INOVANCE OFFERS A COMPLETE INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION PORTFOLIO 

INOVANCE OFFERS A COMPLETE INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION PORTFOLIO 

This interview was first published in the september issue of the Automation & Instrumentation update magazine.
Mr.Anil Kumar

1.Take us through the journey of Inovance in India & the company’s current operations

Inovance Technology India was established in Chennai in 2012. The company started with just 1,850 sq. ft at its Chennai headquarters and, as a result of strong growth, our HQ now covers 22,500 sq. ft.. The company also now has a pan-India presence, with a nationwide network of offices and distributors, and a strong after sales and support network. In eight short years, we have shown exceptional growth in our business as well as massive improvement in our standards of customer service and product delivery times. At Inovance India we are truly proud of the business we have built, and this expansion is a testimony to our commitment to the Indian market. In 2020, Inovance Technology India was certified as ISO 9001:2015 compliant by TÜV SÜD.

2.Please brief us about Inovance’s global network & infrastructure?

Inovance is a leading provider of industrial automation solutions. Today, with revenues of $1.7bn+ and a strong global customer base, Inovance is a hub of world-class manufacturing and innovative R&D. The company has a rapidly expanding global presence, and maintains offices, factories and R&D facilities in India, South Korea, Germany, France, Italy, Turkey, and China.

3.Please brief us on Inovance’s various industrial automation product ranges & solutions.

Inovance is a complete industrial automation solutions provider with expert engineering capabilities, product spanning from AC drives, servo drives and motors, motion control, industrial robots, PLCs, CNCs, and HMIs. Within the industrial automation segment, we supply to OEM machine builders, as well as end users, across a wide range of industrial sectors, from packaging to textiles to rubber, plastics to printing and special purpose machinery. For example, during COVID-19, we’ve been delivering full automation solutions for face mask manufacturing machinery, and we have worked with over 140 OEM face mask customers.

4.Being one of the leaders in industrial automation components and solutions, how according to you has the market evolved over the years?

India is becoming a global manufacturing hub. Indeed, according to a recent article in The Tribune, “India has overtaken the US to become the second-most south-after manufacturing destination globally, driven mainly by cost competitiveness”. For me, it is this continual striving for cost competitiveness that is driving the Indian market for industrial automation components and solutions. It’s a market that has grown over the years, and will continue to grow, driven both by sustained foreign direct investment and also the growth of domestic manufacturing champions. It’s true that India has low labour costs, but factory automation is still continuing to get more and more important. This is a trend that will hold.

5.What are the market opportunities for your industrial automation products In India? How do you plan to position these products?

Well I think I’ve summarised the market opportunities in my previous answer.  But how we plan to position ourselves is simple: we are a global company with a complete product range. We offer the complete industrial automation portfolio for both OEMs and end users, from simple economical AC drives right up to industrial robots.

6.Please brief us latest top line product range?

We have a lot of products! But our top line AC drive is the MD810 multidrive system, which is a modular, scalable, easy-to-use product designed for multi-sectional industrial applications. On the servo side, one of our leading products is the IS810N multi-axes servo drive platform which is designed for maximum performance in the most demanding applications. We also offer a range of industry tailored products, such as dedicated servo drives and motors designed for plastic injection molding machinery, as well as a comprehensive range of industrial robots. To check out our full product range, visit www.inovance.eu/india/products

7.Can you please brief us about your manufacturing facilities & R&D activities in India?

Inovance India recently opened a new additional facility at our Chennai Headquarters to significantly improve a range of the company’s customer-facing operations, including product storage, stock management, product updates, PIMM product assembly, and product grading and packing. The decision to build this facility was taken due to strong business growth, and to ensure that Inovance is well placed to manage the expected business upturn as the country finally begins to emerge from COVID-19.

Inovance's R&D teams work closely with customers and are always challenged to deliver on the latest market requirements. We invest about 10% of sales revenues in R&D annually, and (as of 2020) we employ 2,864 R&D engineers globally (20% of the total workforce). R&D teams carry out significant integrity testing of all technologies, and the company maintains a world-leading array of in-house testing facilities. These include XYZ vibration test rigs, walk in climate chambers and a highly accelerated life test (HALT) chamber.

8. Please brief us about the quality policy for the business?  

Our quality policy is defined and strongly driven by the following management principles and behaviours:

• Build a mutually profitable relationship with our customers, ensuring their long-term success, through the understanding of their needs and the needs of their customers as well
• Achieve our commitments for quality, cost, and schedule
• Enhance the systematic research and use of best preventive practices at all levels and ensure reliable risk management
• Drive continual improvement and innovation based upon efficient business processes, well-defined measurements, best practices, and customer surveys
• Develop staff competencies, creativity, empowerment and accountability
through appropriate development programs and show strong management involvement and commitment

9. What is your future vision & growth plans for Inovance in India?

It’s my passion to build this company to great heights. We’ve already become a big brand in the Indian market, and my goal is to continue to grow by continually building on our reputation for top quality products backed up by the strongest engineering expertise and customer support.