‘PLI scheme leads to global giants using India as a manufacturing base’

Returning after a gap of four years, the 12th Die Mould India International Exhibition will give the OEMs as well as service providers a networking platform to interact with each other. It will also help them discuss about the advancements in the sector, implement the same to increase productivity and revenue. To be held at Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai from April 27, 2022, the exhibition is the first to bring the industry players under one roof physically after the Covid-19 pandemic.

CNCTimes (www.cnctimes.com), the gateway to the machine tool industry interacts with the exhibitors and their channel partners who will be showcasing their products at the exhibition.

Mr. Anant Iyer, CEO and Managing Director, MC Machinery Systems India Pvt Ltd, in a tete-a-tete with Bhalchandra Chorghade, Editor, CNCTimes.com, shares his views on the expo. Below are the excerpts:

Q. Tell us about yourself and your company.

A. MC Machinery Systems India Private Limited (MMSI) has been operational in India since 2007 and is committed to delivering the best technology to the Indian manufacturing sector through its primary product lines – Electric Discharge Machines (EDM) and Laser Cutting Machines (LASER). We garner instant recognition through our logo MITSUBISHI EDM/ LASER that has been a moniker for our company name.

We are headquartered at Coimbatore, a huge industrial and development hub in Tamil Nadu, and have our presence across all major locations in India. Our Customer Experience Centres at Coimbatore and Pune allow our customers to gain a hands-on experience of our offerings for the Indian manufacturing sector. Our dedicated team of professionals ensure the best possible customer experience that we proudly term ‘The Mitsubishi Experience’.

Q. What is your opinion about Indian Tooling sector?

A. The Indian Tooling industry has a very bright future. The pandemic and geopolitical tensions will allow India to take up mantle position as a global supplier of dies and moulds. There is early evidence of a clear shift or a preference for it in the global supply chain. India figures as a prominent option in this and will only be restricted by the choices the country makes. The ‘Production Linked Incentive (PLI)’ scheme of the Government of India announced under the Make in India 2.0 programme will ensure a strong investment in capacity building. This will keep the machine tool manufacturing industry humming for the next four or five years.

Toolrooms are in the process of upgrading their technologies and analysis of our recent sales shows a clear shift in preference for higher accuracy and larger size machines. We expect this trend to continue as the Indian Tool Room upgrades itself to meet global standards and expectations.

Q. What are the latest trends in the die & mould industry?

A. The Government has opened the doors to new investments in semiconductor chips and advanced electronics manufacturing. The PLI schemes for a host of other sectors and a deterrence to imports will lead to global giants using India as a manufacturing and sourcing base.

The country is also awaiting a clear directive on Electric Vehicle manufacturing though we have already seen a strong pickup in the two-wheeler EV segment with new start-ups and capacities coming up. This will lead to demand for high accuracy stampings and moulds in the very near future.

The toolrooms in India have to step up to meet this need for higher accuracies and lower lead times. Adoption of Automation will pick up pace to reduce delivery lead times as OEMs try to minimise time to market. Machines with in-built IoT capabilities will be needed as the industry adopts Industry 4.0 norms. Artificial Intelligence (AI) in machines is also picking up and allow the industry to reduce error rates.

Q. Are there any new offerings from your company?

A. As a leader of the EDM market, it is important that we offer the best and latest to the end users. We are committed to supporting the Indian manufacturing segment by offering cutting edge solutions.

We had recently promoted the Ultra-high precision MP series machines in India and have a few machines in the field that have exceeded customer expectations. This will help meet emerging ultra-high precision and quality needs of the market where customers can realise high pitching accuracies in the range of ±0.0015 mm using our thermal stabilisation technology. A revolutionary Linear Shaft Motor (LSM) will enable circular accuracy within 1 micron, lower wear and better precision for high speed stamping dies and wire harness moulds.

We have also recently launched our new series of Sinker EDMs with the announcement of SG and SV series units. We have already supplied a few units of the latest SG machines in India and are seeing a fast adoption of this by local Tool Rooms. This features built in IoT and AI technologies, with higher speeds, material removal rates and the only Sinker EDM in the market to offer estimation of cycle times.

We also sell Laser Cutting machines and our new series GX-F Laser units feature futuristic aspects of IoT, AI and Augmented Reality (AR) that are path-breaking. These units come with a Mitsubishi developed resonator and we are the only entity that make all major components of our machines that allows us to maximize efficiency, performance, and improve throughput times.

Q. Going forward, how do you see the future of the industry?

A. The industry is well poised to achieve a double-digit growth in the coming four to five years and cross the INR 200 billion mark. We will see the emergence of new generation entrepreneurs that will specialise in specific areas of manufacturing tools. We will see a quick adoption of automation and Industry 4.0 standards as this will be an essential part of being a contributor in the global supply chain. Existing practices will be challenged, while the existing and emerging trends will move towards an era of co-existence offering end users the best of technologies at attractive price points.

At a domestic level, it is important for members of the tooling industry to unite under a forum like TAGMA and seek the benefits of this association to make an impact on the global market. To be cost effective and a global supplier they have to learn and grow together and focus on Specialisation (expertise in specific categories of dies/ moulds); Improve Internal Systems and Processes; and Minimise/ Avoid Rework (First Time Right).