Automation Expo to Host South Edition at Chennai
Published on : Monday 02-01-2023
IED Communications to hold Automation ExpoSouth at Chennai from April 26-28, 2023.
In a recent article published in a prominent business newspaper based in the city, the author has identified a few key trends that have made Chennai rank high on the global capability test. From VR presentations that give a virtual tour to a patient enlisted for a clinical trial that puts her at ease, to a complete simulation of some very expensive shop floors with lots of sterile equipment to train the employees in order to save on costly materials, the healthcare and pharma industry is using emerging technologies to a great advantage.
For decades celebrated as the Detroit of India, Chennai is a hub of leading automobile manufacturers that at one time housed assembly operations of leading carmakers like Ford, Hyundai, Nissan/Renault/Datsun and Royal Enfield. A thriving metropolis that is home to over 10 million strong population brimming with a highly qualified talent pool, the city has in recent years attracted high profile global players from the telecom and electronics industries.
In early November 2022, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin released the Aviation and Defence Policy at a Conclave on Industry 4.0, also announcing the setting up of various infrastructure facilities for digital era enterprises to thrive in the State. As a further push to the manufacturing sector's transition into digitalisation, the CM inaugurated two new institutions under the TIDCO umbrella – the Tamil Nadu Advanced Manufacturing Centre of Excellence (TAMCOE) and Tamil Nadu Smart and Advanced Manufacturing Centre (TANSAM). The Aerospace and Defence Industrial Policy 2022 aims to target Rs 75,000 crore worth of investments in the next 10 years besides generating 10 lakh jobs. TAMCOE already has a commitment from GE Aviation to invest Rs 141 crore for research and prototype making, using additive manufacturing technology. At TANSAM, Siemens has an outlay of Rs 251 crore to cater to sectors like aerospace, electric vehicle (EV), marine, green energy, biotech, industrial automation, robotics and others. More companies are expected to join these initiatives soon.
More good news followed with iPhone manufacturer Foxconn hinting it is building hostels for about 60,000 employees near its manufacturing facility in Chennai as it aims to boost the production of Apple devices. The Taiwanese company manufactures Apple phones at its facility in Sriperumbudur. It employs over 15,000 workers, most of which are women. In the next 18 months, the number of employees is expected to go up to 70,000, for which the hostels are a necessity.
The southern State of Tamil Nadu has also been a traditional stronghold of PSUs and other large corporations in the oil & gas, petrochemicals, fertilisers and energy sector – including nuclear power plants – making it a large base of process industries.
Amidst this background, IED Communications, the organisers of the iconic Automation Expo series of annual exhibitions, have announced Automation ExpoSouth, the maiden edition of the show in Chennai, for April 2023. To be held at the spacious Hall 3 of Chennai Trade Centre at Nandambakkam, from April 26-28, 2023, this will be the first time Automation Expo will hold an event outside Mumbai. “Exhibitions traditionally attract large crowds from the home State. India being a large country spread across vast geographical expanse, the industries of Tamil Nadu would greatly benefit from a show held at its capital city Chennai, which has of late been in the news for attracting global projects worth thousands of crores,” said Dr M Arokiaswamy, Chairman & MD, IED Communications, about the decision to take the show to Chennai with a dedicated edition.
“Chennai is an established industrial hub and still growing through recent initiatives taken by the Tamil Nadu State government which is attracting overseas investors for establishing new industries. However, there is no exhibition conducted in the field of Instrumentation & Automation,” said V B Srikar, Co-Chairman, Nagman Group of Companies, the company well known as a manufacturer and supplier of world class instrumentation systems and calibration instruments and services. “Chennai is the home ground from where leading Instrumentation and Automation engineers have earned their degrees from premium institutions and are now working across the country and abroad. Hence Chennai will be the right choice to hold the southern edition of Automation Expo,” he added.
Thampy Mathew, Managing Director, Pepperl+Fuchs Manufacturing (India) Pvt Ltd, Chennai, agrees. “Chennai has been the hub for Engineering and Integration towards Process Industries for many decades now. During the late Nineties, Chennai – or in general Tamil Nadu – became the hub of automotive industries in the country...it also expanded to IT industries after the year 2000. The famous Engineering Institutions in Chennai starting from MIT, IIT, VIT, etc., besides the new autonomous colleges contributed towards the growth of industries and vice versa during the last 30 years,” Thampy elaborated.
According to Thampy, automation and digitalisation are no longer buzzwords but the need of the hour. Covid has accelerated the need for automation, and southern India has been at the forefront to use new technologies and to update and upgrade. “With most of the engineers in India coming from the States of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, and the highest level of literacy from Kerala – the first State to adopt mobile robots and with a number of robotic installations – Automation ExpoSouth 2023 will be the appropriate platform at the right time, to cater to the emerging manufacturing industries in and around Chennai,” he said.
“For long, we have seen visitors from the southern States making annual visits to the Automation Expo in Mumbai. For 2023, we have decided to bring a special edition of the show to Chennai, which will also provide visitors from other parts of the country to see the rapid strides made by the southern States in general, and Tamil Nadu in particular. The Southern states are quick to adapt to new technologies. With a blend of various industry sectors ranging from oil & gas to automobiles, engineering, metal industries, textiles and food processing, there is need for more automation,” said Ms Jyothi Joseph, Director, IED Communications, who leads the marketing initiative for the expo. “Exhibitions like Automation Expo will help establish the required platform for the Instrumentation & Automation fraternity to interact with each other more closely and at the same time bring the latest technologies and products closer home to the user industries. We want major users, decision makers, maintenance and shop floor executives to see the products, systems, services and solutions for all industries to upgrade with the latest technologies. They will also directly hear from domain experts who would be available to share their knowledge in the different forums at the show. Exhibit – Engage – Explore for infinite opportunities at the Automation ExpoSouth 2023,” she summed up.