By the Members, of the Members & for the Members

ITS 2019: Underlines Opportunities in the Indian Tooling Industry

 

The fourth edition of International Tooling Summit (ITS) was recently held at Hotel Hyatt Regency, Pune on February 7 and 8. Organised every year by Tool and Gauge Manufacturers Association (TAGMA), it is India’s largest die mould gathering. This edition of ITS revolved around the theme, ‘Indian Tooling Industry: Forming & Moulding the Future’. The two-day event saw about 40 speakers sharing insights about the industry through four panel discussions and 16 technical sessions.
Overall, the event aimed to highlight the latest technology trends, business dynamics, opportunities, challenges and the future outlook of the Indian tooling sector.

The programme started with the National Anthem,followed by a traditional lamp lighting and inauguration by the dignitaries. Chief Guest Mr Sunil Kakkar, Executive Director (Supply Chain), Maruti Suzuki India Ltd; Guests of Honor Mr Saurabh Kumar, DGOF & Chairman, Ordnance Factory Board and Ms Laxmi Laxman, General Manager, PCK Buderus (present on behalf of Peter Vetter, Head, Quality Planning Tool Steels, Buderus Edelstahl; Mr N Reguraj, MD – NTTF and Founder President, TAGMA India; Mr D K Sharma, President, TAGMA INDIA and Mr D Shanmugasundaram, Vice President, TAGMA India conducted the lamp lighting ceremony in the presence of the attendees, speakers, panelists and sponsors


It was followed by a welcome speech by Mr Sharma. Welcoming over 400 professionals from around the world, he said, “I am delighted to share that in just four years, ITS has become one of the most important 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

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. She also stressed upon the disruption happening in the automotive industry and why it is important for tool makers to be abreast with the trend.

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. We are in a constant look out for technology providers. I invite you all to visit our factories and understand about our requirement” he said.

The inauguration speeches were followed by felicitation of Mr N Reguraj, the Founder President of TAGMA. He was presented the life time achievement award by TAGMA India. He founded TAGMA in 1990 along with Mr Anil C Kilachand, Mr P N Rao, Mr S Samu, Mr J N Godrej, Vijay N Kulkarni, Mr S C Kalyanpur and Mr A R A Shaikh.

Thanking TAGMA for the honor Mr Reguraj said, “With all humility I accept the honour given to me. I am happy to see what TAGMA has achieved over the years. Today, the need of the hour for the Indian tooling fraternity is that you have to come together, collaborate, cooperate and compete. Earlier there use to be feeling that you meet toolmakers in some forum and then they disappear for whatever reasons. But now the industry has matured and I see the same faces again and again, when I come for such conference, which shows that it is the survival of the fittest and they are all in the Hall today, so please congratulate yourself for being here as successful Tool and Die Maker.”

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. He highlighted the current state of tooling industry in India. While talking about the current state of tooling industry in India, he said, “Sheet metal dies and plastic moulds comprises more than 75% of the domestic tooling demand in the automotive industry. Reduction in product lifecycle and increasing local design and development are key demand drivers for the Indian tooling industry.” Countries with highest vehicle production are also the ones leading in tooling production but India is an exception. He also stressed upon why tooling should be localised. “Localisation results in cost savings in the form of no import duty and cutting down on transportation costs. It also leads to faster delivery due to evasion of shipping time and port delays,” Ashim added.

Mr Shanmugasundaram delivered the vote of thanks with warm greetings to the dignitaries present during the event. “This is such a beautiful gathering of industry people from all over the world. It is good to see everyone come together under one platform to discuss opportunities and challenges in the die mould industry. The turn out here clearly shows the positive mood in the Indian manufacturing sector. I thank all the dignitaries, sponsors, speakers and panelists, attendees and most importantly the organising team member who have been working day and night to make this event a reality,” he said.

 

Proceedings of Day 1

 

It was followed by the First Panel discussion on ‘OEMs and Tooling Suppliers - Collaborative Approach’. The panel discussion was moderated by Ashim Sharma while the panelists were Mr. Ramani Krishnan, Head, Projects, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd; Mr Marc Weinmann, Founder CEO, VEM Tooling (India) Private Limited; Mr Günther Prunner, Regional Innovation Manager, Voestalpine, Mr Kannan Venkatraman, Managing Director, Milacron India Pvt Ltd (Mold-Masters Division). During this discussion, the panelists unanimously agreed to have a better collaborative approach for the future growth.

The first-day witnessed seven thought provoking technical sessions. Speakers from the world had made their presence to ITS 2019, updating the audience with current trends in global tooling industry.

