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Vol. 14  Issue 05  July 2020
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6 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz

 Industry
News

Indian government launches National AI Portal

The Indian government has launched the National
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Portal, developed jointly by
the National e-Governance Division of the Ministry of
Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the
National Association of Software and Service Companies
(NASSCOM).
The portal, www.ai.gov.in, was launched by Ravi
Shankar Prasad, the Union Minister for Electronics and
IT, Law and Justice and Communications on the occasion
of the first anniversary of the second tenure of the Prime
Minister Narendra Modi-led government.
The government hopes the portal will work as a one-
stop digital platform for all AI-related advancements in
India, with sharing of useful resources like articles, as Representational image

well as investment/funding news for AI startups, AI companies and AI educational firms in India. Besides, the
portal will also carry documents, case studies, research reports, etc. It will provide opportunities for learning and
new jobs related to AI.
The portal brings together ideas and thought leadership from Indian government stakeholders including MeitY,
NITI Aayog, NASSCOM, as well as the state governments.

India’s solar PV installations report by the International Energy of state-owned companies

to dip by 23 per cent in 2020
India’s solar photovoltaic (PV)
deployment is set to decrease by
23 per cent in 2020 as compared
to 2019, with the largest drop
anticipated in distributed PV
installations, according to the latest
Representational image
Agency (IEA). The report titled
‘Renewable energy market update’
added that a rebound was expected
in 2021 with capacity additions
exceeding 2019 levels.
As per the report, the challenges
concerning the financial health
responsible for the distribution
and sale of electricity (discoms)
persist, hampering faster growth of
renewables. The COVID-19 crisis
has put additional pressure on
discoms, and therefore on solar PV
and wind energy development.
IEA’s report added that despite
government efforts to strengthen
the performance of discoms, the
payments due to all electricity
generators increased by 48 per cent
in 2019, and almost doubled in
the case of renewables generators,
a trend that continued in the first
quarter of 2020.
The report said that the
weak financial health of discoms
has already resulted in slowing
development of distributed PV. It
has also caused delays in the signing
of new power purchase agreements
with solar developers, as well as
contract renegotiations. During the
lockdown, India’s electricity demand
declined by 25 per cent, mostly in the
industrial and commercial segments.
They account for the majority of the
discoms’ revenues in most states.

8 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz

 Industry
News

in which India is and Ayana Renewable Power to

moving.” explore opportunities in the solar
“Over the last two energy sector.
years, we have been NIIFL and IRCON will evaluate
investing in a national strategic partnerships across
charging infrastructure infrastructure projects and have also
network and expect agreed, in principle, to identify and
to expand this further execute solar projects either through
during the current joint ventures or consortium
financial year, too,” arrangements.
Sinha added. The company release said,
The company is “The partnership will further
also planning to create consider suitable opportunities for
infrastructure for solar energy production for the
home charging while Indian Railways, as it intends to
continuing to expand its increase the share of renewables
public charging locations in their overall energy mix. This
at metro stations, collaboration will enable the
shopping malls, theatres execution of renewable energy
Representational image and highways. projects at scale by utilising the
complementary strengths of
Tata Power to expand its IRCON ties up with NIIFL all partners.”
EV charging network to and Ayana Renewable Commenting on the
over 700 by FY20-21 Power for solar energy development, S.K. Chaudhary,
Tata Power has announced its IRCON International Limited chairman, and managing director,
plans to expand its network has signed a memorandum IRCON, said, “Through this
of smart electric vehicle (EV) of understanding (MoU) with collaboration, we are diversifying
charging points in the country to the National Investment and our business in the solar energy
over 700 by the end of FY 20-21. Infrastructure Fund Limited (NIIFL) sector. Further, this collaboration
The company said that as part
of its plans to help EV adoption in
India, Tata Power will be investing
substantially to expand its network
of smart EV charging points from
around 170 now to over 700 by
end of the current financial year.
The network has been branded
‘Tata Power EZ Charge’.
Despite a prolonged slump in
sales in the Indian automotive
sector, growth in demand for EVs
is expected to outstrip IC (internal
combustion) vehicles powered by
fossil fuel. Also, EV sales reported
a 20 per cent jump in volume in
2019-20, from the previous years.
Praveer Sinha, CEO and MD
of Tata Power, said, “Despite the
protracted slump in the Indian
automotive sector, we continue to
remain bullish about the future of
the country’s mobility business
and we believe that large-scale
shift to clean mobility is inevitable.
With the right policy framework in
place, the large domestic demand
for clean mobility solutions
and the consistent drop in the
total cost of ownership of EVs
are strong signs of the direction Representational image

10 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz

 Industry
News

Snippets
Indian electric two-
wheeler sales to grow
at a CAGR of 87 per cent
till 2025
JMK Research and Analytics
has predicted a CAGR of 87
per cent for the electric two-
wheeler market in India from
now till 2025. Surprisingly, for
once, such aggressive growth
numbers seem to have every
chance of succeeding.
Two wheelers constitute
70 per cent of the vehicle
market in India. This makes
India the world’s largest two
wheeler market, and hence
change is expected to occur in
this segment first. Government
subsidies under the FAME
2 (Faster Adoption and
Manufacturing of Hybrid and
Electric Vehicles) programme
will also help, thanks to the
lower subsidy amounts needed
here, unlike with personal
four-wheelers.
KLA launches
electronics, packaging
and components group
KLA Corporation has
announced the formation
of a new business group
focused on growth in its
electronics, packaging and
components (EPC) businesses,
under the leadership of KLA
executive vice president
Oreste Donzella. The company
said that this move will
extend KLA’s leadership in
systems and services across
the semiconductor and
microelectronics value chain.
The EPC group will bring
together the strengths of three
companies—ICOS, Orbotech
and SPTS Technologies, to aim
at growth opportunities in new
and expanding end markets.
Rick Wallace, president,
and CEO of KLA said, “This
new group integrates KLA’s
acquisition of the Orbotech
and SPTS businesses to bring
complementary technologies,
products and services into one
organisation to drive innovation
and results in fast-growing
markets.”
CEL invites startups for
waterless solar module
cleaning systems
Central Electronics Limited
(CEL) has issued an expression
of interest (EoI) to tie up
with startup companies as a
technology partner for waterless
solar photovoltaic (SPV) module
cleaning systems. The scope
of work includes supplying
systems to CEL, assisting CEL
in Sahibabad (Uttar Pradesh) in
manufacturing such systems at
its facilities, and improving upon
the systems as per the market
requirements.
To be eligible for participating
in this bid, bidders must have
experience in the design and
development of waterless SPV
module cleaning systems without
any moving parts. The company
should be registered under Start-
up India initiatives as per the
DIPP guidelines. The last date
for the submission of bids is
September 30, 2020.
Faradion joins hand
with IPLTech to make
sodium-ion batteries for
commercial vehicles
UK based sodium-ion battery
technology developer Faradion
Ltd has announced a new
partnership with Infraprime
Logistics Technologies (IPLTech)
to manufacture high energy
sodium-ion batteries for
commercial vehicles in the
Indian market. Faradion has
seen significant interest in
several markets, including the
US, Europe and Australia due
to the performance, safety and
price points of its products.
The company stated that India
was the next logical region for
Faradion, given the market
conditions.
James Quinn, CEO of
Faradion, said, “Faradion
is accelerating large scale
industrialisation of its safe,
low cost, sodium-ion energy
storage technology. The
partnership with IPLTech reflects
an important milestone in our
commitment to the market and
the Prime Minister’s Make in
India vision, as we also shortly
commence manufacturing
in India.”

