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During these trying times when the industry is heavily affected with economical issues came up the pandemic called Covid 19 and disrupted the industry completely. We at Industrial Automation Magazine have taken an initiative to bring the industry together and share their viewpoints so that others reading can take measures accordingly to have minimal damage.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in interviews are personal, not necessarily of the organisations represented.
With about 12 years of experience in market research and consulting industry, Arijit
Chakraborty is an experienced research professional with a proven track record in chemicals
& materials segment. He holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial electronics engineering and
a master’s degree in business administration in marketing management. He takes keen
interest in market engineering, feasibility analysis, business intelligence and competition
assessment to help key opinion leaders formulate strategies and decisions with confidence
and clarity.
He is currently associated with a reputed market research and consulting firm in the capacity
of Senior Consultant and plays a key role in project steering, designing methodologies,
identification of critical aspects, process designing, monitoring progress and dispatch of
assignments. He has worked with reputed multi-national companies in automotive and
industrial automation & equipment domain and addressed their unique research
requirements across the globe. His areas of expertise include: quantitative market modelling,
pricing analysis, feasibility studies, market share assessment, and scenario analysis.
Industrial Expertise: He has worked on more than 100 research assignments till date
pertaining to industrial automation and equipment sector. He has worked directly with about
50+ Tier-1 Fortune-500 companies as lead consultant for product positioning, predictive and
competitive analysis, new market/segment exploration, and sourcing strategies.
The outbreak of Corona Virus Strain or Covid-19 has indeed created a disruption in the developed world and is now foraying in developing countries/third world nations. The catastrophe has caught governments unaware in the initial reception countries such as in Italy which ranks amongst the top 20 countries in healthcare spend. Also adding to the fact, of the potency and transmission rate of the virus amongst human beings has never been anticipated causing no immediate retardation.
Ironically, the concept of ‘global village’ and interconnect of inter-regional communities have fundamentally triggered the outbreak. This situation has thus provided us an opportunity for introspection of business operations to the magnitude of how automated and remote based systems carrying out critical business/production related operations and services with a decision-making platform on human intervention, control and management. The system, degree of flexibility to configure and customise according to varying situations will be a key differentiator for the stakeholder and concerned business entities.
Another trend which might be witnessed is ‘decentralisation of business units with integration of them’ so that each unit seamlessly transfers and co-ordinates the related process and information amongst the other remaining units. This will also help to the extent that if one unit is affected or malfunctions the other units compensate for the same.
Lastly, the socio-economic scenarios of individual countries will determine the level of adoption. The developed countries have already started following the model with the developing countries joining in.
Though governments are primarily responsible for the same yet the initiative can be further enriched with collaboration and participation of private enterprises a model similar to PPP (Public-Private Partnership) in civic infrastructure and construction sector. With the abundant growth opportunities that biotechnology and healthcare services offer to the stakeholders, the opportunity should encourage the private enterprises to earn a renowned label and associated
incentives.
Countries like India and those from Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America should increase their healthcare expenditure budget owing to their population size. With the large percentage of young population in these countries it is high time to do the required, else they may suffer like in the case of Italy, which has higher share of geriatric population, and the elderly have succumbed to the COVID-19 effects.
Investments related to concept and technology R&D, Establishment of Infrastructure, Equipment Design and Launch of Services has to be a dedicated process which also envisages training of the required personnel. Considering the amount of investments and costs it is imperative that if government and private companies can come in together to address the same.
Thermal scanners have a limitation of not only being highly priced but they only diagnose to the extent of a person having fever but not the nature of infection. Though, it can help to a preliminary extent it should be configured that a person having a temperature about the threshold degree should be directed for further checks. With addition and installation of breath analysers, chemical detection technologies, which otherwise is used for narcotics and people prone hazardous substances can be very helpful in this case. The importance of bio-chemistry would hence would never important at this point of time as before. Also, emphasis on single POU based system should be developed with least lead time and high degree of accuracy of records.
The support based services to critical operations can witness a work from home culture with a balance of system integrity and security accessible to key management. Also from the fact that with increasing degree of AI replacing human labour, work from home would thus be relegated only for the above mentioned fact. As for call centres, we might witness a freelancing type of job where an employee may not be necessarily bound by contracts for most of the time.
Yes, automation industry will be further benefited with 24x7 operations and control where human intervention will cease to an extent. However, for maintenance, design and custom configurations the industry will require skilled personnel which exists as a gap at this point of time. Developed countries are expected to be early embracers in next 5 years whereas
developing countries will also initiate the same at the earliest depending upon the socioeconomic scenario
Dedicated disaster management model, reinforcement in investments on infrastructure, staff recruitment and training, seamless transfer of information and co-ordination of operations should be pursued at by both developed and developing countries which is currently existing in bits and pieces. Also, additional provision of modular or make shift facility system should be prepared to address 1000X of the target population, e.g., China’s modular hospitals erected in 10 days.
Finally, definition of essential commodities and services management should be defined properly by the society general which should be robust.
#April 2020 Covid Special
To say the world is passing through trying times is to state the obvious. Also evident is the fact that for too long the world has been ignoring the warning signs of environmental degradation fuelled by human excesses and greed. But this is no time for ifs and buts, nor recrimination. Instead, the crisis should be used as an opportunity to make the required course correction to make the world a safer place for all living beings, and the ecological balance, restored.
Industrial Automation invited a cross section of industry leaders to offer their views and possible course of action as a way forward from this situation, even as governments across the world and the people are trying to make sense from the still evolving scenario.
To read the full cover story Please click here
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