SME Times News Bureau | 22 Sep, 2020
In an exclusive interview with SME Times, Atul Patil, Asst. General Manager, Marketing Department, Factory
Automation & Industrial Division of Mitsubishi Electric India, said that the
ongoing COVID-19 crisis has in a way accelerated
the need to move from exploring to adopting Industry 4.0 more than ever before.
Excerpts of the
interview…
Please tell our
readers about Mitsubishi Electric and its presence in India?
Atul Patil: Mitsubishi Electric has a widespread
presence in India and is a global leader in electric and electronic equipment
for residential, commercial, and industrial use. Mitsubishi Electric has a presence
across India with a large distribution channel which is expanding to more
cities.
Mitsubishi Electric India has a wide
range of products and solutions, which include air conditioners, factory automation,
and industrial systems, semiconductors & devices, transportation systems,
and visual & imaging.
Mitsubishi Electric’s Factory
Automation & Industrial Automation Division offers a vast range of
automation products including e-Factory -Smart Manufacturing Solutions,
Computerised Numerical Controllers (CNCs), Inverter (drive products), Servo
Motion Systems (AC Servos), Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs), Industrial Robots
including Collaborative Robots, Power Distribution, Monitoring and Control products,
Micro Controllers (Micro PLCs), Modular Programmable Controllers (PLCs) and
Graphic Operation Controllers (GOCs).
We would like to know
how the Starter Package from Mitsubishi Electric’s “e-F@ctory” is set to boost
Smart Manufacturing.
Atul Patil: Mitsubishi Electric’s e-F@ctory
utilizes cutting-edge control like the iQ-R platform and high-speed networking
technologies like CC-Link IE and CC-Link IE TSN (Time Sensitive Network) to
visualize information and coordinate with high-level Manufacturing Execution
Systems (MES) to improve productivity while reducing Total Cost of Ownership
(TCO). In India, Mitsubishi Electric's e-F@ctory provides Smart Manufacturing
Solutions through its more than 20 Alliance Partners. Our “Edgecross” platform
offers software development flexibility to the partners, to meet exact customer
needs. e-F@ctory Alliance addresses the need for smart manufacturing for
industries like Automotive, Pharma, F&B, among many others.
The e-F@ctory starter package includes
sample projects with pre-programmed functions of MELSEC iQ-R / iQ-F PLCs and
GOT2000 Series HMIs for operational monitoring and preventive maintenance,
capable of supporting customers with IIoT, that can be implemented with minimal
investment.
How the Factory
Automation team of Mitsubishi Electric is contributing towards helping society
as a whole? How it can help overcome the current challenges?
Atul Patil: In our fight against COVID-19,
Mitsubishi Electric India has also initiated a slew of measures that are
specifically made in India which can come in handy during these times. For
example, we have designed, developed, and manufactured Graphic Operation
Controller (GOC), with built-in graphical display, recipe handling function,
customized mylar with built-in “i-Keys”, annunciator with three different conditions, (GOC) can be
effectively used to automate a manual ventilator, and control various
parameters like air pumped to the lungs along with the option for selecting 10%
to 100% pressure operation in the health care industry. Not just that, our
Factory Automation team globally wanted to contribute towards helping society
to overcome the current challenges during pandemic conditions. Therefore, the
factory staff and several groups have come together to create a library of
basic programs, function blocks, and servo set-ups as sample programs that can be used or adapted to help make a
functioning control system for a “disposable face mask” production machine.
Following the uncompromised safety and
unmatched convenience, we have started the operations at the Pune manufacturing
facility, while closely adhering to the advisory issued by the Central and
State Governments and guided by the sole objective of securing the health and
safety of all our stakeholders. We are following safety measures like Safety
Training to Factory Staff, Health Monitoring of factory Staff, Online service
to minimize customer and staff interaction, and measures for all over factory
preparedness.
How is Covid-19
affecting Industry 4.0 and what will be the future of innovation?
Atul Patil: Industry 4.0 is a fascinating subject to work
for most of the manufacturers be it small, medium or large. The future of
innovation is about Industry 5.0 and we gradually working towards it. COVID-19 has in a way accelerated the need to
move from Exploring to Adopting Industry 4.0 more than ever before. While most manufacturers
are looking inwards to survive the onslaught of COVID-19, those who have
adopted technology in their manufacturing environment are more likely to
recover faster than the others. As people consciously quarantine, there is a
radical shift towards work from home thereby the need to bring the
manufacturing environment and data into their workbenches. This would lead to
greater adaption of VR/AR Tools, Remote Monitoring, Data Analytics – to have a
real-time view of the business. Such necessity and its adaption will lead to
innovation of technologies around it.
What is your view on the current situation of the
auto industry in India and its post-COVID prospects?
Atul Patil: Having ensured a swift response to
the outbreak and lockdown, Indian automotive companies will need to identify
where to act quickly and decisively both in the short term and long term. While
short term priority would be to maintain liquidity and efficiency, mid-term
priority should be to restore profitable steady operations while in the long-term
organizations may fundamentally want to review their strategy and operating
model.
In the current COVID scenario, the OEMs
and suppliers are now becoming aware of creating differentiated capabilities
for the future. At this point of time, we need to leverage more on low
valuations to acquire or co-create capabilities in the space of digital advanced
tools like automation powered by AI and IIoT, mobility platforms, EVs, and
advanced safety systems. In the post COVID stage, it becomes pivotal to address
the gradually increasing consumer demands that are powered by the recovering
economy. The companies that understand and use this as an opportunity to
restructure and rewire, will emerge as winners. Knowing this, even with the current
levels of somewhat low capacity utilization, the demand for automation systems
is still prevalent.
At Mitsubishi Electric, we are
providing smart manufacturing solution and we call it ‘e-f@ctory’ that utilizes
cutting-edge Factory Automation products based on its high-speed networking
technologies like CC-Link IE and CC-Link IE TSN to visualize information and
coordinate with high-level Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), to improve
productivity, while reducing Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). It enables rapid
Digital Transformation of the manufacturing industry by integration of IT &
FA/OT systems. For this, all our FA Products like PLCs, HMIs, Inverters, AC
Servo Systems, CNC Controllers, Industrial Robots, IPCs, and Low Voltage
Switchgear are equipped with advanced technologies for communication. We also
have pre-engineered software development packages called ‘iQ-Monozukuri’ which
are specifically developed for processes like And-On, Packaging, Handling,
Converting, etc. These solutions help to reduce the development and deployment
of Industrial Automation Solutions to the Industry and enable faster
production, reducing the time to market and increase efficiency.
Lastly, the industrial robot and collaborative
robot are also fulfilling the requisites of integrating them with the advanced
digital systems that are helping to generate higher productivity and quality.
Please share with our readers the future plans of
Mitsubishi Electric Factory Automation in India.
Atul Patil: At Mitsubishi Electric, we continue to evolve with the changing
industrial environment and strive to provide cutting-edge solutions to our
customers. Next-generation intelligent functions make it simple to carry out
work that has always defied automation. Safe, collaborative work applications
allow robots and people to work together with high levels of safety. Mitsubishi
Electric’s e-F@ctory concept helps in integrating Factory Automation (FA) and
IT functions, thus supporting the next generation of smart manufacturing. We
offer solutions that use FA technology and IT to reduce overall total costs -
from development to production and maintenance, supporting customers to
continuously improve their business operations and achieve truly cutting-edge
manufacturing. Apart from our range of Industrial Robot, we have also recently
launched Collaborative Robot – MELFA Assista to support a high standard of
safety and increased efficiency.