 

Day one ended with a thought provoking panel discussion on ‘Subtractive & Additive Technologies – How Will The Coexistence Emerge In Future?’. It helped delegates to understand the way both additive and subtractive technology will collaborate and enhance the productivity. It was moderated by Mr Gauba, the panel included Mr Gourav Ray, Senior Sales Director, South Asia, GE India Private Limited; Mr Sunil Rao, Deputy Managing Director, DMG Mori; Mr Prakasam Anand, Country Head, Electro Optical System and Mr Akshay Kalyanpur, Director, Sridevi Tool Engineers P Ltd. The panel was a mix of 3D Printing technology providers to hybrid manufacturing solution manufacturer and users of Subtractive & Additive Technologies. They highlighted the benefits of additive manufacturing and also confirmed that a combination of additive and subtractive will be the future of manufacturing.

 

Felicitation of Industry Stalwarts

Day one came to an end on a positive note as TAGMA felicitated four industry stalwarts for their contribution to the industry
  • Mr Naresh Raut
  • Mr P Goyal
  • Mr Anand Seth
  • Mr Surendranath P N
 

Proceedings of Day 2

Day-two began with a focus on the futuristic technology, the 2K mould technology. Lately, the technology is gaining acceptance and has garnered interest of the tooling fraternity around the world. Mr Alan Cecco, Design Director, Silver Basis Group highlighted some important aspects of the technology and highlighted its benefits.

 

70% of world’s tools are used in the automotive industry. However, there are sectors that are generating enough demand and creating business opportunities for the tool makers. The first panel discussion of the day was on the topic ‘Emerging Sectors for Indian Tool Makers’. It was moderated by Mr Ramesh Krishnamurthy, Director, Inquizity, the panellists included Mr S M Vaidya, EVP, Business Head Aerospace Division, Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co.Ltd; Mr Jonathon Azzopardi, Chairman, Canadian Association of Mold Makers and Mr Tapan Tripathy, General Manager, Switchgear Design & Development, Larsen & Toubro. The panel highlighted the opportunities available for tool makers in other sectors. They also encouraged tool makers to look beyond automotive and grab the opportunities in other sectors. As we are aware that disruption is happening very fast, biggest consumer of die mould industry, automotive, is going through various changes. Electric vehicles, weight reduction and autonomous cars are taking becoming real faster than expected. Time-to-market for automotive OEMs have come down drastically.

 

The last panel discussion focussed on ‘Changing Dynamics in Auto Sector - Impact on Indian Tooling Industry’. Moderated by Mr Sumantra Barooah, Executive Director, Autocar Professional, the panel included Mr Venkat Krishnan R, General Manager, Purchase Division, Toyota Kirloskar Motors Private Limited; Mr. Sachin Kulkarni, Head of Direct Purchase – VW Procurement, Volkswagen India Pvt Ltd, Mr. Sandeep Gupta - General Manager of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd.

The second day of ITS 2019 saw 10 technical sessions highlighting various trends and technologies in the industry.

Lucky Draw

The two-day event 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

 

Canadian Association of Mold Makers (CAMM) led ‘Trade Mission to India’ from November 26th to 30th to explore business opportunities. In the context, a Seminar followed by B2B Meeting was organised by Consul General of Canada in association with TAGMA and EEPC from 10 am onwards on Wednesday, November 28th 2018 at Hotel Lalit, Sahar, Airport Rd, Navpada, Marol, Andheri East, Mumbai.

Brief Proceedings:

Mr. Ravikant Tiwari –Trade Commissioner Ontario, Consulate General of Canada introduced and welcomed all the dignitaries for the meeting. He mentioned that the objective of the meeting was to sign MOU with TAGMA for cooperation of Trade, Technology and Investment between India and Canada.

In her welcome remarks Ms. Annie Dubé – Consul General, Consulate General of Canada in Mumbai, Global Affairs Canada said that “the MoU will spur the institutional framework between the two nations which will be beneficial to all involved”.
 
Mr. Rakesh Naidu, CEO - Windsor Essex Economic Devlpt. Corp. said they are looking forward to realise relationship for Trade & Investment with India. He invited India to the Windsor-Essex’s Foreign Trade Zone wherein materials & goods can be stored, processed or assembled in the FTZ for re-export or for entry into the domestic market.
 
