Industry associations for Micro, Small and Medium-scale Enterprises (MSMEs) in Coimbatore plan to set up Centres of Excellence, jointly with TANCAM (Tamil Nadu Centre of Excellence for Advanced Manufacturing) and TANSAM (Tamil Nadu Smart and Advanced Manufacturing Centre).
According to V. Thirugnanam, president of the Coimbatore District Small Industries Association (CODISSIA), TANCAM and TANSAM have tied up with multinational corporations Dassault Systemes and Siemens respectively, and plan to serve MSMEs in the State on a hub and spoke model. While the main centres are in Chennai, satellite centres will be established in manufacturing clusters. CODISSIA is preparing Detailed Project Reports to set up centres of both TANCAM and TANSAM, at its industrial park in Coimbatore.
The TANCAM centre will support MSMEs in the areas of augmented reality, virtual reality, etc and the TANSAM centre with industry 4.0, simulation, and three-dimensional printing. MSMEs can develop designs and prototypes at these centres on a pay-and-use basis. CODISSIA will provide 10% of the project cost or 10,000 sq.ft built up area to set up these centres and the rest of the amount will come in the form of grants. The total project cost for each centre is ₹7.5 crores, Mr. Thirugnanam said. “We plan to submit the DPR in a month,” he said.
The Coimbatore SIDCO Industrial Estate Manufacturers Welfare Association (COSIEMA) has submitted an application to the District Industries Centre here to set up one Centre of Excellence, jointly with TANSAM. It will contribute 10% of the project cost and its members can use the centre for any requirement related to industry 4.0, said P. Nallathambi, its president.
With opportunities emerging in different sectors such as Defence, Electric Vehicles, and in traditional industries too, the Centres of Excellence will make available modern technology tools to the MSMEs, said Mr. Thirugnanam.
Delegations from CODISSIA and COSIEMA had visited the TANSAM and TANCAM facilities in Chennai before deciding to set up the centres here.