12 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz

 Industry
News
is aligned with the government of
India’s policies for the renewable
energy sector and we believe the
solar energy sector has enormous
opportunities. We hope our
association with Ayana and NIIFL
to explore projects in the solar
energy sector will be rewarding to
all stakeholders.”
Lava to shift operations
from China to India
Handset maker Lava International
plans to shift its China operations
to India following recent
policy announcements by the
government, reported PT1. In
April, the government approved
three schemes that include total
incentives of around ` 480 billion
to improve local electronics
output and create 2 million direct
and indirect jobs by 2025. The
notification included the production
linked incentive scheme.
As per the report, the company
plans to invest ` 8 billion over
the next five years to scale up its
mobile phone development and
manufacturing operations in the
country. “We had around 600-650
employees in China for product
design. Now we have shifted
designing to India. Our sales
requirements for India were met by
our local plant. We used to partially
14 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz
export mobile phones from China
to the rest of the world, which will
now happen from India,” Lava
International chairman and MD,
Hari Om Rai told PTI.
VisIC partners with ZF
for next-generation EV
inverters
ZF Friedrichshafen AG and VisIC
Technologies Ltd have announced
a partnership to create the next
generation of high-performance and
high-efficiency electric drivelines
for vehicles. With their joint
R&D effort, the two companies
are developing an EV inverter
based on gallium nitride (GaN)
semiconductor technology.
The partnership will see the
two companies deepen their
development efforts, based on VisIC
D3GaN semiconductors technology.
The focus of the joint efforts will be
on 400-volt driveline applications,
covering the largest segment of the
electric vehicle market. Tamara
Baksht, CEO of VisIC said, “VisIC’s
D3GaN technology was developed
for the high reliability standards of
the automotive industry and offers
the lowest losses per RDSon. It
also simplifies the system solution
and enables high-efficiency and
affordable power train solutions.
It is definitely the next step for the
automotive electrical driveline.”
Apple plans to shift 20
per cent manufacturing
capacity from China to India
Apple is planning to move nearly a
fifth of its production capacity from
China to India after meeting with
Apple’s senior executives and top
Indian government officials, as per
a report by the Economic Times.
The company is aiming to scale its
India revenue to US$ 40 billion over
the next five years.
“We expect Apple to produce
up to US$ 40 billion worth of
smartphones, mostly for exports
through its contract manufacturers
Wistron and Foxconn, availing
the benefits under the production
linked incentive (PLI) scheme,” a
senior government official told ET.
The report noted that there has
been no official comment from
Apple yet. However, a source close
to the development team told ET
that some problems with regard to
the government’s PLI scheme need
to be sorted out.
“For instance, valuing the entire
plant and machinery already in
use in its plants across China and
other places at 40 per cent of that
value, and the extent of the business
information sought under the scheme
are some of the irritants,” the source
was quoted as saying in the report.
If this move works out, Apple
would become the largest exporter
in the country.
More than 11,500
professionals visited India’s
first online event for the
ESDM industry
Around 11,500 professionals visited
India Technology Week (ITW)
between May 13 and 15, 2020.
Facing dire forecasts of declining
business during and post the
pandemic, the ITW may have come
as a breath of fresh air for many
ESDM players.
“We had set a target of 7,500
online visitors as the base figure
to achieve. A figure of 10,000
meant that we had done well. But
when we tallied the total number
of unique visitors who visited the
May 2020 edition of ITW@Home,
we were left humbled and grateful.
Our new-born platform was blessed
with the presence of 11,500-plus
visitors who actively interacted
with our exhibitors,” stated Ramesh
Chopra, chairman, EFY Group.
While 44 exhibitors were a part
of the trial edition, the number
increased to 60 for the main edition
held in mid-May. Panel discussions,
which could be viewed free of cost
by people visiting ITW, were a new
addition in the main edition. These
panels discussed topics ranging
from rebooting India’s electronics
industry to capitalising on R&D and
design opportunities in India.
The June edition of India
Technology Week is scheduled to be
held from June 17-19, 2020. Once
again, it is an ‘online only’ expo-cum-
conference that aims to showcase the
latest technologies, products and best
practices from across the globe.
 Industry
News

Calendar of Forthcoming Electronics Fairs, Exhibitions, Seminars and Events

Name, date and venue Topics Contact address for details

Automation Expo 2020
September 9-12, 2020
Bombay Convention & Exhibition Centre,
Mumbai
Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo
September 15-17, 2020
Suburban Collection Showplace, Novi,
Michigan, USA
LED Expo Mumbai
September 18-20, 2020
Bombay Exhibition Centre (BEC),
Mumbai, India
Computex Taipei 2020
September 28-30, 2020
Taipei World Trade Center, Taipei Nangang
Exhibition Center and Taipei International
Convention Center, Taipei, Taiwan (ROC)
COMTECH India - Asia Computing &
Smart City Show
September 29-October 01, 2020
Bombay Exhibition Centre (BEC),
Mumbai, India
Middle East Banking AI & Analytics
Summit 2020
October 5-6, 2020
Armani Hotel Dubai, Dubai, UAE
Open Source India 2020
October 8-9, 2020
NIMHANS Convention Centre, Bengaluru
Engineering Design Show
October 14-15, 2020
The Ricoh Arena, Coventry, UK
Embedded Tech India Expo
October 20-22, 2020
Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India
electronica
November 10- 13, 2020
Messe Munchen, Munich, Germany
Light + LED Expo India 2020
December 3-5, 2020
Pragati Maidan, New Delhi
Electronics Manufacturing Expo Asia
(EMAX) 2020
December 15-17, 2020
Setia SPICE Arena, Penang, Malaysia
CES - Consumer Electronics Show
January 6-9, 2021
Las Vegas Convention Center,
Las Vegas, USA
European Microwave Week
January 10-15, 2021
Jaarbeurs Utrecht, The Netherlands
Since this information is subject to change, especially in view of the measures being taken to control the spread of the
coronavirus, all those interested are advised to ascertain the details from the organisers before making any commitment.
One of India’s most comprehensive events focusing on www.automationindiaexpo.com
advanced automation technology.
Offers expert-led educational sessions, and showcases the www.evtechexpo.com
materials, components and systems that make EVs and
HEVs unique.
An expo that focuses on LED products and technologies. www.led-expo-mumbai.in.
It offers a platform to exchange knowledge about messefrankfurt.com
technologies and innovations, amongst different
stakeholders.
The biggest computer exhibition in Asia and the second www.computextaipei.com.tw
largest in the world.
A show that covers network communication, IoT, smart www.india.comtechexpo.com
cities, startups, online gaming, etc.
This is the third edition of this annual event that explores the www.mebankingai.com
use of AI in analytics and banking.
A premier conference in Asia targeted at nurturing and www.opensourceindia.in
promoting the open source ecosystem in the subcontinent.
The only event in the UK that is entirely dedicated to www.engineeringdesignshows.co.uk
engineering, electronics and embedded design.
Showcases leading-edge products and solutions for www.embeddedtechexpo.com
embedded systems that enable smart things, smart industry,
smart homes and smart cities.
One of the largest electronics exhibitions in Europe, www.electronica.de/en/
covering components, distribution, test equipment,
manufacturing, modules and systems.
A show dedicated to the latest innovative products and solar www.in.messefrankfurt.com
energy based devices.
An event that brings together an international congregation www.emaxasia.com
of chip manufacturers, semiconductor manufacturers and
equipment suppliers.
The event hosts presentations of new products and www.ces.tech
technologies in the consumer electronics industry. It is an
annual trade show organised by the Consumer Technology
Association.
An annual expo that is also one of the premier microwave www.eumweek.com
events in Europe, bringing together the microwave
community from around the world.

16 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz

 Electronics Manufacturing

Will foreign electronics firms shift

their manufacturing plants to
India post COVID-19?
The microscopic coronavirus has upset businesses and lives across the globe. China, where the
virus is said to have originated, is today being looked down upon as a manufacturing hub and
its reliability is under a deep cloud. India must get its act together quickly, and project itself as
the best alternative to countries pulling manufacturing activities out of China. Complacency
could help other countries in the region, like Vietnam and Thailand, move ahead swiftly.

By Nijhum Rudra

T
he world’s economy is teeter-
ing on the brink of collapse
ever since COVID-19 started
creating mayhem in January 2020.
Apart from China and the major
European countries, it has resulted
in huge setbacks in the fiscal growth
of other Asian countries as well, es-
pecially India. The stock markets in
Germany, France, UK and India have
also been massively affected.
Of particular interest to us is the
global electronics sector that has
driven unprecedented economic
growth and employment opportuni-
ties all over the world in the past
couple of years. But, as in the case of
every other sector, the world’s biggest
mobile trade show, MWC, which is
organised at Barcelona in Spain, was
cancelled. Typically, it attracts more
than 100,000 visitors each year. The
MWC was launched in 2006, but this
year, global electronics giants such as

