ELECRAMA provides SMEs a unique opportunity to liaison with national as well as international companies

“India is a large and important market for the electrical industry and ELECRAMA as always is a is a window to this market. This event offers a platform for the electrical industry globally to showcase capabilities, to meet customers and to network with the various industry players.- It is the best place for companies looking to engage with all electrical industry stakeholders under one roof to be present. Schneider Electric is happy to be partnering in this industry gathering”.

Q. Do you believe that R&D will be the key for going forward, specifically for emerging markets?
Emerging markets face unique and unprecedented challenges in terms of Energy. For emerging markets their biggest asset is a large pool of highly skilled technical workforce who can bring new ideas and innovations to the table. For emerging markets, it is critical to have a localized R&D focused on developing products and solutions for the specific needs of the large local market.

It is with this in mind that Schneider Electric established one of its Global Technology Centers in Bangalore catering to needs of emerging as well as mature economies. We have a R&D center with 1000 people and a dedicated team to drive the development and deployment of “India for India” offers.

Q. What is your advice to small and medium size companies in India & globally to produce superior Quality Power Equipments? What is your opinion on performance of small and medium size Power Equipment Manufacturers of India?
First of all, the SME are playing a very vital role in ecosystem of the Energy Management Industry. They are not only partners as component suppliers and service providers to large enterprises, but also at the forefront of technological evolution.

It is our firm belief that quality has to keep going up. It is a crucial requirement if one is to manage Energy Efficiency and Reliability. Quality pays, and to the contrary, the hidden cost of non quality is huge We are aware of the impact of equipment failure on productivity and more seriously, on safety India needs to develop and adopt standards for various electrical components, such as UPS, inverters, Residual Current Circuit Breakers, etc. Hence, I would urge all SMEs in India to continue moving up the technological curve and maintaining the highest order of quality in order to drive the energy management movement in India.

Q: What is your opinion on local manufacturing set up by MNCs in India? Will it help another way of global integration, at least in the Indian power sector?
It is critical to have localized manufacturing to cater to the large domestic market in India. Local manufacturing is crucial since it enables MNCs to be able to offer cost effective and quality solutions suited to domestic needs. It is evident that all large MNCs are making India a manufacturing hub in order to leverage a large talent pool and economies of scale for India, other emerging economies as well as exports. Currently we have 31 industrial sites in India which demonstrates our strong commitment and belief in the country.

Q. “Convergence between energy and IT”. How it will help for Power Sector? How it will enable all of us to achieve more with using less of the shared resources of our planet?
Imagine a world where all the points where electricity is used can ‘talk’ to the power grid understand its situation, and better manage their consumption profiles, in order to adapt to generation characteristics. This information can be passed on to generation companies leading to better optimization of generating power plants.

This system will help in operation of power plants based on actual loads, not just projected loads. This can result in significant savings in capital expenditure, reduce the use of resources such as fossil fuels, and ultimately, reduced emissions.

A fully developed smart grid will continuously balance supply and demand in order to optimize the investment in generation, and reduce carbon foot print and pollution. Communication will connect end users to their systems incentivizing conservation and efficiency and much better utilization of generation resources (including renewable energy technologies) through load matching and peak shaving. Today, whether one is talking about distribution management systems, integrated building management systems, or industrial automation systems, there is a convergence of energy and information technologies. Increasingly, users are looking for integrated solutions where data is collected, analyzed and actionable information is provided to the users, so that they become actors and adjust proactively their energy consumption.

This is the next generation of energy management services which can only deliver on its promise if both energy and IT technologies come together to offer an enhanced level of user experience. Schneider Electric’s EcoStruXure is an integrated controls platform, with an open architecture, that is, based on robust and industry-accepted IT principles. EcostruXure is a great enabler for Efficiency in all dimensions: Energy, process, and security, in all areas: production, real estate, data centers, and infrastructure.

