OMRON Automation, part of OMRON Corporation Japan, inaugurated its first Automation Centre (ATC) in India at Mumbai on 22nd April, 2014. This is only the fifth such Automation Centre globally, indicating the importance of the Indian market to the company. This state-of-the-art facility will help customers catering to various segments like packaging, F&B, FMCG, pharmaceuticals, special purpose machines, automotive, textile, etc., to make the best out of their investments into the industrial automation business. It will support the customers to overcome various challenges like speed, machine performance, accuracy, rising competition, changing trends and technologies, etc.

Speaking on the occasion, Vivekanand Patil, Manager of ATC, Omron Automation said, "This facility is a new innovation in Mumbai. With ATC, we aim to be the ultimate choice of our customers, and provide them with value added services."

The centre is spread over 3,750 sq ft and hosts more than 10 experts as software, hardware and application specialists. The expertise includes SYSMAC platform, vision inspection solution, robotics solution, networking software, advance motion control, and machine safety solutions.

"The ATC is a step towards highlighting our solution centric approach and excellence in execution as a complete 'automation partner'. It shall play an important role in strengthening our contribution towards India's manufacturing prowess and the society," reveals Takehito Maeda, MD, Omron Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, Industrial Automation Business.

ATC represents real competence, wherein customers can experience live test on machines and SYSMAC platform with advanced technologies and solutions. The ideas and concept of the customers can be made possible due to this facility.

The centre has different functional areas which include Tsunagi Laboratory, vision laboratory, connectivity, Simulation laboratory, SYSMAC live experiences, and the training centre. The SYSMAC platform depicts a high speed and high accuracy fully integrated platform with one machine controller, one machine network, and one machine software. This platform is user friendly, and will help to find solution through a single network.

On the other hand, the Delta robot and the SCARA robot together with bottle filling and VFFS (vertical form fill seal) machines will help to enhance a machine's performance by improving the speed, accuracy, flexibility, reliability, and efficiency of all kind of industrial applications, primarily for packaging and material handling.

The vision lab has cameras, lens, lighting solutions, controllers, etc., to test the samples and further check the different possibilities. This function of ATC will help the customers to reduce time that is been taken on site for testing and will ultimately improve the quality of products. Omron offers integration of automation and vision technology together which is today the need of the industry for quality and productivity.

Yutaka Miyanaga, Senior Managing Officer, Company President of Industrial Automation Company, Omron Corporation, Japan avers, "We are well-known for our quality products and application strength in the industrial automation segment globally. This initiative is a part of our 'Asia Hotspots' strategy - one of its important tasks is to consolidate our foothold in India which is indeed a highly promising market for Omron Automation."

Another notable area is the Tsunagi lab. This lab provides complete integration experience to the third party components, so that the patrons can learn and handle the technologies which are in the scope of total solution. This lab will make the communication process easy.

Thus, based on the philosophy of "you create the concept, we will help you to make it work", the centre aims to showcase Omron's expertise in the 'sensing and control' technology so that the customers are able to test their new ideas, experience and understand how they can bring more improvements to their current manufacturing set up and can become more competitive in their respective fields.

"We are confident of achieving relevant traction in many industries through this initiative by catering to the advanced requirements of the manufacturing segment," concludes Sameer Gandhi, MD, Omron Automation, India.