Industry-Institute Interaction
No more a dream but a reality in Bapuji Institute of Engineering and Technology
Dr.S. Subrahmanya swamy
Asst. Professor
Coordinator, Industry institute Partnership cell.
Bapuji Institute of Engineering & Technology believes in the participation of the industries in the process of educating the students to prepare them to face the challenges of changing industrial scenario due to globalization and liberalization.
Industry Institute Partnership Cell (IIPC), sponsored by AICTE, New Delhi is functioning in the institute. The department has an active association with many of the leading industries and agencies in the country and few of them are mentioned below:
M/s Laxmi Foundry Group, Harihar.
M/s UCAM Industries, Bangalore.
M/s Magod Lasers, Bangalore.
M/s Ace Designers, Bangalore.
Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation (India), Bangalore.
M/s Harihar Polyfibres, Harihar.
M/s 2 M Industries, Mumbai.
M/s Genvac Technologies, Harihar.
CMTI, Bangalore.
M/s Shantala Grey iron Foundry, Shimoga.
KSCST, Bangalore.
Grasim Industries, Mumbai.
Small Scale Industries in Davangere.
IIPC has active association with some of the premier institutions in the country like Indian Institute of science, Bangalore and Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. Specialized Training in personality development and entrepreneurship awareness and motivation, is being conducted by the IIPC on a regular basis.
Training on programming and operations on CNC Vertical Machining center is being conducted regularly. The need for short term refresher courses for technical teachers and practicing Professionals have also been understood by IIPC.
The major focus in BIET is on TEAM WORK and PARTNERSHIP. The team we now envision is a partnership of Academia,scientists, engineers and industrialists. It is through this partnership that development of technologies designed to meet societal needs can flourish. Keeping this in view, BIET has started IIPC with an objective to increase industry participation in the process of educating the students.
OBJECTIVES:
- Offer consultancy in design and manufacturing, testing and other services to industries.
- Provide quality assurance support to industries in and around Davangere.
- Assist new Entrepreneurs in prototype design and development and standardising the design and manufacturing processes.
- Organize entrepreneurship development programs for students/working professionals
- Conduct seminars on recent advances in technologies relevant to industrial activity in and around Davangere.
- Conducting study tours for Students/Entrepreneurs.
- Organize Industrial training to students in association with training /placement cell of the institute and other industrial establishments.
- To act as a liaison agency between industries and Governmental Departments and Financial institutions.
ACTIVITIES:
•Conducting seminars on various topics connected with technological advancements/ total quality management by industrial experts – 4 No.per annum.
•Conducting study trips to faculty and students for visiting industries relevant to the present technological trends-2 Nos. per annum.
•Promote consultancy activities tying up with industries in and around Davangere, and Bangalore.
•Arranging one technical exhibition per annum in BIET with the participation from industries and other governmental organizations involved in promoting industries.
INDUSTRY-INSTITUTE INTERACTION: AN OVERVIEW
India, a developing country, is experiencing a complete change in the technological trends due to “liberalization” and “globalization” approach adapted by its government. In the view of the changes in the industrial policy of the government, it has almost become mandatory for the industries to give top most priority to the “quality” of their total activities in addition to the quality of their products. ”Quality at competitive prices” is the order of the day. There is a sea change in industrial culture at present. The engineering graduates entering into such establishments must at least be aware of such culture. The onus, of course, is on the technical institutions to provide such technical personnel who can be readily accepted by the industries.
It is obvious that the greater portion of demand for the skilled labor can be met with the outputs from the technical institutions in the country. Excepting a few premiere institutions, the quality of the output from the institution, by and large, is not upto the expectations of the end users. Many of the industries have certain reservations in the basic curriculum adapted and feel that the state of art technology is not being taught. There is, in fact, an astonishing gap between what is expected out of an engineering graduate and the way he is being trained in the institutions. As a result, technical establishments are finding it difficult to get people who can satisfy their requirements. Although a lot has been said about the industry-institute interaction, what has really been done in this direction is far below the desired level.