17 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz

Electronics Manufacturing
Ericsson, Intel, LG, Sony and Nokia
announced that they would not be
able to participate in the show. The
same thing happened with the annual
electronics show at Nuremberg that
welcomes 150,000 visitors each year.
During this crisis, with flights
grounded, ports closed and travel be-
tween countries virtually banned, the
global supply chain has been affected.
The coronavirus has highlighted the
essential role China plays in world-
wide manufacturing—from clothing
and chemicals to mobility, and espe-
cially technology. The world’s leading
electronics companies set up their
manufacturing units in China due to
the easy availability of raw materials,
lower taxation, and the availability
of skilled labour at a lower cost. In
fact, most Indian electronics firms
source their raw materials and com-
ponents from China, which account
for around 80 per cent of the locally
finished product.
But, with COVID-19 locking down
the manufacturing powerhouse of
China, it has created FUD (fear,
uncertainty and doubt) throughout
India, and the world. This is not the
first time that the world economy has
been hit by a deadly virus originating
from China. A 2017 paper by econo-
mists Victoria Fan, Dean Jamison
and Lawrence Summers estimated
the annual losses from a pandemic
to be about US$ 500 billion, or 0.6
per cent of the globe’s GDP, per year,
accounting for both lost incomes and
the intrinsic cost of elevated mortal-
ity, Reuters reported. According to
experts, the global economic losses
incurred during the SARS outbreak in
2003 were US$ 40 billion, while the
Ebola outbreak in 2014 resulted in an
estimated US$ 2.2 billion in losses
in 2015 across Guinea, Liberia and
Sierra Leone, though Asian countries,
including India, were not affected.
India’s potential to
emerge as an electronics
manufacturing hub post
COVID-19
To overcome the economic slump,
global electronics companies are con-
sidering shifting their manufacturing
bases from China to India because of
the growth potential available here.
Various schemes and initiatives an-
18 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz
nounced by the Modi-led government
such as Digital India, Start-up India,
NPE 2019 and many more offer a
conducive environment for electron-
ics manufacturing.
Navkendar Singh, research direc-
tor – devices and ecosystem, India
and South Asia, IDC, says, “Certainly,
this is a great opportunity for India
to position itself as the next hub for
electronics manufacturing and ex-
ports. The China-plus-1 model was
being evaluated by several companies
over the last few years. COVID-19
has just accelerated that process and
now companies are seriously looking
at viable alternatives to China. India
can present itself as a serious con-
tender in the overall global footprint
of the companies to manufacture
components, as well as finished
goods for both domestic consump-
tion and export to other markets.”
He adds that Vietnam is a serious
competitor to India. It is already seen
as a major manufacturing hub across
categories with long term planning
and enablement plans initiated by
the government. However, the size
of the economy and labour force is a
limitation with Vietnam. India has an
abundance of skilled/unskilled work-
ers and the capabilities to compete
with Vietnam.
According to reports, various
foreign electronics companies have
initiated discussions with the senior
members of the Indian government.
Three hundred of these companies,
from sectors ranging from mobile
phones to medical devices, are ac-
tively pursuing plans of setting up
manufacturing in India. Manoj Kumar
Pansari, chairman and MD of Astrum,
says, “I believe the recent production
linked incentive schemes for large
scale electronics manufacturing,
including the modified electronics
manufacturing clusters (EMC 2.0)
scheme will boost the ‘Make in India’
and ‘Assemble in India’ campaigns of
the government. The government is
firming up a plan to offer incentives
for companies looking to shift manu-
facturing units out of China. The
benefits will be on the lines of those
given to manufacturers of electronic
and medical devices. These may
include production linked incentives
and capital expenditure benefits.”
When questioned about other
countries that could turn into manu-
facturing hubs, Pansari says some
large OEMs will migrate to countries
such as Vietnam, Malaysia, Philip-
pines and Indonesia, apart from
India. Many countries are quickly
formulating policies to woo manu-
facturing companies exiting China.
According to the All India Elec-
tronics Association, whose mem-
bers spoke exclusively to Electronics
Bazaar, of the 56 companies shifting
production out of China, only three
relocated to India while 26 went to
Vietnam, 11 to Taiwan, and eight
to Thailand. The companies prefer
autocratic communist countries as
there is no bureaucratic lethargy
and red tape involved—though, for
the record, Taiwan is a democracy.
The average Vietnamese member of
the workforce is more skilled than
an average Indian, thanks to the
skills based education system. The
country has a less volatile currency
and has been competing closely
with India in the World Bank’s ‘Ease
of Doing Business’ rankings. Given
all these advantages, companies
prefer to move to Vietnam rather
than to India.
Meanwhile, Japan has an-
nounced it will create a fund of US$
2 billion to offer financial assistance
to Japanese companies moving
manufacturing out of China, while
other countries are also speculated
to follow suit. As of now, the names
and actual number of companies
moving manufacturing out of China
haven’t been announced yet, but
this news is expected soon.
Amit Madan, country manager,
India, TransTechnology, says, “From
the electronics manufacturing per-
spective, it takes time to set up a
manufacturing base in alternate
locations, especially in places like
India where the key raw mate-
rial itself is not manufactured. We
feel that over time, many western
companies currently manufacturing
in China will plan to de-risk their
businesses and opportunities, so
service providers (read EMS) will
emerge not only in India but in
other relatively low cost nations
such as Vietnam and Thailand too.
At the same time, there will also be
Electronics Manufacturing
a tendency to move manufacturing
back to the USA and Europe as most
developed countries will want to
become self-reliant post COVID-19.”
The role of the Indian
government
To counter the negative perceptions
associated with the Indian manu-
facturing scenario, the government
has taken numerous transforma-
tive measures to attract FDI such
as reducing corporate tax to 25.27
per cent and further slashing it to
17 per cent for new manufacturers,
which is the lowest in South East
Asia. With the implementation of
the ‘one nation, one tax’ GST and
the reduced duties, India aims to
attract foreign investments in the
electronics manufacturing sector.
According to the government, the
size of the Indian market is now so
huge that it will continue to attract
electronics manufacturers on a large
scale, because unlike in other coun-
tries, companies setting up plants
here can sell their products in the
local market. In other countries, the
only option is to export, owing to
the small size of the home market.
Right now, the government in
India is focused on kickstarting the
economic cycle, which was abruptly
halted due to the virus. Since tough
times don’t last but tough people
do, this is perhaps the best time for
the Indian government to position
itself as an alternative to China with
an abundance of skilled and semi-
skilled labour. India has all the key
factors of production—land, labour,
capital and entrepreneurship. The
government, too, seems willing to
make policy amendments consist-
ent with the demands voiced by key
industry bodies.
According to sources at Trans
Technology, the Central as well as the
state governments have schemes to
incentivise startups in the technology
and manufacturing space. There are
also incentives for exports in over
5000 notified product categories un-
der the Merchandise Exports From
India Scheme (MEIS). Several state
governments have incentives for set-
ting up manufacturing under the SME
(Small and Medium Enterprise) and
Make in India initiatives.
20 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz
What the experts say on shifting electronics
manufacturing to India
The present COVID-19 situation has created two major pain points
for manufacturers – extreme disruption in the supply chain and
the need to avoid the geographical concentration of manufacturing
hubs. While reviewing their supply chain strategies and operating
models, companies are likely to shift their bases to countries that
have favourable policies and manpower and are not as severely
impacted by the pandemic. India has huge potential and capabilities, in terms
of resources and trained manpower, to attract such manufacturers. Additionally,
the regulators have made a concerted effort to promote ‘Make in India’, ensuring
the country is suitable for such initiatives. As we come out of this unprecedented
pandemic, we look forward to a boom in India’s manufacturing sector.
—Anku Jain, MD, MediaTek India
The government has taken several steps in the past few years
like offering incentives to set up SMT facilities, providing
infrastructure support, etc. However, the government needs
to take a holistic and long term view of this industry, and plan
for the next 20 to 30 years. This should be seen as a major
contributor to the digital economy for the next few decades.
Hence, some short term actions like the GST hike from 12 per cent to 18
per cent, and the ad hoc roll-back and the subsequent reinstatement of
the export scrip in December 2019/January 2020 do not inspire confidence
with the investors, who are really looking at India now as a long term hub.
—Navkendar Singh, research director, devices and ecosystem,
India and South Asia, IDC
The Indian electronic components industry itself is 90 per
cent import dependent, which is why it will be premature to
state that electronic hardware manufacturing will shift over-
night to India. Chinese and other foreign companies have a
very limited manufacturing base in India, at present. Hence,
we should continue focusing on getting more of foreign as
well as Indian companies to shift their production to India rather than fear
losing a few. If some firms go away, there will be economic losses, but this
can be compensated in the long term. The government should give incen-
tives and ease down on compliances to attract manufacturers. In fact, the
government should create such lucrative policies that big importers turn
themselves into local industrialists. Unless India makes itself self-reliant in
electronic components manufacturing, any electronic hardware manufactur-
ing will remain as ‘Assembled in India’ and not ‘Made in India’.
—Mitesh Modi, president, AIEA
At IESA, we are working closely with MeitY, providing all inputs to finetune
the existing schemes for higher volumes across electronic products. We
are also doing a study on what elements in other countries’ policies make
them attractive so that we can help offer better policies for India. We are
working with all government agencies like Invest India, Niti Aayog, the
PMO’s office and MeitY. As we start looking at electronics strategically, we
will make India an automatic choice for all large and small companies. And
when we move forward on this path, all short term potential pains can be
alleviated by the long term gains of better economic growth, creation of
high paying jobs, as well as creating and owning strategically important
IP in India via deep tech research. It’s a virtuous cycle we must create for
India for long term leadership on the global stage.
—Sandeep Aurora, VP, business development and government affairs, IESA

