India’s largest die mould gathering, the fourth edition of International Tooling Summit (ITS) was inaugurated at Hotel Hyatt Regency, Pune on 7th February. Organised by Tool and Gauge Manufacturers Association (TAGMA), the event revolved around the theme, “Indian Tooling Industry: Forming & Moulding the Future”. The two-day event saw four panel discussions, 16 technical sessions, with about 40 speakers discussing various topics that impact the Indian tooling industry. Overall, the event aimed to highlight the latest technology trends, business dynamics, opportunities, challenges and the future outlook.
ITS 2019 was inaugurated in the presence of the chief guests Sunil Kakkar, Executive Director (Supply Chain), Maruti Suzuki India Ltd; Saurabh Kumar, DGOF & Chairman, Ordnance Factory Board; Laxmi Laxman, General Manager, PCK Budrus (present on behalf of Peter Vetter, Head, Quality Planning Tool Steels, Buderus Edelstahl; N Reghuraj, MD – NTTF and Founder President, TAGMA India; D K Sharma, President, TAGMA INDIA and D Shanmugasundaram, Vice President, TAGMA India.
Welcoming over 400 professionals from around the world, Mr Sharma said, “I am delighted to share that in just four years, ITS has become one of the most important a platform for the Indian tool room professionals for knowledge sharing, understanding global trends, and building acquaintances. Today, with an increase in demand from the automotive and consumer industries, the Indian tooling sector is witnessing rapid growth. The total tooling demand for FY17 in India was USD 2070 million and is expected to reach USD 2683 million by FY 2020 with the CAGR of 9%. This is a good time to be a tool maker in India, we must celebrate this occasion and gear up for the future opportunities.”
The event started with a traditional light lamping, followed by inaugural speeches.
Sharing his views, Mr Kakkar said, “At present, the Indian automotive industry contributes 7.5% to the Indian GDP and 49% in Indian manufacturing industry’s GDP. It is set to grow further thanks to the rising income, increasing population and better infrastructure. We all, everyone related to eco-system, need to work together and contribute towards this growth. To be competent, localisation is the key. Today, 75% of our tools are sourced from domestic suppliers and we want to increase this even further. We expect you to supply world-class tools and help us in saving cost and time.”
Ms Laxman addressed the gathering on behalf of Mr Vetter and delivered his message. She highlighted the changing dynamics of the automotive industry and how the usage of new materials in the future automobiles will pose challenges to tool makers.
It was followed by a speech from Mr Kumar who spoke about the current happenings in the Indian defence sector, activities of the ordnance factory and opportunities for tool makers. “We need a large number of tools for cold rolling, forging, plastic moulds, sheet metal, and fixtures solutions, among others. I invite you all to visit our factories and understand about our requirement” he said.
Further, Mr Ashim Sharma, Partner & Group Head, Business Performance Improvement Consulting (Auto, Engineering & Logistics), Nomura Research Institute India Pvt. Ltd. presented an overview of the tooling industry.
ITS 2019 was action-packed. There were thought-provoking panel discussions and technical sessions strategically organized on both the days. Topics like ‘OEMs and Tooling Suppliers – Collaborative Approach’, ‘Subtractive & Additive Technologies – How Will The Coexistence Emerge In Future?’ ‘Emerging Sectors for Indian Tool Makers’ and ‘Changing Dynamics in Auto Sector – Impact on Indian Tooling Industry’ were part of the panel discussions.
Technical sessions like ‘Overview on global toolmakers in Asia, Europe and US/Canada and how Indian toolmakers can reach to their standards’ by Mr. Dirk Soltau, Head of Chemi- Kaufteilemanagement – Beschaffung, Volkswagen; ‘Future Of Making’ by Mr. Pankaj Gauba, Head Digital Manufacturing Group, India & Middle East, Autodesk; ‘Today’s Solution for Tomorrow’s Challenges’ by Mr.T.S. Gopalakrishnan, Director, Multiple Special Steel Pvt Ltd; ‘A look into the 2K Mould Technology’ by Mr. Alan Cecco, Design Director, Silver Basis Group; ‘Smart Manufacturing in Tool Rooms for Improved Productivity, Quality and Delivery’ by Prof. Asim Tewari, Chair Professor in the Dept. of Mechanical Engg and Head of the NCAIR at, IIT, Bombay; and ‘Critical aspects in Skin Panel Dies’ by Mr. Martin Heckmann, Development Engineer, LÄPPLE Automotive among others were also held during the event.
During these two days, various companies showcased their state-of-the-art technology through technical sessions and stalls at the event that targets companies and professionals associated with die mould industry. The thought provoking panel discussions also helped the professionals present at the event understand the latest in technology, customer expectations, opportunities and the challenges in front of the Indian tooling industry.
