Making a Powerful Metalworking Nation
I
t is said that machine tools is a totally demand-centric industry. If automobile, aerospace and other engineering industries grow, machine tools will grow; if all these industries do not do well, the demand for machine tools sharply goes down. Almost all the products that we see around us have been touched by machine tools in the manufacturing process. The most prolific customers for the machine tools industry are automobile, aerospace, energy, construction equipment, die & mould, electrical and electronics and consumer goods industries, which are growing rapidly in India. India is considered as a manufacturing hub and almost all big companies from these sectors have made their presence felt in the country. India has become a hub for small car manufacturing; the current offset policy for Indian defence, need for better infrastructure and the growing consumer durables and electrical & electronics industries are the reasons behind the development of the Indian machine tools industry.
Let us take a look at some of the machine tools industry’s biggest customers. According to the statistics released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the cumulative production data for April–March 2012 shows a production growth of 13.83% over the same period last year. In March 2012, as compared to March 2011, production grew at a single-digit rate of 6.8%. According to the current offset policy for Indian defence, the company that gets a contract has to source 30% of the components from Indian component providers. When it comes to the energy sector, most of the demand comes from turbine manufacturers. According to Indian Wind Energy Association (InWEA), the Indian wind energy sector has an installed capacity of 17,365.03 MW (as on March 31, 2012). Another fruitful industry, which is generating a lot of demand for machine tools, is construction equipment, and it plays a significant role in infrastructure. The future looks good as the government has projected a whooping US$1-trillion investment in the infrastructure sector during the 12th Plan Period (2012–17). For the electrical & electronics industry, The Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers’ Association (IEEMA), an industry association of manufacturers of electrical, industrial electronics and allied equipment, has estimated US$100 billion worth sales of electrical equipment by 2022. All these industries have different machining requirements. While some industries demand heavy load machining, some very demand high-precision complex machining. Nishant Kashyap analyses seven biggest consumers of machine tools that drive the Indian metalworking sector. This section also talks about the different machining requirements of these industries and solutions provided by machine tools manufacturers. It will also talk about the current scenario, business dynamics and future prospects of these industries in India.
January 2013 - MMT 121