Invest Punjab: Punjab Revenue, Rehabilitation, Disaster Management, Water Supply & Sanitation, Housing and Urban Development Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian, while participating in the session on “Hand and Machine Tools, Power Equipment” during the Progressive Punjab Investor Conference held at Plaksha University today, stressed the need to increase productivity, quality and cost control in the tool manufacturing sector.

New direction for industrial development

The Cabinet Minister, while thanking the officials, experts and panel members, praised the visionary thinking of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, who has given a new direction to industrial development. He also praised the Industry Department for organizing this conference for providing a platform for dialogue.

80 percent export of hand tools

He said that the hand tools, machine tools and power equipment sectors are the strong pillars of India’s manufacturing economy, which supports the automotive, construction and infrastructure sectors. He said that Punjab contributes about 80 percent of India’s hand tools exports through the industrial clusters of Jalandhar and Ludhiana, where about 1200 industrial units are operating and strengthening the industrial ecosystem of the state.

MSME network is the strong foundation of this sector

He said that Punjab’s expertise in casting, machining, heat treatment and precision engineering, steel cluster of Mandi Gobindgarh, skilled human resources and strong MSME network lay the strong foundation of this sector. He called for adopting modern technologies like automation, CNC machining, digital monitoring and Industry 4.0 solutions to remain competitive globally.

massive employment opportunities

He expressed confidence that the supportive policies of the Punjab Government will be helpful in promoting industries technologically, expanding into global markets and creating employment opportunities for the youth on a large scale. He appealed to all the concerned parties to make Punjab a world class center in tool manufacturing.

Modern machinery including CNC systems

Director (Technical Education and Industrial Training) Manish Kumar underlined the importance of collaboration between industry and academic institutions. He said that skill-based training, internships and introduction of modern machinery including robotics and CNC systems in technical institutions will increase the employability of the youth.

Shared ideas on enhancing manufacturing performance

On this occasion, industry representatives Ashwani Kumar, Binny Gupta and Sardar Major Singh also shared their views on enhancing manufacturing performance through innovation, cost reduction, use of renewable energy, quality assurance and other points.