VentureOutsource.com talked with Rajinder Kumar, new president-elect for the India Chapter of the Surface Mount Technology Association (SMTA-IC). Transcripts from that discussion follow.
VO: First, congratulations on your recent elected role as president of SMTA-IC.
Kumar: Thank you. My predecessor, Dr. Sengupta, comes form a very highly-skilled field of training and academia and was one of the founders of SMTA-IC. I will try to follow his footsteps in a humble way.
VO: Can you please tell our readers about your background and how you will use your experience in industry to help with your new role with SMTA-IC?
Kumar: I have been involved with the interconnectivity and the capital machinery industries manufacturing and assembling PCBs for more than 20 years. One of the challenges of being elected president of SMTA-IC is to further build the organization. I would like to use my organizational skills from the past 20 years working at various levels and in various capacities to help grow the association by increasing its membership base and increase the involvement of its members in various activities to help achieve our aims and objectives with the active support of all office bearers and our Board. We would also like to increase our interaction with the parent body of SMTA located in the USA.
VO: What will be your first priority with SMTA-IC?
Kumar: The Indian electronics hardware industry is divided into two distinct categories. The first is comprised of organized companies while the second category is comprised of smaller, less organized companies.
SMTA-IC can play a major role in bringing this less organized sector into its fold by enrolling these new members. This will benefit the Indian industry as a whole by updating the overall technological knowledge base which further underlines our desire to emphasize quality control.
The association had been conducting various workshops in the past as well as seminars with exhibitions. This will be intensified further and carried over to other important regions of India. To help accomplish this, one immediate task will be to set up special zones in the North, South, East, and West of India to help enroll new members from many different electronics industry specialties. (OEM Exclusive: Request list of EMS/ODM providers anywhere in India)
VO: Compared to China, India is having more difficulty establishing itself as a viable option for outsourcing electronics hardware and related services. What do you view are some of the primary challenges Indian EMS faces as her industry moves to position itself as a provider to the world markets?
Kumar: India has not been a favorite place for EMS due to many difficult EXIM laws in the past for related materials and services. There has not been a level playing field when comparing our industry to China’s EMS industry. In the past, conducting EMS has been more lucrative in China compared to India.
However, this situation is changing as the Indian government shifts its approach and manufacturing is now back on the priority agenda. Moreover, our growth in domestic consumption is phenomenal due to the cell phone, white durables, and IT whereby MNCs are either setting up their own manufacturing plants in India and/or our domestic EMS industry is expanding to meet market demand.
VO: What can SMTA-IC do to help India with some of these challenges?
Kumar: SMTA-IC has a definite role in helping to create bridges, interfaces and networking to bring Indian industry inline to grow and compete with China. Timing seems to be good for India. This is attracting the attention of the people who matter in this field. SMTA-IC is serious in creating synergy by associating itself with sister organizations such as IPCA, ELCINA, MAIT, CETMA, TEMA to set up electronic hardware platforms to help identify common roadblocks and work toward surmounting these roadblocks to achieve the desired growth in the industry.
SMTA-IC holds a special place as it does not represent any particular product segment. We are technology-based, allowing us to easily create synergy when coordinating with government, industry, and academia. SMTA-IC also has a committed interest in starting student chapters in our technical institutes located across greater India.
VO: Mr. Kumar, thank you for your time and best wishes with your new responsibilities.
Kumar: Thank you very much. It was a pleasure to have this opportunity to speak with you.
For more on Indian EMS, click here.
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