The Phenomenal Success
Published on : Friday 01-11-2019
The 14th edition of Automation Expo was held in late September. Once again, the exhibition witnessed record participation and an overwhelming response from exhibitors, visitors and well-wishers.
The 4-day event showcased a lot of new products and state-of-the-art technologies. Apart from major global automation companies that are also present in the Indian market through their subsidiaries, a large number of companies, domestic and overseas, including those from the SME segment, participated in the show. There were also a number of startups in emerging technologies like 3D printing, IIoT, diagnostic tools, robotics, and the works. As is the practice, there were concurrent events like the CEO Summit, IIoT Conference and the Factory Automation Conclave, which drew enthusiastic response from invitees and delegates. With almost 150 booths, China and Taiwan were a major presence through their respective pavilions. Included in this edition is a 24-page pictorial review of the show for the benefit of the readers who were unable to visit.
For a country as diverse, and population as humongous as India, any talk of a slowdown is just a temporary, sector specific setback. The fact that the manufacturing sector in general, automotive in particular, has suffered is borne out by statistics. The Indian economy is robust enough to withstand such periodic slumps. This is the right time for investment in the right technologies for leaner and energy efficient manufacturing, if the country has to compete globally, which is a major plank of the present government’s economic policies. As the world in general, and the developed economies in particular are reaping the benefits of Industry 4.0, Indian manufacturers must join the bandwagon to stay in the race.
A major problem facing the industry today is the shortage of skills, especially in emerging technologies like collaborative robots, additive manufacturing, drones, etc. It is ironic that while there is a lot of talk of job displacement, similar attention is not paid to retraining and skill development not just in the new technologies, but even in traditional trades like welding. According to recent estimates by the Indian Institute of Welding, India faces a shortage of 1.2 million welders, which is adversely affecting the industry, especially the infrastructure segment. It is essential to reform the education sector to channelise more youth to vocational courses rather than have them all pursue higher education with not many opportunities in the service industry. The government has launched many initiatives on this front, the industry – especially the large conglomerates – need to step up its participation and join the efforts. While a few companies are already engaged in such efforts, more need to join. This editorial is from the magazine for the month of feb 2020 to here from the experts & industry proffessionals subscribe now by visiting this link.(https://www.industrialautomationindia.in/subscription)
