Innovation is what propels the world forward. Incrementally, most of the time, but there is occasionally innovation that functions like a great leap forward in its domain. Data Witches Technologies Pvt Ltd, led by Rahul Agnihotri and Pallavi Wadhwa is developing a product, DigiTwins, that would work with machine and material genomes to detect flaws and failures in an object before a failure could occur. Such technology could change the face of how warranty, operations and maintenance and product performance would work in a variety of industries.

Newly formed in 2016, Data Witches is targeting the wind energy, aerospace, rail, industrial equipment, defence, spacecraft, banking & finance and industrial equipment sectors. The firm has won a contract with market leaders in the industrial equipment sector and are on their way to bringing their product to make a disruption in the marketplace. Their main challenge lies in convincing the State & the Central Governments about the value of their product. They are convinced they can add value to the nation’s military and space programmes.

In conversation with GlobalLinker (GL) Rahul Agnihotri (RA) shares the journey of his firm and his vision for its future.

GL: Tell us about your business.

RA: Data Witches was founded by me and Pallavi Wadhwa who is also my life partner. We had a single aim which was to move ahead from the diagnostic and predictive solutions that are available in market.

At Data Witches Technologies Pvt Ltd, we are working on an innovative solution. The product is a prognostic solution named DigiTwins (a SaaS based offering) for manufacturers, operators and financial risk managers for the B2B segment. Imagine if medical researchers could decode the DNA of a human body to identify symptoms of disease at early stage. We have done the same for material and machine genomes to detect failures, even before a failure would occur. Some of its features include:

• By knowing when, how a system is going to fail reduces warranty risk, operations and maintenance costs and increases product performance and confidence.
• Simulate a product’s performance based on new conditions and alert the customer if that component or assembly will fail sooner than expected.
• Designers or suppliers can test the equipment against more than 3K data points in the designing phase before making to production.
• Predictions based on the real time operational conditions of a material and the expected lifecycle performance for each user scenario, thus eliminate the need for historical data, or to depend on flawed or inadequate information from a bearing vendor or industry association database.
• Assist operators to make changes to operations virtually and assess the impact on life of the equipment.
• Being a simulator, it provides functionality of 'what if' an equipment or product is changed. As well as quantify change in ROI due to equipment replacement.
• Smart design decisions by allowing countless possible materials, component and assemblies to be tested to ensure the best plan moves forward.
• Performance effects of innovative, life-extending design enhancements and surface treatments, like lubrication, additives, coatings, texturing, peening, super-finishing, and heat treatments

Our focus industries are wind energy, aerospace, rail, industrial equipment, defence, spacecraft, banking & finance, automobile, among others.

GL: What are the challenges you have faced in establishing your business?

RA: We still haven’t found a way to feature in the government’s list even though we have the power to save millions by predicting when, how and why a system or component would fail even before the failure has occurred. For example, 90% of MiG 21 crashes happen due to faulty equipment and 5 out of 10 times a pilot would die. Using our solution, we can, way before the failure has occurred, be well prepared in advance if a component(s) has failed and get it rectified to save the life of our brave pilots. Similarly, we can get this implemented in space organisations and defence organisations to avoid any failed missions. Unfortunately, even after various attempts there has been no contact with Central or State Governments.

The second challenge has been a lack of support and finance. When we talk about Digital and Make In India, we are still way behind in appreciating innovations unless you have some contact to reach out at the top directly.

GL: What is the USP of your business?

RA: Our USP is manifold:

• Virtually re-simulate any real-time scenario
• Test your new product or old product against new or old countless possibilities/ combinations in design phase itself before moving to production
• Take control of operational and maintenance cost & increase in warranty cost
• No unplanned outages
• 50% reduction in cost of physical testing
• Two times times extra asset life
• Failure rates from 50% to 5%

GL: What are some of the milestones of your business?

RA: We have already signed a contract with one of India’s leading company, L&T Technologies as our strategic partner. Faco Fasteners is one of our clients.

GL: What role do you feel GlobalLinker plays in connecting and assisting SMEs?

RA: GlobalLinker is a great platform to connect with SMEs and businesses.

GL: What is your big business dream?

RA: We want to change the way the manufacturing sector works. DigiTwins could be the future for various sectors. Instead of waiting for failure to happen and then acting, identify the failure even before it occurs and take necessary steps to avoid any unplanned outages.

GL: What is your message to aspiring entrepreneurs?

RA: Please do not give up. It is very easy to say ‘I quit’ or I will close down, but it is very difficult to keep on operating. When times are hard, everyone will have an opinion, let them say what they want to say, your day will also come, when you will get your dues.

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