Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi   

WRI technologies poised to propel automotive industry

TIRUCHI: With a view to galvanising growth of the already robust automobile industry, the Welding Research Institute (WRI), a premier national institution at BHEL, Tiruchi, on Friday provided automobile industries a common technology platform through a workshop on ‘Advances in Welding for Automotive Sector'.

The workshop factored in the automotive mission plan to double contribution of the automotive sector in the GDP in 2016 from the current seven per cent with special emphasis on exports of small cars, multi-utility vehicles, two and three wheelers, and auto components.

Auto sales in India grew a record 31 per cent in 2010, and the Ministry of heavy industries predicts the size of Indian auto component industry to grow five times from the present in 2020.

Intense competition warrants the heavy capital expenditure auto industry to bring out new models every eight to nine months by reducing ‘design to manufacture' cycle time. It is done through new technologies such as rapid prototyping, laser cutting in the place of conventional punch and dies for sheet metal processing, and tailor blank welding to increase durability and crash resistance, S. Dharmalingam, General Manager – R & D, WRI and Labs, said explaining the purpose of the workshop.

WRI experts made four presentations on welding technologies such as deformation resistance welding, thin sheet Gas Metal Arc Welding, laser, and on welding engineering of auto component,. A demonstration of the latest techniques at the WRI workshop enabled participants to get an insight into the new developments in welding.

The workshop inaugurated by the Executive Director of BHEL, Tiruchi, A.V. Krishnan, encompassed a panel discussion to address the common challenges faced by the automotive industry.

Based on the deliberations, the WRI would finalise its action plan for development of welding technology for the next five years, Mr. Dharmalingam said.

Delivering a special address, S. Narayanan, Head – R & D, WABCO TVS India Limited, observed that sale of commercial vehicles being an indicator of economic progress, India was committed to the growth of automobile industry. Reliability and durability are what customers expect while purchasing a vehicle, and it was imperative for auto manufacturers to be conscious of the factors determining quality to survive in the competitive environment. The growth of automobile industry was a corollary to the progress of manufacturing sector, he said.

Mr. Krishnan detailed the contribution of WRI to various industries and said its research focus was now on automobile, space, petro-chemical, shipping and power sectors.

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