Schneider Electric: thrives to be OEMs preferred partner

May 15, 2013 9:31 am

Jatinder Hans, General Manager, OEM Sales and Competency Development, Schneider Electric India, talks about manufacturing sector and the need for automation
Please update us on the status of manufacturing sector in India and the need for automation.Manufacturers do automation for three to four main reasons which include improving productivity by achieving higher speed for packaging products. CPG manufacturers are always pressed for the need to have mass customisation literally within no time. For them, the KPI is faster time to market and to be ahead of competition. Automation helps them achieve this goal. Other way, automation helps by reducing downtime through quick diagnosis and problem resolution.
Automation also helps them optimise on mechanical equipment which is a direct saving. Energy saving is another major reason people go for automation. Information enabled automation systems helps customer be connected to their plants everywhere.
These days, many manufacturers are concerned with total cost of ownership rather than just the initial capital investment. Although on the surface, it seems that OEMs business drivers are different than end users’ business drivers. If people go deep, they will come to know that their goals are common, i.e. improving productivity and having lowest total cost of ownership in anything they invest. Where do you think the Indian manufacturing sector stands today in terms of leveraging cutting-edge automation technologies?Indian manufacturing is catching up fast with its Western and Japanese counterparts, and the acceptability of cutting-edge technologies is increasing. Do you think the penetration of automation technology is way below the mark, especially in the industrial manufacturing?This could have been true around 10 years back. With the spread of Internet and latest IT technology, the awareness has reached faster to manufacturers. They are aware that automation helps but how is not clear. Many still perceive that automation is a black box which can complicate their lives.

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