Trichy’s time starts now – Times of India

Trichy needs diversification. It’s known for energy equipment manufacturing and fabrication but a slowdown in the sector has stunted growth for about a decade. So, it needs an infusion of new-age industries and fresh private capital.
The number of fabrication and engineering units has shrunk from 650 in 2005 to 80 -now. And, the much-anticipated defence industrial corridor has hardly made a dent.
BHEL dominates Trichy’s industrial landscape with other Union govt institutions such as welding research institute, Ponmalai railway workshop, ordnance factory, and high energy projectile factory. And there are a few defence MSMEs and wind energy and automotive component units.
Things could change with the plant proposed by US-based contract electronics manufacturer Jabil at Manaparai SIPCOT industrial park. The 2,000 crore investment ,can create 5,000 jobs in the central district and surrounding regions. Jabil is a supplier to Apple, HP and CISCO, and sources say the plant will assemble consumer electronic products, but not smartphones.
The Jabil investment means Tamil Nadu’s electronics ecosystem will spread beyond the well-established clusters of Sriperumbudur and Hosur/Krishnagiri. And Trichy has the talent pool to tap into the fast-growing and labour-intensive electronics manufacturing sector. It annually churns out a large number of students from industrial training, polytechnic and engineering institutes. Its 25 ITIs, offering 41 trades including industrial robotics and digital manufacturing, produce 6,516 skilled workers every year, according to the ministry of skill development.
Pullambadi govt ITI for women has trades such as electronic mechanic and machinist. Annually, around 1,388 women pass out from three govt ITIs. Talent from adjoining Thanjavur, Pudukottai, Namakkal, Dindigul, and Perambalur districts will also help mobilise women for assembly lines. Now, technically qualified women are migrating for work.
Trichy district also has 33 polytechnics and 35 engineering colleges, including an NIT. It houses Anna, Bharathidasan and National Law Universities and an IIM. “Supplying talent will not be a problem. Premier technical research institutions such as NIT Trichy and IIIT Trichy can promote industry-institute joint ventures for mutual benefit. Existing industries such as Bhel have given the much-needed industrial exposure,” says Prof N Sivakumaran, department of instrumentation and control engineering, NIT Trichy.
Local industrialists and bureaucrats believe Jabil’s electronics manufacturing plant will have a multiplier effect. Part of TN’s industrial policy is to take fresh investments to less industrialised areas and build more balanced growth in the state, says industries secretary V Arun Roy. “We push industries to consider other parts, and Jabil was receptive to Trichy. They saw the land and were immediately convinced,” he adds.
“As an anchor investor for the sector, Jabil will encourage its own vendors and other similar players to set up shop around the area. Jabil investing in Trichy sends a strong message to other investors and might attract fresh investments,” says Roy.
Electronics manufacturing service can be located anywhere, the only challenge is logistics, says Dr V Veerappan, chairman of Indian Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA). “For electronics assembly, more people are needed in blue collar jobs and it is easy to get a workforce in tier-2 cities and it is cost efficient as well,” he says. Govt should identify areas where components can be built and incentivise industries accordingly, he adds.
And for Trichy connectivity is not an issue. It is well linked by road, has a strong rail network and has the second busiest airport in TN in terms of international traffic. “With investments like Jabil, many allied sector industries will mushroom, thus improving employment opportunities,” says Anand Pitchaikani, managing director of Modelon, a Trichy-based modelling and simulation firm. “The Jabil investment will shift Trichy from an equipment fabrication and engineering hub to an electronic hardware one,” he says.