MSMEs are not part of the mainstream when it comes to implementation of technology, and this hampers their ability to use the vast volumes of data generated in the manufacturing process for constant improvement, said Lakshmi Narayan M, Advisory Chairman, Harman International India.

Addressing the Confederation of Indian Industry’s 9th edition of Annual Manufacturing Conference, he said that for Make in India to truly succeed, it is necessary to bring the entire value chain including MSMEs into the mainstream.

Themed ‘ZED: Zero Defect – Zero Effect for Make in India’, the conference analysed opportunities for transformational changes in the manufacturing sector.

Manufacturers need to reduce redundancy as it leads to unnecessary expense.

“Disruption in the manufacturing process is key to implementation of ZED. It is imperative to constantly innovate rather than falling back on settled processes,” said Lakshmi Narayan.

Viren Joshi, CEO and President, Sigma Electric Manufacturing Corporation, said organisations need to improve their performance to ensure their survival and growth in a fiercely competitive world.

“This improvement will come about only if they focus on production of zero defect quality goods in a cost effective environment friendly manner, and this must occur continuously to create an advantage in the market place. While India has a huge advantage in demography, resources and skillset emphasis should be laid on quality manufacturing with energy efficient practices,” he said.

N Muthukumar, Chairman, CII Mysuru Zonal Council, said that while the Centre’s effort to raise the share of manufacturing in GDP to 25 per cent is commendable, this can only be achieved through ‘Zero Defect, Zero Effect’.

Pockets of excellence

Presently we have pockets of excellence and we need this to spread across all sectors. Currently, there is huge wastage in the manufacturing sector.

While ZED may seem a theoretical concept right now, it is definitely achievable with the right mindset.

While quality and productivity defined the manufacturing sector till now it is ‘agility’ which will be the key differentiator,” he explained.

Ravi Raghavan, Chairman, CII Karnataka, said ZED is seen as the cornerstone of the Make in India campaign, which is aimed at turning India into a global manufacturing hub, generating jobs, lifting incomes and boosting growth.

According to him, while large organisations have the capital and exposure to implement ZED, first generation entrepreneurs and MSMEs tend to fall behind.

Source: The Hindu Business Line