With years of expertise in automation industry, Omron Corporation is now settings its sights on certain emerging sectors.

A t the Automation 2015 trade fair held in Mumbai from August 24-27, one of the exhibitors who attracted quite a bit of attention was Omron Corporation with its tag line ‘Total Omron Strength’. The reason was simple: the personnel managing the booth had been briefed to focus on the theme of “expanding human possibilities and creating a better society.” This certainly played a different tune than those companies, which were focused only on customer interaction, and generating sales leads. “This has been our vision for the company’s journey into the future. Incidentally, it also helped us reach out to the right audience and to fortify our positioning as a single source integrated automation solutions’ provider capable of meeting the most demanding manufacturing challenges,” says Sameer Gandhi, the company’s managing director.

Omron Corporation has been engaged in the field of automation based on its core technology of sensing and control. Its business fields cover a broad spectrum, ranging from industrial automation and electronic components to automotive electronic components, social infrastructure systems, healthcare, and environmental solutions. Established in 1933, the company has about 39,000 employees worldwide, working to provide products and services in more than 110 countries and regions. “In the field of industrial automation, Omron Corporation supports manufacturing innovation by providing advanced automation technologies and products, as well as through extensive customer support, in order to help create a better society,” Gandhi says.

The company caters to over eight industrial segments, viz., packaging, automotive, material handling, solar, food and beverages, textile, and panel handling applications. The product portfolio includes industrial components, automation systems, sensing and safety, motion and drivers and software. Centring on the themes of quality, safety and the environment, it supports manufacturing innovation worldwide with unique sensing and controlling technologies. Of late, the company has been concentrating on the solution business, which solves management problems on diverse production sites.

“We are in the phase of rapid expansion and our operations are now focused on major cities like Mumbai, Gurgaon, Bangalore, Pune, Chennai and Ahmedabad. We are also making our presence felt across the other parts of India by appointing resident engineers to address the ever-challenging requirements of the clients,” Gandhi informs. As per various market reports, the size of the automation industry in India can be pegged at around USD 175 billion. It is projected to reach USD 301.9 billion by 2020 with a CAGR of 8.53 per cent.

Elaborating about the established and the emerging sectors where automation is in demand, Gandhi says, “Though automation is one of the most intrinsic elements for all kinds of manufacturing set-ups, industries where productivity, quality and safety are of prime importance are usually the ones that have been showing swiftness in adopting modern automation technology as compared to other sectors. Automotive, food and beverage, FMCG, pharmaceuticals, packaging and panel building are some of the notable sectors where one can see significant usage of industrial automation.”

“Further, being promoted as ‘mother of manufacturing activities’ by making it as the engine of the ‘Make in India’ initiative, the automotive sector has been witnessing significant utilisation of industrial automation technologies. We have been following a ‘complete solutions’ approach to contribute towards the automotive manufacturing sector to make it progressive and future-ready. Our vision and safety solutions provide innumerable benefits to the original equipment manufacturers such as complete assurance of human and machine safety, zero error processes, and flexibility ensuring optimised resource use,” Gandhi adds.

As to the economic triggers that will provide momentum for Omron Corporation’s growth in India, Gandhi believes that population growth, rise in disposable incomes and consumption, especially amongst the middle class, along with enhanced financial inclusion, rapid urbanisation and growth in rural demand are some of the factors which are lending a positive outlook to the growth of the industrial automation sector in India. “Initiatives by the government like ‘Make in India’ and ‘Skilled India’ are also expected to have a huge positive influence on the industry,” he adds.

The company is, to match the demands of the future, working on innovations and new technologies. “In order to partner with our patrons as complete solutions providers, we strive to bring in continuous improvements in our whole portfolio. For example, we have recently improved upon our robots such as the SCARA robot used extensively for pick-and-place applications. We have also recently upgraded our HMI solutions and are upgrading the panel components. Further, in order to expand our horizons to take advantage of technology development and engineering capabilities in the field of motion control designed to drive manufacturing equipment, the company has acquired Delta Tau Data System Inc of the United States, the world’s leading developer, manufacturer and supplier of innovative high-performance motion controllers,” Gandhi reveals.

Delta Tau Data System Inc has, along with its existing business and markets, an impressive product portfolio in India. “This would help us penetrate better in industries such as F&B, FMCG and pharmaceuticals in the packaging sector. With this acquisition, the next few months will be exciting as we will look forward to leverage Delta Tau’s existing presence in the country to expand our business,” Gandhi states.

At the Automation 2015 show, the demonstration of Omron Corporation’s ‘Human Vision Component’ capable of recognising face, age and controlling gestures is what received a great response from visitors, further highlighting the company’s sensing and control technology-based forte in creating harmony between humans and machines. “What impressed visitors is our broad portfolio. For example, the electronic and mechanical components’ section elucidated the role of relays and sensors in designing reliable, energy-efficient and smart equipment such as relay boards, smart meters, solar inverters, test equipment and bringing in hi-technology features such as tamper detection, accident prevention, etc.

Our automotive electronic components’ section showcased solutions like immobiliser antenna, receiver, transmitter and body control module that can help make automobiles safer and better. All this directly impacts our lives,” Gandhi concludes.