Customers today are demanding simple, easy to use solutions that can help them obtain real time data on energy savings, allow them to control their operations using their usual interfaces, mobile phones, tablets and PC’s…., or help them in calculating and better managing the enterprise carbon footprint. All of this needs a high level of information security, and affordable costs, which can now be reached thanks to the standardization and the integration of our EcostruXure. This is not only the need of large customers, but also small facilities – where we are trying to provide a “Smartstruxure Lite” offer suited to the specific needs of this customer segment.

Q. What are your suggestions to India Power Equipment Manufacturers to develop new solutions which will make energy safe, reliable, efficient, productive and green?
India faces unique, unprecedented challenges in terms of Energy. We as India Power Equipment Manufacturers pursue several targets here: making every installation safer and far more efficient, reliability, upgrading the grid to smart grid capabilities, and at the same time be low-cost. We need to invest in latest technologies and innovations to help customers make the most of their energy. All of these innovations will not just be suitable for India, but can also be useful in other countries. India has very successfully implemented the star labeling program for air conditioners, distribution transformers, etc.

Similar efforts for other products will help in improving the efficiency of equipment and reduce the energy consumption. Mandatory use of quality products will also increase the robustness of systems. Finally, we should push for the standardization of communication and data standards, and I would recommend open international standards, which enable interoperability, therefore competition and innovation, and also the promotion of Indian technologies in international markets.

Q. Can India show the way to its neighbors the path to power sufficiency without compromising on safety, reliability and efficiency?
India has certainly the capacity to do it, from the technology point of view as well as the competency point of view. As any ambitious goal, it needs some changes, but all elements exits to make it possible. The priority is to bring electricity to the 35 percent or approx 400 million people in India who do not have access to electricity today. If they are provided off-grid solutions using renewable energy, it will be far safer and healthier than the oil lamps they are using today and also far less damaging for the environment.

Similarly, for existing users, there needs to be a ‘re-learning’ process on how they use electricity- be it at home, work or elsewhere. To learn, people need first to get the data to understand what they do. They need also the eco system of smart grid to consume collectively in a smarter way. In one word, the “have’s” in electricity have to save in order to share with the “have nots”. To do all of this, India must invest in training programs to develop a cadre of trained technicians, engineers and energy managers who will be able to deploy all of these actions, and this should create a number of new jobs. Let me summarize what I just said by giving an example.

Our BIP/BOP program (our Corporate Social Responsibility initiative), has been instrumental in providing off-grid lighting in rural India using solar powered lamps, aptly called as “In Diya”. Similarly, we have a program in place to educate persons from a rural background and train them as electricians. Thus there is a cadre of new users of electricity who are groomed to use energy safely and smartly. Since they are trained to troubleshoot the technical issues themselves, the reliability of power in rural areas is likely to go up.

Q. As the Brand Ambassador of ELECRAMA 2014 what would you like to convey to Indian Power Equipment Manufacturers?
ELECRAMA is a showcase of the best of the Indian Electrical and Electronics Industry. With the pivotal role of India in the world, we consider ELECRAMA as one of the major global forums, as well as the local event of reference on India electrical industry. We at Schneider Electric are delighted and privileged to participate in the event. It is a unique congregation of the Electrical Industry players and a place to network explore relationships with customers, regulators, suppliers and industry players.

Q. How do you think small and medium size companies can benefit from ELECRAMA 2014?
ELECRAMA gives SMEs a platform to showcase their solutions to large number of customers and partners in a short span of time. It provides them with a unique opportunity to liaison with national as well as international companies under one roof – enabling business, partnerships and alliances.

Q. As the Brand Ambassador of ELECRAMA 2014 what would you like to convey to Indian Power Equipment Manufacturers?

Indian Power equipment manufacturers –
Innovate – Develop new technologies for the touch Indian environment and then make them available to the world.
Be quality focused – Quality sells and gets you repeat business.
Push for efficiency & green products – Given the huge population and the likely stress on resources India needs to be efficient.