Dr. N. Ravichandran, Executive Director, Lucas-TVS Ltd., has very well lauded the expanding role of engineers in the fast-changing manufacturing scenario by stating that the success of an engineer in his profession is determined largely by his intellectual and morale honesty, sound judgement, perseverance and resourcefulness. A professional engineer should have intensive knowledge of science and other branches of learning, besides knowing intensively those things which concern his specialities.
Speaking on “Nurturing Next-Gen Engineers for sustainable manufacturing excellence” at the National Productivity Summit 2014 held in Chennai recently, Dr. Ravichandran said that the world is witnessing constant changes on a regular basis. These changes occur due to major technical advancements, customer requirements, economic challenges of different regions, cost reduction, globalisation, etc. Manufacturing should be the fundamental for developing countries. With globalisation taking place, it is growth of science, technology, environment and culture that would decide the future of the world economy.
Highlighting the challenges the Indian manufacturers face and the road ahead, Dr. Ravichandran said: “When we compare the manufacturers’ contribution of the top 15 countries towards its GDP, China stays ahead with a contribution of 33 per cent, whereas India is yet to cross 13 per cent. Unless we cross 20 per cent, there is no future for this country. We need not copy foreign countries but need to adapt some of their principles.”
Technology has now been behind sustainable manufacturing. The main focus is on factories which are becoming smart factories, manufacturing just-in-time (JIT) products with good quality. They are now shifting towards design and manufacture of lightweight vehicles, advanced manufacturing processes and process simulation.
Further, he said, achieving a balance among its three key drivers, i.e., process, people and technology, has become absolutely essential. The next gen engineers need several competencies like management, technical, workplace and personal effectiveness competencies.
“India’s time has come for manufacturing. Don’t ignore manufacturing. Let’s develop a passion for manufacturing”, added Dr. Ravichandran.