The IESA Vision Summit 2014, the annual industry conclave of the India Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA), the premier trade body, representing the Indian electronic system design and manufacturing (ESDM) industry commenced today with a call to action for developing electronic products from India, for global markets.
The summit theme “From Consumption to Creation” put a spotlight on the specific initiatives the Government of India and the industry should take to bolster and establish a strong design and manufacturing base in the country. The Vision Summit 2014 also saw the highest ever participation from state governments, with representation from Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Orissa.
In its ninth year now, the annual two day session showcased keynote speeches and panel discussions on policy, the role of state governments, entrepreneurship and innovation and the experience of various players in the global electronics eco-system. It also examined the critical and game-changing role the two proposed semiconductor wafer fabrication (fab) facilities will have on the Indian ESDM ecosystem.
In his inaugural speech, Sanjeev Keskar, Chairman, IESA said “IESA has been a catalyst to the country’s ESDM ecosystem and, along with the Government of India, is fully committed to establishing a best in class design and manufacturing base in the country. IESA’s growing and diversified membership base is a proof of the strong focus around initiatives that are shaping the future of this industry which is founded on three imperatives – domestic manufacturing, indigenous design and worldwide marketing of products and solutions. Innovation that results in creation of IP assets is the need of the hour, as it contributes the major part of the product value. In the long run, only ‘high value added manufacturing’ can address the export-import imbalance, thereby helping to reduce the current account deficit.”
“Applied Materials is proud to be a participant at the IESA Vision Summit 2014. The event brings together government, industry bodies, ESDM players and academia at a historic point in India’s electronics industry. It took years of determination and collaboration to reach this inflection, an inflection that makes the creation of semiconductor manufacturing in India a reality, bridging the gap between consumption and creation. This is a truly transformative juncture for the Indian electronics industry, and we offer our full support to making it successful,” said Dr. Om Nalamasu, CTO, Applied Materials.
On this occasion, IESA signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Messe München International (MMI) to launch DEFTRONICS, an industry symposium focused on aerospace and defence electronics to be held in Bangalore on September 23-24, 2014.
Commenting on this initiative, PVG Menon, National President, IESA said “While India’s appetite for aerospace and defence products fuels the global industry, our domestic contribution to this industry leaves much to be desired. India spent almost $32 billion on national defence in the year 2010-2011 and this is expected to rise to $42 billion by 2015. With a demand for at least 1,000 civil aircraft forecasted over the next decade, the civil aviation sector is also booming, and this translates to huge market opportunities for Indian companies and entrepreneurs. IESA is creating a platform wherein all the players in the aerospace and defence ecosystem can come together, learn and collaborate with each other, so that the future demand can be met – if not fully, then at least in a large measure – from domestic companies.”
At Vision Summit 2014, IESA also released the IESA-UKTI report on “Strengthening the Indo-UK ESDM Sector.” The report identifies areas of collaboration based on the technical prowess of each country: IP creation, end-to-end product development, joint academic research teams and building a shared venture fund to support high potential ESDM projects and start-ups.
