to 1,200 degree centigrade) without their insulation getting melted or the material inside getting affected.
“The wires are generally made from pure silver, silver coated copper or nickel coated copper. But for space applications, even gold or gold-plated copper is also used as raw material as gold is vacuum-resistant,” says Shri Surya Prakash Tonk, managing director of Tonk and Associates Pvt Ltd, the manufacturer of the wires. The thickness of the wires/cables ranges from 0.1 mm to 50 mm. The insulator used is poly tetra fluoro ethylene (PTFE). It withstands temperatures from minus 60 to more than a thousand degrees, whereas the PVC insulation used in ordinary wires develops cracks at sub-zero temperature and starts melting at above 80 degree.
Shri Tonk”s enterprise was established in 1980 and was second of its kind in the country, the first being Garg Associates set up in 1960″s at Ghaziabad by the late Shri Jag Mohan Garg. Shri Garg laid the foundation of high and ultra-high temperature wire/cable manufacturing in Bharat. Till then the products were only imported. As rockets, missiles and aeroplanes can”t do without these wires/cables, Garg who was an engineer working in USA, thought of returning to his motherland and pioneer production of this very important import substitute. Shri Tonk joined him as an employee, learned all the intricacies of the technology, and with Garg”s blessings and guidance started his own unit in Meerut.
With the optimum use of resources and labour force trained by him, Tonk”s unit is successful in not only meeting the requirement and specifications of defence and atomic establishments of the country, but is exporting wires/cables not just to the Gulf nations, Indonesia and Africa, but also to China, Taiwan, and European countries such as Germany, Sweden and UK also. “Our products are cheaper than those made in the so-called technologically advanced nations and no less in quality,” says Shri Tonk. “Only 50 years ago, Bharat was wholly dependent for these wires and cables on the western nations and had to pay through the nose to meet its pressing needs, now we are one up,” Tonk”s voice is full of a sense of national pride. With no compromise about the quality of his products, and an impeccable process of manufacturing adopted in his factory, he has been able to secure ISO 9001:2008 & 2015 certifications for his company.
It may be of interest for the readers to know that Shri Tonk is an RSS swayamsevak and is currently the Prant Sanghachalak. Not only that, the late Shri Jag Mohan Garg, from whom he learned everything in this line, was also the Prant and Kshetra Sanghachalak of RSS. — Ajay Mittal
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