Dhanbad: In a significant development, the Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad (IIT-ISM) has forged a strategic partnership with Sonepar India Pvt Ltd (SIPL), a pioneering force in Industrial Automation Product Solutions.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was formalized to leverage the potential of Industry 4.0, commonly referred to as smart manufacturing, to revolutionize various facets of industrial processes.
Under the ambit of this collaboration, the two entities will collaboratively explore the applications of Industry 4.0, with a primary focus on machine failure analysis, safety management plans, and coal quality analysis, among other vital domains. Industry 4.0 signifies the transition to a digitally transformed landscape, facilitating real-time decision-making, elevated productivity, and unparalleled flexibility and agility.
The MoU inked during an evening ceremony, was graced by the presence of esteemed dignitaries, including Professor JK Pattanayak, Officiating Director of IIT (ISM); Professor Dheeraj Kumar, Deputy Director; and Sanjay Saha, Regional Head of Sonepar India Pvt Ltd (SIPL).
The collaborative venture is set to encompass an array of groundbreaking initiatives, including augmented reality for training purposes, remote maintenance of industrial plants and machinery, risk identification and assessment, and advanced mine simulation techniques.
Rajni Singh, Dean of Media & Branding at ISM, shared insights into the partnership’s aims and objectives. The partnership between IIT-ISM and Sonepar India Pvt Ltd (SIPL) is poised to usher in a new era of innovation and transformation, harnessing the power of Industry 4.0 to redefine industry standards and operational paradigms.
Professor RK Sinha, Head, CIL Innovation & Incubation Centre, IIT (ISM) Dhanbad and Sanjay Saha, Regional Head-East, Sonepar India Pvt Ltd have been identified at coordinators for the project and day-to-day correspondence, she said.
“Elaborating on the MoU, Sinha commented, ‘The partnership between CIL Innovation & Incubation Centre of IIT (ISM) will additionally facilitate the amalgamation of mine planning with machinery operations, resulting in improved quality control and heightened productivity.”
He further stated, “This collaborative effort will not only lead to the creation of intelligent devices aimed at mitigating risks but also contribute to the advancement of digitally empowered mines, the establishment of digital replicas of industrial equipment and plants.”
Professor Sagar Pal, Dean R&D; Rahul Raj, Executive Officer, CIL Innovation & Incubation Centre; Suraj Prakash, CEO, TEXMiN; Raja Shivaji Ghosh, Managing Director SIPL and other officers of SIPL Amit Dembi, Business Head (Automation); Paritosh Kumar, Director (Automation); Souvik Lahiri, Zonal Head (East); Syed Javed, Asst Manager (Sales) and Tuhin Sarkar, Manager (Sales) were also present during the MoU held in conference hall of Admin Building of ISM.
Notably, CIL Innovation and Incubation Centre is set up through an MoU between IIT (ISM) and CIL and the objective of the centre is to nurture innovators with technical and social impact to ideate in domains of technology innovation and community skill development such as sensors and electronics, mine automation and process control.
It also aims to provide opportunities to innovate and design, unique and incentivized solutions for immediate beneficiaries like the local community, contract workers of CIL, students & employees of the institute, industries, society and the nation as a whole.
Sonepar India Private Limited, formerly known ESK India on the other hand is a leader in B2B electrical distribution of electrical equipment, technical services and related solutions for telecom, industrial automation, integrated supply, networking solution, renewable energy, lighting, power distribution, cabling solutions, safety tools and engineering supplies primarily focused on Industrial and commercial markets.