‘Thy Life’s a Miracle’

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The miraculous life-story of Mr. Rakesh Jain, founder Prag Group of Industries, was vivaciously chronicled in a book titled, “Thy Life’s a Miracle, RJ: The Harvester of Opportunities”, written by Chander Mahadev and published by Zorba Books, Gurgaon.

Synopsis:

Rakesh Jain, aka RJ, is a successful self-made entrepreneur from Lucknow who dabbled in many business ideas but didn’t blink whenever he hit a roadblock or even when he hit rock bottom. An intuitive and brave hearted risk-taker, he was helped along by people in seemingly miraculous ways and finally set up the Prag Group of Companies making quality engineering products for the Indian Railways.

Over time, he ended up being a brilliant Relationship Jockey (RJ) who conquered great heights in the face of adversities. Armed with a smile, a business plan and shoals of positive energy he tempted fate with childlike innocence only to be showered with miracles.

The chapters throw up mind-boggling questions like:

  • Do miracles really happen?
  • If they do, why do they happen to a man deeply involved in the world of business and enterprise?
  • Does a human being need to be the perfect receptacle for miracles to play out in daily life?

RJ’s thrilling and dramatic life story throws up philosophical possibilities as to what construes a miracle? Can RJ’s miracles be replicated by young entrepreneurs trying to make a mark with their start-ups?

Innovations in Air-Conditioning & Thermal Management – IREE 2019

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At IREE [International Railway Equipment Exhibition] 2019, Prag showcased their range of bespoke HVAC Heating Ventilation, & Air Conditioning] Systems including the first ever Driver Cab AC for Mumbai EMUs and the first- ever split-type AC for onboard applications that was designed for retrofitment onto diesel-electric locomotives.

With heat exchanger design and thermal management as a core strength, Prag has introduced several technological breakthroughs in the rail HVAC segment in the past few years including the design, development, and supply of passenger coach HVAC for the prestigious Vande Bharat Express.

ICF installs India’s First VR Driver Training Simulator

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ECOSAFE – India’s First Virtual Reality Driver Training Simulator, designed especially for Train-18 / Vande Bharat Express by REDS SA, Poland in collaboration with Prag Polymers, India, was successfully commissioned at the Integral Coach Factory Design & Development Centre in Chennai. The Simulator not only acquaints loco pilots with the cockpit and operations of the new trainset, it also measures driving efficiency by providing energy-consumption based scoring results as well as helps improve emergency response time by simulating unfavourable weather conditions and incidents and measuring driver response.

In addition to a realistic driving experience with a full-scale driver cab and actual driver’s desk with all switches and controls, the simulator provides added realism by using Virtual Reality as the primary mode of operation. Additionally, a desktop display mode duplicatesthe ongoing VR simulation. The software allows multiple training scenarios over one VR World (route) in one train (in multiple configurations). The simulator was inaugurated December 18th, 2018, in the presence of senior railway officers and staff members of ICF.

Czech Door Designs at IRCE 2018

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Prag participated in IRCE 2018 [International Rail Coach Expo 2018], May 17th – 19th, 2018 in Chennai, exhibiting a range of new products including three types of automatic door systems that have been rated as best suited to the Indian market, keeping in mind the current needs and safety requirements.The door systems on display were imported from their technology partner, M/s Pars Komponenty, Czech Republic

Systems displayed:

  • An Electrical Fully-Automatic Interior Sliding Door System that Pars has already supplied to ICF, Chennai for the Train 18 project.
  • Electrical Automatic Sliding Single-Leaf Plug-Door System for trains
  • Electrical Automatic Sliding Double-Leaf Door System for EMUs and Metros.

The advantage of all displayed door systems is their competitive price in the Indian market, world-class quality and low maintenance costs.

Prag collaboration with Pars Komponenty Studénka

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Driven by our focus on Make-In-India and in line with our constant our endeavor to contribute towards technological upgradation and modernization of the Indian Railways, we are happy to announce our partnership and long-term cooperation with Pars Komponenty s. r. o., Studénka – a Czech engineering and technology company with a manufacturing tradition of 115 years in development and production of mass transit components.

Pars has extensive experience in manufacture of Automatic Plug Doors, Electric Sliding Doors, Swinging Doors for drivers and inter-vehicle wing doors in addition to tilting and fixed windows for subways and suburban trains offering high-technology products for the most demanding railway applications. Pars boasts of a client list that includes the likes of Skoda Transportation, Bombardier, Alstom, Siemens, and Stadler Rail.

During 2017 Trako Fair in Gdańsk, Poland, Pars & Prag jointly signed a long-term strategic cooperation agreement for development and introduction of Automatic Sliding and Plug Doors in the Indian Railways. The product design will be developed by Pars in accordance with IR requirements and the serial production will be realized at Prag’s manufacturing facility in India under the technology and guidance of Pars Komponenty, providing the internationally established Pars technology at indigenous manufacturing cost to the final customer.Prag collaboration with Pars Komponenty Studénka

Prag at Innotrans 2016

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Continuing our tradition of active engagement with our customers, partners, and collaborators worldwide, we are happy to announce our presence at Innotrans 2016 – the world’s largest trade fair focused on the rail transport industry – to be held at Messe-Berlin, Berlin, Germany from September 20th to 23rd, 2016.

