MoU between Siemens and IISC for digitalised labs

February 10, 2021 11:33 am

Labs to focus on the development of Industrial Internet of Things (IoT), Industry 4.0-enabled products & technologies.

Siemens Limited has signed two separate Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Central Manufacturing Technology Institute (CMTI) respectively to establish digital transformation labs. The labs aim to enhance the expertise of researchers at IISc and the technical skills of professionals in the machine tool industry. The MoUs will focus on developing the Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0-enabled products and technologies.

The initiative is expected to benefit many research scholars, students and industry professionals across the machine tool industry in Bengaluru for three years. Particular emphasis will be given to equipping the labs with technologies, products and prototypes of emerging digital technologies such as Digital Twin, Blockchain Technology, Automatic Guided Vehicle, etc. This initiative will encourage adoption of smart digital technologies by MSMEs of the manufacturing sector.

Sunil Mathur, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Siemens Limited, said, “India has one of the youngest populations in the world and building human capital will be key to supporting economic growth in the coming decades. With Digital transformation now a priority for the industry, premier educational institutions such as IISc and CMTI have a crucial role in equipping researchers and professionals with cutting-edge technology and expertise. With the latest MoUs, our focus will be to develop not only skills but also solutions that could transform the every day for industry and society.”

Professor Amaresh Chakrabarti, Head of Smart Factory at IISc and Chair of its Centre for Product Design and Manufacturing (CPDM), said, “In order to provide exposure to the advanced software suite to the staff and students of IISc, Siemens has offered some of the best digitalization tools and support to set up the Digital Transformation Lab. This support will give valuable experience and exposure to students and faculty with tools and technologies that are commonly used in industry. It will help researchers and students to be better prepared for industrial jobs and on the other hand, excel in Academia-Industry collaboration by offering a platform for know-how sharing by enabling a common engineering environment that is familiar to both.”

Dr Nagahanumaiah, Director, CMTI, said, “We are immensely proud to associate with Siemens, a global technology leader, in equipping researchers/students with the best-in class digitalization tools, software, cloud platform etc. through the set-up of the Smart Manufacturing Demo and Development Cell. This will greatly help promote indigenous research and development, especially in the areas of emerging technologies that would be instrumental to the growth of Indian Manufacturing industry in the future.”

The Smart Factory at IISc and the Smart Manufacturing Demo and Development Cell at CMTI are two of the five experiential and demonstration centres for Industry 4.0 sanctioned under the Smart Advanced Manufacturing and Rapid Transformation Hub (SAMARTH) Udyog initiative of the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Government of India. Siemens’ support will be used to develop IIoT/Industry 4.0 enabled digital twin-based platform for the machine tool industry and a machine tool health monitoring app on the platform.