As manufacturing gets increasingly automated and smart due to connected and intelligent devices “Factory of Future” is no longer a fictional myth but is the most talked about and many of the manufacturing units are considering becoming smart. Smart Factories, Internet of Things, Industry 4.0, etc. are some of the key areas that technocrats are talking today.

Attended by more than 250 delegates from around 110 companies, the second edition of the Symposium on Smart Manufacturing organised by Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association (IMTMA) at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre in Bengaluru focused on “Evolving the Factory of the Future”. The two day symposium featured technical presentations, case studies, interactive sessions and panel discussions with industry experts. ‘Automation Buzz’, a concurrent exhibition displaying automation devices and systems, software and a host of automation solutions was held concurrently.

The symposium was inaugurated by Mr. Rahul Gangal, Partner at Roland Berger Strategy Consultant. Delivering the key note address Mr. Gangal gave an overview of smart manufacturing in the Indian context and said, “There is an imminent need for a policy at national level in India for Industry 4.0. Exports will be boosted by the implementation of Industry 4.0. The government should introduce policies around Industry 4.0 to leverage Make in India campaign and improve India’s industry competitiveness.”

Interesting presentations made by technocrats covered subjects such as integrated smart automation, smart and cost effective automation, big data analytics for smart manufacturing, intelligent clamping and gripping, and many more.

Given the importance of the subject and wide coverage of topics, CEOs, top management executives, senior executives, practicing engineers, industry consultants and R&D specialists from manufacturing industries such as automotive, auto components, consumer durables, machine tools, tool rooms, aerospace, defence and railway units, general engineering and other discrete manufacturing industries participated in the symposium.

Bengaluru, February 16, 2017: Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association’s (IMTMA) flagship exhibition “IMTEX 2017 & Tooltech 2017” held at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) in Bengaluru concluded on 1 February 2017. The exhibition attracted a footfall of 75,440 visitors.

Orders worth Rs. 1,670 Cr and enquiries to the value of Rs. 18,989 Cr were generated during the exhibition. Compared to IMTEX 2015 & Tooltech 2015 the booked orders have shown an increase of 16%, whereas the generated enquiries increased by 21%.

The exhibition held at BIEC from 26 January to 1 February 2017 was inaugurated by Shri Siddaramaiah, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Karnataka. Mr. Girish Shankar, Secretary (HI), Department of Heavy Industry, Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, Government of India; Mr. D.V. Prasad, I.A.S., Additional Chief Secretary, Commerce & Industries Department, Government of Karnataka; and Dr. Naushad Forbes, President, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

The IMTMA-Premier Outstanding Entrepreneur Award in memory of Vinod Doshi was presented to Mr. Milind Kelkar and Mrs. Mohini Kelkar, from Grind Master.

Speaking about the advancements in technology demonstrated at IMTEX 2017, IMTMA President, P. G. Jadeja reflected, “IMTEX 2017 once again provided a platform for launch of new machines with latest technologies related to the machine tool industry. Technologies such as Internet of Things, Industry 4.0, 3D printing, etc. attracted large number of visitors mostly technology professionals including 158 trade delegations from public and private sectors such as automobiles, auto components, defence, aerospace, railways, power and energy, pharmaceuticals, etc.”

IMTMA Director General, V. Anbu stated: “With the addition of a newly constructed state-of-the-art hall measuring 17,500 square metres IMTMA was able to provide more space for exhibitors to showcase machines which in turn translated into more orders and enquiries than ever before.”

The exhibition area spread across 6 halls in a gross area of 66,000 square metres featured exhibitors from 23 countries including India. China, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Spain, Taiwan and United States of America not in sync had group participation. Over a thousand machines in operational mode were showcased.

For the first time an International Buyer Seller Meet was organized by IMTMA and EEPC (Engineering Export Promotion Council) which saw participation of 57 international buyers from 19 countries.

The show also hosted student centric programmes such as i2 Academia Pavilion (a special pavilion representing academic and research institutions) Jagruti (a programme to orient engineering students with emerging technologies), and Connect (an awareness programme for young engineers visiting IMTEX) which evoked good response from both students and colleges from across India.

Forty academic institutions from across India participated in the i2 Academia Pavilion which included 6 IITs. The best presentations were awarded. Connect included sessions addressed by CEOs of machine tool manufacturing companies. Over 600 students participated in Connect. Thirty-one engineering students participated in the Jagruti programme.

The next edition of IMTEX will be held in January 2019 which will also mark 50 years of the IMTEX event.

The union budget released by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley reaffirms India’s commitment to macro-economic stability and prudent fiscal management. The budget offers stability and opportunities for India’s manufacturing sector and its machine tool industry. The growth tonic for MSMEs such as 5% reduction in income tax, longer carry forward of minimum alternate tax credit and 3 year tax exemption for startups, doubling the lending target under MUDRA Yojana, etc. will ease the doing of business and create jobs.