Highlighting the role of the gov-
ernment in this sector, Mitesh Modi,
president of the All India Electron-
ics Association (AIEA), says, “On
March 21, the Centre allocated
` 480.42 billion in three key
schemes to compete with China and
Vietnam in electronics manufactur-
ing. As per this announcement, the
Scheme for Promotion of Manufac-
turing of Electronics Components
and Semiconductors (SPECS) will
provide a financial incentive of 25
per cent on capital expenditure for
select electronic goods that com-
prise the downstream value chain of
electronic products, i.e., electronic
components, semiconductor/dis-
play fabrication units, ATMP units,
etc. The scheme will also be appli-
cable for the expansion of capacity,
modernisation and diversification
of existing units, along with invest-
ments in new units.”
Modi adds, “The All India Elec-
tronics Association welcomes this
move of the government. We would
like to coerce the government to
21 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz
immediately announce an economic
relief package for SMEs and MSMEs
engaged in electronics to tackle the
challenges post COVID-19. This will
not only save the electronics indus-
try but also save and strengthen the
Indian economy. This relief package
must include traders and importers
who were not able to register them-
selves as SMEs and MSMEs, but
are equally important constituents
of the supply chain in the distribu-
tion of components to the Indian
electronics industry.”
Current trends
In April this year, the government
announced a production linked
incentive (PLI) scheme for the
electronics sector with an outlay of
over US$ 5.27 billion. According to
a report in the Mint, India exports
electronic products worth US$ 9
billion each year, while its domestic
market is estimated to be worth US$
120 billion. ELCINA president Am-
rit Manwani, while speaking with
the Mint, said that global firms that
Electronics Manufacturing
have shown interest in India are US
based makers of medical electronic
products Teledyne and Amphenol,
and medical equipment makers such
as Johnson and Johnson. Recently,
Vinod Sharma, MD of Deki Electron-
ics, stated in a press briefing that his
company is in talks with a South
Korean company to manufacture
electronic components in India.
Sandeep Aurora, VP, business
development and government affairs,
IESA, says, “There are certain benefits
of manufacturing products close to
your customers. We are seeing the
shift from China happening largely
due to that reason so far, as it’s bet-
ter for all companies to innovate and
make the final product closer to one
of their largest markets, India. Going
forward, we can see even exports
being prioritised from India, looking
at the current geopolitical situation.”
In India, a majority of local
companies are seriously looking for
alternatives to China at this moment
and are bound to decrease imports
from there.
Industry Report

The growth potential for drones in the

delivery and logistics domains
As the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) formulates standards and rules
in the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) domain, India’s approximately 100 drone based
startups can look forward to unfettered growth in the days ahead.
By Nijhum Rudra and Deepshikha Shukla

W
ith the tremendous de-
velopments in the field of
unmanned aerial vehicle
(UAV) technology over the past few
years, the DGCA (Directorate General
of Civil Aviation) in India has also
taken several initiatives to introduce
drones in the commercial air space.
As a result, the opportunities for
deliveries by drones have gained
momentum over the past couple
of years. Drone based solutions are
now applied in various sectors for
commercial purposes, and also by
the government in the defence space.
Currently, the DGCA has approved
manufacturing of drones by only a
handful of companies. Hence, the
number of logistics firms using drones
remains low.
Drones are now used across
numerous commercial applications
such as news coverage, emergency
services, delivery of goods, Wi-Fi
access and environmental monitor-
ing. Hence, scores of global compa-
nies are now experimenting with
drone technology to provide state-
of-art services and make it more
popular in the coming few years.
In the past few years, technologies
such as machine learning, AI, GPS,
etc, have improved the function-
ing and efficiency of drones in
the logistics industry by leaps and
bounds. E-commerce and logistics
companies are constantly trying to
look for the latest innovations in the
drone space.

22 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz

Industry Report

Scope for drone CAGR of 21.01%

manufacturing in India
• The drone logistics and transportation market is projected to reach
With the outbreak of COVID 19, US$ 11.20 billion in 2022 and then US$ 29.06 billion by 2027, at a
the Indian government has un- US$ CAGR of 21.01 per cent from 2022 to 2027.
derstood the need to adopt this 2.68 • By sector, the commercial segment is projected to account for a
billion larger share of the drone logistics and transportation market in
cutting-edge technology. The 2022, due to the increasing adoption of drones for deliveries in the
DGCA’s interest in drones is pri- US$ e-commerce industry.
marily for surveillance purposes. 2.03 • By region, Asia Pacific is estimated to become the largest market
billion for drone logistics by 2022, owing to the expected high growth in
While earlier there was a lack of countries such as India and China.
regulation in this domain, which 2022 2027

posed a major impediment, this
aspect is now slowly being tackled
with the introduction of civil avia-
tion rules. Drones may soon also
be available in the Government
e-Marketplace or GeM.
As drones are very versatile,
manufacturers are investigating
what further use they can be put
to. Several drones are being used
in the COVID 19 pandemic, driv-
ing up its growth rate all over the
world, especially in India. Accord-
ing to market experts, government
organisations such as the police
force and other branches of the
defence forces will also start buy-
ing drones in huge numbers. The
DGCA drones in the surveillance
sectors will also witness rapid
growth soon.
Amit Thokal, manager - mar-
keting, ideaForge states, “We are
creating high-performance, safe,
and autonomous unmanned aerial
systems that enhance productivity
and safety. Our aim is to increase
the adoption of drones in India for
public safety, security/surveillance
and emergency response; and cre-
ate an ecosystem that enhances
the quality of life. Our firm is one
Figure 2: The drone logistics and transportation market: Regional growth rate (2020-2025)
(Source: Mordor Intelligence)
Figure 1: Opportunities in the drone logistics and transportation market
(Source: www.marketsandmarkets.com)
of India’s largest manufacturers
of drones for defence, homeland
security and industrial applica-
tions. ideaForge has over 90 per
cent share in India’s security and
surveillance market (among home-
grown drones). We are also a major
player in surveying and mapping,
precision agriculture, asset inspec-
tion, and disaster management.”
Glenford V. D’Souza, senior
general manager - LYNX: Lawrence
& Mayo says, “With the ongoing
COVID 19 pandemic, we are cer-
tain that the use of this versatile
technology will have been better
seen and experienced by the health
authorities and the police. Our
drones are helping law enforce-
ment authorities in several parts
of the city, providing surveillance
and security in areas that were hard
to reach.”
The potential markets
for drones
The benefits of using drones are
varied. It reduces manpower and
helps speed up operations, espe-
cially in the defence sector. It also
assists police forces in monitoring
large crowds, tracking vehicles, en-
suring social distancing during the
COVID 19 pandemic, etc. Drones
fitted with radiometric thermal
imaging sensors can be used to
measure the temperature of indi-
viduals by flying at low heights.
Drones are capable of flying
distances ranging from 2km to 4km,
and hence are able to capture still
images and videos, even from an
altitude, to gather information about
specific targets—individuals, groups
or environments.
The drone logistics and transpor-
tation market is segmented on the
following basis:
• Solutions—warehousing, infra-
structure, shipping, software
• Sector—military or commercial
• Drone type—passenger drones,
freight drones and ambulance
drones
• Geography
Over time, drones will become
part and parcel of households and
industries. There are several other
applications for which solutions are
being invented, making this space
even more dynamic. For now, drones
are being mostly used in the follow-
ing sectors:
• Aerial photography for journal-
ism and film making
• Gathering information or sup-
plying essentials during disasters
• Thermal sensor drones for
search and rescue operations
• Geographic mapping of inacces-
sible terrains and locations
• Precision crop monitoring
• Law enforcement, border con-
trol/surveillance and safety
inspections

