The Indian machine tool industry is growing at over 20 per cent year-on-year. A number of Indian players are looking at operations abroad. However, the technological prowess of the industry still lags behind the intellectual property in the field, developed elsewhere.
It is difficult for small and medium enterprises in the sector to access cutting edge technologies. Sensing this, the Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers' Association (IMTMA), the nodal association for the machine tool industry, has taken upon itself the task of improving the level of technology implementation. The body is actively scouting for partnerships with domestic and overseas universities and institutions doing cutting edge work.
The IMTMA has set up a technology division at New Delhi to address the requirements of the industry. The division has recently taken up a joint programme with the Technical University of Darmstadt in Germany on adoption of lean manufacturing processes by Indian companies. Two Indian machine tool companies are currently involved in this joint programme. IMTMA also led a 7-member delegation to Saxony in Germany for exploring similar technology tie-ups.
NK Dhand, president, IMTMA, said: "India is no longer just another aspirant to being a manufacturing base. The launch of the Nano by the Tata Group has proved that innovations can take place in India as well.
For such innovations to be common place, the machining sector, a critical input in the manufacturing process, needs to leapfrog its level of technology and compete with the best in the world. That is why we are partnering overseas institutions with proven records of possessing cutting edge intellectual property."
The association is also helping Indian companies to source latest technology from German R&D institutes. It has assisted two companies in getting their products tested abroad.
"It is crucial for Indian companies to tie-up technologically with R&D institutes. We will provide support to machine tool companies to link up with R&D institutions in India and abroad, wherever there is scope for collaboration," says PJ Mohanram, senior advisor, technology, IMTMA.
Dhand said in many other countries the world over the government provides generous R&D support in the sector acknowledging its strategic importance, but in India this was not the case.
"Our aim is to transfer developed technology to all our members resulting in quick improvement of technology across the sector. We look forward to the day when the entire machine tool sector can compete creditably with the best in the world and innovation becomes common here."
