“Assomac bags the credit of serving in many noteworthy projects in the past as well as present times, some of them being Tata Steel, Bansal Group, MMTC & many more in India as well as in different locations of the world”
Assomac Machines Ltd. is one of India’s leading manufacturers of superior quality wire drawing machines, wire cutting machinery, and wire making machinery. In the last three decades, the company has helped the Indian wire industry reach a global quality benchmark through its technologies. An integrated conglomerate of engineering companies, Assomac Group is engaged in making all types of equipment and the accessories used in making alloy steel, carbon steel, mild steel, stainless steel, and other non-ferrous wires, and is known for its economical yet globally matched technologies. In an interview with Wire & Cable India magazine,
Mr. Nirmal Singh, Director, Assomac Machines Ltd. talks about the implementation of industry 4.0, its immense benefits on production efficiency, and the company’s future roadmap.
Wire & Cable India: How according to you, has the implementation of Industry 4.0 grown over the years? Do you think that the wire and cable industry is ready to adapt to this evolving industrial revolution?
Nirmal Singh: The only thing in this world which is permanent is “change”. The world of manufacturing is also changing. Before going into the depth of industry 4.0, it’s beneficial to first understand how exactly manufacturing has evolved since the 1800s. We would not mention the Stone Age though a lot of development had taken place since Stone Age. However, before understanding the implementation of industry 4.0, we have to understand industry 1 to 3.0.
The first Industrial revolution happened between the late 1700s & early 1800 when manufacturing evolved from focusing on manual labour with help of animals & also the use of water & steam-powered engines.
The second industrial revolution was the early part of the 20th century when the use of steel & electricity in the factories was started. The use of electricity helped in the efficiency and mass production & assembly line of production was introduced.
The third industrial revolution took place in the early 1950s which was very rapid and various innovations took place in the form of electronics and computers when technology was introduced in the factories. More focus was on digital technology & automation through software.
In the past few decades, as we all are witnessing, a massive industrial revolution has taken place which is also known as industry 4.0. The time which we are seeing has offered a more modern pragmatic approach to manufacturing. It connects physical with digital and also allows for better collaboration & access across departments, partners, outside vendors, different products etc. These evolutions have also helped in better control & understanding the better aspect of their manufacturing operations and how to bring more efficiency & improvements to reach the optimum level in manufacturing.
The wire & cable industry is no exception and has passed through the stages of these industrial revolutions. The wire industry which is part of a core industry is indeed ready to adapt to this evolving industrial revolution.
WCI: What would be the impact on production efficiency and ROI with the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies in the manufacturing process?
NS: There are immense benefits to production efficiency with the implementation of industry 4.0. The latest state-of-the-art machines backed by PLC controls have multiplied the production efficiency. As far as our engineering sector is concerned, in the manufacturing of the plant & machines for making wires, adopting the Industry 4.0 model has helped us in increasing the productivity backed by design, maintaining of inventory, scheduling, and maintaining quality in production, engineering, and providing field service to customers. The technology has given us the access to commission our machines by remote control in many parts of the world, saving the huge cost of time, travelling and money.
“The internet-connected machinery and automation help us to be more helpful to the customers while addressing and solving the potential maintenance and other management issues.”
These latest technologies have attracted the younger generation manifold; thus making our team stronger and collaborative. The internet-connected machinery and automation help us to be more helpful to the customers while addressing and solving potential maintenance and other management issues. The epidemic of COVID 19 has also contributed and taught us all how to work with remote access through technology whether solving the maintenance problem, sharing knowledge sessions, having production/maintenance, or sales & marketing meetings through video conferencing. All these technologies have helped immensely to optimise all aspects of our manufacturing process.
WCI: How do you help the industry address challenges when customers try to move to Industry 4.0 systems? Cyber security is an increasingly important requirement for Industry 4.0. In what ways do you address it?
NS: When you are in the world of technologies such as the Internet of Things (IOT), Automation & Robotics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), human contact definitely reduces. It has brought marked efficiency in the manufacturing but at the same time brought some challenges too.
One of the greatest threats is cyber hacking which is multiplying with each passing year. Many of the companies feel that investing in cloud-based technology and moving the data might be vulnerable to attackers. But the companies should have a regular update with the firewall to avoid this risk but in spite of having all due precautions, some elements of risks are still there.
Adopting and implementing new technology and finding the right people to get the due results may be hard for some but required.
WCI: Could you tell us about recent & noteworthy projects accomplished by your company in India — specific to wire & cable companies?
NS: Assomac bags the credit of serving in many noteworthy projects in the past as well as present times, some of them being Tata Steel, Bansal Group, MMTC & many more in India as well as in different locations of the world.
WCI: Due to COVID resultant lockdowns, the wire & cable industry recently shifted its focus on automation & remote commissioning — how does your solution simplify their operations? What is the future of Industry 4.0 and what are your short-term and long-term plans?
NS: COVID-19 has indeed impacted all types of industries and the wire Industry is no exception. Modern machines & automation technology with higher output and quality is meeting the new aspiration of our clients. In the recent past, we have re-designed some of the process technologies which are more customer-friendly. Moreover, to achieve this, the general attitude of our Assomac Team is that of “Every Problem has a Solution.” The company engages in the latest technology and state-of-the-art machines to design and fabricate truly next-generation machines. The company is now equipped with the latest machines both Indian and European which help in attaining the perfection to produce world-class plants. The company invests deeply into the R&D for incorporating the latest technology in its machines that can increase the profitability of the wire & cable Industry by reducing the cost of production without compromising the quality.
