Reports suggest that the industrial automation sector in India is expected to touch Rs 19,700 crore by the year 2020, and the manufacturing sector alone is likely to create a spurt in the availability of new jobs. With a keen eye on the market and the growth trajectory undertaken by SMEs and large-scale industries; representatives from the automation sector give us a brief on the trajectory and product speciality of their respective companies.
Farook Merchant, Chairman & Managing Director, Messung, highlights the strides taken by his company towards the ‘Make in India’ initiative. He says: “Our company was established in the year 1981. Between the years 2018-2019, we decided to introduce the concept of ‘Make in India’ as the products that we were importing were unnecessarily expensive. For instance, one of our products is the electrostatic discharge free table – this means that it discharges all electricity. Our products are economical and are tested for safety. We also have a chair which is ESD free and majorly use German standards as we don’t have standards to adhere to that are based in India. Today, we have consultants who also specify what we should have as a part of our product range.”
Shubham Vijayvargiya, Account Manager, Faro highlights the products they offer. He says: “We focus on our CMM machines, laser scanners and our software solutions. To explain a little about our product range – FARO is well-known for its portable CMM machines and its patented technologies. For instance, we have the laser tracker, the portable arm with an 8-axis solution, and the 3D Array imagers enhance inspections.” The 3D imager and the laser tracker are used primarily for robotic applications, also our laser trackers are used by robot manufacturing industries for the calibration and also help in ISO 9283 performance testing, he adds.
Speaking on the penetration of technology within the Indian market, Dr Amit Bhingurde, COO, Tata Motors Limited, Brabo, asserts that though India is a competitive market, we are still not at a stage where robots are widely used. He says: “There is a need for Indian robots and automation within the Indian industry, especially when it comes to SMEs. We see a trend where the automation sector aims at increasing productivity and quality through efficiency.”
While there are major players within the automation and the robotic sector, Viral Nagada, Assistant Manager – Sales, BCIL represents a company that provides applications within the scope of RDIF tagging and barcoding. He reiterates Bhingurde and says: “Today the market is all about efficiency, and companies are willing to invest because it’s all about delivering good customer experience.” Internationally, he says, the company has offices in Columbo, Sri Lanka and in Singapore. Additionally, we see the Indian market is receiving investments from international players such as Oring.
Crystal Sung, Account Manager, Oring says: “We are headquartered in Taiwan and we are the manufacturers for industrial networking devices such as switches, media, converters and wellness products, IoT and end-to-end gateways. Presently, our market focus is building automation, power substations, IP surveillance, intelligent transportation systems and oil and gas.” As a part of our portfolio, she adds, we focus on data transmission and on how we communicate and take data sensors to the cloud. Generally, she adds, the main purpose is for it to go to the control centre. Speaking of the demand we see for such technology within India, she says: “Today, India is focused on smart cities and things are developing in terms of infrastructure buildings for energy roads and cities. There are a lot of opportunities here, so mostly these are linked to the IP surveillance data and we need to build this and achieve this purpose. Data is sensitive, and It all depends on where the customer wants to place their server. So even if it is a local server, if we comply with an open protocol standard, we can still use the device to build the communication pass.”
Seong Kyun Ko, Motion Product Manager, Global Business Development, RS Automation, helps us understand the challenges within the Indian market. He hints to the Indian market as being competitive and very often price-sensitive. He says: “Our company specialises in motion controller devices. In the past, we have worked with L & T on several projects. Our products are popular in Korea and we are specialised in flat panel display as well as in semiconductors. Furthermore, we are supplying in packaging, plastics, electronics, mobile, logistics and so on.” He adds saying: “The Indian market is price-oriented and we try to meet customer demand. India very often wants high-quality products at a low price. I think our products are compatible with those in the Indian market and are based on the competitiveness of the Indian market.” KEBA too recognises the potential within the Indian market. Fabricio Calvo-Silva, Application Engineer Motion, KEBA, says: “The Indian robotic market shows big potential and it’s also why KEBA decided to have a local subsidiary in Pune for local onsite support. India is a very cost-sensitive market and this is why KEBA expanded its portfolio with additional low-cost products. We have low-cost controllers, panels, drives which are much more compact and are cheap.” Adding he says: “We support welding, laser cutting, pharmacy, pick and place-based applications. Presently, Brabo is making robots successfully and they are making it in India. As our customer, they use high-quality KEBA controllers, drives and panels.”
