As “Bard” trades barbs with ChatGPT and the hype of generative AI is taking the world by storm, a manufacturing revolution is taking place in India, banking on the opportunity of “China-Plus-One” to become the factory of the world. Buoyed by Tim Cook’s visit and the decision of “Friend-shoring” by Apple to Make in India, India seems poised to “Make in India for the World”, paving the way for India to outgrow other economies of the world in this decade.economictimes.indiatimes.com/…/103300464.cms
If India is to realise the vision of becoming the factory of the world, it cannot be done by adopting conventional manufacturing techniques that involve loading the shop floors with cheap labour and strenuous work. Indian manufacturing would not only need to be cost-competitive globally but would also need to focus on Domestic Value Addition, thus driving up the export share of India globally. The only way for Indian Manufacturing to realise this vision is to innovate and repurpose the conventional manufacturing system to a Flexible Manufacturing System. A conventional manufacturing system comprises fixed assembly lines that have machines and tools that perform a specific task and transportation systems like conveyors that take the product to different machines. Such manufacturing lines must be shut down to set up a different product and often any breakdown in any section of the entire line can lead to inordinate delays in production. FMS on the other hand offers modularity and a self-organising production system with the help of collaborative robots and smart automation systems, that can optimise the workloads between different machines accommodating any priority orders or change in order or raw material volumes. FMS enables us to maintain the quality of the product and improve overall productivity, thereby reducing operating costs.