Co-located in the same hall with GE Transportation and Caterpillar Inc., and with a larger and our most elaborate product display yet, we will be displaying some of our latest innovations including Locomotive Auxiliary Supply Systems, Longitudinal Energy Management Systems, and a range of Rail Bogie Suspension Components.

We look forward to welcoming you at Innotrans 2016!
September 20th–23rd, Messe-Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Hall No. 6.2, Stand No. 207;
RSVP: events@praggroup.com

PU-CCSB affects savings of over Rs. 600 Crores

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In-keeping with our tradition of success through customer-focused innovations, we are happy to announce the successful verdict and performance report of one of the most valued innovations in our history – The Polyurethane Constant Contact Side Bearing [PU-CCSB].

A CCSB is an energy-absorbing device that provides stability to railway vehicles and minimizes wheel flange impact on rails by controlling the swaying motion of railcars.

The Polyurethane CCSB was first introduced in 2004, replacing Rubber-Metal Bonded CCSB, enhancing product life from 6-9 months to over 6 years & reducing failure rate from 22.34 % to 2.47 %. This resulted in a lifetime benefit of INR 19,110 per freight wagon to the Indian Railways [IR].

As of January 2016, this translates to a Cumulative Benefit of more than INR 600 Crores [i.e. Approx. USD 100 Million] to the customer. This figure is based on actual field data available with the Research, Designs, and Standardisation Organisation [R.D.S.O.] and the Ministry of Railways and was released in January 2016 after repeated investigations and verification by competent authorities.

Introduction of the PU-CCSB – a new and patented technology – in the early 2000’s did not come without its challenges. As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle”. The PU-CCSB was an innovation that disturbed the status quo of the industry and faced strong opposition. Several competitors tried to derail the original patented product made with High Performance Polyurethane & technology from M/s Chemtura Corporation, USA by trying, albeit unsuccessfully, to introduce inferior quality copies made with non-standard materials and non-proven designs.

In May 2011, the same competition alleged that IR impulsively replaced the standard Metal-Bonded CCSBs with the more expensive PU-CCSB, thereby causing a loss of Rs. 69 crores to IR during the period 2004 to 2010. The allegations were investigated meticulously by the Railway Vigilance Organization as well as by the Central Bureau of Investigations. The results of the investigations, which lasted for more than 3 years, were compiled in a detailed investigation report and were submitted for review to the Court of the Special Judge, Patiala House, New Delhi.

After detailed perusal and verification of the investigation report by the court – a process that took more than 18 months – the Honorable Court finally pronounced their verdict in January 2016 conclusively holding all allegations baseless and all accused innocent. The court has clearly ruled that no wrongful loss has been caused to the Indian Railway by the introduction of PU-CCSB. On the contrary, after detailed study of data from investigation report, the court has explicitly stated in their order that the adoption of the PU-CCSB has resulted in NET SAVINGS to IR of Rs. 19,110 per freight wagon, which translates to a Cumulative Benefit of more than INR 600 Crores to IR thus far.

This long-awaited verdict of the court is valued by all at Prag and reinforces our belief in justice and the old adage by George Washington, “Truth will ultimately prevail where there are pains to bring it to light.”

#RedemptionAtLast #TruthUltimatelyPrevails #The600CroreAntiScam

Prag at Inter-Industrial Cricket League

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Three teams from Prag Group of Industries participated in the Inter-Industrial Cricket League recently held in Lucknow. The tournament was played between the member companies of Talkatora Industrial Estate Industries Owner Association (TIEIOA) & Industrial Welfare Association (IWA), UP at the RDSO Stadium last week.

It was a wonderful bonding event for the employees of Prag group, where besides the 33 players, who formed the cricket teams of Prag Rubber, Prag Industries, and Prag Polymers, the entire Prag family was engaged in the launch of the event and in cheering and supporting their teams right through to the end of the tournament.

“We had organized the cricket tournament last year too and we noticed huge enthusiasm amongst our colleagues who participated in this tournament”, said Mohammed Yunus, President, TIEIOA & IWA UP. Two of the teams from Prag reached the semi-final stage of the tourney. Overall, it turned out to be a very well organized and appreciated event and brought in a lot of cheer and to all members of Prag Parivaar.

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Innovation At Work – Article in Rail Business

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Rail Business, India’s the premier rail industry publication, recognized the innovation and R&D efforts of Prag with an article published in their March 2015 edition. The article talks about some of the innovations recently introduced by Prag Group and the philosophy and culture of the company that inspires its highly skilled team of engineers to constantly push the envelop of technological advancements.

Press-Coverage-March-2015