Industrial Automation Magazine India

PLI scheme is a game changer for technological development in the country

Published on : Tuesday 05-04-2022

Allashyam Charan, Founder and CEO, Quantum Robotics.

We have been hearing about robots in the Indian Industry. What is the extent of penetration today? Which industry segments are the major users?
The Indian robotic sector is an emerging revolution that is going to soon surprise the global market. With utmost potential for growth and application, robotics has a major industrial, personal and commercial market, which has been tapped in the past 2-3 years, with more than 40.6% installations of industrial robots for automation in the manufacturing industries. The major users are currently limited to automotive, pharmaceutical, plastic, metal, aerospace, healthcare and electronic sectors of the country to manufacture various goods. On the commercial side, robotics is widely used in the healthcare sector for surgeries, automated cleaning robots, serving and sanitising robots due to the pandemic, manipulators for pick and load, etc.
What lessons are learnt out of the pandemic situation for deployment of robots? What case-study/examples of industries weathering the storm because of having deployed robots? Do you foresee a rush to deploy robots post-Covid?
The pandemic has opened certain opportunities and visibility for robots in our country. From serving robots to avoid touching to UV screening robots to help us disinfect humans, robotics has been able to help people understand its requirements. Manufacturing units which were entirely automated functioned smoothly during the pandemic. While sectors such as consumer stores, D2C markets and local restaurants are yet to extend their reach within robotics, the vigilance sector (such as drones for monitoring, automation, carrier robots, and surgical and healthcare robotic systems) is booming. There is certainly a rush because of the habitability and potential in the field to make daily human life easier.
 
Do recent policy initiatives like PLI scheme for electronics industry, Semiconductor manufacturing, large 2-wheeler EV plants, etc., augur well for robotic automation?
The PLI scheme launched by the Indian government is a game changer for technological development in the country. Though robotics is not a new term theoretically, PLI provides incentives for foreign companies to start building and manufacturing robotic parts in India, hence, increasing visibility and providing acquirable products for the Indian market to exploit. The explosion PLI can create is huge, with the semiconductor, electronics and EV plant industries and building system to adjust to the running climate and trend while also modulating it in the coming years.
 
Are the capabilities of system integrators to design and deploy robots strong enough? What initiatives from industry bodies and government are needed?
There are many system integrators in the Indian market who are extensively working on deploying in various traditional and non-traditional sectors. I would say it's not about the capabilities, but it’s about the opportunities. Even though the Indian market can use robotics to an exhaustive extent to increase production and provide better results, with not enough public opportunities, financial dependency and overshoot of other factors, I do not see a major impact on the same.
 
Globally, use of robotics in non-traditional sectors – food & beverages, hospitals & hospitality, sewage & waste segregation – is rising. What is the Indian scenario?
Indian consumers are persistent and versatile. With emerging trends, Indian consumers adapt and invent better solutions to commercial solutions. This is the same case with non-traditional sectors. The hospitality sector of serving with robots is becoming commercial in metropolitan cities such as Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai. With the right nudge it can be further explored. IIT Madras has been developing their own version of septic and sewage treatment robots to provide support to the second most populous country of the world. Healthcare sector is currently adversely dependent on robotics because of its efficacy and far better results at treatment whilst not letting spread of infections, human errors and technical advancement.
 
Is the Logistics & Warehousing industry spurring the demand for robots in this segment? Are there Indian players who are focussing on this segment?
Logistics and warehousing are the main linkage points of every supply chain. Warehouse robotics improves safety of workers, faster loading and unloading of items and carrying heavy payloads. While logistics is mostly about the functionality and management of goods, robots here are used for their assembly line, bin movement, arranging and sorting capabilities. With more than 15 players, new age Indian start-ups are currently functioning in this field, providing optimal solutions to warehousing and logistics. Unbox Robotics, IFuture robotics and Alog Tech are some of the players in the market providing AI-based warehouse automation and logistics management. We can certainly say India is getting roboticised.
 
Allashyam Charan is the founder and current CEO of Quantum Robotics managing both Khammam and Bangalore office. A current BTech graduate from Vivekananda Global University, Jaipur in Robotics engineering, it has been his dream to build a company providing optimal solutions with robotics in the field of automation in our country and make itself dependent for the future.
 
Quantum Robotics is an Indian startup which aspires to lift the world with bots technology. The aim is to provide resilient and better outreach to the field of robotics in the Indian market and enhance lifestyle and solve daily needs with next gen innovations. The services include:
- robotic kit manufacturing
- online courses
- innovative incubation
- internships and trainings
- laboratory setups, and
- robotic workshops.
 
Quantum Robotics currently operates in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Jaipur and Khammam and remotely provides online educational services.
 
(The views expressed in interviews are personal, not necessarily of the organisations represented)