24 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz


2015 2016E 2017E
Figure 3: Estimated global investments in drone hardware (Source: BI Intelligence)
• Storm tracking, and forecasting
hurricanes and tornadoes
• Surveillance, for defence forces,
the police, large PSUs, the Rail-
ways, etc
• Mapping large areas during
land surveys, for the mining
industry, for regularising land
records, etc.
D’Souza adds, “Drones require
significantly less manpower,
thereby reducing long-term costs.
The Indian Railways is using UAVs
for inspection and 3D mapping to
bring to life its vision of a dedicat-
ed freight corridor. Drones enable
a much smoother management of
inventory. The upcoming biggest
leap in technology will be the use
of drones in logistics. Nowadays,
the biggest commercial use of
drones is for last-mile delivery.”
Global drone market
forecasts
According to a study by Market-
sandMarkets, the global drone
logistics and transportation market
is speculated to reach US$ 11.2 bil-
lion in 2022 and US$ 29.06 billion
by 2027, at a CAGR of 21 per cent
during the forecast period. McKin-
sey predicts that UAVs, including
the delivery drones, will account
for up to 80 per cent of deliveries
in the future, while NASA estimates
2.6 million commercial drones will
be in the air in 2020.
$14
$12
$10
$8
(US$ billion)
$6
$4
$2
$0
2018E 2019E 2020E 2021E
According to a recent report by
Goldman Sachs, the global drone
market is projected to be a US$
100 billion opportunity by the end
of 2020. Key market spending will
include military (US$ 70 billion),
consumer (US$ 17 billion), and
commercial/civil (US$ 13 billion)
with the last being the fastest
growth opportunity. According to
Mordor Intelligence, the drone lo-
gistics and transportation market
is anticipated to register a CAGR
of over 20 per cent during the
forecast period 2020-2025.
A recent study from IDC’s Cus-
tomer Insights & Analysis reported
that worldwide drone spending
was US$ 9.3 billion in 2018 and
is expected to grow at a five-year
CAGR of 32.1 per cent. Through-
out the speculated period, enter-
prise drone solutions are expected
to account for more than half of all
drone spending, even as more in-
terest and demand emerges in the
consumer drone solutions space.
Category wise, the highest growth
during this period will be the use
of drones for precision agricul-
ture/crop scouting (86.1 per cent
CAGR), emergency services (86.4
per cent CAGR), and dispensing
pesticides and fertilisers (109.4
per cent CAGR).
According to BI Intelligence,
the commercial and civilian drone
market grew at a compound an-
nual growth (CAGR) rate of 19
25 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz
Industry Report
per cent between 2015 and 2020.
That dwarfs the CAGR of 5 per
cent for military drones in that
same period.
The Federal Aviation Adminis-
tration (FAA) in the USA forecasted
that sales of commercial drones
will reach 2.7 million by the end
of 2020, while the total number
of UAVs seen in the sky will be
around 7 million by then. Cur-
rently, the largest applications of
commercial drones are in the field
of video and photography. But,
as a report from Global Market
Insights highlights, the global com-
mercial drone market will reach
US$ 17 billion by 2024.
Growth of drones in the
Indian market
Currently, both the market and
the drone industry in India are
at a very nascent stage, but ac-
cording to experts, the potential
for local growth is colossal. In
India, between 2017-2023, the
expected growth rate of the drone
market is 18 per cent, claims
6Wresearch.
D’Souza adds, “In India, the
commercial use of drones has been
limited by policy paralysis. But
now, the Ministry of Civil Aviation
has come up with a policy around
drones and their commercial use.”
According to a study by Unearth-
Insight, there are about 100 drone
startups in India, 681 in the United
States and 129 in China. The drone
market is still rapidly evolving
with game-shifting innovations
yet to come.
In terms of creating new jobs,
the drone space has huge poten-
tial for engineers, UAV operators,
pilots, and data analysis experts.
The potential for a job could be
both full-time and contract-based,
even opening the doors to intern-
ships for many. FICCI and EY
have clearly mentioned that the
unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)
market in India will touch US$
885.7 million by 2021 while the
global market size will be US$
21.47 billion.
This article was first published in
Electronics For You June 2020 issue
Manufacture

Lack of a strategy is hampering local

production of electronic components
The Indian electronics industry is highly dependent on China and other Asian countries
for the components it needs, the import of which accounts for approximately 80 per cent
of the finished product. The manufacture of these components in India is still at a nascent
stage, and that must change soon, say the experts. There are a number of schemes the
government has introduced in an effort to boost local manufacture, but these are taking
time to bear fruit as the industry faces quite a few challenges still.

By Nijhum Rudra

W
ith the outbreak of the
coronavirus pandemic,
many countries, including
India are worried about the avail-
ability of chipsets and other essential
electronic hardware components, as
most of these were being supplied
by China. Both the US and India are
now looking to set up manufactur-
ing bases on their own soil to reduce
their dependence on China and
other Southeast Asian countries. The
government of India has taken up
electronics hardware manufacturing
as a priority because it is one of the
most pivotal elements of the Make
in India programme. As we depend
excessively on other countries for
up to 80 per cent of the components
required, the government now plans
to enhance the electronics supply
chain and implement policies that
will substantially increase domestic
value addition.
In 2009, MeitY had assessed India’s
electronics market and pegged demand
at US$ 45 million back then, with an
estimate that this would grow to US$
400 billion by 2020, which we are soon
to witness by the end of the year. Many
experts also feel that the growth could
have been more if the coronavirus had
not impacted the ecosystem.

