KEEP IT OPEN

AUTOMATION WILL BE A NECESSITY SOON. COMPANIES ARE REALISING THIS WITH THE PANDEMIC

- MOLLY R

DRIVEN BY THE NEED TO MAKE PARTS FASTER, better, and for less, manufacturers of all sizes are embracing various forms of automation. The idea is to lower costs, increase production, and reduce response times. From large manufacturing plants that are run almost entirely by robots to small job shops looking to improve a few key production processes, automation is changing the face of manufacturing in ways that were previously unimaginable. Totally self operating plants are a long way off for most manufacturers. But more and more are adopting automation on a smaller scale in ways that make sense for their businesses.

If one considers CNC machines, which is the mainstay of the manufacturing industry for decades, we have always had highly skilled operators to run them. But we need more and that has been a difficult task. Thanks to new technologies, many CNCs can now make parts without having an operator present or with only minimal human interaction. Automated CNCs not only lower production costs, they also eliminate waste, improve quality and safety, and speed up turnaround times.

DS Ravindra Raju, president, manufacturing, Deepak Fertilisers and Petrochemicals Corporation, says, “Indian manufacturing industry I would say is in a developing stage as compared to the global scale and numbers. However, India is at the right side of growth and the Government’s commitment to empower the manufacturing sector is being witnessed, especially post Covid situation. Even with limited scale, Indian companies have established their mettle when it comes to speed of adoption to global quality parameters.”

AUTOMATION LEADS TO A REDUCTION IN COST, BUT NOT ALL THE TIME.