Electronics Corp, OSI Systems ink technology transfer pact

OSI to transfer technology for making electronic cargo inspection systems

The $500-million California-based OSI Systems and state-owned Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) today entered into a memorandum of understanding for the transfer of technology, from OSI to ECIL, for the manufacture of electronic cargo inspection systems.

OSI Systems is a global leader in electronic cargo inspection based on variety of technologies like X-ray, gamma ray, thermal neutron and pulsed fast neutron.

The MoU will go a long way in helping various Indian government departments like the customs and civil aviation adhere to the new container security initiative launched the US government from January this year. The US initiative will see all container cargo entering US ports being electronically inspected and cleared by ports from where the cargo originates.

Addressing a press conference, Deepak Chopra, chairman of OSI group, said, "By deploying these systems, cargo containers need not be opened manually for inspection, thus minimising the congestion in ports, apart from generating revenue from undeclared goods."

According to G P Srivastava, chairman and managing director of Electronics Corporation of India Limited, the company has already been designated by the Union government as the lead agency for the implementation of such systems and absorption of the technology.

Srivastava said that a pilot project has been implemented at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), Mumbai. "The gamma system has already been commissioned and is working satisfactorily for the past eight months scanning around 150 containers per day," he said.

Srivastava added that an X-ray based system is also expected to be commissioned in the next couple of weeks.

According to him it would take at least another 20 months before ECIL can absorb the complete technology. "The first few systems would be acquired from OSI and subsequently once the complete technology is absorbed, ECIL would start manufacturing the systems," he said.

Srivastava said that ECIL has invested close to Rs 5 core in this regard and once the technology transfer in respect of electronic cargo inspection starts, the investments would double.

Speaking about the technologies involved, Srivastava said that gamma technology offers simple safe, maintenance free mobile scanning solutions. "The radiation safety of operators as well as cargo would be ensured as per the guidelines of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB)," he said.

He said that the Gamma-based mobile scanners have the flexibility of manoeuvring in hilly terrain and offer high throughput.

"The accelerator based high energy X-ray system with energies in the range of three to nine million electron volts will help in detecting finer objects, but will require heavy duty vehicles for mounting or a fixed site with thick concrete shielding," he said.