An Initiative to Elevate and Improve today’s Manufacturing Ecosystem!
Bharat Fritz Werner (BFW) hosted Manufacturing Day 2017 in association with Manufacturing Today.
Bharat Fritz Werner (BFW), a leading manufacturer of machine tools, partnered with Manufacturing Today magazine, to present Manufacturing Day 2017. The day-long conference was conducted with an intention to impart knowledge on today’s manufacturing ecosystem, and give participants a platform to discuss and share valuable thoughts with the eminent industry leaders on implementing digitization, skill development and innovation in the Manufacturing industry. Held on October 5 at Hotel Westin, Gurugram, the event was attended by the distinguished dignitaries and key industry personnel. In his opening address, Ravi Raghavan, MD & CEO, BFW, conveyed about the pervasive influence of manufacturing in our lives. Elucidating on the importance of manufacturing in our everyday life, he said, “Manufacturing is the foundation of everything real around us. Efficiency in manufacturing has excelled much as compared to other industries. This sector pushes the boundaries of success. We don’t see Manufacturing Day just as a platform, but an initiative that will benefit the industry.” The Chief Guest, Kishore Jayaraman, President, Rolls Royce, India & South Asia, highlighted the benefits of Industry 4.0 and how automation has progressed in manufacturing units, “Industry 4.0 is the future. Revolutions in manufacturing are constant and today it is all about storage and data. The way we interface with the machines and the machines interface with humans needs much analysis and firms need to embrace the change.” The highlight of the day was an enlightening discourse from Sonam Wangchuk, Engineer, Innovator & Education Reformist, who stressed on the innovations he and his team have concocted for Ladakh. He has changed the entire landscape of that region and improved facilities for the people at large. Speaking on how improvements have vastly changed the landscape, Wangchuk said that teaching students to be self sufficient has not only helped the state and the economy, but experiential learning has led them on the path of progress. The creator of the Ice Stupa held the delegates spellbound and his system of building novel things from little received a standing ovation. He shared his views saying, “Digitisation is important. But when you talk to people, they need real things. We should not lose touch with the ground realities. There are problems in the system and what we need to do is look hard for solutions.” The event had participation from some of India’s top manufacturing companies, including Honda Car India, AkzoNobel, Hero MotoCorp, JBM Auto, Spark Minda, Maruti Suzuki, Daikin, among others. There were three panel discussions held during the course of the day where knowledge sharing was at peak. The first panel discussion on ‘Factories of Future: Productive Shop Floor’ had panellists such as Madan Mohan Vundavally, Head of Product Portfolio Management & Application Support, Siemens; Mahesh Kaikini, AVP – Plant Head, Hero Motocorp; V Ranganathan Iyer, Group CIO, JBM Group; and Anil Singh, Plant Head, AkzoNobel. Shailesh Sheth, Corporate Strategy Adviser, spoke on finding the right roadmap to right manufacturing. He shed light on how a VUCA world is affecting companies in this age and going forward some of the changes they will need to implement. This was followed by a panel discussion on ‘Innovation-led Manufacturing Practices’. Abhijit Majumdar, Executive Director, consulting PwC, moderated the panel, and had industry heads such as Sanjiv Kumar Jain, group CITO, Spark Minda; L Krishnan, MD, Taegutec India; and MK Agrawal, Senior VP, DS Group. The third and final panel discussion addressed the topic ‘Talent & Skill Development for Manufacturing’. Moderator Bibhor Srivastava, Group Publishing Director, ITP Media Group, engaged the team of panellists and the audience alike by addressing issues of skilling and re-skilling. The esteemed panellists included Ravindra Dayal, Executive Director, Maruti Suzuki; Rajeev Sharma, VP Manufacturing, Honda Siel; APS Gandhi, VP – Supply Chain, Daikin Air-conditioning; KS Malik, Operating Head & GM Powertrain, Honda Car India; Manish Sinha, Head – IT, Vectus; and Rajeeva Lochan Sharma, Sr. Plant Director, Barco Electronics. The event also offered an opportunity to engineering college students from RV College of Engineering, Bengaluru to present their innovative ideas to the eminent industry leaders and attendees. These bright youngsters are part of the Ashwa Racing Team. At the end of the event, Ravi Raghavan, MD & CEO, expressed his gratitude to everyone present there for sharing their invaluable thoughts and immense experiences, and make the event a grand success.
