Make in India could focus more on MSMEs

By OEM Update Editorial June 18, 2019 1:01 pm IST

Policy maker shave to rethink on the core purpose of starting the ‘Make in India’ campaign, says Maulik Patel, Executive Director, Sahajanand Laser Technology Ltd, in an interview with OEM Update. He suggests that the government must iron out the imbalances in the Make in India initiative, which could better serve the industry.

Your views on Mudra loans repayment issues, posed by the MSMEs
Mudra Loan was one of the key factors behind government’s efforts to aid MSME industries. The policy was to encourage the MSME sector to upgrade current infrastructure and capabilities. I believe the current scenario is a by-product of lenient policy and regulation.

Role of Make in India in shaping the Indian manufacturing sector
‘Make in India’ was an early boost in the sector; Though the campaign seems to be more on emotional side of the consumers and the manufacturers, there were no real concrete policies to lift the sector, either with the quality or with the infrastructure.

Digital India: A programme to develop Silicon Valley environment
Digital India always seemed like a programme that’s being launched to develop Silicon Valley environment in India. While looking at machine tool industry, Digital India is more on integrating current products digitally to increase the reach and effect for the company and customer. It is more accessibility of tools and building automations.

What do you think, needs to be done to turn India into a genuine manufacturing heavy weight?

To set the priorities right, the policy makers, will have to rethink on the core purpose of ‘Make in India’. There is an imbalance in the priorities to bring foreign manufacturers to ‘Make in India’ or promoting Indian companies for expansion in India.

How are you dealing with the increasing pressure on manufacturing companies to keep their prices low in a highly competitive market
At SLTL Group, we believe being competitive is not just about keeping your prices in check, but also to be able to provide better quality. In a market like this, there is always an appreciation for quality and customers are ready to promote good machinery. To give the high quality output at fair enough price, we follow manufacturing practices very rigorously. Lean, CI, Gemba, 5S and others, have become nerves of our operation. We cut on the cost by minimising errors.

What is your company’s contribution towards green manufacturing
When we talk about going green, it’s a two way scenario. First, is about developing eco-friendly products. Second, embedding eco-friendly techniques in manufacturing them. At SLTL Group’s state-of-the-art laser manufacturing unit, the day time the manufacturing is done under natural light. Also, we are putting constant efforts to make machines more energy efficient.

How do you view your industry’s robust roadmap for the future
The industry is on a strong growth wave. Indian industry is about flexibility and adaptability to global trends. We’ve seen the enthusiasm in the market for more of SLTL Group’s laser systems, as we expand the capability of laser applications through our in-house R&D team.

Digital India is more on integrating current products digitally to increase the reach and effect for the company and customer
Maulik Patel, Executive Director, Sahajanand Laser Technology Ltd