National Productivity Summit 2018 Showcased Competitiveness in Manufacturing Industry

Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association (IMTMA) organized the 12^th edition of National Productivity Summit (National Productivity Summit 2018), from 24 – 25 August 2018, at ITC Grand Chola in Chennai. The theme of the summit was “Showcasing Competitiveness in Manufacturing.” Over 300 delegates participated in the summit.

The summit was inaugurated by Mr. M.M. Murugappan, Executive Chairman, Murugappa Group and Dr. V. Sumantran, Chairman, Celeris Technologies.

Speaking at the inauguration of the summit Mr. Murugappan said, “India is poised to be one of the largest manufacturing economies in the world as Industry 4.0 gains wider acceptance and reshapes manufacturing as a whole rendering real-time control of entire manufacturing value chain.” Elaborating further he said, “Across India today, companies are in the process of digitizing their day-to-day operational functions to achieve efficiency and boost revenue growth and Industry 4.0 will usher in an era of transformative manufacturing in India.”

Speaking on ‘Pathways to Productivity for Indian Manufacturing,’ Dr. V. Sumantran, Chairman, Celeris Technologies, said, “It is imperative to leverage the combination of quality and productivity to meet the competitive demands of the industry. Manufacturing units need to embrace modern technology to raise the collective input in manufacturing and boost India’s share of medium and high-tech activities in manufacturing exports so that manufacturing activity can be sustainable and contribute further to GDP.”

Throwing light on the summit, Mr. P. Ramadas, President, IMTMA, said, “It is imminent now for companies in India to enhance competitiveness in manufacturing by reducing costs and improving productivity, by building a sustainable competitive advantage. Summits like these are platforms that address learning and best practices requirements of manufacturing industry and raise its competitiveness.”

The summit featured live case study presentations on productivity improvement projects from various companies such as Bajaj Auto – Akurdi, Hero MotoCorp – Haridwar, L&T MHPS Turbine Generators – Surat, L&T MHPS Boilers – Surat, Mahindra & Mahindra, Foundry Division – Kandivali, Toyota Kirloskar Auto Parts – Bengaluru, and TVS Motor Company – Hosur, all of which contested for the IMTMA-ACE MICROMATIC Productivity Championship Awards 2018.

The IMTMA – ACE MICROMATIC Productivity Championship Awards 2018 have been organized to recognize and reward outstanding efforts from the shortlisted case studies of companies who have excelled in achieving superior performance with cash prizes worth INR 10 lakh.

Toyota Kirloskar Auto Parts was awarded first prize for its case study presentation on ‘Productivity Improvement in Transmission Lines’. Mahindra & Mahindra and L&T MHPS Turbine Generators bagged the second and third prizes respectively for their case studies on ‘Frugal Automation in Vent Poking Process for High Pressure Moulding Line’ and ‘Capacity Enhancement and Process Optimisation of Blade Manufacturing’. Distinct Productivity Solutions, Bengaluru was conferred with SME Productivity Award 2018 for its case study on ‘Productivity Approach as a Tool for Price Sensitive Critical Component Manufacturing’.

About National Productivity Summit:
To champion the cause of productivity and enhancing competitiveness in Indian manufacturing, IMTMA organizes National Productivity Summits every year. The event showcases best practices in manufacturing through enriching keynotes, live case study presentations, plant visits, success stories, and so on. The summit brings out why companies should embrace an integrated approach to increase manufacturing productivity, and how to prepare their people, processes and technology as part of this journey of productivity excellence.

About IMTMA:
IMTMA is the apex body and single point of contact for machine tool industry in India. IMTMA plays a crucial role in the growth and development of metalworking industry in the country. IMTMA’s initiatives range from policy advocacy, export promotion, trade fairs, mega events, training, seminars, technology missions, publications, etc. IMTMA formed in 1946 has a membership of over 450 members and represents 90% of the organized machine tool and allied equipment manufacturers in the country.