“Promote Industry for Adopting New Technology” [June 2012]

June 19, 2012 12:12 pm

Once the Government decides to step forward in promoting the industry and its human resources, there could be a drastic change implemented across the manufacturing processes. And the industry will adopt new technologies like robotics and automation more holistically- Pradeep Shoran, AGM-Marketing, KUKA Robotics India
Manufacturing sector attaining excellenceThe manufacturing sector is undergoing a phenomenal change with industrial robots taking charge. Although several industries are still in their beginning phase when it comes to accepting robots for various operations, others are yet to take a step in that direction. According to Pradeep Shoran, AGM-Marketing, KUKA Robotics India “Industrial robots will bring about a huge change in the manufacturing sector replacing human efforts and harsh environments with help from the government”.
Most of the countries have their systems in place with reference to automation and robotics to get the desired quality of the product. However, in India, the situation is not very encouraging as the adaptation of automation and robotics in manufacturing process & control is not very encouraging. Emphasising on this area, Mr. Shoran comments, “India is lagging far behind in the robotics market when compared to other Asian countries like China, Japan or any other European or American countries. Not many robots are being used in the manufacturing process in India, which is clearly an issue. The primary reason being the biggest users of robots in India the automotive companies and their suppliers which are still in their nascent stage of using robots while other industries are still struggling to adapt it”.
In general, there are not many industrial robots that are being used in the manufacturing sector in India. Talking about the market status, Mr. Shoran said, “Today, though the market is gradually taking-off as some of the big companies have started implementing automation, many are yet to decide”.
Need to Standardise Manufacturing Facility across the IndustryIndustrial robots are mainly used in industries where repetitive tasks need to be done on a regular basis and in sectors that need to deal with harsh working environments. Also, where accuracy and consistency are critical, robotics have tremendous advantages. However, to get the desired output from industrial robots in a manufacturing facility, maintaining certain quality standards in the entire process of manufacturing is mandatory. According to Mr. Shoran, “Consistency of raw material is one of the prime importance for efficient functioning of robots, lack of which leads to the robot not delivering optimum results”.
Need for Skill DevelopmentWith new technology on the fore, the skills keep getting updated in the manufacturing sector. Though the Indian industry has witnessed skill development when it comes to robotics and automation; the penetration level is very less or largely fragmented. Mr. Shoran shares his thought saying, “In robotics and automation, the skill level is not as high as expected in the industry. People are unaware of the key benefits they could gain from robots or automation in the long run. They generally think of short-term goals and find it too expensive and hence do it manually, which is much cheaper.
Rank
Doing Business 2011 
Ease of Doing Business  
134 
Starting a Business  
165 
Dealing with Construction Permits  
177 
Registering Property  
94 
Getting Credit  
32 
Protecting Investors  
44 
Paying Taxes  
164 
Trading Across Borders  
100 
Enforcing Contracts  
182 
Closing a Business  
134
Technology absorption and gapsRobotics is a highly demanding field with very high calibre. However According to Mr. Shoran, “In India, this sector falls short of even the basic requirement on account of lack of awareness, co-ordination, expertise and available resources, non-existent standards of performance existing in the country. This in turn has led to minimal efforts towards technology absorption. Further, owing to limitations, awareness and implementation has also been rather slow. These factors have therefore, caused major technology gap in the field of industrial robots in India as compared to other developed/developing countries.
Unmatched quality, consistency and high quality production are some of the key advantages of using robotic automated systems. Educating the customer about these benefits would help to a greater extent as far as manufacturing is concerned. Taking a step forward, KUKA Robotics, the leading robot supplier company focusing on robotics and convey these benefits to the end customers by participating in key trade exhibitions, revealing the success stories in prime trade media magazines of companies that have been benefitted from the use of robotics. Mr. Shoran adds, “Educating customers about the reasons why robots or automation are being used is a continuous process that needs to take place for the growth of this sector”.
“Till now, in India, there is no company that manufactures industrial robots”, claims Mr. Shoran. “KUKA Robotics is one of the global leading players supplying robotics products to the Indian market. Most of the companies that are selling robots in India are either coming from European or Japanese countries”. KUKA Robotics, a German enterprise manufactures industrial robots which are used in varied industry verticals for different applications. The company has been in India since 2006 catering to varied industries such as automotive OEM and their suppliers, metal, food, foundry, plastics etc. All the KUKA Robots are manufactured in its facility in Augsburg,Germany and the Indian subsidiary  imports these products and sells it in Indian Market.
Need friendly tax structureTalking about the initiatives expected from the Government during the 12th Five Year Plan, Mr. Shoran said, “The duty structure should be simplified and reduced. At present in India we have around 25 per cent of import custom duty when we import a industrial robot in India; whereas in other Asian countries like Malaysia or China it is very low. This ultimately adds to the cost to the end customer. If the government want to encourage this sector they should lower the custom duty and simplify the tax structure.
The tax structure in India is very complicated for the people who are into the manufacturing business, it needs to be simplified. There are lot of complications with the number of taxes that exist in the country compared to other countries. Moreover in general, the industry environment is not so friendly. “According to a World Bank report Doing Business 2011-India is ranked 134 out of 183 economies in ease of doing Business The Government should look at long term strategies, the policies should be more industry friendly to encourage foreign investment”, said Mr. Shoran.
Progressive measuresThe industry is expanding and leading to creation of new jobs. Commenting on the Government’s projection of creating 100 million jobs by 2025, Mr. Shoran said, “Though it is difficult to predict about creation of 100 million jobs, but an increase in jobs is definitely expected. More importantly, there will be increase in more skilled jobs opportunities. The robots should perform most of the inhuman and tedious tasks and human being should be an instructor/operator to these machines.
Govt should promote the industryIn order to have a better environment in the manufacturing sector, the government should promote such technologies, which encourage use of automation and robotics. Further the labourers are working in harsh and in-human environments e.g. lifting heavy work pieces, doing repetitive jobs, working in hot and dusty environment, which is again not human friendly. Robots can play a key role in replacing these jobs so that human efforts and safety is not compromised. “Once the Government decides to step forward in promoting the industry and its human resources, there could be a drastic change implemented across the manufacturing processes. And the industry will adopt new technologies like robotics and automation more holistically”, concludes Mr. Shoran.