Atlas Copco India launches Smart Connected Assembly under Industry 4.0

Atlas Copco India, the Rs 3,500 crore local arm of the Swedish major, which is a world-leading provider of sustainable productivity solutions, has launched Smart Connected Assembly solutions to drive its vision of Industry 4.0 into the Indian automotive industry. The company is a popular name among vehicle manufacturers as one of the leading providers of the critical equipment deployed in assembly operations on the shopfloor.

As is known, the manufacturing industry worldwide is working towards digitising operations under Industry 4.0. According to the company, its clientele in India are increasingly calling for high-quality products and new technologies, which can offer flexibility, data analytics, ergonomics and energy efficiency – in summary, a competitive advantage.

Talking to Autocar Professional in this regard, Bhavin Pandya, General Manager – Industrial Technique, Atlas Copco India, says, “Smart Connected Assembly is about creating unique value by connecting together all the assembly related processes. Assembly solutions are networked to each other and integrated into the production network. The data generated is the new raw material used when controlling and identifying improvement areas in and between the assembly processes.”

Targeting India Auto Inc
Improving standards across the industry are directly raising the benchmarks in manufacturing practices (across the automotive value chain (vehicle makers and component suppliers) in India. To ensure global quality benchmarks (in their products), OEMs are taking up the best solutions available globally, to follow best practices, ensure transparency and traceability in the processes followed across operations, assemble data and get meaningful inputs from the recorded big data through analytics, and ensure continuous improvements in their overall operational productivity.

Atlas Copco India says the new smart connected assembly solutions will address these new challenges, trends and needs by offering a whole new level of technological solutions.

The company, which started operations in 1960 and has a footprint of about 22 offices in India, serves several sectors. Among other business units within Atlas Copco India, the Industrial Technique division serves the needs of the domestic automotive industry.

According to Pandya, the size of his division within the company’s vast umbrella is about Rs 300 crore, wherein automotive is a major contributor.

“We are launching this concept in India for the first time. This concept is good for companies that are into manufacturing and assembly operations. Within automotive, this would include four-wheelers, three- and two-wheelers, trucks and buses, off-road vehicles, tractors and farm equipment. This is even relevant for the aerospace industry,” he clarifies.

Commenting on the nature of equipment supplied to the industry, he says, “We have solutions for specialised functions such as tightening and screwing. We have a lot of hardware-software solutions for the automakers. We are trying to put together all these solutions and offer one common environment, which we are calling as the Smart Connected Assembly. Our equipment can be deployed manually or they can be mounted on the robotic arms, or even on the cobots. They can also be used via the special purpose machines (SPMs).”

According to him, the benefits of the Smart Connected Assembly can be summarised under six requirements – increase uptime, reduction in defects (by error-proofing), new product introduction (improving time to market), improved productivity (through data analysis), human factors, and reduction in energy consumption.

Pandya says that India being the fourth largest automotive industry globally is an important market for the Atlas Copco Group. “Also, the Make-in-India campaign is gaining momentum as more global companies are setting up their operations across India,” he says, pointing out at the incoming opportunities.

Atlas Copco currently supplies its equipment to nearly all the major automakers in India, and globally including Tesla.