High-end machines and costly equipment that were out of bounds for engineering students in Telangana all these years will now be available in an industry environment with Siemens, one of the world’s largest industrial manufacturing companies, setting up a centre of excellence at the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Warangal.
The centre, to be fully functional within six months, is likely to be inaugurated by the Prime Minister or HRD Minister.
Accessible to all
The facility on NIT campus will not just be confined to the institute’s students but also engineering and polytechnic students from across Telangana while the faculty members will also be able to do cutting-edge research with Siemens mentors guiding them.
The centre ofi excellence s being established at a cost of ₹210 crore, with Siemens bearing 90% of expenses.
“This will be one of the best in India with regard to manufacturing sector where students, faculty and industry will have access to highly costly equipment at almost nil cost,” said NIT Warangal Director N.V. Ramana Rao. “Given the presence of top public sector undertakings and defence organisations apart from private industries, this centre will be a win-win situation for all since no one can afford such costly and latest equipment,” he added.
Prof. Rao pointed out that Siemens is sharing lot of their intellectual property in the form of software like CAD/CAM/Product Life Cycle Management for concept to the entire life cycle needs of the product. The centre also includes the state-of-the-art hardware in the form of Automation, Robotics, Smart Factory and Additive Manufacturing.
Consultancy in AP, TN
It will have 13 state-of-the-art laboratories and Siemens experts will be available at NIT for three years to handhold the faculty members and students. “While it is a big place for researchers, our faculty will also be doing consultancy for industries not just in Telangana but also Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, which is another manufacturing hub of the country,” Prof. Rao explained.
Students from smaller institutes, ITIs, polytechnics as well as diploma holders will also benefit as the centre of excellence will offer courses of three weeks to three months duration and NIT will award the certificate. Faculty members from private engineering colleges can also enrol for industry-oriented courses.
“The manufacturing industry that has the perennial complaint of students not being industry-ready will have ready professionals available for hiring,” Prof. Rao said.
It will be a revenue-earner for the institute while students can work on live projects whenever companies come with problems. “The institute has good faculty members who can get into consultancy and offer solutions,” he added.
