We are working on developing advanced digital machines indigenously in India which will support the welding operators to achieve international level weld output, says P Gopi, Sales Head, Panasonic Smart Factory Solutions India.

How soon can we indigenize the innovations pertaining to AI and digitization in the Indian welding industry for producing such world class products in-house?
We have been providing smart factory solutions from our India office to the customers for the last 2-3 years. Initially, we received technical knowledge from our Japan head office and then partnered with the India Innovation Center (IIC). However, Panasonic has now indigenized most of its digital solutions. We support our customers with innovative products and solutions to enable them to digitize and integrate the complete manufacturing value chain.

Panasonic is offering the following world class digital solutions to its Indian customers:
• Supply Chain (Inbound and outbound)
• Production planning • Digital data capturing • Data visualization analytics
• Maintenance/utility Panasonic is providing two of its latest digital solutions in welding:
• IWNB –Integrated Welding Network Box: Collects records and analyses data of welding robots automatically to provide a solution to improve- productivity, quality and traceability.
• LINKWIZ- Automatic weld Bead Inspection system: Automatic inspection with the help of 3D high accuracy images.

Kindly elucidate on Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) Flux Cored Arc Welding (FCAW) process and where it’s used?

Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) also known as Manual Metal Arc Welding (MMAW) is a manual arc welding process that uses a consumable electrode (covered with a flux). This process is suitable for most commercially available metal and their alloys. This process can be used in all welding positions. However, SMAW has a low deposition rate than GMAW and FCAW. As per CII data, in 2014, the SMAW process employed was 56 per cent and GMAW was 33 per cent. But in 2020 – SMAW was 42 per cent and GMAW was 47 per cent. Share of the SMAW process has dropped still it is a prominent welding process employed in India. SMAW is used in the industry for structure fabrication, cross country pipeline welding, power plant piping, general fabrication etc. Flux-cored Arc Welding (FCAW) is a semi-automatic or automatic arc welding process. FCAW requires a continuously-fed consumable tubular electrode containing a flux inside. FCAW was first developed in the early 1950s as an alternative to SMAW. FCAW gives high-quality weld with an excellent appearance. The deposition rate is up to four times greater than in SMAW. Excellent weld penetration simplifies joint design. FCAW is mainly used in the industry for chemical plants and refinery, shipbuilding industry, Construction Equipment industry, M&R industry etc.

As we go into the recovery mode, which sectors will be the first to drive your business goals?
The automotive sector, railways, agriculture implements, infrastructure industry, cross country pipeline are expected to drive growth as these sectors have started regaining momentum.

Could you shed some light on the products you are planning to launch in the first quarter of 2021? New Product Development (NPD) is an ongoing process in our company. Our main activities currently are around developing an economical range of welding robots for the MSME sector to support them enhance their manufacturing competitiveness. We are also working on developing advanced digital machines indigenously in India which will support the welding operators to achieve international level weld output.