Under the motto ‘Humans - Machine – Progress’, VDMA (German Engineering Federation), which celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2017, addresses important challenges for mankind and the importance of machine and plant construction as a solution provider, says Rajesh Nath. 

 

In 1892, 29 machine factories in Cologne (Germany) laid the foundations for the VDMA. The aim of the founding fathers was to establish a network of contacts for the mechanical engineering sector, which communicated common interests with one voice and in which the members agreed on specific positions on individual issues. These are still central tasks of the VDMA and many services for the member companies have been added.

 

Great tasks for a better future are waiting for humanity. At the same time, progress results from the interplay between man and machine. Since the beginning of time, humans have longed to take their future into their own hands. And since then, humans have been designing, building and using machines for this purpose. Humans, machines and progress are thus intrinsically linked. Humans use machines to improve the lives of all on this planet.

 

It is one of our most important tasks to show you what humans today can do with machines and the progress that will come out of it. But what are the biggest challenges facing mankind? And what contribution are machines and mechanical engineers already making today to solve them? The Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VDMA) has been providing the general public with knowledge on mechanical engineering for 125 years.

 

Driven by dreams, curiosity and an inquiring mind, it is part of human nature to strive for technological progress and seek solutions for the challenges facing our world. This spirit has defined our industry, the engineering sector, from the very beginning.

 

Against this backdrop, VDMA has made the triad of “Humans – Machines – Progress” its anniversary motto.

 

This triad symbolises numerous achievements and innovations in the mechanical engineering industry and points towards the opportunities and possibilities of increased collaboration between human beings and machines in the future. 

 

Humans

The triad is also rooted in the here and now, which becomes particularly evident when taking a closer look at the three individual concepts. In India, there are some interesting aspects to these concepts.

 

Since India’s declaration of independence 70 years ago, the country’s population has more than tripled, now counting nearly 1.4 billion people. Therefore, it is only a matter of time before India will replace China as the most populous country in the world. At the same time, India’s populace is still relatively young compared to China or Japan. This entails both opportunities and challenges for the country’s economic and social fabric. 

 

After all, a growing population always means an increase in basic demands and additional desires and needs. Ultimately, this applies to all areas of life, from the health care sector to education, nutrition and housing to energy, infrastructure and private consumption.

 

Machines

These increasing demands can only be met when using machines, state-of-the-art production plants and resource-efficient technologies.

 

An industrial infrastructure is an essential element in the economic development of a country – especially when this also involves structural changes towards a national economy that is increasingly characterized by industry and higher-quality products and services.

 

This goes hand in hand with the ‘Make in India’ slogan introduced by the Government of India. This slogan involves the goal of transforming India into a global production location – and the products of the mechanical and plant engineering sector play a decisive role in this endeavor. The German mechanical engineering sector alone exports goods worth Euro 2.9 billion (2016) to India, making the country an important and esteemed foreign market for German companies. 

 

But machines and technologies are more than just trading goods, as they also enable progress in a wide range of areas.

 

Progress

Progress and education are the only way for a country to ensure that machines are not only bought, but that there are also enough qualified people to operate, maintain and ultimately produce such technologies themselves. 

 

The German mechanical and plant engineering sector serves as a reliable, value-adding partner to the Indian economy, focusing on contributing technologies and know-how and getting involved in projects on site.

 

Excellent local conditions and reliable framework conditions are of great importance when it comes to bolstering and strengthening this commitment. That is why VDMA continues to address these topics, acting as a supportive advisor for mechanical and plant engineering companies and their partners in India - in line with the anniversary motto “Humans – Machines – Progress”.

 

For our member companies and for VDMA, machines are therefore not an end in themselves. They are the means by which we will accomplish progress for the people. The aim is to continually make the world a better place. And this is the task that the nearly 3200 member companies of the VDMA take on every day.

 

VDMA celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2017. This anniversary is both testament to the tradition and importance of the mechanical and plant engineering sector and a promise for the future.

 

Today, the VDMA is the largest industrial association in Europe with around 3,200 member companies, and in Germany alone, machine construction is the largest industrial employer with 1 million employees. In other European countries and in the world, machine and plant engineering is also an important employer, an economic factor and a trading partner. Therefore, the VDMA is represented abroad, for example in India, China and South America.

 

Rajesh Nath is the Managing Director of VDMA India and was recently conferred the ‘Cross of the Order of Merit’, the highest civilian honour awarded to individuals for their services to Germany. He can be contact on 

email: rajesh.nath@vdmaindia.org