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Adient breaks ground on ‘largest-ever’ automotive seats prototyping and testing facility in India

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Adient, a provider of automotive seating, has broken ground on a new automotive seating prototyping and testing facility in Pune that the company says will be “the largest of its kind ever to be built in India”.

Construction of the new facility marks a major expansion of Adient’s existing technical center in Pune, already a world-class facility with the largest workforce among the automotive seating suppliers global network of tech centers.

The new facility, which is scheduled to open in late 2018, will provide physical testing to augment the capabilities of the existing technical center in Pune, a global Center of Competence at Adient for computer-aided engineering, computer-aided design automation and finite element analysis simulation expertise.  [Read more…] about Adient breaks ground on ‘largest-ever’ automotive seats prototyping and testing facility in India

TAL unveils welding solution involving its Brabo industrial robot

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Indian company TAL Manufacturing Solutions is showcasing a new welding solution which features its own industrial robot, the Brabo. 

The company, which is part of the Tata Motors group, is exhibiting the robotic welding solution at the Automation Expo, currently taking place in Mumbai, India.

According to the Economic Times of India, the TAL Brabo robotic welding cell is priced at about $133,000 and is a “cost-effective” solution aimed at Tier 3 and 4 suppliers. The unit has a reach of 850 mm and a payload capacity of 6 kg.  [Read more…] about TAL unveils welding solution involving its Brabo industrial robot

Apple begins manufacturing iPhones in India

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After months of protracted negotiations, Apple has started manufacturing its iPhones in India. 

The factory is variously said to be in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and / or Karnathaka. Not knowing the geography all that well, we think this is slightly south-west of the middle of India.

The picture above is from IndRead.com, which seems to suggest Foxconn is setting up and running the factory. Foxconn is the Taiwanese company which manufactures most of Apple’s products.

Apple has begun making what was described as “a small number” of iPhones in the country, although a “small number” could mean hundreds of millions, considering there are more than a billion iPhones in the world today.

In comments to CNBC, Apple said, “We are beginning initial production of a small number of iPhone SE in Bengaluru”, adding that it plans to begin shipping to customers as early as this month.  [Read more…] about Apple begins manufacturing iPhones in India

How China’s ‘copycat’ tech companies are now the ones to beat

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made in china label

By Edward Tse, CEO of Gao Feng 

For a long time, Chinese companies have been known for copying market-proven products, brands and business models from the West and adapting them for the local market with only minor modifications. Such a phenomenon is known as shanzhai, a Chinese term that was originally used to describe a bandit stronghold outside government control. In today’s slang, it refers to businesses based on fake or pirated products.

Shanzhai has been prevalent in China in recent decades and this has earned China the reputation of being a “copycat nation”. Western media report that China’s preferential policies and regulations to restrict market access, such as the the “Great Firewall” in the internet industry, and the lack of intellectual property protection, give Chinese companies an unfair home advantage to create copies.

While shanzhai is common across a range of products and services, it is particularly prevalent in the internet sector. Chinese internet companies are often compared to their Western counterparts based on the similarity of their business models. For example, Baidu is known as the “Google of China”, Alibaba as the “eBay of China”, and Xiaomi as the “Apple of China”, just to name a few.  [Read more…] about How China’s ‘copycat’ tech companies are now the ones to beat

Tata to launch first India-made industrial robot Brabo in May

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tata brabo

TAL Manufacturing Solutions, a Tata Group company, is expected to launch first ever India-made robot before May 2017.

Dubbed “Tata Brabo”, the robot has been showcased at the recent Make in India week in Mumbai.

Brabo has been developed in-house by a team of six engineers whose average age is 24 years, led by Anil Bhingurde, chief operating officer of TAL Manufacturing Solutions.

The development cost is reported to be about Rs 10 crore ($1.6 million).  [Read more…] about Tata to launch first India-made industrial robot Brabo in May

ZF opens new technology centre in India

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zf india

ZF Friedrichshafen has opened a new €15 million technology centre in India which the company says reinforces the company’s global research and development network.

†he inauguration of the facility, located in Hyderabad, was attended by KT Rama Rao, India’s Minister for IT of the Telangana Government.

The ZF India Technology Center will focus on developing advanced electronics and software solutions for automotive and industrial applications.

As well as strengthening its global research and development network, ZF says it will expand local product development in India.  [Read more…] about ZF opens new technology centre in India

Manufacturing: Apple considers making in India

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lockIndia’s significant presence at Hannover Messe in 2015 signalled the country’s renewed determination to reinvigorate its manufacturing base. And in the last couple of years, it has made significant progress with its ambitions. 

The government has been pouring money into the manufacturing sector, and encouraging foreign direct investment through a range of incentives, not least of which is more attention and action to facilitate the sector’s development through the upgrading of infrastructure and business practices.

One example of the country’s technological ambition is the KEF Industrial Park, which is shown in the video above. As one observer put it: “It is a mind-blowing set-up and only believable if you see it. They make everything at the factory. Even the bathrooms and rooms, and then transport it by road to the site. The interiors and wirings are done at the site.  [Read more…] about Manufacturing: Apple considers making in India

Huawei starts smartphone manufacturing in India

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huawei-will-build-factory-in-india-2016

Huawei says it is reaffirming its commitment to India with its decision to start manufacturing smartphones in India in collaboration with “sketch-to-scale” engineering design solutions company Flex.

Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, India’s union minister, information and technology, law and justice, made the announcement at Huawei’s “Make in India” inauguration ceremony in the Indian capital, New Delhi.

Starting from this month, the Flex manufacturing plant in Chennai will manufacture one of the Honor smartphones models. The plant will have the capacity to make 3 million units by the end of 2017.  [Read more…] about Huawei starts smartphone manufacturing in India