Mr. Jonathan Azzopardi – Chairman, Canadian Association of Mold Makers presented a video on Mould Making Industry in Canada. After the visits to various Tool Rooms in Pune on 26th and 27th November and interacting with people, he felt that India would be the right country for Partnership. He thanked TAGMA for the support extended in organising the Canada Trade Mission to India
 
Mr. D K Sharma – President, TAGMA INDIA in his address highlighted the current business scenario of Indian Tooling Industry. He mentioned that the real challenge is the design capabilities and skill on which both the countries can work together. He invited the entire Canadian delegation to the 4th edition of International Tooling Summit on 7th and 8th Feb. 2019 at Pune and 12th edition of Die & Mould India International Exhibition from 22nd to 25th April 2020 at Mumbai.

 

The address by Mr. Sharma was followed by signing of MOU between WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation, Canadian Association of Mold Makers (CAMM) and Tool and Gauge Manufacturers Association of India (TAGMA) for Promoting Trade, Technology development and Investment between Canada and India.
 
The presentations were followed by B2B meetings between Canadian Delegation and members of TAGMA and  EEPC. TAGMA delegation comprised of representatives from 12 member companies
 

Organised by Tool and Gauge Manufacturers Association (TAGMA), third edition - the International Tooling Summit 2018 was held on February 1 and 2, 2018 at The Leela Palace, Chennai, with the theme of Driving Indian Tooling Industry – Opportunities and Challenges. The two-day event witnessed over 400 visitors, packed with four panel discussions, 16 technical sessions, with 44 speakers discussing various topics that impact the Indian tooling industry, and among them 10 speakers from overseas.

Various companies showcased their state-of-the-art technology through technical sessions at the event that targets companies and professionals associated with die mould industry. Thought provoking panel discussions were also organized keeping in mind the latest technologies, customer expectations, opportunities & challenges in the Indian tooling industry.

The programme started with the National Anthem, followed by lamp lighting and inauguration by the Chief Guest Steffen Heim, Executive Director, Corporate Purchasing, Volkswagen India; S Ganesh Mani, Guest of Honour, Sr Vice President,Production, Hyundai Motor India; Guest of Honour, Harish Laxman, Vice President, Rane Group in the presence of Pulkit Datta, Head of Sales & Marketing – Speciality Steel Division, Hitachi Metals India Ltd; D Shanmugasundaram, Vice President – TAGMA India; Veronica Just, Vice President, Millutensils Italy; D Ravi, ITS 2018 Committee Chairman and DK Sharma, President – TAGMA India.

It was followed by a welcome note from DK Sharma, President, TAGMA India. DK Sharma welcomed all the dignitaries and said, “There is an increase in demand for tooling in India, thanks to the growing requirement in the automobile industry. In a bid to make India a manufacturing hub, and to augment exports from the country, major automotive manufacturers are now sourcing most of their tooling requirement from India. This means localization of tooling is happening.”

DK Sharma also stressed on the growing market, “For the FY 2017-18, the estimated market size of the Indian tooling industry (comprising press tools, plastic mould, die-casting dies, forging dies, rubber mould, jigs & fixtures and checking gauges) is around INR 14,650 crore. The tooling market in India is expected to reach to INR 20,000 crore by FY 2020, at a growth rate of CAGR 11%.”

Within three years since its inception, the International Tooling Summit has become one of the most important gatherings for die mould industry. The event saw notable visitors from companies like Volkswagen India, Bajaj Auto, Brakes India, Daimler, Ford Motor, Indo-German Tool Room, ISUZU Engineering Business, Mahindra & Mahindra, Renault Nissan, Misumi India, Premier Industrial Plastics, TITAN Company Ltd, TOYODA GOSEI, USBCO Steel, TVS Upasana, Hyundai Motors, Hanon Systems, Schneider Electric, Royal Enfield, BOSCH, Hitachi Metals, Maruti Suzuki India, Jain irrigation Systems, among others.

The Chief Guest, Mr Stefen Heim, Executive Director – Corporate Purchasing, Volkswagen India, highlighted the opportunities for Indian tooling suppliers while addressing the gathering. However, he also mentioned that financial stability and productivity is very important while sourcing a product. He urged Indian suppliers to become more efficient, productive and cost effective.

Addressing the gathering, Guest of Honor, Mr S Ganesh Mani, Senior Vice President – Production, Hyundai Motors India highlighted the current trends in Indian automotive market while talking about the futuristic technologies like 3D Printing and Electric Vehicles. He said, “Since time-to-market for car manufacturers has reduced drastically, industry expects the same efficiency and speed from tooling suppliers as well.”

Going ahead, second Guest of Honor, Mr Harish Laxman, Vice Chairman, Rane Group spoke about the future trends in automotive industry like connected cars, shared mobility and Electric Vehicles. He also highlighted how these trends will change the dynamics of automotive industry in the future.

