Mitsubishi Electric: Shaping Future of Technological Innovations
Published on : Tuesday 06-02-2024
Tomohiro Yoshida, Director and Factory Automation Division Head, Mitsubishi Electric India.
Mitsubishi Electric has a long presence in India and a history of indigenously developed products like the GOC 35/43. What is the significance of this new plant?
We are happy to announce Mitsubishi Electric's new manufacturing facility in Talegaon, Maharashtra. Pune holds significant importance within the context of the company's longstanding presence in India and its history of indigenously developed products like the GOC 35/43 (Graphic Operator Controller). This strategic move signifies a commitment to localised production, enabling us to manufacture the global Factory Automation Products more efficiently in India and meet the growing demand of the Indian market. Beyond strengthening operational capabilities, the new facility represents a commitment to strategic growth and contributes to the development of the Indian manufacturing sector. By focusing on technology transfer and skill development, Mitsubishi Electric actively engages in empowering the local workforce and supporting broader initiatives aimed at enhancing the skill set of Indian professionals. Furthermore, the plant's emphasis on Factory Automation Products aligns with the goal of promoting smart manufacturing practices in India that offers cutting-edge automation solutions to enhance productivity and competitiveness. Overall, the new manufacturing facility is a testimony of Mitsubishi Electric's customer-centric approach, ensuring solutions and prompt support through its products within the country.
What is the range of Factory Automation products that would be manufactured here?
The new manufacturing facility in Talegaon, Pune is set to produce a diverse range of Factory Automation (FA) products, with a particular focus on Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs). The initial product range includes VFDs spanning from 0.4 kW to 15kW and 37 kW to 160kW, showcasing Mitsubishi Electric's commitment to addressing a broad spectrum of industrial automation needs. Additionally, the facility will manufacture other indigenously developed products like GOC, Modular I/O that align with the company's innovative solutions for the FA sector. By consolidating all FA-related manufacturing activities at this state-of-the-art plant, Mitsubishi Electric aims to streamline and optimise its production processes, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, locally manufactured automation products to meet the evolving demands of the Indian market. This comprehensive approach underscores the company's dedication to providing a diverse and technologically advanced portfolio of FA solutions.
The new manufacturing facility will incorporate digitalised technologies and manufacturing processes to ensure efficient and high-quality production. One technology to be implemented is the e-F@ctory system. The ‘e-F@ctory’ is a comprehensive solution, which leverages latest digital technology such as big data, IIoT, Edge Computing, Advanced Robotics and offers a technological ecosystem which helps end users to achieve digital transformation in their manufacturing environment.
Automation in industry is now witnessing a major shift to concepts like Smart Factory and connected plants. Will there be other automation products added to the range as there is further scope of expanding the production capacity?
Mitsubishi Electric is very well versed with the evolving landscape of industrial automation, witnessing a significant shift toward concepts like Smart Factory and connected plants. Recognising the transformative potential of these advancements, Mitsubishi Electric has been at the forefront of this paradigm shift. The introduction of the e-F@ctory concept in Japan, way back in 2003, enabling Smart Manufacturing, demonstrates the company's foresight and commitment to innovating the manufacturing practices in the country. We have successfully implemented e-F@ctory at various manufacturing facilities globally, including the mother factory in Nagoya, Japan, where we manufacture our multiple FA products. In the practice to leverage this experience in the newly inaugurated facility in Talegaon, Pune, the implementation of e-F@ctory fosters seamless connectivity and communication across different components of the manufacturing process, optimising efficiency and productivity.
As part of the company's forward-looking strategy, Mitsubishi Electric is committed to continually expanding its range of automation products. This expansion aligns with the broader objective of meeting the increasing demand for advanced automation solutions in the market. The newly established manufacturing facility provides a platform for the incorporation of additional automation products, ensuring that Mitsubishi Electric remains at the forefront of technological innovation and can contribute effectively to the growing trend of Smart Manufacturing. As per the diverse ever-evolving needs, we would expand our manufacturing facility and products that will be manufactured in India, however, this new manufacturing plant will remain the centre of our operations in India.
India is traditionally viewed differently by global companies and they try to customise products to suit this market. What is the Mitsubishi Electric experience?
The diverse and comprehensive range of standard products has evidently resonated well with the industry. Mitsubishi Electric's Factory Automation product basket is indeed extensive, covering Modular PLCs (MELSEC Q and i-QR series), Micro Modular PLCs (iQ-F Series), Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs), Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) spanning from FR-D700 to FR-A series, AC Servo Systems, a range of Remote I/Os, Industrial Robots and Cobots, CNC Products, and Switchgear.
