CII conference stresses role of automation for growth

By R. Natarajan, Mg. Editor & Publisher, MOTORINDIA

If the current global trend is any indication, automation is the ultimate for innovation. It is indeed the driving force behind production of world-class products including automobiles. Most of the developed countries, including the fastest growing China, keep betting on automation not only to maintain mass production but also to achieve a high product technology.

Mr. Dilip Sawhney, Chairman, CII-SR Conference on Industrial Automation, and Managing Director, Rockwell Automation India Pvt. Ltd.

It is against this backdrop that CII Chennai organized a conference on industrial automation titled “Realizing the Smart Manufacturing TODAY!!!”. Since automotive is one among the major sectors relying more on automation, the conference proved a very interesting session addressed by experts from major automotive companies.

In his special address, Mr. B. Santhanam, past Chairman, CII, and President & Managing Director, Flat Glass – South Asia, Malaysia & Egypt, Saint-Gobain India Pvt. Ltd., said that automation plays a crucial and decisive role in today’s competitive world.

Mr. Dilip Sawhney, Chairman, CII-SR Conference on Industrial Automation, and Managing Director, Rockwell Automation India Pvt. Ltd., in his special address, spoke on the growing trend in automation in different sectors, including automotive. Rockwell Automation has already emerged a major player in the industrial automation sphere all over the world.

Mr. Navaneetha Krishnan of Sundram Fasteners Ltd. (SFL), shared the company’s experience in smart manufacturing and its focus on an innovative approach. Recently, SFL took a major initiative to go green by avoiding use of wasteful energy.

Mr. Rao Poduri, CIO, Daimler India Commercial Vehicle, in his address, said that, ever since the company set up its greenfield project in Oragadam, automation has proved a major focus area which helps to achieve higher output and quality delivery.

Mr. Ajay Jain, Head of Projects – Chennai, Apollo Tyres Ltd., spoke on “Leveraging the Power of Automation for Business Excellence”. He said the Chennai plant of Apollo Tyres, was set up 10 years ago, and the production of tyres has gone up multifold during the period, thanks to automation. By focusing on automation, the company can generate more profit, reduce the input cost, increase productivity and create an improved brand image.

Mr. M. Thirumalai Kumar, Manager – Process Automation Expert, Siemens Ltd., made his presentation on “Digital Enterprise – the way for Smart Manufacturing / Industry 4.0”.

The others who spoke on the occasion included Mr. Manjunath H.S., Head – FA Sales-SZ2, SZ4~SZ6, Fanuc India Pvt. Ltd., Mr. Sreekanta Aradhya B., Chief Expert – Industry 4.0 & MES, Robert Bosch Engineering & Business Solutions Ltd., Mr. Vishnu Bhavaraju, Manufacturing Industry Lead, Microsoft Corporation (India) Pvt. Ltd., Mr. Amit Someshekar, Product Head – Manufacturing Intelligence, Micromatic Machine Tools Pvt. Ltd., Mr. Ganesh Mani, Vice President – Production, Hyundai Motor India Pvt. Ltd., Mr. M. Venkatesan, General Manager & Head – Automation Solutions, Titan Engineering & Automation Ltd., and Mr. G. Kumaradevan, Head – IT, Saint-Gobain India Pvt. Ltd.