The Keynote speaker Mr Pulkit Datta, Head of Sales & Marketing – Specialty Steel Division, Hitachi Metals India Pvt Ltd, spoke on “India, a world class Manufacturing Hub – Opportunities & Challenges”.

D Ravi, ITS 2018 Committee Chairman handed over the mementos and delivered the vote of thanks with warm greetings to the dignitaries present. He assured the delegates with valuable takeaways with enhanced knowledge.

 
 

The welcome note was followed by a Panel discussion on “Digital Manufacturing : Way Ahead”. The panelists highlighted the importance of digital Manufacturing, current situation in Indian Market and the way forward for digital manufacturing in India.

Moderator : Mr Pankaj Gauba, Head Digital Manufacturing Group, Autodesk India Pvt Ltd.

Panel Members are Mr Ankit Sahu - Founder MD - Objectify Technologies.
Mr Armin Wiedenegger – Manager, Voestalpine High Performance Metals.
Mr A Dayanand Reddy – MD – Vasantha Tool Crafts.
Mr Pradeep B Kirkole – Product Manager – Technical sales – DMG Mori India.
Mr Pravin Pathak – General Manager – Industry 4.0 – Robert Bosch India.

A technical session on “Advance material solutions for PDC or Press Tools and good heat treatment procedure and surface quoting options” was presented by Mr Kanechika Osamu, Specialty Steel Department, Hitachi Metals (Thailand) Ltd.

Mr Hidehiko Yamamoto of Makino Japan, Die-Mold Business Development specialist presented on “New technologies for higher efficiency in die-mould manufacturing process”. He focused on the key aspects set to impact the tooling industry in next 10 years.

Mr Marc Weinmann, Founder CEO – VEM Tooling (China, Thailand & India) – spoke on benchmarking of Global tool rooms Vs Indian tool rooms. He also spoke of the great future of Indian tool making industry, and stressed on putting more effort to improve the efficiency.

Another thought provoking panel discussion on ‘Indian tooling industry : Opportunities and Challenges’ helped delegates to understand the way things are changing to meet the global level standards, good transition happened in last 10 years and need to think big from individual to collaborative working to move with higher capability and capacity. It was moderated by Mr Ahsim Sharma – Nomura Research – Partner and Group Head while the panel included Mr M M Singh – Executive Advisor – Maruti Suzuki India Limited, Mr Nikhil Kumar – Reydel Automotive – Director and Mr Nilesh Vedak – Alstom Transport – Director.

Autodesk India Pvt Ltd, Mr Pankaj Gauba, spoke on The future of manufacturing: ready to make anything and Mr Sachin Fulsundar- spoke about the Mold Flow for Tool & Die.

Mr Paul Altorf, VP/GM International sales of Mastip Technology, gave a technical talk on innovation as a key driver for Hot Runner Solution in India. Pioneered with strengths in 2 color + 2 component valve gate in Indian market including rotary, core back & cube technologies.

Mr Ashish Bhansali, Director – Anand Group of Companies – Reliable partners for Special Steels from Germany gave a technical talk on selection of right grade for individual application. With an example, right steel for right application for both exterior and interior parts.

The gathering also applauded the presentation by Mr Kannan Venkatraman of Mold Masters on ‘Hot Runner Technology in today’s plastic Industry’. With around 35 years of experience, Mr Kannan highlighted that India is at par with global standards and lacks nothing. He encouraged everyone present there to rise to the occasion and make the best of the ample opportunities in the Indian market.

First day came to an end with TAGMA felicitating the following industry leaders.

Mr P Gunasingh - Tool Room and design Expert
Mr Raghavachari K, Industry Veteran
Mr Taher Ali Abbas, United Trades & Manufacturing
Mr R Srinivasan, Former Vice President at Wheels India Ltd
Mr Rajan Y, Managing Director, A R Moulds & Dies
Mr G D Gopal, Managing Director, UMS Technologies Ltd ( on behalf, his son Mr Rajkumar received )
Mr P Chinnaraj, Ex VP – Tool Room, Craftsman Automation Pvt Ltd

Day two began with the very promising and futuristic technology, Additive Manufacturing by Armin Wiedenegger and showed the latest development in additive manufacturing which is popularly known as 3D printing. Latest technology is proven with density of the steel at 99.95%, similar to forged steel. Big potential to make create a value added part/s/products. However there is lot of design limitation and post processing is always required after additive manufacturing.

In a presentation Ms Veronica Just of Millutensil spoke about benefits and best practices of spotting presses along with case studies.

