Flexible and Competitive manufacturing trending to plug technology gap

By OEM Update Editorial June 12, 2021 5:45 pm IST

Availability of the technology is meaningless if the manufacturing ecosystem is still not conducive to it. India lacks the resources to compete with the big guns on the international stage.

T K Ramesh, Managing Director, Micromatic Machine Tools, Ace Micromatic Group, tells OEM Update that we need to push for flexible competitive manufacturing to address the technology gap when discussing changing trends in the Indian machine tools sector.

Industry 5.0 for Indian machine tools sector
India is a mixed economy made up of the formal and, majorly, the informal sector. Industry 5.0 is all about connecting the human to machine and working together to create customised products for a future filled with consumers who want personalised solutions. The informal sector is completely unaware of the technological shift happening that can help better their processes. Creating awareness in these sectors is the first step. Persuading manufacturers to adopt industry 4.0 is still finding resistance. So, the matter of industry 5.0 is still not a widely accepted methodology. Finding ways to mass manufacture something smartly and efficiently will take time but it is also important to talk about industry 5.0. This will put pressure and push for more complex and updated machine tools technologies that will drive demand and manufacturing.

Major areas of transformations with AI, ML and Robotics
Some of the major changes were in integrating smart features of industry 4.0 into machine tools. Even the manufacturing of our machines is seeing more automation, the processes, supply chain management and customers’ interactions are becoming more and more digital. The change from brick and mortar to becoming available in the digital space as well has opened up many channels for communication and business transactions. This saves time, money and energy for all parties involved and eliminates some of the time lag in fast-forwarding our transactions. So, while robotics is happening more & more, 3D for prototyping is in use, 3D production and metal printing are gaining traction.

Bridging the manufacturing technology gap in Indian industries
Although these words are quite popular its effects are dependent on the need of the manufacturer. The availability of the technology means little when the manufacturing ecosystem is still not conducive for it. Now slowly, due to market push, these technologies are seeing the application. As a whole, India is lacking in resources to compete with the big guns in the international arena. But when markets start getting uncomfortable the push for flexible competitive manufacturing happens and the technology gap close.

Challenges for SME and MSME in adopting newer technologies
Two things determine this- One is the demand for this technology and the second is the misconception surrounding it. Currently, Indian manufacturing has realised the benefits of these technologies and how they can help increase their revenue. The misconceptions surrounding it are that these technologies are only for a certain sector, it is expensive and hard to use. Once these disbelievers watch some of the examples with their contemporaries, this can help them adapt faster. But we can only take a horse to the water; the drive to become competitive must be within them.

Future of Indian machine tools industry with Industry 5.0
We first need to come to terms with Industry 4.0 in manufacturing before addressing Industry 5.0. But those who are already in tune with I 4.0 can stay ahead of the game by taking it up. But for a majority of manufacturers to adopt I5.0, it will take a decade. Industry 5.0 is about customising solutions and products for each unique customer need. This will require state of the art technology and humans to come together, a big increase in purchasing parity from an Indian perspective with our huge differences we will need to bridge a big requirement of basic needs fulfilment across the divide first. The present pandemic shows areas where these new technology approaches will help.