At present, manufacturing companies are adopting advanced manufacturing technologies not only to remain competitive in the game but also to explore developed market through technologically advanced products, explains Sanjay Chincholikar.

 

The Indian manufacturing industry has gone through various phases of development since independence. Taking the growth story forward, Indian manufacturing companies are adopting strategies, wherein they are improving efficiency and productivity through sustained focus on advanced technology. Growing consumption story, growing middle class and young population make India a preferred investment destination and provide an excellent opportunity to manufacturers. Technological advancement has the true potential to take the Indian manufacturing industry to a next level.

 

While earlier manufacturing was mostly about the use of machinery and labour, manufacturing is more intelligent today.  In this new age, manufacturing companies are adopting advanced manufacturing technologies not only to remain competitive in the game but also to explore developed market through technologically advanced products.

 

By incorporating advanced technology, companies are realigning their growth strategies with that of Indian government, which is projecting India as a manufacturing hub through its ‘Make in India’ (MII) campaign. Through this initiative, it is expected that the manufacturing sector in the country could reach $1 trillion by 2025, with the sector accounting for around 25 per cent of the GDP and creating 90 million domestic jobs by that period.

 

Apart from the MII campaign, there are several other steps being taken by Government of India on policies to attract investments, to encourage local manufacturers to become global, to promote healthy environment for the growth of manufacturing sector. Some of the key initiatives taken by the Government of India are reduction on custom duty, increased export incentives, eased foreign direct investment (FDI), tie up with foreign companies for partnership and technology transfer, developed industrial corridors, improved transport and infrastructure, focus on bringing down logistics cost and many more.

 

Besides this, government must focus on education quality, create more and more scientists, and encourage research and innovation which can further boost Indian manufacturing. It should concentrate on training people with an intention to increase productivity and encourage large scale set up so that the global market can be tapped. Government should also look into bringing down the cost of capital by lowering interest rates and make policies to improve ease of doing business. The best way is to study and follow practices adopted by developed countries and implement them. Making land available at low cost, reducing transportation cost are the key areas which can make Indian manufacturers competitive.

 

The current situation looks favourable for Indian manufacturing industry to grow. Factors like spillover effect from dollar appreciation, trade war between USA and China, revival of demand from European Union can stimulate Indian exports.

 

Business strategies to make a mark globally

Indian manufacturing companies are consistently working on product innovations as well as tech-based innovations to make a mark in global manufacturing industry. Adoption of digitisation in manufacturing facilities has converted every challenge into opportunity with its unique approach that showcases:-a. Leading through innovation: Developing a strong innovation culture is vital for both our nation and industry today. Product innovation is the key to success for manufacturing industry. It is a continuous process and is focussed towards addressing the emerging needs of the industry by developing innovative and speciality products. Here the role of R&D comes largely into play. Indian manufacturing sector needs to increase its R&D spending in order to have better innovative products and technology.

 

b. Digitisation of business processes: Companies are adopting technologies to increase business productivity through cloud based solutions for mission critical applications and advanced data processing. With digitisation has come efficiency in conducting business. It has transformed various processes like inventory management system, internal process, HR system for managing employees’ life cycle and customer relationship management system.

 

c. Digital transformation in manufacturing: For manufacturing companies, it has become important to redesign and redefine the manufacturing process with the use of available technologies to accelerate the growth and become more efficient. The companies are taking advantage of technological advancements and are adopting artificial intelligence (AI) for forecasting, robotics for process automation, manufacturing execution system (MES) for real time controls of line and machine learning for maintenance in their manufacturing facilities to increase productivity. These disruptive technologies today are one of the key drivers of economic growth globally and are also transforming the country’s manufacturing sector.

 

d. Customer centric approach: Being customer centric is something more than offering good service to your customers. Manufacturing companies are adopting new tools and seeking new ways to satisfy the needs of their customers. It starts with understanding the unmet needs of the customers and then coming up with customised innovations to fill the gap. Many companies are adopting tools like Customer Relationship Management (CRM) for higher level of customer engagements and managing customer relations. CRM system reduces non value adding conversations between the customer and the company to almost zilch, as all the required information could be sent out to the customer by auto email alerts, or is available for him to retrieve online. For customers, this includes complete visibility to stage wise progress of orders right from order receipt to order dispatch as well as claims status if any.

 

Importance of R&D to make India an R&D hub

Research and Development plays a critical role in the process of product innovation, be it developing a new product or improvements in existing products. Manufacturers with constant R&D investments are more likely to succeed in the global market. It is primarily investment in technology advancements, adequate education & training of employees and future capabilities. As product innovation takes place, companies adopt new manufacturing processes to increase productivity. It is all about finding new ways to build up their competitive advantages. To make India an R&D hub, it is critical for the Indian manufacturing companies to value the importance of R&D and invest in its infrastructure on an ongoing basis.

