Text & Photography: Bhargav TS
The 15th edition of Intec 2014, the largest engineering exhibition organised by CODDISSIA (Coimbatore District Small Industries Association), focused on innovative technologies for the manufacturing industry. The 5-day event was inaugurated by N K Maini, Deputy Managing Director of Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI). The annual event saw over 325 participants from India and few other countries including Japan, the US, Germany, China and Singapore, which account for more than 5% of the total numbers.
The Chairman of Intec 2014, P N Balasubramanian said, “Intec serves as an opportunity for the Indian companies to update on technological developments happening in the international arena. Besides, it provides an ideal chance to incorporate the same in their manufacturing units. At Intec, business agreements materialise quite early unlike other industrial expos. By virtue of patronage in terms of business generation and participation by overseas industrial players, the fair has gained good momentum and stands as the prestigious flagship fair of South India.”
This edition of Intec has happened in the backdrop of extremely difficult market conditions. There have been a lot of swings in the market during the past one year with rupee value fluctuating. The manufacturing sector is hard hit for orders. With the market lying low, export orders have also come down. The President of CODISSIA, R Ramachandran said, “Despite these impediments the total number participants in the current edition remained the same as the previous edition; there were more than 35 new participants. There were companies from a few places including Ludhiana and a few towns located in Haryana. This year we expect betterb business and hope the transaction will cross a turnover of Rs 600 crore.”
Alongside the event CODISSIA organised a conference on Global Manufacturing Cluster Vision 2020. Co-organised by the global research and consulting firm Texas Ventures, the theme for the conference was ‘Innovation – An implant for future manufacturing.’ The conference, which is the 6th edition in the series, saw more participants from the manufacturing sector. The conference was inaugurated by the Chairman of Sundaram Finance and the Managing Director of Brakes India, Viji Santhanam.
Santhanam said, for any system that manufacturing units would adopt to improve production – human resource is an important factor. Innovation comes from the workers and employees and they need to be multi-skilled. He further said, in 2012, the country had 43 million MSMEs and 40% of the country’s exports were by these units. MSMEs are an important link in the automotive supply chain; competitive price, superior quality, on time delivery, and faster new product development are the expectations from customers of the MSMEs. Apart from these, there are market and macro challenges such as frequent introduction of new models of vehicles, shorter product life cycles, increasing volatility in demand and commodity price. In such a scenario, companies need to focus on training and skill development, he added.
The event has become a trendsetter as it showcased the latest in manufacturing technology targeting perfection, time and cost cutting, energy saving and mass production. The product profile includes auto components, CNCs, special purpose machines, hydraulics, pneumatics, instrumentation, automatic doors and shutters, cutting tools, low cost automation, belts and chains, bearings, control panels, industrial drives, duct and hoses, machine tool accessories, laser machinery and plasma cutting machinery, industrial robotics and welding. There were live demonstrations of the latest machine tools by several companies from both India and abroad.
Commenting on the advantages of organising Intec in Coimbatore, Balasubramanian said before the first edition of the event held in 1987 there was not even a single CNC machine used in manufacturing in this part of the country. Presently, there are a number of CNC machines operated by several companies in Coimbatore alone. This shows that Intec could help bring awareness about quality and reliability in manufacturing. Events like this had given a lot of fillip to the industry, he added.
The Chennai based BOGE Compressors showcased its latest air compressors, which are used in the manufacturing process. The company’s latest screw compressors have 20% less components and use aluminium pipes to transfer air, which increases efficiency. Janatics India, Coimbatore headquartered company, showcased its wide range of pneumatic products like air cylinders, rodless cylinders, solenoid valves, PU tubings, quick couplers, air blow gun and flow control valves. It also displayed its newly launched metal flow control valves, precision regulators, NAMUR standard valve, spark resistance tube, and external solenoid pilot.
Air compressor manufacturer, ELGI Equipments Ltd displayed its range of screw compressors and reciprocal compressors like EG series screw compressors, oil-free screw compressors, Encad series screw compressors and oil-free reciprocating compressors. Micromatic Machine Tools Pvt Ltd, manufacturer of machining centres showcased its newly developed MCV-450 DM and Vantage 500 LM machine. The company has redesigned the machine to accommodate it in a smaller work place.
Korea-based Autonics Automation showcased their entire industrial automation solutions including sensors, controllers, control switches and motion devices as well as control and measurement equipment and tower lights. Autonics Automation India sells their products through their distributor, Naren Electronics & Services. The official of Autonics Automation India said the company is focusing on BRIC countries, especially India.
Intec 2014 provided an ideal platform for marketing innovative engineering technologies and products across the globe. The current edition was a trendsetter and showcased the latest in manufacturing technologies which included CNC, special purpose machines, auto components and industrial robotics. An important feature in the fair was live demonstration of latest machine tools by the world’s leading brands like Lakshmi Machine Works, FARO, Janatics India, Ace Micromatic, Shanthi Gears, Autonics, Igus India, Gandhi Automation, MGM Varvel Power Transmission, Festo Controls, Pepperl & Fuchs, Titan Paints, Elgi, and Roots.
