It was an exciting journey back home to India for Prof. Ashutosh Tiwari earlier this month. He was part of a delegation of experts in advanced manufacturing. Prof Tiwari teaches Manufacturing Informatics at the University of Cranfield in the UK and was going to spend a week in his home country talking about the UK’s expertise in this sector with the very best in the business.
Following the highly successful visit of the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi to the UK last month, UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) and UK Science and Innovation Network (UKSIN) organised the UK-India manufacturing week and facilitated a visit by a high profile delegation of UK companies, researchers and technology bodies to India. The aim was to celebrate and inspire business and technology partnerships in advanced manufacturing and innovation between UK and India.
Prof Tiwari said:
‘this is a very exciting opportunity and most exciting are the new developments in the IT and ICT industry with new devices being absorbed in to manufacturing. I am excited to discuss with academic and industry colleagues what the future of manufacturing in UK and India will look like.’
With events in Pune on December 1st and Bengaluru on December 3rd 2015, the objective of the week was to increase collaboration between the UK and India in automotive, aerospace and defence sectors. The overarching theme of the event was to showcase the UK’s strengths in manufacturing by highlighting advances in niche sectors like advanced materials, digital manufacturing, new and emerging trends.
The appetite of large Indian manufacturing companies to develop and consume the latest technologies is increasing, and the current start-up wave in India is witnessing an emergence of a number of technology companies with global business models. Fostering innovation and value-added manufacturing in India is also one of the strands of the Government of India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative. This presents clear opportunities for partnerships with UK companies to the benefit of both countries.
UKTI is making good use of the opportunities, thanks to India’s renewed growth trajectory. The visiting delegation included UK biggies like Rolls-Royce, Airbus, Delcam, Renishaw and TWI, technology bodies like the National Composites Centre and Institute of Engineering Technology, and academics from British Universities like University of Cranfield and Advanced Manufacturing Park from the University of Sheffield.
Rhydian Pountney, the General Manager of Renishaw who also co chairs the UK – India Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) said :
‘Our company has been working in India since the early eighties and more recently we have established a manufacturing facility in Pune to promote investment in advanced manufacturing. The UK Government’s Innovation Is GREAT campaign is a fantastic opportunity for Indian engineers and manufacturers to access and compete with the rest of the world and it is in tune with Indian PM’s vision of ‘Make in India’ - opening up opportunities for UK and India to work together.’
The theme of the session in Pune was on the automotive sector and in Bengaluru it was in the aerospace sector. The event in Bengaluru was organised in partnership with the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) UK, the largest multidisciplinary professional engineering institution in the world.
Through the interactive sessions held in both the cities, the UK advanced manufacturing companies and researchers were introduced to leading Indian companies and key academics facilitating very engaging discussions on areas of collaboration between UK and India in the sector.
The events also focussed on innovation capabilities in the UK and how the he UK is a uniquely favourable place for Indian companies with centres of excellence in manufacturing, technology science and innovation across the country. The facts that the UK provides a business friendly atmosphere with the lowest corporation tax rate among G20 countries and that there is funding opportunities available were also highlighted for Indian companies considering taking the plunge in the overseas market. The UK has been an attractive destination for Indian manufacturing companies for a century now, with the Tata group emerging as the UK’s leading manufacturing company and investor. Initiatives like the UK-India manufacturing week act as catalysts for more collaborations and businesses between the two the two countries.
The discussions during both the events were well received by both the UK and Indian side and testimonies from some of the participants and the visiting delegation bear witness to the useful engagement.
Watch the highlights from the week.
View more photos from the event.
Watch how the UK and India are working together.