The industry welcomes the ministry’s move to step up allocation for capital expenditure by 25.4% as against the year before and control fiscal deficit at 3.2% of the GDP for FY18 while going ahead with the planned development. The revenue deficit for next year is pegged at 1.9% as against the 2% mandated by the FRBM (Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management) Act.  Vibrant manufacturing is critical for the country’s growth. The incentives given in the budget are but an initial step. The sops will take some time to trickle down to the end users resulting in demand for goods and services. However, with the momentum given by this budget the machine tool industry will pick itself up and traverse on the right track.

The reduction in income tax to 25% is a positive step towards development of the MSME sector and enhance their production capacities. Machine tool industry is the backbone of MSMEs. The Indian Machine tool Industry has around 1000 units engaged in the production of machine tools, accessories/attachments, subsystems and parts. Of these, around 25 in the large scale sector account for about 70% of the turnover and the rest are in the MSME sector and this sector stands to benefit a lot from this budget. The ministry’s move therefore will eventually give an uptick for the machine tool industry business.

Throwing light on the budget, Mr. P.G. Jadeja, President, IMTMA said, “the customs duty reduction from 7.5% to 2.5% on three critical components (CNC systems, ball screws and linear motion guides) has been extended to all CNC machine tools under HSS code 8456 to 8463. This will have a direct bearing on the machine tool industry and enhance its development.” The setting up of the next phase of ‘Skill Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement’ (STRIVE) at a proposed budget of Rs.2,200 Cr in 2017-18 and 100 India International Skill Centres across the country will ensure availability of skilled manpower for the industry.

The increase in budget outlay for defence sector will leave the country with more funds for modernization and create rooms for investments in the defence sector. The budget proposal to commission railway lines of 3,500 kilometres and identification of 2000 kilometres coastal connectivity roads also bodes well for capital goods manufacturing.

Affordable housing has been a longstanding demand of the real estate sector and granting “infrastructure status” to this segment will boost construction activity and raise the demand for construction equipments and machinery.

IMTMA recently organized its flagship exhibition ‘IMTEX and Tooltech’ in Bengaluru. The exhibition showcased the machine tool industry’s potential of design, innovation and sustainability across several product lines. This was well reflected by major exhibitors closing deals and bagging orders for hundreds of machines during the event.

Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association (IMTMA) is organizing the 2^ndedition of ‘Symposium on Smart Manufacturing on 24-25 February 2017 in BIEC Conference Centre, Bangalore.

This symposium is a combination of technical presentations, case studies by users, interactive sessions, panel discussion and brain storming with industry experts.

The theme of the symposium is “Evolving the Factory of the Future”.

Industry experts from renowned companies viz. ABB Global, Robert Bosch Engg., Beumer India, Schunk Intec, Universal Robots, Festo, AMIT, IFM Electronics, TAL Mnfg., Toyota Kirloskar Auto Parts, Roland Berger, Ernst & Young amongst others will address various facets for successful adoption of Smart Manufacturing.

‘Automation Buzz’, a concurrent exhibition displaying a wide range of automation devices and systems, software and a host of automation solutions will be displayed simultaneously in BIEC

Sharing his views on the symposium IMTMA President P.G. Jadeja expresses that “Smart Manufacturing is an emerging industrial revolution which will integrate human intelligence with data and technology to effectively manage complex business requirements. The symposium will address and understand the real-time application and benefits of Smart Manufacturing in the Indian context”

The presentations will cover topics such as Overview of Smart Manufacturing in the Indian context, Manufacturing Plant Integration as a 1st step to Industry 4.0, IIoT of Robots, Smart & Cost Effective Automation, Big Data Analytics, Data Collection, Connected Factory, Pneumatics on the Network, Intelligent Clamping & Gripping – Industry 4.0 ready, Collaborative Robots, IO-link technology as a first step towards smart manufacturing, Smart Logistics, amongst others

The panel discussions will address various aspects of Industry 4.0 relevant to Indian context at the organizational level, infrastructure considerations, skills sets required, cost implications, etc., and draw up a roadmap for successful adoption of Smart Manufacturing.

Symposium will be attended by CEOs, top management executives, senior executives, practicing engineers, industry consultants and R&D specialists from manufacturing industries such as automotive, auto components, consumer durables, machine tools, tool rooms, aerospace, defence and railway units, general engineering and other discrete manufacturing industries.

Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ (IMTMA) flagship event and South East Asia’s largest exhibition on metal cutting technologies ‘IMTEX 2017 & Tooltech 2017’ was inaugurated by Shri Siddaramaiah, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Karnataka, at the Bangalore Exhibition Centre (BIEC) on Thursday.

