Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was exchanged between IIT (BHU) Varanasi and Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI), Government of India, for setting up a “Centre of Excellence (CoE) on Machine Tools Design” at IIT (BHU) under MHI scheme for Enhancement of Competitiveness in Indian Capital Goods Sector Phase II in the benign presence of Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Kamran Rizvi, Secretary, Heavy Industries on Friday (December 30, 2022 ) in Udyog Bhawan, New Delhi. Prof. Pramod Kumar Jain, Director, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, and Vijay Mittal, Joint Secretary, MHI exchanged the MoU.
Under the scheme, a Centre of Excellence on Machine Tools Design has been sanctioned for the development of three high-end Machine Tool technologies. The project cost is being jointly funded by MHI and HMT Machine Tools Ltd. The CoE is aiming to enhance Global Competitiveness in the Capital Goods Sector and expedition of R&D activities in the sector.
During the MoU exchange, Prof Pramod Kumar Jain highlighted that the Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi is one of the leading technical Institutes and has maintained high academic standards since its inception. IIT (BHU) Varanasi has produced alumni who made a mark for themselves in the field of Engineering and Technology. “The CoE will be an important step in Make In India machine tools with a higher degree of reliability and efficiency for growth in the Capital Goods Sector to make India ‘AatmaNirbhar’ or ‘Self Reliant,’ discontinuing foreign procurement and encouraging domestic sourcing,” he said. Prof Vikash Kumar Dubey, Dean (R&D) provided an overview of the research activities and infrastructure of the Institute.
Pankaj Gupta, Chairman and Managing Director, HMT Machine Tools Limited highlighted that the collaboration between eminent Academics Institute like IIT (BHU) and industry of repute, HMT will make a significant contribution toward “Make in India”.
The Indian manufacturing industry has come a long way in the last five decades, producing a wide range of machine tools, including CNC machines and other advanced machinery. Thanks to in-house design and development activities, the sector has reached a particular level of efficiency, precision, and trustworthiness. However, the manufacturing industry lacks a solid R&D program to keep up with the latest technology and compete with the finest in the world. Because of the lack of R&D, foreign companies have gained over 70% of the domestic machine tool industry. This Centre of Excellence will undoubtedly help bridge the technical gaps while improving the technological insight of young technocrats involved with the machine tools business, vendors, and customers. Furthermore, it will help to stay abreast of the changing landscapes of the capital goods industries and take a step towards contributing to the GOI’s novel vision of making our nation a global manufacturing powerhouse.
Prof. Pramod Kumar Jain further informed that the tangible outcome of the CoE includes a vibrant and world-class Centre of Excellence on Machine Tools Design with cutting-edge experimental and testing facilities for machine tools. Further, Make In India design and development of three highly imported machine tools and a state-of-art non-invasive measurement facility and quality assurance centre.
He said the CoE will support incubating companies that provide alternatives to imported technologies. “A cutting-edge instrumentation and demonstration facility to conduct skill development programs to train young technocrats for industry-ready will be developed through the CoE,” he said. The intangible outcomes of the CoE includes growth in the market share of Indian machine tools sectors, employment opportunity, lowers product manufacturing costs, including machine tools, Innovation from an Indian perspective, and future-oriented and exportable technology development. Further, CoE also closes the competitive gap with imported machine tools.
The CoE is likely to make outstanding contributions toward Machine Tool Design, says Prof Pramod Kumar Jain, the Director of the Institute.
Press release: Source-PRO IT-BHU
