Bengaluru, India
Manufacturing is a centuries-old activity and has undergone massive changes and improvements over the years. From the olden times (~60 years back) when black-smiths used heat and hammer power to mould metal into shape, to the mechanical lathes in workshops which used electric power to do the needful, manufacturing has come a long, long way.
The four stages of Industrial Revolution : The cusp of 4.0 is where we are now
The initial lathes gave way to CNC lathes, which, in their first avatar, were controlled by 'programming' (g/m-Codes) which were cryptic combinations of numbers and alphabets, known and understood only by the geeks. The interface was primitive. Checks and balances were non-existent, and the onus of doing it right was on the skilled operator or programmer.
Those were the days machines were dumb and the operators were smart, and they knew their subject well, in fact, very well.
In the present times, machines have becomes incredibly smarter, as a result of electronics, mechanics, transmission technologies, material sciences and IoT, all playing to their strengths in harmony. We would want to believe that our operators have become smarter too. But the reality is that, due to lack of skills, motivation or simply time constraints, many operators today do not understand everything that their machines do. They simply wear too many hats these days to be able to master their tools deep enough. But, do they really need to know it all? -or- How much do they need to know, to get their job done? The answer is that you can get by smartly by knowing only what you need to and leave the rest to the software and the hardware. Today's combo of machines and software hides a lot of inner operating drudgery from you, the user and takes many smart decisions by themselves. You learn things only on a need-to-know basis. Like many other technology devices, more and more people are able to use encapsulated technology within these machines with a much shorter learning curve, equipped with just the right amount of knowledge to make things work.
So, the key pitch I am trying to make here is that the industry today must leverage the advances made in manufacturing technologies. Industry 4.0 is not just about IoT and robotics, but about all other elements of smart manufacturing and design as well. If you need to compete, win and deliver in today's fast-paced economy, you need the best tools in CAD, CAM and firmware.
At KIRO-TECH, we want to bring to you this new generation of manufacturing solutions that will help you produce faster, more accurately and in any quantity. After an informed analysis of the available technology, we chose Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence Vero Software as our product suite to go to the CAM market.
Hexagon is a large Swedish company with a turnover exceeding 3.5bn USD per year. It is a top-level holding organization, a listed one, and a conglomerate of companies offering technologies that are wide-ranging and complementary, offering end-to-end solutions.
Its manufacturing intelligence division, called the Hexagon MI was renamed recently as the Production Software business and merges the acquisitions of VERO, FASsys and SPRING Technologies into a single entity that offers world class Production Technology to the industry.
The largest of these acquisitions was that of UK-based Vero Software in 2014, and include brands like ALPHACAM, Cabinet Vision, Edgecam, Radan, SURFCAM, VISI, Machining Strategist and WorkNC, along with ERP/MRP systsems like Javelin and WORKPLAN. The company has large market coverage with offices across the globe, and supply to more than 45 countries through its subsidiaries and reseller network.
At KIRO-TECH, we are proud to represent the complete bouquet of manufacturing solutions from Hexagon Production Software, known to many of you as VERO Software.
The Shifting Sands in Manufacturing
Another significant paradigm shift in manufacturing today is the product mix and the industries it serves. The world in general, and India in particular, is now a consumption driven economy. The growth drivers are the retail spending population and not large state run enterprises. A large population in India is in the 20's-30's age group generation. Not just in urban areas where retail and e-commerce is making new highs each month, semi-urban and rural areas are not far behind either. A whole lot of paper and packing manufacturing today is thriving to support the deliver-to-your-doorstep e-Commerce transaction, whether it is your food, grocery or clothing. These are sunrise industries which drive new opportunities in manufacturing. The construction and interiors industry is fast moving towards pre-fabricated panels, walls, slabs and fixtures. The action is shifting to factories where a large number of accessories and components are 'manufactured' before-hand and just assembled on-site.
Talking of construction, everything from concrete to sand is now pre-made in a factory or a batching plant. The construction site is fast turning into only assembly zones.
Retail consumption and the the aspirational trend to exercise options and choices faster than ever before is now considered par for the course. The need (or the pressure) to upgrade your personal appliances and business tools ensures that many of the stuff we own today have shorter lives than it did a decade ago. From cell phones to their covers, from air-conditioners, televisions to cars and the interior decor of our house we live in, the change is happening - quickly and at an affordable price.