 

Impact of new technologieson the packaging manufacturing industry

Technological advancements are happening in leaps and bounds in the packaging industry and with new technologies coming into effect, the efficiency of the industry has only increased. To initiate ease of doing business and augment productivity, most of the manufacturing companies in the packaging industry are adopting technologies ranging from digitisation, automation to robotics.

 

Packaging companies are incorpo-rating automation in manufacturing process. There is a complete synchronisation of manufacturing right from raw material feeding to final mill roll production. Inventory management through bar-coding and RFID help reduce the loading and unloading time of materials and provide complete traceability.

 

Business intelligence tool ensures availability of all decision enabling business reports which help in real time decision making. Effective online supplier performance evaluation is done through SAP for better and consistent product quality, and services.

The companies are also planning to implement the planning automation tool including one for raw materials requirement as well. Through adoption of manufacturing execution system (MES), it will provide all the real time controls to run the lines with maximum throughput.

 

Trends in packaging industry

The packaging sector is in a constant state of flux as brands are engaging with customers like never before. Packaging is playing a pivotal role in helping brands differentiate their product offerings. Flexible packaging is the order of the day and is resulting in increasing packaging film consumption. Some of the broader trends in packaging industry can be summarised as follows:

• Light weight packaging to reduce cost and waste

• Enhanced shelf life packaging especially where companies are looking to develop a global portfolio

• On-the-go packaging; packaging that is easy to hold, open, use and reseal because of lifestyle changes

• Packs designed for digital shelves with labeling that can double up as a billboard

• Sustainable packaging; though cost-effective, sustainable alternatives are yet far and few.

 

Sustainability: Need of the hour

Sustainability is gaining momentum globally and has become increasingly important for packaging films manufacturers too, as demand for more sustainable systems emerge from all sections of the society which include consumers, manufacturers as well as retailers. As industry is acknowledging the concern towards recyclability of plastic and plastic films due to end-of-life disposal problem with plastics, packaging companies are gravitating towards mono-material structures to facilitate recyclability.

 

The other key initiatives taken in this direction are support to down gauging, oxobiodegradable films, support to water based ink printing and use of 100-percent water based coatings. In addition, effluent treatment plants at manufacturing units are being installed along with natural lighting, water recycling and rain water harvesting systems.

 

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"Product innovation is the key to success for manufacturing industry. It is a continuous process and is focussed towards addressing the emerging needs of the industry by developing innovative and speciality products."

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Lead screw nuts made of iglidur J200 extend service life three-fold

 

With the new durable material iglidur 

J200, igus expands its largest range of lead screw systems in the catalogue and online. The advantage of the online shop: 

Configure high helix, trapezoidal and metric threads online with the lead screw configurator and predict the service life of the nut. In addition to the three common lead screw materials, depending on requirements, the designer can choose from nine different lubrication-free and maintenance-free nut materials. This now includes the high-performance iglidur J200 material with superior wear-resistant properties.

Adjustable lead screw drive systems for fast or slow positioning. They convert rotational motion into a linear movement. igus self-lubricating lead screw drives are used in a wide range of applications, including extendable platform steps on commuter trains, 3D printers and valve actuators and fittings in the chemical and process engineering sectors. To address these diverse functions, the engineer can configure their design online in the igus lead screw configurator, choosing from a wide variety of drive systems and technologies. In addition to metric threads, trapezoidal and high helix lead screw threads are available. The latter can replace toothed belt or pneumatic drives. With more than 70 different lead screw pitches, 3 lead screw materials and 9 different nut materials – such as the new durable iglidur J200 – in 10 different versions, igus offers the widest selection worldwide with more than 5,000 lead screw combinations. Igus lead screw shop enables the engineer to calculate the expected service life of the drive system. Another online tool is the lead screw configurator. Here the designer can simulate the movement of the lead screw at both ends online, create a drawing. 

 

The new lead screw nuts made of high-performance iglidur J200. In tests at the igus laboratory, this material achieved a service life three times longer than that of a standard material for nuts running on hard-anodised aluminium lead screws. When used in combination with aluminium, this new nut material reduces noise, dampens vibration and is lightweight. A typical application example can be found in train and aircraft door systems, as well as applications in the handling and automation sectors. Cylindrical or flanged lead screw nuts are available to order from stock, which are also suitable for use on high helix and self-locking trapezoidal threads.

 

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Sanjay Chincholikar is Senior Vice President at Cosmo Films Limited. His career spans over 35 years in the field of manufacturing, engineering, projects, quality control, application and business development, sales and marketing. Currently he heads operations of India Films Business and is responsible for manufacturing, engineering, research and development, quality assurance and technical services function. Sanjay is a Mechanical Engineer as well as a B.Com graduate. He is a post graduate in sales and marketing and holds a Diploma in management, business and factory management.

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