Mr. Girish Shankar, Secretary (HI), Department of Heavy Industry, Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, Government of India; Mr. D.V. Prasad, I.A.S., Additional Chief Secretary, Commerce & Industries Department, Government of Karnataka; and Dr. Naushad Forbes, President, Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). Mr. Jamshyd N. Godrej, Chairman – Exhibitions, IMTMA; Mr. P.G. Jadeja, President, IMTMA; Mr. P. Ramadas, Vice President, IMTMA; and Mr. V. Anbu, Director General, IMTMA also presided over the inauguration.

The exhibition is being held from 26 January to 1 February 2017 at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) in Bangalore. A new 17,500 square metres Exhibition Hall (Hall 4) was inaugurated by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

The exhibition has over 1000 exhibitors in 6 halls covering an exhibition area of around 66,000 square metres. Twenty-two countries including India are participating in the show with 7 group participations from China, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Spain, Taiwan and United States. Numerous technologies such as Hybrid machines, 3D printing, Industry 4.0, and many more are being launched and displayed at this edition of IMTEX.

IMTMA is expecting a footfall of around 100,000 visitors during the 7 days event at BIEC. Many decision makers and business heads from across the spectrum of Indian metalworking industry are expected to attend the show.

Inaugurating the exhibition, Karnataka Chief Minister, Shri Siddaramaiah said, “It is well known that machine tools are the backbone of manufacturing and a strong machine tool industry propels strong manufacturing which in turn spurs the economy. Karnataka was the cradle for the machine tool industry which has now grown to produce over 50 percent of Indian machine tool output. Keeping this in view the government along with the industry charted out a plan for developing a machine tool park in the state”. Further commenting on developing proposed machine tool park Hon’ble Chief Minister said, “The proposed machine tool park at Vasantha Narsapur in Tumkur district is a joint venture between the Government of India and the Government of Karnataka and will come up in a land of 500 acres. Once functional, the park is expected to boost the domestic turnover of machine tools while saving foreign exchange and reducing imports. Furthermore, the park will also create over 4000 jobs in manufacturing and administrative fields.”

Speaking on Indian Capital Goods Policy and its impact on Make in India initiative, DHI Secretary, Mr. Girish Shankar said, “India’s Capital Goods Policy envisages the capital goods to grow from Rs.2.3 lakh crores to Rs. 7.5 lakh crores in 2025. The policy has been formulated with a vision to increase the share of capital goods contribution to the GDP from 12% to 20% of total manufacturing activity by 2025. Our endeavour is to drive growth for capital goods sector and build India as a world class hub for capital goods. This covers critical areas such as increasing the total production, employment, domestic market share, exports, skill availability, technology depth, and SMEs. I am sure these initiatives will lead to strengthening Machine Tool industry and Capital Goods industry. Further commenting on IMTEX 2017, Mr. Shankar said, “I am glad that IMTMA’s flagship event IMTEX supports demonstration of India’s capability in machine tools segment on a massive scale and is a strong enabler of ‘Make in India’.”

“IMTEX is not just for the machine tool manufacturers, but for the entire manufacturing industry of India. The exhibition has a potential to attract investment and provide growth opportunity for the industry in Karnataka. This can happen only when we promote our industries,” said Mr. D. V. Prasad, Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka.

Mr. Prasad also further stated “Karnataka Government is working on enhancing industrial connectivity in the Chennai-Bengaluru and Bengaluru-Mumbai corridors. The State is supporting the National Investment Manufacturing Zones at key locations which is expected to give added impetus to manufacturing sector and encouraged by the State’s efforts many auto and auto ancillary units have made their base in Karnataka.”

Speaking on IMTEX’s formidable stature in Indian Machine Tools sector Mr. Jamshyd N. Godrej, Chairman, Exhibitions – IMTMA said, “two years from now we will be celebrating the 50th year of IMTEX. The main objective of IMTEX is to demonstrate and showcase different manufacturing technologies and innovations to enable the manufacturing companies and industries to take decisions on what they need to meet their current and future requirements.”

“As technology becomes a formidable enabler in manufacturing it is imminent to incorporate it in all aspects of manufacturing,” said Dr. Naushad Forbes, President, CII. “The machine tool sector has huge responsibility and scope to make Indian manufacturing successful and therefore Industry needs to leverage not only its design capabilities but also ICT, Automation, Industry 4.0, as well as innovation,” further added Dr. Forbes.

To further provide impetus to machine tools industry IMTMA is working closely with NITI Aayog and DHI in giving shape to the future technological initiatives and R&D efforts for the machine tool industry.

Speaking on opportunities for machine tools sector Mr. P.G. Jadeja, President IMTMA said, “The Aero-Defence sector presents an attractive growth opportunity. To tap this IMTMA has launched an initiative and formed the Aero-Def Group to bring our members closer to this important customer segment and work out development and marketing strategies.”