A panel discussion on “Indian Tooling Industry : Customer expectations” saw a good mix of panelists from several user industries. Panelists highlighted the importance of collaborative approach and encouraged tooling suppliers to work closely with each other. They also discussed about delivery time, efficiency, technology up gradation, opportunities & scalability and skill development in the tooling industry. The panel discussion was moderated by Mr Mittul Soni, Managing Director and CEO of Nagata Group (India Operations). The panelists included Mr Ajay Kumar Tannu, Executive Director, Omrbagla Automotive Systems India; Mr Mahesh Marimuthu, General Manager, Visteon Electronics; Mr B Thej Kumar, General Manager, Toyoa Gosei South India Pvt Ltd, Bengaluru; V Srinivasan, Vice-president, Fine Blanking & Tool Engineering, TIDC India – unit of tube investment of India.

Technical session by Mr Umesh Godbole on high end steel solutions from SCHMOLZ+BICKENBACH Group.

Mr Zoltan Pap from Stromsholmen AB – Sweden, gave an informative technical talk on Innovative and flexible forming solutions for stamping dies.

Mr Vijay Kumar Saboo, AVP – Head, Manufacturing & Supply Chain – Godrej Toolings, gave a technical talk on “Innovative and flexible forming solutions for stamping dies with title Smart Dies”.

Mr Gobinath Padmanathan from Citi Bank spoke about the emerging trends in Commercial Banking.

Mr Nitin Gupta from Nomura Research institute, presented a report on development of tooling ecosystem in India.

Mr Christoph Mueller, Specialist application Technology of Kind & Co., Edelstahlwerk GmbH & Co, KG, Germany, spoke on “Hot stamping of UHSS Steel and need for specialized tooling’s and raw material..

Mr Daniel Jaco from Enterprise Leadership, gave a motivational speech.

The two-day event concluded with a much anticipated panel discussion on the impact of EVs on tooling industry. Re-skilling and new technology key for tooling industry in electric mobility era.

In the backdrop of India’s rapid industrial growth, International Tooling Summit emerged as an ideal platform for industry professionals to understand about the latest technologies, future trends, customer expectations and make valuable acquaintance.

The next edition of ITS will be held in Pune in February 2019


International Tooling Summit provides you an elite platform to showcase your product & solution offerings to over 250+ executives, business & functional heads from leading companies. While your brand gets exposure to key industry stake holders present at the summit, it also reaches to a wider community of professional practitioners through our pre & post conference advertising and publicity campaign carried out through various mediums.

 

Platinum Partner

Gold Partner

 

PCK-Buderus is the leading Supplier of Tool Steels, in India for over 60 years. With Stock-holding at Chennai, Pune and Ludhiana materials are delivered off the shelf basis. Further, machining service is also offered to deliver pre-machined mold/die halves up to 60 tons piece weight. Last but not least, Technical service from Material selection, material processing, Material finishing are offered..

 
 

Mazak India established in 1998. The company has wide penetration Pan India to support Customers. The Technology Centre is in Pune and 4 Technical Centers are in Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Ahmedabad. In addition Mazak India has 11 Service contact points all over India. The Technology Centre in Pune has latest Mazak machines on display. Mazak India team is committed to provide latest and trendy Technology solutions to Customers.

Mazak is committed to vigorous and robust R&D to continually develop the industry’s most innovative and advanced machine tools. Over 200 different models of Mazak Turning Centers, Vertical and Horizontal Machining Centers, Multi-tasking Machining Centers, and 5-axis Machining Centers, Laser Machines & Automation/Software are available to deliver enhanced manufacturing productivity and outstanding reliability.

 

Mitsubishi Corporation (Tokyo, Japan), together with 4 partners, Craftsman Automation Pvt, Ltd. (CAPL, Coimbatore, India), MC Machinery Systems, Inc. (MMS, IL, USA) Mitsubishi Corporation Technos (MTS, Tokyo, Japan), and Mitsubishi Corporation India. (MCI, New Delhi, India) has established Sales & Service Company specialized for industrial Machinery "MC CRAFTSMAN MACHINERY PVT. LTD. (MCCM)" in India.

MCCM has started its business activities from sales and service of Electrical Discharge Machine (EDM) and Fibre Laser cutting machine (LASER) manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (MELCO), Japan from January 2008.

Head office and main technical centeris located in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu with branch office & technical center located at Pune and sales offices at Bangalore, Delhi & Chennai to cover major industrial area of India.

 

Silver Partner

 
 
 

Associate Partner

 

Association Partner