Siemens on Monday said it has signed pacts with Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Central Manufacturing Technology Institute (CMTI) to set up digital transformation labs. Siemens signed two separate memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with IISc and CMTI, respectively, to establish first-of-its-kind digital transformation labs, the company said in a statement.

The labs are aimed at enhancing the expertise of researchers at IISc as well as technical skills of professionals in the machine tool industry, it said, adding that the MoUs will focus on the development of industrial Internet of Things and Industry 4.0-enabled products and technologies.

This initiative will benefit many research scholars, students and industry professionals across the machine tool industry in Bengaluru for a period of three years, it noted. Special emphasis will be given to equip the labs with technologies, products and prototypes of emerging digital technologies such as digital twin, blockchain technology and automatic guided vehicle. This initiative will encourage adoption of smart digital technologies by MSMEs of manufacturing sector.

Sunil Mathur, MD and CEO of Siemens, said: With digital transformation now a priority for industry, premier educational institutions such as IISc and CMTI have a crucial role to play in equipping researchers and professionals with cutting-edge technology and expertise.

The Smart Factory at IISc and the Smart Manufacturing Demo and Development Cell at CMTI are two of the five experiential and demonstration centers for Industry 4.0 sanctioned under the Smart Advanced Manufacturing and Rapid Transformation Hub (SAMARTH) Udyog initiative of the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Government of India.

The support from Siemens will be used to develop IIoT/Industry 4.0 enabled digital twin-based platform for machine tool industry and a machine tool health monitoring app on the platform, the statement added.