Tatas double patents in 2 years

The group spent Rs 17,896 crore on R&D; now has 7,000 patents

In June last year, Tata Consultancy Services showcased an artificial intelligence technology platform, Ignio, at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Manhattan, New York.

Those who attended the event - analysts and clients - called it a "bold vision".

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Ignio is the world's first neural automation system for enterprises, claim the Tatas. It functions somewhat like a human brain and is capable of cognitive intuition, without explicit instructions. It breaks a complex activity down into a number of simpler tasks, and performs each to complete the activity.

But, in the Tata group, which has about 100 companies, it is only one of the 1,900 innovations implemented last year.

In 2015, the Tatas touched the 7,000-mark in patents, double of what they had in 2013. In that year alone, the Tata group filed for about 2,100 patents in India and abroad - 700 more than the number they had filed for the previous year.

At Tata Innovista, an annual programme of the group to encourage, recognise and showcase innovations, the Tatas said they had spent Rs 17,896 crore, or $2.9 billion, on research and development (R&D) across companies in the financial year 2014-15, which was 2.7 per cent of the group's turnover.

In 2013-14, the Tata group had spent Rs 16,000 crore, or 2.5 per cent of its turnover in R&D.

Its 7,000 patents are mainly in computation and data processing, materials, coating, casting and vehicle propulsion, communications, engines, and hybrids, fuels and controls.

Tata Consultancy Services, for example, has developed Ignio, the world's first neural automation system for enterprises according to Tatas, which functions more like a human brain capable of cognitive intuition, without explicit instructions. It breaks a complex activity down into a number of simpler tasks, and completes the activity. In automobile engineering, the traditional approach to design components has been using physical prototype testing, which involves costs and longer lead times. Jaguar Land Rover's team created a virtual tool to eliminate expensive early prototype testing.

Innovations like these are a part of the 1,900 ideas that were implemented last year in the Tata group, up 20 per cent over previous year. These innovations also helped bring trailing annual benefits worth $1billion (Rs 6,600 crore) for the Tata group.

"This includes additional revenue as well as cost benefits arrived through innovative processes," said Gopichand Katragadda, group chief technology officer, Tata Sons.

Katragadda was handpicked by chairman Cyrus Mistry from his earlier role of managing director at GE India Technology Centre in Bengaluru. He is the first group technology officer for Tata Group which has accelerated its innovation exercises.

The group has identified areas such as energy security, for which work will be done on better use of coal by the group's power and steel plants. Work will also be undertaken in renewable energy and food security. The other areas are food and wellness, consumer electronics and digitisation of factories and fleet.