Speakers at the 12th edition of the Tamil Nadu Manufacturing Summit hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry were in agreement about the impact of Industry 4.0 on the manufacturing sector and the spin-offs that need to be harvested
Manufacturing is always a major engine of growth for any economy, particularly in a rapidly growing country like India. Against this backdrop, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) organised its 12th edition of the Tamil Nadu Manufacturing Summit with the theme of ‘Taking the Manufacturing to the Next Level Through Industry 4.0’ in Chennai on December 23, 2019.
Welcoming the huge gathering at the inaugural session, P. Kaniappan, Convenor, CII TN Manufacturing Panel and Managing Director, WABCO India Ltd., said that since Tamil Nadu is one of the major States contributing a lot to the country’s manufacturing GDP, there is more scope to achieve inclusive growth with the support of Industry 4.0.
“Also, we have a big pool of talent that can inspire youngsters to offer innovative ideas in the manufacturing sector. With the 4th industrial revolution taking place, we can lead the world,” he added.
S.Chandramohan, Chairman, CII Tamil Nadu and Group President (Finance and Investment Strategy), Tractors and Farm Equipment Ltd. (TAFE), in his special address, complemented P. Kaniappan for spearheading the CII’s Manufacturing Panel and also for the outstanding contribution made for his company WABCO in the field of innovation. “Currently, the digital economy is of the size of USD 14.6 million and it is expected to grow further,” he stated.
S.Ganesh Mani, Director (Production), Hyundai Motors India Ltd., spoke about the drastic changing technology in manufacturing systems due to Industry 4.0 and also gave a few references about the benefit derived by Hyundai Motors India. For instance, the Indian automotive sector has witnessed the launch of over 100-odd new model vehicles during 2019 despite a slowdown. Also, through 3D printing technology, Indian automobile manufacturers are able to develop several prototype models before any particular model rolls out from the factory. With advanced developments taking place in digital manufacturing, Industry 5.0 is now knocking the door.
Sandeep Sinha, CEO, TAFE Ltd., in his presentation, spoke about the changing trends in digital economy and the overall impacts.
Dr. Rajendra Kumar, (IAS), Principal Secretary (MSME) and Director, Entrepreneurship Development Institute, Government of Tamil Nadu, in his inaugural address, said that for India to become a USD 5 trillion economy by 2024 from its current status of a USD 2.9 trillion economy, it will require minimum GDP growth of 9%. Even though the manufacturing sector plays a major role for the country’s GDP, it has not grown much from 1991 to 2019. For instance, the 16% contribution by the manufacturing sector to the country’s GDP in 1991 remains the same even now, he pointed out. The main reason for stagnancy in manufacturing growth is due to the manual operational system followed in different manufacturing companies, more particularly in the MSME segment.
Hence, there is a need to focus more on advanced manufacturing of various industries. Also, Indian companies should be more competitive in manufacturing for which Industry 4.0 can do a lot, he said. Dr. Rajendra Kumar also spoke about Tamil Nadu’s strength in manufacturing and the government’s proactive role played for the development of MSMEs.
Others who spoke on the occasion included Ramamurthi Aiyappan, Director (Digital Manufacturing Asia), Siemens Ltd., Milan Kumar, Global CIO, WABCO India Ltd., N. Anbuchezhian, Convenor, Manufacturing Panel, CII Chennai Zone and General Manager (Operations), Caterpillar India Pvt. Ltd., M. S. Ravikumar, Country Leader (Integrated SCM), WABCO India Ltd., R. Vivekanandah, CEO, Titan Engineering and Automation Ltd., G. Suresh Babu, General Manager (Global Advanced Technology Deployment), Ford Motor (P) Ltd., etc.