Big Data to Drive Innovation in the Manufacturing Sector: Prof. Ashutosh Sharma, Department of Science & Technology, Government of India

Big data plays a significant role in manufacturing sector uncovering new insights to drive innovation enhancing productivity and efficiency gains said Chief Guest Prof Ashutosh Sharma, Department of Science & Technology, Government of India. He added that data is the key to any successful implementation that comes out of the stable of artificial intelligence. He opined that there is a need to work towards translating good ideas around data generation, data flow, data preservation, building of data and bringing value to data.

Speaking at the conclave, Guest of Honour Dr Sudhir Mishra, CEO & Managing Director, BrahMos Aerospace said that manufacturing has huge potential to generate wealth, employment and can create a completely different culture. He added that manufacturing can help transform India to a developed country like Japan and Germany, where find a predominantly manufacturing culture. He further mentioned that we have to create infrastructure, generate demand and gear for collaborative approach to build the nation.

Mr Sameer Gupta, Chairman, CII (Northern Region) & Chairman & MD, Jakson Group in his Inaugural address said that future of manufacturing sector looks bright and can be seen significantly growing in next 10-15 years. He also said that India has lots of potential and opportunity; we just need to unleash it. He added that global economy along with the steps taken by government will positively impact the performance in manufacturing sector. He opined that we need to focus on key issues across the manufacturing sector to facilitate growth, enhance competitiveness and generate business opportunities for both local and foreign investors.

The usage of new concept technologies like IoT and apps are actually taking over the market place and it is important to look at such technologies that are converging said by Mr Pankaj Dubey, Conclave Co-Chair and CEO & Director, Eicher Polaris Pvt. Ltd and Country Head & Managing Director Polaris India Pvt Ltd. He added that the Internet of Things (IoT) adds a new dimension with connected assets and sensors capable of measuring, recording and transmitting performance in real time. He further added that data analytics can help them capture, cleanse and analyze machine data to reveal insights that can help them improve performance.

Addressing at the inaugural Session Mr Dilip Sawhney, Managing Director, Rockwell Automation India said that adoption of contemporary technologies is an imperative for the Indian manufacturing sector to realize the vision of USD 1 Trillion manufacturing economy in the near future and to enhance our global competitiveness. He further said building a Connected Enterprise is essential to realizing this vision through the convergence of IT and OT to access and capitalize on operational, business and transactional data for improved enterprise, plant and supply chain performance.

Mr Rajeev Singh, Partner, Deloitte India, Knowledge Partner of the Conclave said that increased momentum is required across the manufacturing industry in India towards adopting innovative technologies to solve complex problems. He also said that today manufacturers are converging digital and physical worlds in which sophisticated hardware combined with innovative software, sensors, and massive amounts of data and analytics is expected to produce smarter products, more efficient processes, and more closely connected customers, suppliers and manufacturers. He added that in Industry 4.0, manufacturing systems and the objects they create are not just connected but also drawing information from the physical world into the digital realm.

The Conclave witnessed the presence of speakers from companies like Panasonic, PTC, Universal Robots, IBM, Infosys etc and was well attended by over 150 participants from various manufacturing companies.