Syrma recently merged with SGS Tekniks. Can you tell us about what this meld brings to the table for you, organisation growth-wise?
The merger, when completed, will bring together two equisized companies in the electronics hardware manufacturing domain. It will increase our capabilities & exposure to various domains & our geographical footprint spanning south to north. As Syrma has been mainly export-focused and SGS more domestic market-focused, the merger will also result in a balanced portfolio of exports and domestic customers. Our merger now has eight facilities across India – Gurugram, Manesar, Bawal, Baddi, Bengaluru, Chennai (two) and Bargur and three design centres in Chennai, Gurugram and Stuttgart (Germany).
What are some technology disruptions in electronics manufacturing across verticals, i.e., aerospace, defence, health, etc?
The big technology disruptions across domains will happen from IoT, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and quantum devices, just to name three.
Statistics suggest there are only around 13-17% of women who work in the electronic manufacturing sector. Is your organisation taking any special measures to boost participation?
Attracting and retaining women workforce needs focus on safety, flexibility, clear career pathways, care & concern. We are addressing all of the above through specific initiatives for the last five years. On safety, creating an evident safety culture, occupational health centre with a lady doctor on-call and all around-nurses/assistants, creating clean & hygienic modern toilets and ensuring transportation and drop-offs at home are some measures. On flexibility, we have gone into villages and set-up our factories to reduce their commutes and offer flexibility. Defining clear career pathways through our growth from within initiatives and identifying people into emerging leaders’ groups & focus groups for fast-tracking women leaders are some initiatives. We drive an overall culture of care & concern, right from canteen food and regular feedback to opinion surveys; the HRs have also appointed people for quickly handling issues.
What are your expectations post-pandemic scenario for electronic manufacturing? Is a boost in adoption expected?
We expect the pandemic, global geopolitics, PLI schemes and the renewed vigour towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat to galvanise the electronics component ecosystem development. This is a known weakness for electronics manufacturers in India, and given the actions being taken, we will start to see a difference in four to five years. We also see a shift, post-pandemic, towards more digitalisation, Industry 4.0, etc. This can open up massive opportunities and challenges as well.
In the recent budget, do you think a sufficient boost was offered for your sector? How is your organisation contributing to the Make in India agenda of the government?
We have seen a significant & sufficient boost from the government for electronics manufacturing even before the Budget through PLI schemes. We intend to leverage these schemes and take advantage of the large opportunities coming to India as a result of the global China+1 policies of several important customers. We also intend to strengthen our design service offerings to leverage India’s strength & brand image and thereby, be a strong partner for global companies for the long-term.
