The Tamil Nadu government along with the World Economic Forum (WEF) plans to set up an ‘India Centre for Advanced Manufacturing‘ in Chennai to elevate the state’s manufacturing sector to higher value-add segments.
While former industries minister Thangam Thenarasu earlier in April informed the state assembly about plans to set up an advanced manufacturing centre that would go live by January 2024, the state government and WEF representatives on Tuesday held a public-private discussion in the city to take forward plans for the centre and discuss its specifications.
More than 20 business leaders were part of the meet that set forward the centre’s objectives which include fostering national and international collaboration in advanced technologies and supporting companies in innovation, sustainability and R&D endeavours. Industrialists hailing from various sectors, including electronics, automobile and general manufacturing, and representatives from Guidance Tamil Nadu, the MSME Department, TIDCO and TNSDC were also present.
State industries minister T R B. Rajaa expressed the state’s “strong commitment” to establishing an India Centre for Advanced Manufacturing in partnership with WEF.
“Leapfrogging into the future of manufacturing using the principles of ‘Industry 4.0’ is crucial to achieving chief minister M K Stalin’s target of a US$1 trillion economy in Tamil Nadu. We have already started the digital transformation process, and Tamil Nadu becoming the capital of advanced manufacturing will further bolster our efforts,” he said in a statement.
The centre will support high-end innovation, new business models and digital transformation for manufacturing companies, including SMEs. It would also promote industry-academia collaboration for workforce upskilling and support research and development around supply chain decarbonization and circularity, the minister added.
Tamil Nadu has already established three centers of excellence along with corporate partners Siemens, GE and Dassault Systemes to support startups and MSMEs. Additionally, industrial innovation centres (IICs) have also been set up at SIPCOT parks in Sriperumbudur and Hosur.
The state government is also considering setting up knowledge parks in major cities in partnership with international research institutes to build capabilities in areas like semiconductor, green hydrogen and solar PV module manufacturers.
