Jabil expects the recent government policy initiatives to significantly enhance investor confidence and provide a positive momentum to domestic players. Meanwhile, it continues to maintain standards of production in India that are at par with its global counterparts
Set up to assemble and test printed circuit boards (PCB), Jabil Circuit, Inc, is a global player. Founded in Michigan in the year 1996, the company currently has a presence across four continents with 90 operational production sites. It provides integrated and customised services to support today’s innovative business requirements.
Geared up for success
The Indian manufacturing unit of the company is located in the Industrial Development Corporation Industrial Zone of Ranjangaon in Pune, which already houses manufacturers from a wide variety of sectors, ranging from consumer electronics to automobiles, due to the easy access to both sea and air ports. Jabil India specialises in high-mix and low volume manufacturing, in tune with the highly specific requirements of Indian electronics companies.
This facility of Jabil has over 24000sqm of manufacturing space and is focused on circuit board assembly, systems assembly and repair and warranty services. Established in 2005, the company has over 2000 employees involved in manufacturing various products ranging from energy meters, power supply unit circuit breakers and PV modules to imaging devices and consumer electronics products. Also in the production list are control and energy cards for appliances and electronic components for washers and dryers.
In India, Jabil serves customers across sectors including those operating in clean technology, digital home and office requirements, energy management companies, industrial applications and networking and telecommunications. Speaking on the company’s growth trajectory, Anoop Mehrotra, country manager and director, Jabil Circuit India, says, “Currently, we are buoyed by a growing demand for our services worldwide and our plant in Maharashtra reflects the quality standards present in all our international locations. Jabil India has recently bagged new manufacturing contracts for set-top boxes, telecom equipment and point-of-sale terminals for the domestic market and home automation products for exports.”
Technology thrust
The need for constant innovation in automation is a market compulsion that cannot be ignored by manufacturers of any scale. The steady need for providing vertically integrated end-to-end solutions to customers has upped the ante for manufacturers in terms of quality and faster throughput. This results in improved productivity, operational safety, enhanced consistency, seamless quality and waste reduction.
The company also customises automation to cater to products and processes for which there are no dedicated machines in place. Automation through robotics ensures consistency for processes like polishing, painting and grinding.
Jabil uses a mix of automation techniques. Flexible automation enables the deployment of assembly modules that can be easily configured and accommodate multiple robots and processes. This is essential to assemble, test, inspect, customise and package products in both high mix/low volume and high volume/low mix production, and entails complete automation across the production line. “Our assembly lines are fully automated for high volume manufacturing, resulting in high efficiency and throughput. This allows precise location and placement of complex and non-standard components to support the trend towards miniaturisation while maintaining quality,” says Mehrotra.
Riding on the ‘Make in India’ success story
The electronic system design and manufacturing (ESDM) industry is expecting significant benefits from the ‘Make in India’ campaign in the days to come. Global players are already showing keen interest in this campaign and the early signs are promising. This, coupled with the government’s assurance of providing assistance for setting up world-class infrastructure to the electronics industry, is expected to provide the much needed momentum to domestic manufacturers. “This campaign, which is backed and fully supported by PMA polices and incentives like MSIPS, has attracted OEMs to explore the option of manufacturing in India. This is certain to translate into more business wins for Jabil India in the times to come,” believes Mehrotra.
Jabil’s global operations and manufacturing practices follow an environment-friendly approach. Similar standards have been maintained by the Indian arm. The Electronic Industries Association of India has recognised the company for excellence in three major categories, adding to the credibility of Jabil’s operations and commitment towards customers and society as a whole. The production site in Pune was ranked first in ‘Environmental Management’, achieved second position in ‘Business Excellence’ and a certificate of merit was awarded for its export initiatives.
With a strong focus on product quality and automation, coupled with a customer-centric manufacturing approach, Jabil India is poised for a robust journey ahead.
By Anwesh Koley