In addition to these established products, the ingeniously developed GOC 35/43 and Modular I/Os showcase Mitsubishi Electric's commitment to customisation and addressing the specific needs of the Indian market, particularly by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and Medium-sized Equipment Manufacturers (MESEMs). This adaptability is crucial in catering to the unique requirements of smart manufacturing, reflecting Mitsubishi Electric's dedication to providing innovative solutions that contribute to the advancement of the manufacturing sector in India and cater to individual needs of our customers.
Are products developed in India for the Indian market also exported globally?
The commencement of manufacturing activities at the Talegaon, Maharashtra facility represents a strategic move by Mitsubishi Electric to cater to the dynamic needs of the Indian market with locally produced Factory Automation products. The production of GOC 35/43 for export to diverse Asian and European countries underscores the global competitiveness of Mitsubishi Electric’s offerings. Looking ahead, the company’s plans to export a wider range of Factory Automation products manufactured at the Talegaon plant demonstrates its commitment to becoming a key player in the global FA market. This expansion not only reflects confidence in the capabilities of the new facility but also positions Mitsubishi Electric as a significant contributor to the global landscape of industrial automation, facilitating the dissemination of advanced solutions and contributing to the worldwide adoption of smart manufacturing practices.
Companies today are not looking merely for products but total solutions. How does Mitsubishi Electric India address this requirement?
As I have mentioned earlier, the new manufacturing facility incorporates e-F@ctory that enables digitalised technologies and manufacturing processes to ensure efficient and high-quality production. The ‘e-F@ctory’ offers a technological ecosystem which helps end users to achieve digital transformation in their manufacturing environment. Our e-F@ctory Alliance Partners include system integrators, software partners, device partners, etc., to provide complete integrated solutions to end customers. With our e-F@ctory Alliance Partners we are providing smart manufacturing solutions to various industry verticals like Automotive, Pharmaceuticals, F&B, Steel, Cement, Packaging, e-Commerce and Warehouse, etc. We understand the market demand and customers are not looking merely for products but total integration solutions and here Mitsubishi Electric in India has already progressed in that direction.
Also, the facility employs the Japanese Poka Yoke technique, a mistake-proofing approach designed to prevent errors during the manufacturing process. This technique involves implementing mechanisms that eliminate the possibility for mistakes to occur, ensuring quick and accurate production and data.
To further enhance operational efficiency and product quality, robotic soldering and coating machines will be utilised. These automated machines contribute to consistent and precise soldering and coating processes, reducing the margin of errors and improving the overall quality and robustness of the manufactured products and caters to delivering the complete solutions for the end users.
What are the future plans of Mitsubishi Electric in India, especially with the government emphasis on Make in India?
Our support to the government’s ‘Make-In-India’ initiative and ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’ or ‘Self Reliance’ initiative has been very intense over the years. Our aim has always resonated with this concept and this new manufacturing plant is an extension to support our commitment and dedication towards this practice. Our idea to come up an investment of INR 2,200 million in India in the form of this new manufacturing plant is to cater to the growing demand of the country with optimisation and readily available Factory Automation products by manufacturing them in India and in turn, empower the government’s Make-In-India initiative. We have further planned to expand our manufacturing facilities at this factory in a phased manner for the years to come.
Finally, what is the level of automation of this new facility? Is this one of the Smart Factories of the Industry 4.0 ecosystems?
The manufacturing facility boasts state-of-the-art technology, with a particular emphasis on integration and efficiency. Supporting the company’s commitment to the Digital India Mission and Sustainable Development, operations of this smart factory are completely digitalised and trackable with real-time data availability using its e-F@ctory smart manufacturing solution. The integration extends beyond production processes, as the plant features an Integrated Building Management System (BMS) based on Factory Automation hardware and software products. This integration ensures a cohesive and efficient operation throughout the facility, exemplifying a commitment to modern manufacturing practices and technological advancements through the implementation of the latest technologies, all equipment in the facility are seamlessly integrated to SAP – Hana, showcasing a high level of data management and connectivity within the enterprise. The Experience Centre at the facility further showcases our technological prowess by offering demonstrations of cutting-edge technologies such as the 3D Gemini Software (Digital Twin), Robotics Products, and other advanced Factory Automation (FA) Products.
Visitors to the facility can witness firsthand the synergies between different technologies, reinforcing the facility's status as a leader in the industry.
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