VTU sets up centre for automation with support of 'Bosch Rexorth

Mysore, Nov 16: Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) in association with-Germany-based Bosch Rexorth Germany is setting up a centre for competence in automation technology here.

Mr Woltgang Wagner, Managing Director of Bosch Rexorth India, layed the foundation stone for Rs 12 crore centre today.

Mr Wagner, speaking on the occasion, said Bosch Rexorth, one of the companies of 40 billion Ero Boert Bosch, has developed a worldwide Didactic system for education on the effective application and efficent use of machines and systems in manufacturing industry, more so in automobile industry in India.

Similar centres were being established in Singapore and South Korea, he said, adding that the company had been growing by 27 per cent during the last five years globally and has a vision to continue the same rate of growth up to 2015.

Stating that India had a huge academic resource pool, he said it however lacked skilled professionals and this was necessary to achieve more in the industrial areas and the company has been preferred to invest on this aspect to improve its growth in the coming years.

Mr Uwe Freyer, Manager franchise training centre Bosch Rexorth said the training centre would cater not only to the students but also to other people who intended to take up the training in various industrial sectors. Hardly ten per cent of the people in the industry were having the skill of training, he added.

The centre of competence would have facilities to impart training and education in industrial hydraulics, pneumatics, programmable logic controllers, sensors, mechatronics and robotics.

He said the Bosch Rexorth would invest one third of the total cost of the project here and VTU has also sought the funds from the Union Ministry of Science and Technology.

Speaking on the occasion, VTU Vice Chancellor Dr K Balaveera Reddy said the centre would not only be restricted to training, but also carry out research and development. Besides regular students, employees from various industries could also be trained on new technologies. The centre would become operational by March next year. A group of 14 subject experts have been identified by conducting workshops. These experts would be trained at Bosch Rexorth Germany plant and would be getting periodical upgradation training.

During the first phase of the project, training and education would be offered to faculty members and students of the University.

In the second phase training and education would be offered to industry personnel and learners of other indian Universities. Once the centre would be ready with an extended facility including hostel and accomodation, the training and education would be extended to the international community by offering focused and technology intensive programmes to engineers, faculty members and students.

Dr G L Shekar, Special Officer of VTU explained that the growth requires most competent manpower in the automobile industry in the country. India is the third larget car market in Asia recording a sale of 6,00,000 vehicle in 2000, which rose to 50 per cent in 2005.

The industry had an investment of over ten billion dollars.

The level of skills of incumbent engineers requires a drastic upgradation especially in the field of automotation technology. This centre of excellence would provide practial intensive undergraduate and post graduate programmes, besides paving way for a great deal of research scope for doctoral students. It would also support industry in providing training and education to working professionals and for improving competency development programmes, he added.

UNI