SPECIAL FOCUS Seamless Integration
Simply identifying potential business is not where the challenges end; the industry needs to go through a quantum transition in order to seamlessly incorporate new manufacturing nuances. Debarati Basu tries to find out the missing links in the industry’s growth and ways in which these gaps can be plugged so that the conventional industry can easily evolve to the next level of manufacturing operations.
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he level of competition both at the domestic and the international market has reached a threshold which involves an entirely different set of challenges. In such a situation, is it enough to take a risk and plug into untested terrains? Should the industry instead be conscious in its investment activities and take measured steps ahead? What are the things which need to be upgraded in developing India so as to integrate it into the global industrial evolution? These are some of the questions which the industry ponders upon today, as it finds itself caught in the midst of age-old methods followed traditionally and the sudden surge in technological advancements being incorporated universally. Discussed below is a list of the do’s and don’ts for the Indian industry as it transitions to the next level: 64
MODERN MACHINE TOOLS - April 2012
Change in Attitude This is probably the first step in the entire process of progression. The industry needs to change its basic attitude towards change itself. The industry needs to assess itself in a new light in comparison to the changes which are happening worldwide. With the rate at which the global industry is progressing in terms of technology, investment and industrial know-how, it is too late for the Indian industry to continue with the ‘chalta hai’ (it’s okay) attitude. The global market only wants perfection with not a micron out of place. Hence, the country needs to strive to enter that league of manufacturing capability. “New technology is the need. We can no longer do it the conventional way, and more Indian companies are inculcating this trend fast. This has resulted in an increase in the skill and knowledge in the industry to operate
these machines,” explains Viraj Naidu, Managing Director – DISA India
Create a Niche In an age of tough competition, the Indian industry needs to define its own identity and carve its own niche. If Europe today stands for precision, Japan for innovation and China for its mass production, where should India create its domain? We can no longer only be identified as low-cost outsourcing destination for global OEMs. Getting into a niche market or domain probably may not be a feasible option in terms of return on investment. But the industry needs to look beyond the horizon and calculate the value in it, which would pay back in the longer run. “India is well advised to stay on its path of domestic growth and prosperity rather than try to excel