Interview – Dinesh Mungi, Packaging Expert at B&R Industrial Automation

Dinesh Mungi, responsible for the automation business at B&R'due south Pune

While having a recent interaction with Dinesh Mungi, responsible for the automation business concern at B&R's Pune region and the company's resident packaging expert, we understood better how brand owners and contract packaging companies look at automation. Mungi reassured Packaging South Asia's editor Naresh Khanna that automation in packaging is not merely talk only is something that auto buyers expect and the machine makers use to heighten the bar against hyper-competition and price war.

PSA – Please speak about your company's interest and role in the packaging industry.

Dinesh Mungi: B&R is providing solutions for various packaging machines for many years and, together with the premium machine builders, has created many milestones. Packaging is 1 of the focused industries globally for us. We believe in providing complete solutions to our OEM by existence a applied science partner to them. Nosotros are typically not just selling products only always focus on solving customer challenges and making futuristic machines.

When a machine architect approaches u.s.a., we always focus on the value-add we can introduce in their car to accomplish ameliorate performance and features that are of utilize to their customers. So, we need to be driving technology and understanding the trends to suggest motorcar manufacturers to build in what is at present required and be future-ready.

OEMs need to adapt many customizations in their standard automobile to encounter client demands in today's scenario. So, having flexibility in automation solutions is a key factor for them. Allow me to give yous an case, most of the VFFS machines have standard functionality with many selectable options. So, B&R has come up with something that nosotros call ospVFFS – a scalable out of the box solution. This is a plug-and-play solution for OEMs.

All the machine configuration can be done from an HMI. The entire machine can be commissioned and started within 3 hours. It has terrific flexibility to configure from 1-axis to seven-centrality servo solutions with options to choose direct from the HMI screen.

PSA – Are the OEMs and end-users in India getting more interested in automation?

Dinesh Mungi: Yes! In the packaging industry, much customization is happening, mainly driven past consumer need. In that location are packaging car manufacturers who sell catalog products only catalog products with additional options or accessories or a customized solution. Hither B&R offers a proficient solution.

Since we have a vast product handbasket, our role is to give them the correct product and to get them ready for the future right at the beginning. For case, to time to come proof the OEMs auto design for IoT requirements right from the start. And so, since nosotros come from a software background likewise, the OEM'south say I need this pick and that pick. When nosotros ask them why, they say, 'When nosotros become to sell our machine and tell the customer that this is our standard machine, the customers say, adapt information technology in our way.' Thus, there is a demand for automation from the end-user too.

There is a demand for flexibility, and there is a sensitivity to the demand for automation. If I see today'south scenario, the customers are looking for flexibility somewhere down the line. The definition of flexibility changes according to the brand name. There are 2 kinds of flexibility – big brand owners ask for loftier automation, contactless product, and connectivity to the cloud. For the rest of the customers, flexibility ways packing different formats and products on the same machine, or what we would telephone call mass customization. Can the same machine run three other products in a variety of designs with a simple changeover?

Today, the consumer demand is nigh infinitely varied – if you lot go to whatever grocery shop, y'all will run into a 100 Rupee packet and a v Rupee packet for the same product. Information technology is a bulk order for a contract packer, and he wants to complete it and change it to the following order. And then, at that place are both kinds of demands for automation – one is for sophistication past the large brand owners with in-firm packaging plants. The other is for fulfilling the mass customization and fast changeover of generally, the contract packers.

PSA – How many of the packaging machine customers are looking to modernize or automate?

Dinesh Mungi:It started with few; I would say. A few of the OEM leaders who were sensitized said, 'Now many competitors are coming in, and since it is condign more of a cost war, let us do something more.' They started pushing upwardly the bar. They started speaking something different. Then there were the followers who said, 'I should also automate!'

But now, the demand is coming from the make owners and contract packers who desire the flexibility. Currently, there is pressure from the end-users. 'If y'all want to sell your machine to me, I want data on the deject, and I desire IoT implementation.' This kind of request started coming from the brand owners.

OEMs besides started speaking on this topic and learning the technologies and phrases of automation. So they started saying, 'We will give you a PackML compliant machine, or I will give yous a machine that is compliant to your IoT.' Of course, everybody had their solution, merely they were keen to project these features. And even the smaller OEM is not behind in this case. They also want to grow, and they see an opportunity in modernization and automation.

PSA – What are the challenges for more productive use of automation in packaging?

Dinesh Mungi: The claiming is understanding and adapting to the new technologies. For instance, IoT is a vast thing, and we need to create a better account of the concepts, technologies, and its parts and the opportunities each attribute brings to the auto, to the user. For instance, ease of operation, monitoring, maintenance, and free energy savings are a multiplicity of concepts.

Nonetheless, there has been an improvement in understanding over the past eighteen months – in the pandemic. For instance, not accepted before, the industry has realized remote installation is possible, and they want it. Recently customers have asked for a remote diagnosis of a breakup and asked if we tin fix it earlier sending an engineer or technician.

Also, companies have realized that they demand trained and skilled people inside their plants. Trained technicians are necessary to use and benefit from the automation.

PSA – What are some of the other outcomes of the pandemic – so far?

Dinesh Mungi: At that place is an increase in the use of machines for main and secondary packaging. There is a big need for primary packaging and terminate of line solutions. The automation concept in stop-of-line (EOL) for hands-gratis packaging is likewise increasing with robotics. The use of vision for defect detection and other operations has improved a lot. Earlier it was there in pharma, but it has expanded and spread to different segments recently.

Also, the machine customers are talking about the ROI, and they want the machines to be faster. Still, there is also a break or delay in some of the more meaning projects. As a event, major contract plants are holding on earlier their decision-making.

PSA – Finally and briefly, what is needed for the automation of packaging machines in India?

Dinesh Mungi:For the automation of packaging and also for exports, three things demand to be considered and are of import factors. Firstly, we need to build more servo-based and faster or high-speed machines. Secondly, we need to incorporate diagnostics – we need to ask how far can I diagnose a breakdown, the condition of the machines in the market place, and what aspect or module is peradventure needing attention. And, lastly, the OEMs should be thinking about building-in the internet connectivity of the machine.

PSA: Thank you. This sound advice could work for automating and modernizing practically any machine in any segment!

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Source: https://packagingsouthasia.com/technology/dinesh-mungi-interview/

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