Technological advancement taking place round the world are at such an amazing pace, it has become difficult even for the industries to accommodate those changes at the same pace. Technical institutions cannot ignore the rate at which the technological scenario is changing. Perhaps, it is now and never before, the industries and institutions in India have started realizing the fact that they can no longer live in isolation. Instead, they have to depend on each other for their growth and betterment. There is a growing feeling that the institution must become a bridge between the ever changing industry and the technology. It is also felt that the industries must remove all their apprehensions and develop understanding with the institutions to enable a meaningful interaction between the two. At the same time, the institutions must come out of their “inertia” and strive hard to lend a helping hand to the industries. It is important to note that the task of imparting practical training to the engineering graduates and engineering teachers is not an exclusive job of institutes alone. Industries must shift their stand from being a “customer” alone to institutes and become “partner” in the practical education of students and faculty.
II. INDUSTRY- INSTITUTE INTERACTION:
A CASE STUDY AT BAPUJI INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY.
Bapuji institute of engineering and technology, has been striving hard to establish itself as a source of technical know-how for the industries in and around Davanagere. It has been successful to a considerable extent in its endeavor. Many of the industries like M/s Mysore kirloskar Ltd, Harihar, M/s Shantala grey iron foundry, Shimoga, M/s Associated vacuum engg, Mysore, CMTI, BFW, HMT, ACE designers etc. are having an excellent interaction with BIET. Institute has full-fledged product development center which is undertaking development of products and transfer the technology to the entrepreneurs who are in need.
•PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT CENTRE.
Many of the student projects completed had a commercial value. It was felt that at least some of the projects could be taken up further and convert them as commercial products. With this in view and to effectively utilize the talents available with the faculty, a full-fledged “product development center” has been functioning in the institute since ten years. Product development center (PDC) has been very active right from its inception and has clear-cut objectives.
In view of the recent changes into the outlook of Indian market through liberalization, it has become mandatory for small scale entrepreneurs to develop and sell such products, which can sustain the competition in the open market. PDC of B.I.E.T. helps in developing and upgrading products of such entrepreneurs who do not have an access to the state of art technology and do not possess the necessary information and infrastructure to update the design of products. PDC is equipped with qualified and dedicated men and modern machinery required for developing such products. PDC gets expert guidance from the practicing engineers of neighboring industries.
Karnataka state council for science and technology and Indian institute of science, Bangalore, is giving active support to the activities of PDC. At this juncture, BIET wishes to place on record the invaluable assistance given by Prof. T.S.Mruthyunjaya of Indian Institute of Science in promoting product development activities in BIET. It was through his initiation PDC could carry out many projects sponsored by DST and KSCST.
The activities of the product development center are as challenging as those in industries. PDC is handling designing of wide-ranging equipment from rural based to sophisticated ones. The faculties concerned are getting a rich experience. Some of the products developed by PDC have been with a total collaboration with the industries concerned. In one case where a vacuum pump was developed, the industry concerned shared 50% of the expenses of building the prototype. The prototype was handed over to that industry after the initial testing. The industry had taken extensive trials and released it to the market after successful completion of the trials.
Some of the projects are initiated as student projects. After the completion of the student project, a technical team of PDC comprising of faculty and practicing engineers, will go into the details of the project. Redesigning is carried out looking into the engineering aspects and then a prototype is built. Drawings are frozen only after successful completion of the testing of the prototype. The technology will then be handed over to the technocrats who require it.
The management of the institute has fully understood the concept of product development and its impact on the growth and utility of the institute. The support given by the management to the activities of the product development center is worth emulating.
This activity of the product development has increased not only the confidence of the faculty but also their teaching abilities. The students are also made to participate at various levels of product development by which they acquire the knowledge of how the product development process should be initiated and completed.
III. SOME PRODUCTS DEVELOPED BY PDC:
