NMTronics (India) Pvt Ltd, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Sojitz Corporation, Japan, is one of India’s leading providers of SMT machines, solutions and services to the electronics manufacturing industry. Since its inception in 1999, it has consistently striven to adhere to high quality standards. Driven by a customer centric corporate philosophy and aided by world class, high quality products and efficient after sales and support services, NMTronics is a widely respected leader in the field. It has a vision of being ‘the single window solutions provider for the electronics manufacturing industry in the Indian market.’
In a chat with Pradeep Chakraborty of EFYTimes, Soni Saran Singh, executive director, NMTronics, talks about the potential of the Indian electronics industry and the company’s recent achievements in the field.
Thursday, November 01, 2012: EB: How has the Indian electronics industry performed so far, in 2012? And what do you predict for 2013?
There is no doubt about the fact that the Indian electronics industry’s growth is booming due to a sizeable domestic market, and with the country’s economic growth being on the fast track. Coupled with the government’s inflation controlling measures, and with increased investments in the manufacture of consumer electronics, automotive, medical, defence and power electronics, this trend will remain stable and continue.
Although a cautious approach is definitely prevalent in the Indian electronics industry, we still feel that there is no slowdown fever, and a lot of investments are being made in these sectors. Moreover, the global economic scenario has not hit the electronics industry as much as other industries. The Indian electronics industry has a bright future, with steady growth in 2012. We expect 2013 to be a bountiful year.
EB: What are the other current trends in the Indian electronics industry? What should be done to ramp up electronics manufacturing faster?
With miniaturisation becoming part and parcel of each electronic gadget, and with more and more sophistication being introduced day by day, there is no end for the growth of electronics manufacturing. As an equipment supplier, our role will be to continue to bring in equipment with the latest technology to meet these challenges. The trend in the industry is shifting to gear up to handle more complex and higher volume assemblies.
With MNCs in this segment already setting an example by investing in a quick ramp up with developed ecosystems, it is time for Indian companies to adopt those initiatives to increase domestic manufacturing.
Still, a lot more effort is required from the Indian government in terms of providing support to the Indian manufacturers, which will help them to be competitively priced against their Chinese counterparts who are highly subsidised by their government. They should learn from the US, who, in an effort to protect its domestic industry, has slapped tariffs ranging from 31 per cent to 250 per cent on 61 Chinese solar panel makers.
Our government also needs to implement the manufacturing policy fast and there is a need to quickly set up the necessary infrastructure in terms of uninterrupted power, water and good connectivity, to encourage further investments.
There is a lot more that has yet to be manufactured in India, for example, products like MP3 players, flat panel displays, memory cards, gaming consoles, cameras, etc. Therefore, I foresee a lot of new investments happening in 2013 and beyond.
EB: What has NMTronics recently achieved in the Indian electronics industry? What are your plans for 2013?
NMTronics believes in long term goals and a ‘here to stay’ concept. Establishing credibility by providing services to delight customers has been the key factor of our success. Over a period of 12 years of service to the Indian electronics manufacturing industry, NMTronics has progressed phenomenally and spread its wings to cover the entire semiconductor business, including photovoltaics, purely based on this approach.
NMTronics wishes to continue to be the market leader by increasing its customer base.
We have plans to reach out to more diversified business segments like semiconductors, LEDs and nanotechnology. We are also very ambitious about domestic mobile phone manufacturing and our solar venture.
An all-India presence, which enables us to cater to all sectors, is our USP. We provide customised solutions to meet the requirements of every EMS customer. Our USP helps the company to retain its apex position. We are now ready to offer an integrated solution for LED manufacturing, which includes solutions for not only machines, but materials as well. With this positive environment, India is ready to take on the opportunity to manufacture semiconductors. All we need is a technopreneur, who can create a success story for others to follow.
NMTronics has always believed in providing all solutions on a single platter after thoroughly understanding the specific needs of its customers. This has been possible due to the support of all our 30 plus principals and business partners. As a leading technology supplier, NMTronics aspires to expand its scope from being the traditional standalone, line machine supplier to a complete solutions provider meeting all expectations.
The Indian industry is slightly sluggish in the areas of semiconductors and LEDs. NMTronics is making an effort and working to get educated and equipped in these areas, as well, with complete technological backup. We strive to be able to provide solutions in diverse yet interlinked fields and take all challenges in our stride.
EB: What are the likely challenges that you may face?
Our success will, however, depend on government policies and initiatives in encouraging investments in the global market scenario. Many areas of development in the equipment industry are being envisaged. The slowing down of the economy needs to be immediately addressed to help lift sentiments. We believe that there is no dearth of entrepreneurship and the growth story of India is intact. Some measures to boost investor confidence are required to make things move back on the previous fast track.
The other major challenges we face are common to other industries, that is, skilled manpower, manufacturer conducive policies and quality product manufacturing. However, NMTronics is constantly updating all its resources to meet and mitigate the challenges of the manpower shortage and explore new business areas to increase its customer base. We are quite positive about the future of industrial development in India, and are equipping ourselves to meet the technological requirements of quality manufacturing—since we anticipate that the manufacturing base of many firms will be shifting here from the neighbouring countries.
Electronics Bazaar, South Asia’s No.1 Electronics B2B magazine