The IMTMA-Premier Outstanding Entrepreneur Award in memory of Vinod Doshi was given in the inaugural function. Mr Milind Kelkar and Mrs. Mohini Kelkar, from GrindMaster won the award. On the occasion, IMTMA also released some new publications:

1. IMTMA Directory of Members 2017
2. Guide to Indian Machine Tools 2017
3. Comprehensive Report on Indian Metal Cutting Machine Tools
4. IMTEX 2017 Exhibition Catalogue

Several programmes are being held in conjunction with IMTEX 2017. IMTMA and EEPC India with support from the Government of India is organizing a Reverse Buyer Seller Meet. This is an opportunity to connect with importers from 23 countries. The i2 Academia Pavilion, a special pavilion representing Academic and Research institutions from around 40 institutions including 6 IITs from all over India is being held concurrently. Connect, a special forum for imparting knowledge on machine tool industry for young engineers visiting IMTEX is being organised from 27 to 31 January 2017. Students and young engineers interested in building a career in manufacturing will get a chance to know more about the machine tool industry.

Image Courtesy: IMTMA

With a view to highlight the evolving trends in Machining Technologies, Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association (IMTMA) is organising the ‘International Seminar on Machining Technologies’ on 25^th January 2017 at BIEC, Bangalore, coinciding with IMTEX 2017 exhibition.

Organized every alternate year, this event is recognized as an international platform for global interactions on the latest trends in metal cutting. The seminar will focus on Machine Tools & Machining, Emerging Technologies, Tooling & Cutting Fluids, Control Systems & Metrology and Surface Finishing and will bring together the fraternity of machining technologies on a common platform to discuss related issues. Experts from renowned National and International companies and research institutes from Germany, Japan, Switzerland, UK, USA as well as from India will share their expertise and latest developments in the field of Machining Technology.

The event will be attended by delegates from a wide cross section of the metal working industry Viz, Automobile & auto components, , Consumer durables, Machine tool, Tool rooms, Aerospace, Defence & Railways units, PSUs, Pumps & Valves, General Engineering and other manufacturing industries. Decision makers including CEOs, senior executives, practicing engineers, industry experts, R&D specialists and academia will immensely benefit from this International seminar.

Tell us about the current Indian metal cutting machine tool industry? How is the demand pattern in India for metal cutting machine tools?

Globally India is placed 10th in terms of consumption. The demand for machine tools is undergoing a rapid change in tune with the requirements of user industries. There is a good demand for horizontal machining centers, cylindrical grinding machines, milling and boring machines and gear cutting machines.

Production in metal cutting machine tools is around Rs 4,200 crore. Domestic production accounts for over 40% of total consumption. The consumption is primarily driven by automobile and auto component sectors besides die and mould, railways, ordnance, defence and industrial machinery. Japan, Germany, Italy and South Korea primarily operating in the high technology segment.

Turning centres and machining centres contribute to more than 70% of the total market for metal cutting machines. Domestic manufacturers have a significant share in turning centers, vertical machining centers and grinding machines.

Important sectors which have an impact on the growth in the demand for metal cutting machinery include automobiles, aerospace, defence and railways among others.

What are the challenges faced by the Indian machine tool industry?

Machine tool industry in India is comparatively small compared to any other manufacturing industry. It plays an enabling role for development of manufacturing industry, but there are areas where there is scope for development. Some of them are:-

• Although the industry has good design and manufacturing competence for a wide range of products, the product range and the technologies manufactured in India have a substantial gap with the ones manufactured overseas. The user industries expect the latest technologies to produce high quality end products at competitive prices. This has made it imperative for the machine tool industry to take an inventory of present technologies and those it should develop.
• The industry investment in product development through R&D is currently around 2.5%, whereas in other developed/ developing countries it is higher at around 4%. We need to improve on this.
• Technological advancements would always benefit the entire manufacturing value chain. Since this is at the bottom of the pyramid, attracting investments is critical. However, there is ample opportunity for industries that are at the level of small and medium enterprises to grow and become large companies with better investments both at R&D and productivity levels to meet the current demand of manufacturing industry.
• The prevailing interest rates for machine tool industry in India are quite high (around 14 to 18%). Our tax should be structured in such a way that Indian products are subjected to taxes as they are in overseas nations. Introduction of Goods and Services Tax is expected to usher in the much needed change.
• The industry has to compete for talent with other industries such as IT and retail. The industry is taking steps to develop skills through larger academic and industry partnership in manufacturing for all round development of skills.
• With the gradual development of the machine tool industry and the industry becoming more organized the level of imports can be reduced for both medium and high technology in future.

What are the initiatives taken by IMTMA to uplift the Indian machine tool builders?