26 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz


Rajoo Goel, secretary-general EL-
CINA, says, “The EMS sector in India
is largely dependent on imported
components and other inputs. The
domestic as well as international
supply chain has been adversely im-
pacted due to the COVID-19 crisis. It
may take at least two to three quarters
to return to normalcy as the manufac-
ture of components and the logistics
networks have been disrupted across
the globe. Component suppliers are
committed to regularise supplies to
EMS companies in their own country
first and then to the larger buyers. As
the Indian EMS industry is depend-
ent on the supply of components and
PCBs from global suppliers, it is facing
hurdles and is likely to take longer to
regularise supplies.”
Since the government is now
determined to ensure that India
becomes a global ESDM hub, all
the stakeholders have felt the need
for reliable data on domestic manu-
facturing, electronic components,
and the equipment market. This
will be crucial to assess the current
condition of this sector, before find-
ing out appropriate solutions for its
sluggishness, which will ultimately
boost investments in the hardware
component industry.
According to ELCINA, the elec-
tronic components produced in India
include, among others, picture tubes,
diodes, transistors, power devices,
resistors, capacitors, switches, re-
lays, connectors, magnetic heads,
etc. Currently, local manufacturing
is dominated by electro-mechanical
components (like printed circuit
boards, connectors, etc) and passive
components (like wound compo-
nents, resistors, etc). However, active
components (like integrated circuits,
diodes, etc) and optical discs, mag-
nets, RF tuners, etc, are also being
manufactured locally now.
Lack of strategy in
electronic hardware
components manufacturing
In spite of numerous policies, initiatives,
and investments unleashed by the gov-
ernment of India, experts feel that the
electronics hardware industry remains
dependent on imports and also suffers
from scores of disabilities. According
to the Manufacturers Association of
27 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz
Information Technology (MAIT), the
basic problem is that the country still
requires a crystal-clear exports-driven
electronics hardware manufacturing
strategy. The key to success on this front
is for giant component manufacturers to
find it feasible to set up their production
bases in India. This is critical because
the sector is exports-driven and price-
competitive.
With this goal, over the past dec-
ade, the government had launched
two important schemes—the Modi-
fied Special Incentive Package
Scheme (MSIPS) in 2012 and the Mer-
chandise Exports from India Scheme
(MEIS) in 2015. But, on December
31, 2018, MSIPS was discontinued,
while recently at the WTO, the MEIS
was challenged by several countries.
Nonetheless, the government needs
to launch another policy that can at-
tract major global electronic hardware
brands from South Korea, Vietnam
and China to ‘Make in India’. Accord-
ing to MAIT, there is also a need for
tax rebates or financial incentives,
particularly for domestic electronics
hardware component makers, such
as the elimination of taxes embedded
at various levels of the value chain
and in the export of products. MAIT
has recommended a rebate on state
and central taxes and levies, and a
tax holiday for those entering the
electronics manufacturing industry
for the initial five years, following
which a corporate tax of 15 per cent
should be levied. It has also recom-
mended production based incentives
on components that are meant for
domestic consumption and those
exported from India.
Though many major global com-
panies are opening their manufactur-
ing units in India, in the case of PCs/
laptops, India still relies excessively
on imports due to several issues like
no incentives on exports and no
domestic production. According to
MAIT, India’s PC penetration is only
15.5 PCs per 1,000 people, vis-a-vis
784 per 1,000 in the USA and 41 per
1,000 in China.
The obstacles faced by
electronics hardware
manufacturers
At a recent ASSOCHAM conference
on electronics manufacturing, the
Manufacture
ex-central Minister of State for Cor-
porate Affairs, as well as Law and
Justice, P.P. Chaudhary highlighted
that demand for electronics hardware
is expected to continue growing and
hence offers huge investment oppor-
tunities. He added that there is a re-
quirement to develop a commercially
viable research ecosystem funded by
the government, industry and aca-
demia to promote the next wave of
innovations in electronics technology,
within the country. There are a num-
ber of other challenges faced when
manufacturing electronic hardware
and components, as pointed out by
ELCINA:
• The government has allowed
zero-duty imports of inputs/com-
ponents for the assembly of high
volume and high growth prod-
ucts such as mobile phones, PoS
machines, micro ATMs, set-top
boxes, etc, which has depressed
local demand for components and
discouraged new investments in
the segment.
• There are many tedious processes
and obligations involved to avail
benefits under Customs Notifica-
tion 25/99 on inputs for the manu-
facture of components. This issue
has never been fully resolved,
though some changes have been
made in the rules.
• The high cost of finance is a big
disadvantage for local manufac-
turers, and this cost increases as
value addition increases due to
the greater requirement of capital.
• Duty-free imports of PCBAs re-
duce the demand for domestically
manufactured PCBs and compo-
nents. Now, the government has
imposed custom duty on some
PCBAs, but a majority are still
imported at zero duty as inputs
for ITA-1 equipment and data
processing products. It has long
been suspected that a large share
of PCBAs that are liable for duty
are misdeclared and imported at
zero duty.
• The existing component manufac-
turing ecosystem in the country
lacks global scale and capabilities
and thus remains uncompetitive.
It needs a big stimulus to attract
both domestic and foreign inves-
tors, with an injection of new
Manufacture
technology so that the segment
can grow rapidly and achieve
economies of scale.
Several other challenges have
emerged due to the COVID-19 cri-
sis. These include major changes
in demand patterns, compared to
what was planned for. Seasonal
demand for products that witness
an upswing in Q1 has been deeply
compromised. Costs are rising due
to production inefficiencies, which
are likely to continue for the foresee-
able future, along with delays due
to staggered supplies from different
vendors and increasing overheads
across the supply chain.
The role of the government
in boosting component
manufacturing
ELCINA points out that the gov-
ernment has been proactive in
encouraging electronics manufac-
turing in the country. It notified
an upgraded and revised National
Policy on Electronics in 2019 and
implemented various schemes un-
der this umbrella. These policies are
meant to provide capital investment
and production incentives to set up
modern infrastructure with plug-
and-play facilities for the electronics
sector. This will help in attracting
domestic and international invest-
ments, and move Indian electronics
manufacturing up the value chain.
The schemes announced to encour-
age the sector are listed below.
Production Linked Incentive
Scheme (PLI) for large scale elec-
tronics manufacturing
• This scheme offers a production
linked incentive to boost domestic
manufacturing and attract large
investments in mobile phone
manufacturing and specified elec-
tronic components, and it covers
assembly, testing, marking and
packaging (ATMP) units.
• Offers a 4 per cent to 6 per cent in-
centive on incremental sales (over
the base year) of goods manufac-
tured in India which are covered
under the target segments, for a
period of five years. The target
segments are mobile phones and
specified electronic components.
28 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz
“While the Central government has recommended a long
awaited change in the definition of MSME industries and
businesses, I feel that this change is not adequate and
needs to be brought in line with global benchmarks.
The revised government definition is a maximum capi-
tal investment of ` 200 million and a sales turnover of
` 1 billion for medium-sized units.
We at ELCINA recommend a sales turnover based criteria with a
minimum limit for capital investment, with the objective of ensuring that
trading and manufacturing can be distinguished and benefits provided
accordingly. We believe that manufacturing needs much greater focus and
support, and trading MSMEs should not avail the benefits that are provided
for manufacturing MSMEs. In view of this, we recommend the following:
Sales turnover Capital investment
Micro enterprises Up to ` 50 million Minimum ` 2.5 million
Small enterprises ` 50 million up to ` 750 million Minimum ` 20 million
Medium enterprises ` 750 million up to ` 2.5 billion Minimum ` 100 million
Additionally, ELCINA has recommended a minimum incentive under
MEIS at 4 per cent to promote the export of components. Other key recom-
mendations include providing efficient infrastructure with plug-and-play
facilities, support to MSMEs in testing and certification to global standards,
and an Innovation and Technology Fund for the acquisition of contempo-
rary technologies.
—Rajoo Goel, secretary-general, ELCINA
• Under this scheme, the govern- Modified Electronics Manufac-
ment has budgeted for an amount turing Clusters Scheme (EMC 2.0)
of up to ` 409.51 billion to be dis- • The EMC 2.0 scheme is a suc-
bursed over a period of five years. cessor to the EMC Scheme of
2012 with the objective of setting
Scheme for Promotion of manu- up world class infrastructure
facturing of Electronic Components for electronics manufacturing
and Semiconductors (SPECS) in clusters (with a minimum
• This scheme will provide an incen- area of 200 acres) along with
tive of 25 per cent on capital expendi- industry-specific common facil-
ture pertaining to plant, machinery, ity centres, ready to use factory
equipment, associated utilities and sheds (plug-and-play facilities),
technology, including R&D for the social infrastructure, etc.
identified list of components, semi- • The scheme will provide 50
conductors, ATMP units, specialised per cent of the project cost as
sub-assemblies and capital goods. a grant, subject to a ceiling of
• The government has earmarked ` 700 million for every 100 acres
an outlay of ` 32.85 billion, which of land for common infrastructure
can be awarded over a period of development.
eight years. • Apart from providing for the
• The scheme focuses on high value common facility centres (CFC),
added manufacturing, the lack it also offers financial assistance
of which hampers the design, of up to 75 per cent of the pro-
development and assembly of ject cost, subject to a ceiling of
the downstream value chain of ` 750 million.
electronic products. • The government has earmarked a
• The scheme will be applicable to budgetary outlay of ` 37.62 billion
investments in new units and for for this scheme over a period of
the expansion of capacity, as well eight years. The scheme is ex-
as the modernisation and diversi- pected to create around 1 million
fication of existing units. direct and indirect jobs.
 Electronics Industry

The electronic product categories

that will prosper post-pandemic
A webinar organised by ELCINA shed light on the ‘new normal’ in the post COVID-19 scenario.
Industry veterans discussed the deeper aspects of the crisis, what we should learn from it, and
offered pointers on how to emerge successfully into a more sustainable and prosperous world.

By Mukul Yudhveer Singh

T
he outbreak of COVID-19 has
created adversity in almost
every business vertical. It has
harmed our health as much as it has
harmed us economically. But with
every adversity comes an opportunity!
The theme ‘Prosperity in Adversity
– The New Normal Emerging Post COV-
ID-19 Scenario’ was explored by a highly
experienced, knowledgeable and capable
panel that included luminaries like:
• Ajai Chowdhry, co-founder, HCL
• Amrit Manwani, president, ELCI-
NA, and chairman, Sahasra Group
• Vinod Sharma, MD, Deki Electronics
• Dr Sreeram Srinivasan, CEO,
Syrma Technology
• Bhupender Saharan, CEO, VVDN
Technologies
• Narendra Mohapatra, CEO, Elec-
tronics Sector Skills Council of India
Organised by ELCINA, this panel
was moderated by A.M. Devendranath,
COO, Feedback Consulting. The
panelists indicated that telemedicine,
health tech, work-from-home products,
medical devices, networking devices
and environment-friendly electronic
devices would be areas that see a big
boom in the post COVID-19 era.
The agenda for discussion was
as follows:
• The COVID-19 crisis—not just a
virus but a larger malaise inflict-
ing human life
• How technology and electronics
can provide a solution for a more
humane, eco-friendly and sustain-
able way of living
• Sectors which will emerge strong-
er post COVID-19
• Specific opportunities and prod-
ucts that may drive the electronics
industry and market
Each panelist brought his own
experience and perspective to the dis-
cussion, so we are summarising a few
key insights from each one of them.

