Manufacturing sector spurring well upon several reform intiatives

January 3, 2022 4:10 pm

Business enterprises across the globe now recognize digital manufacturing as a part and parcel of everyday manufacturing activities. 

Expectations from IMTEX & IMTEX FORMING 2022.

IMTMA is organising a combined IMTEX in its 75th year. IMTEX 2022, IMTEX FORMING 2022, Tooltech & Digital Manufacturing will be held at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) from January 20 – 26, 2022. Both IMTEX 2022 and IMTEX FORMING 2022 exhibitions will provide ample opportunities for visitors to witness the latest technological advancements in the field of machine tool and manufacturing which will propel business activities. Every change and shift in metal cutting and metal forming will be showcased at this edition. Concurrently, Tooltech will showcase cutting tools, sub-systems and accessories, CAD/ CAM, etc. Digital Manufacturing, also held concurrently, will feature additive manufacturing and evolutionary Industry 4.0 concepts. The live display of technologies will enable visitors from various industry sectors to make informed decisions. Exhibitor response to IMTEX has been very encouraging. Over 600 exhibitors from as many as 18 countries will showcase innovations in metal cutting and metal forming in an exhibition space of around 70,000 square metres in 5 exhibition halls. A sizable number of Indian and foreign companies will be participating. Germany, Spain, Taiwan and the United States of America will be setting up country pavilions. 

IMTMA in organising IMTEX 2022 is adhering to all Covid appropriate safety guidelines laid down by the government. Entry is allowed for only fully vaccinated visitors, i.e. those who have taken 2 doses. Other safety measures such as deployment of trained personnel to monitor visitor movement, digital payment at food courts, pre-registration and “no spot registrations” as in the past, will go a long way in making IMTEX 2022 a “Safe Exhibition.” 

Concepts and manufacturing technologies to be showcased 

Additive manufacturing and evolutionary Industry 4.0 concepts will be showcased. Exhibitors will showcase advancements in metal cutting and metal forming technologies. 

State your views about the manufacturing outlook for 2022 in the country? 

Manufacturing sector has been doing well on the back of several reforms initiated in the recent past which has been reflected in the machine tool industry’s increase in consumption in 2021 as against 2020. India’s manufacturing PMI (purchasing manager’s index) hit a 10 month high in November 2021. According to data released by IHS Markit, PMI rose from 55.9 in October to 57.6 in November. With pick-up in demand companies are increasing their production volumes. In 2022 we expect the imbalances wrought by the pandemic to be resolved and the business cycle comes back to normal routine. 

What prospects do you envision for Atmanirbharta and Make-in-India to propel the manufacturing sector’s growth in India? 

In a big boost for electronics and semiconductor, recently the Cabinet approved a Rs. 76,000 crore scheme. The programme intends to give attractive incentives to critical parts of the value chain including Semiconductor Chips, Discrete Components, Substrate layers and Supply Chain. Additionally to promote location manufacturing in the defence sector, the Government of India has put more than 200 items in the indigenization list that would bring large volumes of business to domestic companies. Earlier, in July 2021, the government launched six technology innovation platforms to develop technologies and boost the manufacturing sector in India to compete globally. As these developments happen, the vision of the National Manufacturing Policy that envisages increasing the share of the manufacturing sector in India’s GDP to 25 percent and creating 100 million jobs, would also be realised. Government initiatives such as these coupled with domestic consumption, a large pool of skilled workforce, foreign investments and public-private partnerships would be the growth drivers for indigenous manufacturing and propel Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India. 

Post pandemic induced lockdown, what innovations have taken place in businesses? 

Digital manufacturing had already been a trendsetter by the time the global pandemic struck in March 2020. The pandemic however did speed up the process which was underway in stages in the manufacturing industry. Business enterprises across the globe now recognize digital manufacturing as a part and parcel of everyday manufacturing activities. 

Companies which were early in jumping the bandwagon are already manufacturing products by deploying digitization tools like computer-aided design, modelling and simulation, computer aided engineering, digital twin, data capture and data analytics, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and so on. These tools enable manufacturers to bring out quality products, reduce product development lifecycle, increase efficiency and performance, etc. It improves decision making and brings down the cost of the product. The trend changed during the pandemic when industries began exploring digital concepts and kept their factory assets working through digitally interlinking new generation hardware and software systems at lesser costs. This helped them to function remotely with lesser manpower and deploying new-age technologies.