Are our factories ready for this fast-paced change? Each year, we need to often manufacture goods that look & feel different from the same last year. And this trend is happening in India. The faster-than-the-herd have already adapted to it - using best-in-class manufacturing and solutions. Today's new generation machines are versatile and can be easily programmed, with the data flowing from CAD to CAM, tracking exactly its life-cycle from concept to build. Fast tool-change mechanism, high-performance servo and linear motors, optimized tool selection and movements, efficient nesting algorithms ensure that you cut your job, bend it into shape, perform all post-processing embellishments and assemble your final product in a time frame that is perhaps one-quarter of what it would take you even 5-10 years back.
Hexagon's complete range of solutions help you to meet these goals and deliver.
For many companies, the cost of acquiring these new machines is not the biggest challenge. Getting trained manpower to operate them and smart programmers to setup your production process is the key. KIRO-TECH is gearing up to take leadership position in this area with our in-house learning, training and re-skilling eco-systems in place.
Our government in India has been an active proponent of the Make-In-India movement. If you want to compete with the best manufacturing hubs, and produce world-class stuff, you need the best software and hardware to do the job.
The day is not far off, as I dream ahead, when CAM and manufacturing would percolate down to the the consumer level, and your friendly neighborhood shop, like our XEROX shops in India, would be manufacturing shops where home-designed 3D models can be manufacture, in small quantities.
Bespoke Manufacturing
In the earlier times, manufacturing was thought of as a mass-producing activity, where thousands of pieces of the product would be the norm in production.With the current generation of CAD and CAM systems, it is feasible to manufacture in small quantities, to the precision, efficiency and economics of large-scale manufacturing. The coming together of advanced CAD & CAM software, coupled with machines that have embedded software and fast moving machinery ensures that you have a win-win solution to manufacture anything, small or big, in large quantities or in small numbers.
The Emerging Meccas of Manufacturing
For a long time, the Far East in general and China in particular have been the de facto factories of the world. Every country outsourced its mass production to the Tiger economies. These countries built such a spectacular production delivery mechanism that they still account for a large percentage of the world's output. Like the internet changed the world into a flat and even playing ground, Industry 4.0 is today promising to make that come true in the manufacturing space. In recent years, the concept of near-shore manufacturing is gaining currency. Whether it is President Trump's election promise to bring back the factories to the US, or Prime Minister Modi's ambitious Make-In-India pitch or the Dubai government's Vision 2020 plan to make the United Arab Emirates manufacturing hub, there is one common underlying denominator. Near-shoring of manufacturing is a must for today's businesses. It is also no longer a choice, but necessary to survive in today's e-Commerce-driven, changes.
So, where do we bet our big bucks?
At KIRO-TECH, we see the opportunities today on the consumption side of Asia: India and the Middle East, the geographies that we are now betting on.
Introducing Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence Production Software @ KIRO-Tech
With the primer you have read above, the paradigm shift in manufacturing is loud, clear and visible. This is also a great opportunity. The consumer patterns, consumption trends and short shelf-life makes it imperative to be able to shorten the time from concept to manufacture, and deploy fast. This also requires that manufacturing be located close to you, in a greener, cleaner setup, and not in a far-flung industrial suburb, often in a different city or country. You can only do this with the latest in technology. If the dot-com revolution changed out lives as the third big game changer in the industrial revolution, smart manufacturing is the fourth. Call it IoT, Industry 4.0 or by any other name, our software is part of this game changing journey, adn we are excited about it.
We formed KIRO-TECH Software to bring the best CAM solutions to the industry. After a long period of evaluation and dating various companies, we zeroed in on Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence Solutions, and we are certain about our choices.
Come, ride the new wave of smarter, cleaner and greener manufacturing with Hexagon Software!
Talk to us today to know more!
For Hexagon Manufacturing in India, Contact KIRO-TECH
Key Contacts:
rakesh.rao(@)kiro-tech.com / +91-9243438300 / +91-8073279755
milind.bhavsar(@)kiro-tech.com / +91-9819133771
Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/rakesh_
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