29 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz

Electronics Industry
What the industry veterans said
Ajai Chowdhry, co-founder, HCL
An entrepreneur at heart and a hugely successful industry
leader, Chowdhry has vast experience in electronics hard-
ware, technology development, building organisations and
in supporting startups and social causes.
He spoke about the uncertainty around COVID-19 and
the expectation of spikes before it ebbs. He believes that
there are going to be immense opportunities in telemedicine.
Many startups are working to tap these opportunities and
building products around this technology.
Chowdhry feels that a challenge we could have to face
is fewer permanent job opportunities, resulting in people
acquiring multiple skills. He referred to the concept of PURA
espoused by Dr Kalam – ‘Providing urban amenities to rural
areas’—and why this idea will become more relevant.
Among several other insights, Chowdhry highlighted the
growing importance of home devices, of 5G and broadband,
do-it-yourself kits, no touch devices, quick design skills,
environmentally safe technology and, of course, the medical
devices and equipment that are currently being imported.
Bhupender Saharan, CEO, VVDN Technologies
Saharan is a young entrepreneur who is working intensively on
design technology, R&D and manufacturing in today’s highly
competitive scenario. His view was that India has excelled in
software and now is the time to do the same in the hardware
domain. Saharan shared the following key insights:
• There were growing opportunities (pre-COVID-19) in emerging
technologies such as IoT, Industry 4.0, 5G and others, and
India needs to focus on their development and building IP.
• In order to compete with other countries, India should focus
more on mould designs/ mould engineering locally. This will
enhance our capacity to design products for domestic and
global markets. This will also reduce our dependence on China,
a country that we turn to repeatedly as it is good in this domain.
• Saharan’s company, VVDN Technologies, has worked on
5G and developed competitive solutions that are being
used by global telecom companies.
• The focus should be on the design and packaging of
electronics and components. The components ecosystem
has to evolve in order to compete on a global scale.
• We should create a healthy environment for product
engineering startups, and encourage them in product
development and manufacturing in India.
• We should focus relentlessly on design and development,
which is the way forward to develop our capabilities and
establish global leadership.
Vinod Sharma, MD, Deki Electronics
Sharma, a highly experienced, successful and creative entrepre-
neur in the components domain, spoke about the learnings from
COVID-19—the need to respect nature and its resources, which have
to be used carefully with sustainability as a priority. His thoughts:
• There is a dire need for developing a components based
ecosystem in the country.
• Equipment manufacturers buying components should sup-
port local component makers more and more.
• The three schemes announced by the Ministry of Elec-
tronics and IT (MeitY), which are SPECS, PLI and EMC
2.0, give increased opportunities for the development of
components and the mobile ecosystem in the country.
• There is a need for viability gap funding to take advan-
tage of the PLI scheme which is very attractive, but the
investment and output requirements are hard to achieve.
30 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz
• We should have a collaborative approach and focus
on setting up a complete ecosystem in order to get the
benefits of PLI and other schemes.
• We should solicit road maps from customers and plan
accordingly.
Dr Sreeram Srinivasan, CEO, Syrma Technology
Dr Srinivasan focused on the learnings and opportunities in
India in the post COVID-19 era:
• Investments in homeland security and surveillance will
increase, leading to a sharp rise in demand for cutting-edge
tech in these domains.
• Consumers will start switching to environment-friendly
products like electric cars, as well as the increased use of
e-rickshaws and e-buses.
• There will be greater concern and focus on the bottom
of the pyramid within our society.
• A big learning was from the huge challenge India faced
with respect to migrant workers who had to move en
masse after the lockdown, and many had to suffer.
• There will be greater emphasis on agriculture and food
processing, and the use of technology in this sector. This
will create greater opportunities and prosperity for those
in small towns and villages.
Narendra Mohapatra, CEO, Electronics Sector Skills
Council of India
Mohapatra spoke about the drastic changes in skilling require-
ments due to the need for new skills and also the skilling methods,
with more online and remote teaching techniques being adopted.
• Till now, ESSCI was hiring people from rural areas and
providing them training to carry out jobs in different
areas. However, ESSCI must now support people in rural
India in their environment, and provide them training to
work from their homes, e.g., rural BPOs.
• There should be more IoT based support activities.
• The life in rural India will change, leading to higher
productivity of rural people.
• There will be a need for workers and service providers to under-
stand and follow safe practices and methods when interacting
with clients, and use no-touch or minimum touch technology.
• With collaborative R&D, we should be open to explore
and showcase India’s capabilities to other countries.
Amrit Manwani, president, ELCINA, and chairman,
Sahasra Group
Manwani spoke about the emerging opportunities for electronics
manufacturers in India due to the shifting supply chains, driven
by the US-China trade tussle, safety as well as security concerns.
• A focus on exports will enable the development of econo-
mies of scale and enhance competitiveness.
• Opportunities are growing in medical electronics, emerging
technologies such as electric vehicles, IoT, 5G and Industry
4.0; and also in IT and data processing where demand will
soar globally due to the growth of online products and services
• We have to be proactive in exports, relentlessly contact
representatives in other countries, have joint ventures,
etc, so that we can succeed faster.
• India has strong export potential due to its strategic loca-
tion, good reputation and improving image.
• We have all the resources including our understanding
of technology as well as educated and skilled manpower.
We must pursue this opportunity as has been done by
all successful Asian economies.

Some general points
• Supportive policies for the electron-
ics industry have been introduced
by the government and these should
be well marketed and promoted.
• Demand for networking devices
will increase in all areas of busi-
ness, particularly in India.
• Vocal for local—customers are now
willing to look at Indian OEMs.
• We need to start manufacturing
more products in India.
• Equipment to manufacture compo-
nents should be made available at
reasonable rates.
COVID-19: The product
categories that will grow
• Telemedicine alone might see the
development of around 30 to 40
products. The approach should be
to deploy these not only in India
but on the global stage as well.
• The adoption of the work-from-
home (WFH) model will increase
after COVID-19. This will create a
demand for specific features from
home devices. Companies and
professionals should start working
on the same, now!
• Networking devices might also
see a big boom. This demand will
be driven by almost all verticals
across India.
• Increased use of broadband ser-
vices will give birth to increased
demand for Internet compatible
devices. For example, set-top boxes
might see a complete revamp in
terms of design and usability.
• Medical electronics will remain a
key priority in the times to come.
Companies in India should use this
opportunity to design such devices
for global markets.
• The faster adoption of Industry
4.0 will create a need for auto-
mated products. Working around
IoT, AI and ML will be an added
advantage.
• Consumers might start switching to
environment-friendly products like
electric cars. This area will also see
a lot of growth.
• A huge DIY-devices opportunity is
going to open up.
• Customers are now willing to look
at Indian OEMs despite the price
gap with Chinese counterparts,
thanks to Vocal for Local.
31 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz
What can be done to tap
the opportunities
• Start by having bigger aspira-
tions. Time and again, it has been
proven that aspirations help create
resources. In simpler words, higher
aspirations will automatically lead
to the creation of the resources
required to take the electronics
industry to the next level.
• Stop complaining about the gov-
ernment and start utilising what
we have to create a better electron-
ics value chain within the country.
The current government is helping
and certainly not stopping anyone!
• Start by implementing ways to
retain IP created in India, within
the country. We have the design
capabilities; now the focus should
be on manufacturing products
designed within India.
• The time might be right to unlearn a
few things and create a healthy en-
vironment for product engineering
startups. These need to be nurtured
and encouraged for product devel-
opment and manufacturing in India.
• Don’t miss the rural bus. As a lot of
people have started shifting back
to rural areas, these regions will
see a boom in demand for devices
required to work from home. For
rural areas, the idea should not be
to focus on cheap devices but on
devices and technology that help.
• Keep an eye open for what’s happen-
ing around you. COVID-19, social dis-
tancing and lockdowns are creating a
demand for new product categories.
Use your imagination and experience
to innovate such products.
• It is time to revisit the basics and
amend all the mistakes of the
past. For instance, developing an
ecosystem of components requires
companies to collaborate and
work with each other instead of
competing against each other.
• The time is ripe for creating a consor-
tium of component companies, de-
sign companies and R&D companies
in order to boost manufacturing in
India. This will enable the ESDM sec-
tor to move in one direction and cre-
ate more opportunities for everyone.
• Technology enables us to do things
from a distance. Hence, this is a
major opportunity for the electron-
ics industry.
Electronics Industry
Areas to focus on
A number of focus areas have been
highlighted by the panelists and some
additional points are listed below:
• We need to start manufacturing more
products in India instead of sourcing
from other countries. This can begin
with products designed in India.
• The current developments in the geo-
political arena indicate that the world
is looking for alternatives to China.
While India may or may not be the
top choice, it will always be among
the top five contenders. We need to
grab the opportunity and prove to the
world that they can make in India.
• Collaboration between ESDM
companies has become the need of
the hour. Whether it is design and
research collaboration or design,
components and manufacturing
collaboration—be open to explore
all avenues as we need to stand
together to showcase India’s capa-
bilities to the whole world.
• A collaboration between academia,
SMEs and startups can help create
global products here in India. This
will benefit SMEs too!
• The developments might also give
birth to demand for defence prod-
ucts. It’s time to step up like Israel
and commit to making India proud
of its electronics industry.
• To get the benefit of the PLI scheme,
consortiums need to be created
by like-minded firms operating in
sectors such as components—for
example, a consortium for passive
components, another for PCBs, etc.
Can the government help?
• The government has introduced sev-
eral good policies around electronics.
It needs to market these policies and
their benefits, in and outside India.
• An incentive for people buying lo-
cal can be a great step as this will
encourage both buyers and sellers.
For example, a majority of PCBs
manufactured in India are exported
because foreign players can pay bet-
ter prices than domestic customers.
• Facilities for manufacturing com-
ponents should be made available
at reasonable rates. Component
makers do not usually get a high
margin and hence find it difficult
to sustain expensive facilities with
high real estate costs.
Healthcare

COVID 19: The electronics

industry joins the fight
When the going gets tough, the tough get going. As the coronavirus pandemic swept the
world, catching national health systems off guard and bringing booming economies to a
grinding halt, many companies in India and around the world decided to help. Here’s an
article that fills one with hope – that when circumstances change, those who adapt the
fastest, can not only survive but also fight the common enemy!

