Braithwaite & 110 Years of Structural Engineering Advancements

by Pratap Singh Blogger

Renowned for a bevy of wagon industry accomplishments, Braithwaite & Co. Ltd. forayed into India as an Indian subsidiary of a British company. In 1913, the company started its operations with structural steel works. At the time of its establishment, little did the bygone times realize that what commenced as a support to strengthen the crown's interests would progress to become one of India's prominent Public Sector Undertakings owned by the Ministry of Railways. In 1976, the company got incorporated as a wholly owned Government of India Undertaking. Since then, Braithwaite has continued to add feathers to its cap successfully. Renowned for their outstanding work in the manufacturing and construction industry, Braithwaite & Co. Ltd. is primarily engaged in engineering and consultancy services for the railway industry in India. In addition, the company has diversified its business operations by advancing into different verticals. In 2022, the business enterprise was conferred Miniratna-I status for collecting gigantic profits for three consecutive years.

Here is a brief account of how Braithwaite has contributed to India's structural engineering advancements and sustainable development.

1. Bridges

Headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal, Braithwaite commenced its operations in India by fabricating structural steel works. The feat that assisted the company to establish its presence in the Indian market was the construction of a pedestrian bridge across the river Sabarmati in Ahmedabad. After this project, there was no turning back for the company as it continued to emerge victorious by delivering constructional wonders over time. A few of the most acclaimed projects of Braithwaite & Co. Ltd. include Jubilee Bridge (West Bengal), Mahanadi Bridge (Orissa), Bally Bridge (West Bengal), Yamuna Bridge (Delhi), Ganga Bridge (Bihar), Sabarmati River Railway Bridge (Ahmedabad), Rupnarayan Bridge (West Bengal), Vidyasagar Setu (West Bengal), and others. A feat that deserves special mention is the construction of Howrah Bridge, an engineering marvel that is a chief chapter in India's book of history. Braithwaite & co. Ltd. etched its name in history by fabricating the structural steelwork of this distinguished cantilever bridge that adorns the mighty Hooghly River.

2. Wagons

A Central Public Sector Undertaking under the Ministry of Railways, Braithwaite & Co. Ltd. finds its core competence in manufacturing wagons, coaches, and other essentials of the railway industry. The administrative rights and control of the wagon manufacturing mogul were overtaken by the Ministry of Railways, with effect from August 2010. As of 2022, the company is engaged in handling various verticals of the railway industry, for example, the design and development of conventional and special type wagons, repairing of freight cars, Repairing & Rehabilitation of wagons, Operation & Maintenance of Railway Workshop, Underframe Manufacturing of Loco Engines, Cranes and Steel Castings (Bogie & Coupler), and more. A wagon prototype HUB, Braithwaite, is working in partnership with Research Design and Standards Organization (RDSO) for designing and developing new-generation Freight Cars.

3. Solar irrigation pumps

Braithwaite, an engineering pioneer, has pledged to leverage advanced and cost-effective techniques to develop a greener community and reserve resources for future generations. The company is reinforcing its development strategy to fulfill the present need to shift towards renewable energy. As a part of its diversification initiative, the company has ventured into sustainable energy projects. One such government project is PM-KUSUM, which aims to promote the utilization of renewable energy in the agricultural sector. The scheme was launched to assist farmers in remote and rough terrains to meet irrigation requirements by providing solar alternatives. Braithwaite has pledged its support to the government's initiative by providing solarization solutions for irrigation pumps for three components (A, B, and C) of the scheme. In 2022, Braithwaite & Co. Ltd. laid the foundation of a 10 MW solar power plant that shall be constructed by the company in Jharkhand, India.

4. Solar street lights

With the help of sustainable and innovative techniques, Braithwaite & Co. Ltd. is assisting businesses to take the path of sustainable development by providing instrumental solutions for generating and conserving energy. The company has ventured into manufacturing solar street lights with Central Control and Monitoring System. The energy-efficient street lights boast a multitude of approvingly beneficial features that will save electricity and preserve the fast depletion of resources. A few of the features are as follows:

• A robust alerts and notification system for notifying various faults, such as module faults, luminary faults, and battery faults.

• Impedance-based Battery state of health (SoH) & state of charge (SoC).

• A secure cloud-based graphical user interface for collecting real-time data.

• A set of fault detection alarms and events using email and SMS services.

• Consistent reports on carbon credits, ON / OFF audits, user activity, etc.

Takeaway

Over 110 years of its existence, Braithwaite & Co. Ltd. has always strived to achieve the best. Counted as one of the engineering pioneers in India, the Miniratna-I category company is a successful contributor to India's march forward. While the company has got recognition for its valuable contribution to the railway industry in India, it has diversified its verticals and started venturing into distant shores to make India self-reliant. A firm believer in the mantra of nationalism, Braithwaite & co. Ltd. has successfully reinvented itself and overcame all the hurdles that came its way. It would be sufficient to say that Braithwaite has successfully paved the way for aspiring engineering companies to serve the nation with an indomitable spirit.