HARTING : Riding on IOT wave

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Q. As a leading player, please shed light on the key technological trends and innovation you have been witnessing in the connection & transmission industry in India. ?

Miniaturization, Modularization, Identification, Integration & Customization are the key technological trends & it is with a lot of pride I share that HARTING is already a trend setter in this regard. We are witnessing more compact and complex machines, thanks to technological innovation, as they evolve towards Integrated Industry. Software has long been an integral part of this functionality. We have also been privy to more efficient, more modularized and more versatile production processes, as they take on the tailored production of customized products. Modularisation is one of the basic requirements for Integrated Industry and for changes brought about by smart factories. Smart factories signify a shift from one-time commissioning and rigid structures and involve more stable facility configurations. Identification is the key for creating necessary transparency of production and logistics processes. It enables direct communication, as smart objects, between the machines and the product being manufactured. Digitalisation is, therefore, an essential condition and driver of Integrated Industry in that it ensures holistic networking of business processes.

Q. What is your total market share? Which key sectors do you cater to?

The HARTING Technology Group is a leading global supplier of industrial connectivity technology for the three lifelines – Data, Signal and Power. HARTING products mainly cater to ‘Transportation’, ‘Wind, Power distribution & Transmission, Machinery & Robotics & Industrial automation.

Q. How do you perceive India as a market? Comment on the challenges & opportunities in your segment?

Our company perceives India as a very complex market, and yet is extremely attractive,keeping in mind it’s current, evolving transformation. The Indian market enjoys unique characteristics, such as high quality products at reasonable prices.

A successful, strong foothold in this market can be achieved only with perseverance. Also, we understand that only those companies, who are in for a long haul, will be successful here. Let’s be honest:India is not China!
As a country, our strength lies in medium volume production, high degree of customization, great capacity to absorb new technology and an open culture. We need to simply innovate more, focus on high technology & develop local talent by improving our education system.

The industry should secure a consistent, high level of quality of their products, for domestic and global markets. We need to bring high level of automation in our manufacturing sector, to obtain increased output with high quality standards.

Therefore, operational and procedural impediments should be done away with, and we must accept that good products will come at a cost. We are only discussing Industry 4.0, IOT & AI, however, we need to go a long way to actually enjoy their full potential. We are at the threshold of great opportunities, especially for businesses on digital platforms or are awaiting to be on them.

Q. Tell us about your new product line and India-specific products.?

HARTING is fully geared up to take on Industrial IOT & has come up with future- ready and innovative products such as Modular Industry Computing Architecture (MICA) , Han® M23 Power Circular Connector, Current Transformer, Han- Eco® Modular Snap, Han® ES Press, M12 Magnetics etc,

Q. What would you describe as Harting India’s value differentiator? How do you stand out from the competition?

HARTING is setting trends. Developing technologies. Securing quality. For us, Quality is translated into benefits, value for money and punctuality to our customers. Therefore, HARTING quality is a holistic concept that includes all internal and external activities of the company. It allows us to customize our processes as per the actual requirements of the market. This philosophy supports us to create relevant and effective solutions through high quality performance and constant innovation – this is our key strength & primary differentiator.

Q. Industry 4.0 has taken the manufacturing industry by storm. Could you elaborate on Harting’s focus and strategy for Industry 4.0?

The HARTING Technology Group is an active contributor towards evolution to Integrated Industry. We are pioneers in driving and partnering for Industry 4.0. Solutions and components for Integrated Industry, through demonstrations and testing in our own smart factory. Our team is well versed with functionality of a smart factory, as well as provide their expertise to create solutions for the Integrated Industry. HARTING MICA fulfills a key function in digitalization. As an edge device, it is located exactly at the system boundary where production data is generated. With MICA, this data is digitised and transported, with smart connectivity, to the cloud, where, that data is used as valuable information for services, such as energy management or predictive maintenance Intelligent connectors that can integrate more electronics, are key components of an Integrated Industry & with its connector portfolio, components and solutions, HARTING is predestined to digitize industrial manufacturing, service and maintenance functions.

Q. Please update us about your manufacturing facilities and R&D activities. According to you, how important is the role of R&D in an organization’s success?

HARTING is a globally successful company. We concentrate on the growth markets and make an effort to be present there for our customers. The challenge particularly is to ensure the high quality level of HARTING products across countries and cultures and, at the same time, to be able to meet local needs and quality standards. HARTING Technology group has 44 subsidiaries & 13 production plants across the globe which includes our manufacturing facility at Chennai, India.

In our “New Technologies” department, we work daily to grow our leading technologies. Above all, we increase the speed and reliability of product development and therefore ensure maximum benefits for the customers: this is due to a combination of our innovative approach and ground-up trials under close to practical conditions in the HARTING laboratories. The “New Technologies” department is rounded off by its many collaboration projects with universities and research establishments.

The Corporate Technology Services (CTS) department of HARTING inspects the products to ensure their quality as an independent service provider for the entire HARTING Technology Group.This laboratory is accredited to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025 for the testing of electro-mechanical components, electronic and fibre-optic transmission systems, geometries and material properties, in addition to EMC testing for CE-mark certification. Finally, it all culminates in to Quality & “Quality is more than just a characteristic. Above all, it is an uncompromising stance. This stance is something we apply in all aspects of our quality understanding, from reliability to future-proofing.”

Q. What kind of growth prospects do you foresee in the future in the Indian market?

We perceive the Indian market to be booming with possibilities. The Indian government seeks to take keen interest in investing heavily in our core areas of expertise such as Rail, Energy, Renewables and Infrastructure, thereby creating a foreseeable demand for our products & services. HARTING India has enjoyed 36%CAGR in last 5 years & we are hopeful to witness similar trend to achieve our vision for 2020 – to deliver outstanding results for our shareholders. We are thankful for complete and unconditional support from our HQ in Germany, to invest in India & become a local partner to our customers in their quest for ‘German quality at Indian cost’.

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