Automotive continues to be a major growth area for us

Priyanka Akhouri
The Financial Express
KUKA Robotics (India) Pvt Ltd is a 100% subsidiary of KUKA Roboter Germany and was incorporated in India in May 2006. In a short span of three years, KUKA has successfully made a strong presence in India as a supplier of industrial robots by bagging customers like Mahindra & Mahindra, Ashok Leyland, Reliance and so on. Raj Singh Rathee, MD, KUKA Robotics (India) in an interview he talks about the company’s involvement with the Indian auto sector and its plans for other sectors.

Excerpts:

What will be KUKA’s growth strategy and expansion plans in FY09-10?

We would like to explore the possibility to work with every auto company, which has plans to invest in coming times to automate their lines. Hence, in India, a large part of our business comes from the automotive industry and it will continue to grow. We are also looking at unconventional sectors like medical, entertainment, foundry, food, FMCG and renewable energy for growth in the Indian market. If the market continues to grow at a rapid pace, then definitely we can foresee the possibility of opening similar training institutes in other regions as well. We have an art training centre in Pune where we train people from the industry as well the students from educational institutions on different aspects of robotics. If the market continues to grow rapidly, we can foresee the possibility of opening similar training institutes in other regions.

How has the demand for robots been across other verticals?

The major requirement till now for industrial robots is from the automotive industries and its suppliers. But recently, industries like foundry, food, wood, logistics, solar, medical and aerospace have shown interest in industrial robots for different applications. KUKA has one of the biggest product portfolios to cater to the needs and demands of different industries. KUKA being the technological leader in this segment is preferred by the industry verticals for very precise applications. We would certainly want our Indian customers to be benefited by the use of the latest German technology. As we already have number of good references worldwide including the auto industry, we want the Indian industry to benefit from this technology.