IMTMA works closely with various government departments such as the Department of Heavy Industry, the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion and Tariff Commission among others for making the Indian machine tool industry strong and vibrant. Due to this IMTMA has been instrumental in setting up an Advanced Machine Tool Testing Facility in CMTI premise at Bengaluru, Advanced Centre of Excellence for R&D and Technology Development at IIT, Madras, and the first Integrated Machine Tool Park in Tumkur which is being built by the Government of Karnataka.

Working with the Tariff Commission, IMTMA was able to get a reduction in customs duty for critical components used in the machine tool industry.

Further, IMTMA through its Tech Centres in Bengaluru, Pune and Gurgaon imparts training for engineers and industry fresh hires to inculcate in them skills required for enhancing productivity.

In developed countries, the industry-academia partnership is a very common practice whereas in India it’s in a very nascent stage. Is IMTMA taking any steps to promote such partnerships in India?

Through the Industry-Institution (i2 Academia Pavilion) IMTMA has been able to build an industry-academia linkage. IMTMA has created a Industry-Institution Collaboration (III-C) to bring the industry and various institutions known for their R&D on a common platform to find solutions and work together for the betterment of the machine tool industry. The i2 pavilion featured in every IMTEX has served as a forum for developing products and promoting innovation. There are numerous technological challenges when addressing the needs of user industries. IMTMA has also created an Advanced Centre of Excellence for R&D and technology development with IIT, Madras. This is a unique opportunity for machine tool units to develop new technologies under the Department of Heavy Industries (DHI) scheme and enhance competitiveness of the industry.   

IMTEX is around the corner; please tell us about the new initiatives that have been taken for the exhibitors and visitors?

The 18^th edition of IMTEX 2017 and concurrent exhibition Tooltech will be held at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) from January 26 to February 1, 2017. For this edition, IMTMA has come up with certain initiatives to help exhibitors and visitors:

• IMTEX 2017 will be held in 6 halls. IMTMA has built an additional hall of 17,500 sq.mts. The hall will be inaugurated during the event. The exhibition will be displayed in a gross area of 66,000 sq.mts.
• IMTMA has come up with an Expo Platform for IMTEX 2017. This is a networking platform and management system for events. It allows visitors and exhibitors to register, gain access to floor plans and product catalogues, manage their schedules, market successfully, create analytics, secure full control of data, establish contact through mobile apps, etc. It also allows visitors to generate their own batch.
• IMTMA and EEPC India will jointly organize a Reverse Buyer Seller Meet during IMTEX 2017. Dealers, distributors, potential buyers and few key media persons from 15 countries will be invited. IMTMA may organize a few plant visits to machine tool manufacturing companies in Bengaluru.
• IMTEX 2017 will feature manufacturers, suppliers, researchers and trade associations from 22 countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Serbia, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, The Netherlands, United Kingdom and United States.
• There will be over 1000 exhibitors from 22 countries. The group participation will be from 7 countries: from 7 countries: China, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Spain, Taiwan and United States.
• 30 institutions expected to take part in the i2 Academia Pavilion.
• Connect an awareness programme to impart knowledge on machine tool industry for young and budding engineers will be organized during the event.

IMTEX is an opportunity for the machine tool companies in India… Your views on the same.

IMTEX exhibitions are always great forums for technology exchange. The event showcases the latest technologies and manufacturing solutions from across the globe. At IMTEX 2017 customers will be pleased to see and learn from the emerging technologies.

A growing and competitive manufacturing sector has become the prime mover of the modern economy. Given the forces at work, manufacturing firms are taking a variety of approaches to radically transform their businesses and find new ways to differentiate themselves. This necessitates companies to constantly innovate, redefine paradigms, adopt cutting edge technology, enhance productivity and optimize resources.

To champion the cause of enhancing competitiveness in the Indian manufacturing industry the Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association (IMTMA) is organizing the 10th edition of National Productivity Summit from 24 – 26 November 2016 at BIEC, Bangalore. The event showcases best practices in manufacturing through live case study presentations, plant visits, inspiring keynote sessions, Success stories, Focused technical sessions and other concurrent events.

The event will feature 4 plant visits to Toyota Kirloskar Auto Parts, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, Honda Motorcycles & Scooters India and Volvo Buses on 24 November 2016, which will give delegates an opportunity to witness best practices in manufacturing and productivity improvements on the shop floor.

Knowledge sharing sessions on topic of special interest (Focused Technical Sessions) and interactions with industry experts to address the manufacturing challenges of participating delegates at the ‘Experts’ Corner’ will be held concurrently along with the Plant visits on 24 November at BIEC, Bangalore.

