In a bid to assist small and medium enterprises of brass-components makers in Jamnagar, the Gujarat Technological University (GTU) and the local industry body, Jamnagar Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) have come forward to resolve challenges faced by the industry.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) in this regard has already been signed with the GTU and first batch of students from the university is expected to visit Jamnagar in July. The joint initiative is aimed at improving productivity and bringing process innovation for the brass-parts industry.
GTU Innovation Council - a joint venture between Gujarat Technological University and Ahmedabad-based Techpedia will establish close linkages with industries and businesses. This will also make research and development at the university more relevant to the needs of industries at national and international levels. The initiative will involve students to provide technical assistance for quality and innovation in the brass-components manufacturing.
"There are several challenges for the brass-parts industry in Jamnagar, mainly on the production front. The market is very large and still most of the units operate manually with nearly 400,000 people depending on brass-components manufacturing. We need to be more professional and competitive in the international market," said Prashant Maharshi, an industry expert and a former office bearer at JCCI.
Techpedia and GTU will set up an innovation sankul (cluster) in Jamnagar focusing on the innovations for the brass-parts manufacturing activity. "Students from different departments from GTU will visit the SMEs in Jamnagar and will identify the problems faced by them. The students will come out with ideas to resolve these problems. A prototype of these ideas may be created and will also be protected by the intellectual property right for the student," said Hiranmay Mahanta from Techpedia, an organisation led by Anil Gupta, a senior professor of Indian Institute of Management - Ahmedabad (IIM-A).
Nearly 5,000 units of brass-components manufacturers will benefit from the academic participation. The brass-components are mainly used in all the electronic and industrial components.
Mahanta further informed that the step would create a management system using the existing structures and facilities. The initiative is a part of the GTU Innovation Council's programme to involve students to prepare a report on the challenges faced by the industry and come out with a scientific solution.