Mr V Anbu says....‘The industry is moving towards increasingly sophisticated CNC machines’
Published on : Monday 30-11--0001
What are the dominant technology trends in machine tools in IIoT era?
In the age of IIoT key dominant technologies that would make machine tool industry vibrant would be the machine to machine communication to minimise the human intervention. The improvement in production technology process could be enhanced with the advent of this.
Once this gap is narrowed the evolution of quality products at short time with higher precision and facilitates mass customisation with minimal loss. This is a big breakthrough for manufacturing industry. In addition to existing integration of mechanical and electronics there would be huge need of integration of sensor technology, software technology and telecommunication playing a vital role.
Understanding customer needs from time to time and gearing up to meet the demands could also be achieved through artificial intelligence and this would minimise the time between demand and supply.
What is the outlook in brief for the Indian machine tool industry for 2019?
Indian machine tool industry is globally ranked 10th in production and 8th in consumption as per the latest Gardner Research Survey 2018. The industry registered an impressive growth rate of 26.5% during 2017-18. The outlook for 2019 is positive since imports declined to 50% in 2017-18 as against 53% in 2016-17.
Indian manufacturing sector is highly competitive and continual improvement in productivity and costs is imperative for players to sustain in the global market. Process automation, additive manufacturing, etc., are some of the core trends that are changing the dimensions of the machine tool industry. The industry is moving towards increasingly sophisticated CNC machines, driven by demand from key user segments, such as, automobiles, consumer durables, aerospace, medical equipment, etc.
According to Indian Machine Tools Manufacturers’ Association (IMTMA), production of Indian Machine tools industry is projected to grow at a CAGR of ~20% till 2020-21, whereas consumption is projected to grow at a CAGR of ~15% till 2020-21.
What will be the highlights of IMTEX 2019 event in terms of participation – domestic and international?
- The exhibition, scheduled for January 24-30, 2019, is being organised in an exhibition space of 80,000 sq.m in 6 halls (Hall 1, Hall 2, Hall 3, Hall 4, Hall 5 and Hall 6 (temporary structure) at BIEC, Bengaluru.
- Participation from over 1000 exhibitors displaying over 1000 Live machines.
- Presence from 23 countries (Australia, Austria, Belgium, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and United States of America).
- Presence of 7 Group participations: China, Germany, Korea, Spain, Taiwan, UK and USA.
- International associations from United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, United States of America, Taiwan and Japan.
- Expected visitors from around 65 countries.
- Concurrent event Tooltech will be showcasing a range of cutting tools, tooling systems, machine tool accessories, metrology as well as CAD & CAM software.
In addition, IMTEX will have two new technology shows, an Experience Zone depicting the journey of IMTEX over a timeframe of 50 years and a new Exhibition Hall in its campus:
- Factory of the Future: An Expo on Industry 4.0: The pavilion is a platform to see and experience all facets of implementation of Industry 4.0 including the sensors, analytics, connectivity, automation, smart machines, digitisation, internet of things, cyber security, and many more.
- Additive Manufacturing Expo: The pavilion on Additive Manufacturing/3D Printing Machines will familiarise the manufacturing fraternity with the techno-commercial advantages of additive manufacturing. The pavilion will have zones focusing on various aspects such as innovations in product development, engineering and manufacturing, and products developed through additive manufacturing.
- Experience Zone: Depicting IMTEX 50 years’ journey in the form of illustrations. A coffee table book on IMTEX will be released.
- New Hall 5: IMTMA has constructed a new Exhibition Hall of 17,500 sq.m. Hall 5 at BIEC is the latest infrastructure which has been added to its premises. Show organisers looking for additional space can use this hall.
India still imports a large percentage of its machine tool requirements despite increased domestic production. What is the ratio presently? How is the Indian machine tool industry performing on the exports front?
Imports constituted approximately 50% in 2017-18 and domestic manufacturing accounted for around 50% during the same financial year. Exports constitute about 7-10% and efforts are on to eventually increase this to 20%.
Mr V Anbu is also the Chief Executive Officer of Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) and Board Member of UFI – the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry.
IMTMA – The apex body of Indian machine tool industry
Formed in 1946, the Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association (IMTMA) was started when around 20 machine tool manufacturers joined hands. Over a period of time the association has grown in size and strength and has emerged as the voice of the machine tool industry. Started in the Godrej Campus in Vikhroli, Mumbai, IMTMA later shifted its office to New Delhi and then moved to its own premises within the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) in Bengaluru.
In 1969, IMTMA hosted the first ‘IMTEX’ – a leading B2B machine tool exhibition in South and South East Asia, which is now hosted at the BIEC. This flagship event has grown in size and today is the largest machine tool exhibition in South and South East Asia.
IMTMA also conducts short term ‘Seminars & Workshops,’ organises ‘Technology Missions’ to international trade fairs for CEOs and voices the ‘demands of the industry’ to the government.
IMTMA also conducts training programs throughout the year, with skill development as its motto. Through various long term and short term training programs the association bridges the gap between the academics and the industry requirement and upskill the working professionals for the benefit of the machine tool industry.
IMTMA has played a leading role in the development of the machine tool industry, which is the backbone for industrial growth in India. This national cause has been the guiding force behind IMTMA and its membership.
IMTMA is committed to support its members to increase competitiveness, enhance efficiency, improve productivity, and ensure growth. It does so with the aim to assisting the members become cost effective, technology driven, and ever responsive to customers’ changing needs. At the same time, IMTMA has supported the user industries with better and more modern technology of machine tools to provide them with competitive manufacturing solutions.
Machine Tools have critical role in manufacturing industry and they are called the ‘mother machines,’ because they make other machines possible. Recognised as the sole voice of the Indian machine tool industry, IMTMA with close to 500 members represents 90% of the organised machine tool and allied equipment manufacturers.