Deftronics 2014 to focus on challenges and solutions for R&D, manufacturing, policy frameworks in Aerospace, Defense and Internal Security; exclusive buyer-seller meets. DEFTRONICS 2014, an international industry conference and exhibition focused on “Indian ESDM Ecosystem in Defense, Aerospace and Internal Security”, is being hosted by IESA and is co-located with Electronica India and Productronica India 2014 at BIEC, Bangalore.
IESA is the premier trade body representing the Indian Electronic System Design and Manufacturing ESDM industry and has represented it since 2005. It has over 230 members – both domestic and multinational enterprises. IESA is committed towards building global awareness for the Indian ESDM industry and supporting its growth through focused initiatives in developing the ecosystem.
Along with DEFTRONICS 2014, India Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA), the premier body for the ESDM industry in the country, along with PwC released a preamble to their research report on the Aerospace & Defense market in India. According to the report, India’s Defense budget has grown to INR 224K crores, with 40% of it allocated to capital spends and this may grow to INR 137-154k Cr by 2018. With the growth in demand, Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS) organizations are expected to provide employment to more than 2 lakh skilled and semi-skilled workers by 2015. The preamble has also indicated Government of India’s (GoI) plans to achieve 50% of demand for high impact products through high-value added manufacturing, which will also boost the growth of India’s Defense sector.
“Time for India to focus on Defense Electronics and Carve a Niche for itself in ESDM sector” stresses IESA
India Impact
Indian ESDM ecosystem in Defense, Internal Security & Aerospace: Challenges & Solutions
The DEFTRONICS 2014 conference saw Industry observers in the aerospace and defense sector recommend continued focus on research and development and Innovation in this segment.
IESA (India Electronics & Semiconductor Association) organized in cooperation with MMI India an industry symposium focused on aerospace and defense electronics called “DEFTRONICS”. The premier edition of this conference examined sector-specific issues, emerging trends, and outlook for Strategic Electronics for aerospace and defense. India spent almost USD 32 Bn. on national defense in 2010-11 and this is expected to rise to USD 42 Bn. by 2015. With a demand for at least 1000 civil aircraft forecasted over the next decade, the civil aviation sector is also booming. All of this translates to huge market opportunities for Indian companies and entrepreneurs. IESA along with MMI India created a platform wherein all the players in the ecosystem can come together and learn as well as collaborate with each other, so that India’s future demand can be met. In addition to the conference there was a pavilion focusing on aerospace and defense electronics for exhibitors to showcase their latest technologies.
“The electronic industry was 65% dependent from outside and it was time the percentage was brought down to 25%” – Karnataka IT and BT Minister S. R. Patil
Deftronics 2014 was supported by Department of Electronics and Information Technology, Govt. of India, Electronics India, and HAL. The sponsors were Analog Devices Inc, Xilinx, TATA Power MOOG, Rolls – Royce and AIRBUS. Key participating companies are, Accord, C-DOT, Cir-Q-Tech Tako Technologies, CYIENT ltd, Ideal Industries, Kingsly Instrumentation and Communication, L&T Ltd., Moog Inc., Maharashtra Public Service Commission, Rockwell Collins, Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, TE Connectivity Ltd., Tessolve, Toradex, UNISEM, UTC Aerospace Systems and many more.
While the primary focus of the event was on Defense and aerospace, the symposium also addressed the challenges in the internal security space and early corrective measures to bring more confidence among the entrepreneurs. The event features a powerful line-up of industry experts, government officials, strategists, policy makers and business leaders, offering keynote speeches and panel discussions around critical issues in the Aerospace & Defense sector.
Industry Speaks
IESA President, M N Vidyashankar “DEFTRONICS would be an annual event henceforth and it would be a flagship event for this sector considering the tremendous feedback from various stakeholders about the event.”
Mr. R. N. Ravi, Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee of the National Security Council Secretariat “The electronic industry needs to treat security agencies as their partners and help them through the knowledge power in tackling both internal and external security threats.”
Member of Aerospace Task Force Government of Karnataka, Chetan Anand “The task force had also suggested creation of Aerospace Technology Innovation Centre in this regard so that it would help both the centre and Karnataka governments in ensuring developments in aerospace sector.”
Shyam Chetty, Director, CSIR “India has a large number of aircraft programmes and that provides ample of opportunities to open up. Today, the modern aircraft has nearly 60 per cent of electronic components and software and it is no longer a mechanical control for the pilot in the cockpit. Still there is a huge technological gap that needed to be address to have aircraft programme beyond 2020.”
Kishore Jayaraman, President (India and South Asia), Rolls Royce “The company was looking to enhance its capabilities through active collaborations with organisations such as DRDO, CABS and GTRE.”
Dr. CVS Sastry, Director, DRDO ANURAG (Technological Laboratory) “We are focussing on the field of avionics, telemetry, navigation and database links in next five years. However, the main thrust would be given to sensor components related to unmanned aerial vehicle and missile application system.”
Brahmos Aerospace founder, Dr. A. Sivathanu Pillai “Time had come to integrate and evolve a good policy to enable the government to enlist participation by both private and public sector companies.”
CDot Director Vipin Tyagi “Technology will fall in line when hard work, partnership and trust are given due importance. Research and Development is required to be developed for a level playing field in local manufacturing.”
Col. H. S. Shankar, Chairman and Managing Director, Alpha Designs Technologies “Patience and perseverance are important factors to be a good industrialist.”
BEL General Manager (Corporate Strategy) Vipin Katara “A vibrant electronic system is required to create a cluster of ESDM sector. Foreign Direct Investment could augment defense production more positively.”
Ankur Kanagleka, Strategic Partnerships Director, Boeing International “Investment opportunities should help both stakeholders and consumers here.”