This summit will provide an excellent opportunity for participating delegates to listen to industry leaders on various aspects of increasing competitiveness manufacturing industry. Mr.L.Ganesh, Chairman, Rane Group will be the Guest of Honour at the event. Dr.Andreas Wolf, Executive Vice President, Bosch Group and Mr.Anoop Chaturvedi, Sr. Advisor – Production Engineering, Maruti Suzuki India, will be addressing the participants on Productivity and Innovation. Mr.A.K.Taneja, Managing Director and CEO, Shriram Pistons & Rings, will felicitate the winners of the Productivity Championship Awards 2016 and also address the delegates on the 360o approach to Manufacturing Competitiveness on 26 November 2016.

Anand Group and ACE Designers Limited will share their success stories that have redefined their manufacturing processes.

Leading manufacturing companies Viz. Brakes India, Mahindra & Mahindra, Super Auto Forge, TTK Prestige, Toyota Kirloskar Auto Parts and VE Commercial Vehicles will present case studies, which will vie for the IMTMA-ACE Micromatic Productivity Championship Awards 2016, which gives away cash prizes worth Rs.10 Lakhs to the winners.

Productivity Buzz, a concurrent exhibition at the summit will display a wide range of manufacturing solutions and innovations through product samples, table top models, simulation videos, posters etc.

About National Productivity Summit:

National Productivity Summit is organised every year to recognise and reward the outstanding productivity practices in the metal working industry. The Productivity Summit consists of two main components: Keynote Presentations from eminent persons in industry/Academia/R&D on the concepts and practices in productivity improvement. The second part is deciding the winners of the IMTMA ACE MICROMATIC Productivity Championship Awards.

The four-day Pune Machine Tool Expo, 2016 – Western India’s B2B exhibition, concluded on a positive note on 2 October 2016.

With more than 100 exhibitors, the machine tool exhibition attracted 7,400 visitors and 62 trade delegations from various industries such as auto component, automobiles, capital goods, defence, aerospace and railways. Along with host city Pune, the event attracted impressive number of delegates and visitors from the Tier II and Tier III cities such as Aurangabad, Nagpur, Kolhapur, Mumbai, Satara, Ahmednagar, besides the neighboring state of Gujarat.

Organized by the Indian Machine Tools Manufacture’s Association (IMTMA), the exhibition was held for four days from 29th September – 2nd October 2016 and served as a platform to demonstrate the latest manufacturing technologies. The expo covered both metal cutting and metal forming technologies including automation and robotics, tooling systems, CAD/CAM and other technologies, which are essential for today’s manufacturing.

The Pune Machine Tool Expo turned out to be fruitful both for the visitors as well as the exhibitors and most of the exhibitors were satisfied with the quality of the crowd and the business opportunities that the exhibition provided them.

The success of Pune Machine Tool Expo has given further impetus to the IMTMA’s idea of Regional Machine Tool Expos – to address requirements of the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) of the various industry sectors in the Tier II and Tier III cities in the various regions of India.

Continuing with the idea, the next Regional Machine Tool Exhibition will be the second edition of Delhi Machine Tool Expo, which will be held from 10-13 August 2017 at Pragati Maidan, before returning to Pune in 2018.

Content source: IMTMA 

Since the preparation for the most awaited exhibition Bi-Mu is on full swing, tell us more about this edition of the show (number of participants, country participating, area covered, etc)?
Third in the international exporters ranking and fourth in the manufacturers ranking, Italy can boast BI-MU as one of the historical and most qualified international events dedicated to the Italian industry of machine tools, robots, production systems and auxiliary technologies. Promoted by UCIMU-SISTEMI PER PRODURRE, the association of Italian manufacturers of machine tools, robots and automation systems, BI-MU is organised by EFIM-ENTE FIERE ITALIANE MACCHINE.

After the extraordinary success of EMO MILANO 2015, Italy returns to the spotlight, in the schedule of the worldwide sector operators, with 30.BI-MU. On scene in October 2016 at fieramilano, the biennial machine tool exhibition is ready to reap the benefits of the upswing of the Italian and international markets, which, since the end of 2013, are experiencing a steady growth with regard to production and demand.

The applications to exhibit at 30.BI-MU have increased by 30% compared with the trend of applications in the same period of the past edition. This really considerable growth follows the positive trend of Italian consumption of machine tools, which reached 3,595 million euro (corresponding to a 31.3% rise versus the previous year).

What are the new things visitors/exhibitors will observe during this edition of Bi-Mu?
A novelty of the 2016 edition of 30.BI-MU is the special area called “FLUID POWER”, dedicated to oil-hydraulic and pneumatic systems.

The only exhibition area officially promoted by ASSOFLUID, the Italian Association of Manufacturing and Trading Companies in Fluid Power Equipment and Components, “POTENZA FLUIDA/FLUID POWER” will show the best of the sector, which is, by its nature, complementary to the machine tool industry and also shares its technological evolution and its user sectors.

Exactly the possibility of sharing common customers between the machine tool sector and the oil-hydraulic and pneumatic ones makes BI-MU an unmissable event for the enterprises that will exhibit in the” POTENZA FLUIDA/FLUID POWER” area. At their disposal there will be the wide and heterogeneous public, which usually visits the biennial exhibition, representing the whole manufacturing world, but there will also be machine tool manufacturers, who are among the main users of power systems, capable of improving efficiency, profitability and eco-sustainability in the achieved solutions.

Also created in response to the interest shown by a part of the public involved in BI-MU, the “POTENZA FLUIDA/FLUID POWER” area will be completed with workshops, conferences and events of “technological matching”.

In order to meet the needs of a rapidly evolving market, from this year on BI-MU will take place together with SFORTEC INDUSTRY, the new interpretation of SFORTEC, which dissolves its exclusive connection with the machine tool sector by expanding its technological repertoire to the whole manufacturing industry, gaining the title of “INDUSTRY”. Besides its new product range, the exhibition proposes itself in an unprecedented format: 3 exhibition days, from Thursday to Saturday, and a new, entirely and specially dedicated hall.

In this way, the organizers of the biennial machine tool exhibition intend to offer the widest range of products to the public visiting the trade show, who will be able to choose between two parallel visit routes: the “Make” of BI-MU, for those who design and build, and the “Buy” of SFORTEC INDUSTRY, for those who buy services, outsourcing a part of their business.

How many countries are participating and what would be the number of country pavilions in the show?
In 2014, the last edition of BI-MU/SFORTEC, the biennial machine tool, robotics and automation exhibition, had proposed the product ranges offered by 1,060 exhibiting companies, of which 47% from abroad, coming from Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, South Korea, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Great Britain, India, Israel, Holland, Poland, Portugal, Principality of Monaco, Czech Republic, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Taiwan, Turkey, USA.

29.BIMU had covered a total area of 90,000 square metres and had registered 61,926 visits. 4% of the visits were by foreign operators, representing 75 countries.

I think that this year, also following the positive wave of EMO MILANO 2015 and thanks to the new economic-political leading position regained by Milan with EXPO 2015, 30.BI-MU will be able to achieve much higher figures than those mentioned above.

How many participants are there from India and what’s the plan to attract more Indian visitors?
The data regarding the applications are not available yet, but we know that for several years India has been among the represented countries, with regard to exhibitors as well as to visitors.

In order to attract foreign visitors to BI-MU, according to tradition, the organizers of the exhibition are planning a well-structured activity aimed at welcoming the foreign delegations.  Qualified delegations of foreign users coming from the countries that show the highest growth and development rates will be invited to visit the exhibition. Organized in co-operation with ITA-Italian Trade Agency, the initiative aims at expanding the spectrum of operators visiting BI-MU, also including end users from emerging countries, besides the users who usually participate in the event. The presence of qualified buyers meets the need to support exhibitors in the activity they are already carrying out autonomously, thus increasing the number of contacts they may activate in the five exhibition days.

How can this event help Indian companies enhance their business in European market and vice versa?
India is the eleventh destination market of the Italian exports in the sector; in particular, according to the last survey referred to the period January-December 2015, the Indian country bought machine tools from Italy for an amount of 79 million euro. The Indian market is particularly interesting for the Italian enterprises of the sector. Today India is considered as one of the leading manufacturing industries worldwide, but nevertheless it still has unexpressed large potentials which can and must be developed, also in cooperation with Italy. The Indian machine tool production has adequate standards for many types of machining, especially for machines having medium-level technology. We, the Italians, can and must propose ourselves more and more to work in the Indian market and foster its development and growth. Between India and Italy there is a continuous collaboration aimed at improving the mutual market advantages and at establishing a sharing of intents with a long-term view.

What’s the role of Bi-Mu in the Italian Machine tool industry? Over the period how has it helped the Italian companies in business?
BI-MU has been the privileged stage for sixty years to understand the future developments of the sector. At every edition it is reinvented, always showing a state-of-the art overview of products, defined by entering the new areas of the Italian industry of the sector and the relevant fields of application, with the purpose of interpreting the needs and the opportunities connected with the last industrial innovations.   

Talking about Italian and European machine tool industry. What are the current trends in the Italian machine tool industry?
Well, the sector of production systems is continuously evolving, since it is, by its nature, an innovative sector. Much is discussed about “collaborative robots”; for many years the association has been studying how additive technologies affect the manufacturing industry. Consistent with this view and encouraged by UCIMU, in 2014 AITA-Italian Association of Additive Technologies was established with scientific, cultural and knowledge-sharing intent.

Another very important issue is that of the “smart factory”, as we have been calling it in Italy for many years, which is practically “Industry 4.0” to say it with a more popular and modern term. “Industry 4.0” is intended as the application of the “Industry of the Things” (IoT) to industrial production. In practice, it implies applying to the industry all that is made possible through the Internet, i.e. the possibility of connecting parts of the physical world with the net. The Internet changed the way of living and of interacting because it enables to eliminate distances almost completely. The spread of ICT in daily life is evident, as well as the effects brought about by the common use of smartphones that allow us to remain always connected and reachable. Today, and not only from today, this principle can be applied to the factory, which, in the Industry 4.0 concept, becomes a system of parts, areas, processes interconnected with one another and of automated systems that can partially replace human labour.

Can you please provide us some data about the Italian machine tool industry like production, consumption, import, export, etc
The Italian machine tool, automation and robotics sector is in third place in the international ranking for exports and in fourth place for production. In 2015, the Italian production exceeded 5.4 billion euro (+12.2%), of which 64% was sold abroad. Imports reached 1.7 million euro, growing by 44.5% and thus proving that Italy is again a receptive country.

Which country imports most from Italy? And tell us more about the machine tool trade between India and Italy?
With 389 million euro of machines sold, the USA is the first destination market for Italian production. For this reason, UCIMU organized the convention “Impact. Innovate. Integrate” in Chicago. Organized in cooperation with the Ministry of Economic Development, ICE-Italian Trade Agency and Confidustria, the conference saw the participation of Italian manufacturers who presented development trends, specific solutions and challenges for the near future, implemented by the Italian industry for the US market.

The presentation, which was attended, among others, by the Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, the Italian Vice-Minister of Economic Development, Ivan Scalfarotto, and the President of UCIMU, Luigi Galdabini, hosted over 200 guests representing institutions, media and users of the main sectors, from the automotive to the aerospace industry, from the energy to the oil & gas fields.

The second destination market for the “Made in Italy” production of the sector is Germany (372 million euro) followed by China (339) and France (181).

53% of Italian sales to India concern metal-cutting machines: grinding machines account for 13%, lathes for 9.2%, TNC machines for 6.6%. With regard to metal-forming technologies (covering 47% of the total amount exported by Italy to India), the most important machines are: hammers and forging machines (10.7% of the total export), traditional cutting machines (12.1%), folding and bending machines (7.6%).

What are the initiatives taken by UCIMU and IMTMA to improve the business cooperation between these two countries?
The cooperation between the two associations has always been very efficient and well-organized and it could not be otherwise, considering that Italy is for India the second European supplier country of machine tools and the fifth worldwide. At the same time, for several years India has been among the “top 20” supplier countries of production systems to Italy and it represents an industry with very wide prospects.

The bilateral initiatives organized by UCIMU and IMTMA, aimed at fostering the trade exchange between the two countries, include collective groups and institutional exhibition stands, – which UCIMU organizes within the Indian IMTEX TOOL and IMTEX FORMING trade shows and which IMTMA organizes within the Italian BI-MU, LAMIERA and EMO MILANO exhibitions, – as well as planned missions of delegations and scheduled B2B meetings among manufacturers and users of the two countries.

In the previous years Italy and overall Europe faced some economic downturn. How is the situation now?
The recession, which has hit Europe from 2009 on, has caused a freeze of investments in Italy for several years, including those in machine tools. However, today the general economic situation has improved, both in Italy and abroad.

This first observation, which is obviously a relief for those who operate in this sector, is followed by another, even more important point: in the last year and a half, it was the Italian market that showed more willingness and inclination to invest in machine tools.

Supported by the decrease of money price practised by the ECB and by several provisions of industrial policy implemented by the Italian Government authorities who have been giving new energy to the demand for production systems, the consumption of machine tools is growing again in Italy and even more remarkably than in the rest of Europe.

How do you see the Indian market? What can be done to improve the trade between India and Italy?
The Indian machine tool production has adequate standards for many types of machining, especially for machines having medium-level technology. We, the Italians, can and must propose ourselves more and more to work in the Indian market and encourage its development and growth. Between India and Italy there is a continuous collaboration aimed at improving the mutual market advantages and at establishing a sharing of intents with a long-term view. As the Italian machine tool Manufacturers’ Association, we are present, along with ASSOCOMAPLAST, in the Indian territory, carrying out important initiatives, such as that of the “Italian Technology Center”. The promotion centre for the “Made in Italy” of the sector, with offices in Pune, promotes ITC brand and the brands of eleven Italian enterprises. These companies are manufacturers of capital goods and cooperate to develop new relationships with the Indian institutions and the culture and industry worlds: this is really necessary to support the internationalization of Italian enterprises in the area.  Besides the Technology Centre, another project by UCIMU is PIATTAFORMA INDIA, a real hub, capable of providing assistance and advice to the companies interested in working in the area. The aim of the initiative is to support the companies in their internationalization activity. For this purpose, “Piattaforma India” can rely on the collaboration of an Indian officer, acting as a facilitator directly on site.

By Nishant Kashyap