By Mukul Yudhveer Singh

T
he outbreak of coronavirus has
put the old saying, ‘Necessity
is the mother of innovation’ to
the litmus test. This pandemic has
created such a big demand for medical
essentials like ventilators, that even
companies with no experience in pro-
ducing medical equipment, have had
to jump in to the rescue.
One such example is Electrolube.
Though the company specialises in
making chemicals for the electron-
ics industry and had no experience
in producing hand sanitisers, it still
did. The best part is that all the
chemicals used in manufacturing
sanitisers were sourced locally, and
the complete manufacturing process
took place in Electrolube’s India facil-
ity as well.
“The HSL500 sanitiser has been
created in a collaboration between
Electrolube’s Indian and UK R&D
teams. Electrolube has received
outstanding support from the gov-
ernment, which speeded up the pro-
cessing times for the manufacturing
licence, and we are proud to bring
out this product for the local mar-
ket,” states Padmanabha Shaktivelu,
general manager, Electrolube India.
Interestingly, the virus that the
electronics industry is joining hands
to fight against, originated from the
country known as the hub of electron-
ics manufacturing—China.
Generous donations
despite an uncertain future
COVID 19 was not only a global
health crisis but an economic one as
well. Several reports have claimed
that the outcome will be grimmer
than the last recession that left the
world economy in dire straits.
While some organisations an-
nounced pay cuts for employees, a
few have come forward and made
donations to fight the coronavi-
rus. In the US, the Analog Devices
Foundation donated US$ 500,000 to
the Massachusetts General Hospital.
The company says that this dona-
tion will directly support the work to
develop a vaccine and novel point-of-
care testing technologies
for COVID 19.
AT&S, a company
manufacturing PCBs,
has not only donated
` 2 million to the Kar-
nataka state government
but also ramped up its
manufacturing efforts to
support medical device
makers. The company
told EFY that it is operat-
ing despite being located
in a COVID 19 red zone.
At the time of writing
this article, AT&S had
manufactured and sup-
plied PCBs for use in
manufacturing more
than 15,000 ventilators.
“PCBs manufactured
by AT&S will facilitate
life-critical ventilators
to offer the necessary

32 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz


interface between the health profes-
sionals and the machine that pumps
oxygen, enabling COVID 19 patients
to breathe,” says Sunil Banwari, MD
and COO, AT&S India.
Navratna defence PSU, Bharat
Electronics Limited (BEL) has also
donated ` 127 million to the PM Re-
lief Fund in India. The employees of
BEL contributed one day’s salary for
the purpose.
Manufacturing ‘out of
league’ essentials
It usually takes a lot of research for
a company to venture into producing
anything new. However, certain play-
ers in the electronics industry proved
that when it comes to will, determina-
tion and helping humankind, nothing
is impossible.
For instance, Rashmi Rare Earth
Limited (RREL), the electronics
manufacturing unit of Rashmi Group
is currently producing 6,000 surgical
masks per hour.
The earlier mentioned example
of Electrolube making hand sanitisers
falls into this category.
Modifying existing products
While the examples of new product
innovations are high, companies
modifying existing solutions to make
them battle-ready against the corona-
virus are higher!
India Robotics Solutions, a startup
that specialises in creating solutions
for India’s agriculture industry, has
tweaked its existing drones to use
them in the fight against coronavi-
rus. The drones that were developed
to spray pesticides across agricul-
tural fields now spray disinfectant in
red zones.
Prashant Pillai and Sagar Nau-
griya, founders, India Robotics So-
lutions, told EFY, “We made minor
coding tweaks in the software of
these drones to make them ready for
combat against the coronavirus.”
The two founders have not only
given demos to various state authori-
ties but have also used these drones in
collaboration with Delhi’s municipal
corporation.
For the next phase, these drones
are being modified with thermal cam-
eras, night-vision cameras, medicine
kits and a loudspeaker. These modi-
33 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz
fications will be done considering the
needs of red zones.
3D printing to the rescue
The dearth of essentials including
medical ventilator parts, face masks,
PPEs and many other things was the
biggest challenge in the fight against
coronavirus, until 3D printing start-
ups came to the rescue.
Divide By Zero Technolo-
gies (DBZ), a Navi Mumbai based
manufacturer of industrial 3D print-
ers, started 3D printing face shields
in the middle of April 2020. The
startup delivered these to hospitals
in Mumbai. Three weeks later, DBZ
had 3D-printed close to 45,000 of
these face shields.
Ethereal Machines, a 3D design
startup, began making 3D-print-
ing splitters for ventilators in the
same month. These can be used to
split the airflow from one ventila-
tor in order to support two patients.
The WHO has classified medical
ventilators as critical equipment to
help coronavirus patients.
The scarcity of medical ventila-
tors was not only felt in India, but
by most other countries too. An-
other 3D printing company, which
goes by the name of 3Ding, has
also produced splitters for ventilators
using 3D printing. Stanley Govern-
ment Hospital in Chennai has tested
these splitters with their ventilators.
Open source ventilator designs
Engineers at Renesas followed sev-
eral open source ventilator designs,
including the Medtronic PB560, to
come up with an easy-to-assemble
three-board ventilator design. It con-
trols the tidal volume and mixture
of gas delivered to the patient while
monitoring the patient’s medical
parameters.
The ventilator is portable and can
be used with or without gas tanks.
In addition, a humidifier can be con-
nected to the ventilator’s intake path
to ease the patient’s breathing.
“Renesas’ engineers have cre-
ated a ventilator system reference
design to address the challenges
our global community faces as
we fight the COVID 19 pandemic,”
says Chris Allexandre, senior vice
president, IoT and Infrastructure
Healthcare
business unit at Renesas Electronics
Corporation.
He continues, “Leveraging our
broad product portfolio and system
design expertise, we are enabling
customers to accelerate their develop-
ment of medical ventilator systems
capable of operating in a home or
hospital environment.”
The companies producing com-
ponents for medical ventilators have
stepped up to the challenge too.
Maxim Integrated Products has ac-
celerated the production of its medi-
cal technologies to address increased
customer needs during the COVID
19 pandemic.
The company’s semiconductor
devices are used in medical equip-
ment such as virus detection devices,
ultrasounds, analytical/laboratory
equipment, ventilators, patient re-
mote monitoring devices, intravenous
blood monitors, temperature loggers
for critical COVID drugs, pulse oxime-
ters, remote patient/IR thermometers,
blood glucose meters for diabetics,
anaesthesia machines and disposable
patches for blood pressure.
“In order to support the efforts in
fighting this disease, we are adjust-
ing our manufacturing capacity to
prioritise products used in medical
equipment that assist in the diagnosis
and treatment of COVID 19 patients,”
says Tunç Doluca, president and CEO
at Maxim Integrated.
More than 100,000 people have
been infected by the coronavirus in
India at the time of writing this ar-
ticle. This tally for the world stands
at 5 million. According to Wikipedia,
more than 328,000 people have died
due to the coronavirus infection
(figures mentioned were current on
May 21).
The coming days might require
more players from the electron-
ics industry to join the fight as medi-
cal ventilators become the need of the
hour. While the virus outbreak has
not peaked in India, it is believed that
the months of June and July 2020 may
be critical for the country. The future
may be uncertain, but when the his-
tory of the fight against COVID 19 is
written, all these electronics compa-
nies that faced the challenge head
on will be remembered fondly and
written about in golden letters.
Power Management

Power grid collaboratives enable

new levels of power utilisation
The essence of collaborative networking is that smart homes communicate with each other to
create a community, as opposed to each smart home communicating independently with the
public utility. Solar aggregators and other suppliers of local power manage the community’s
energy resources. This scenario opens up a wide range of design opportunities in electronics.

By Jack Shandle

Figure 1: Solar panels supply the base level power for collaborative networks (Source: iStockPhoto.com)

T
he distributed intelligence that
has been the defining charac-
teristic of the smart grid can do
more than enable smart homes and
help utilities distribute power more
efficiently. These two well-known
advantages will be enhanced by two
revolutionary changes at the edge of
the power grid.
The first change is that the large
fossil-fuel generating stations that
public utilities use to pump out en-
ergy to the grid will be challenged by
smaller power-generation networks
—mostly solar, initially—that lever-
age collaborative energy exchange.
It is likely that the centre of these
collaborative networks will be solar
power aggregators such as Sunrun
Corp., Solar City and the aptly named
SunEdison—three of the larger com-
panies involved in home solar power
installation, financing and leasing.
Leaders in smart meter technol-
ogy such as Itron Corp. will also be
key players.
Aggregating solar energy requires
intelligence at every level, includ-
ing smart meters, but it also has to
include solar inverters upping their
game so that they assist in the critical
task of estimating how much power
can be generated at any given mo-
ment and what to do with it.
The second change will be to
accommodate and exploit the emer-
gence of electric vehicles. As more
electric cars get bought, one natural
consequence will be more 240V

34 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz

 Power Management

Smart Meter Block Diagram View Product List

AC/DC Converter
Voltage Energy Meter ZigBee AFE
Sensor IC Module Application Processor
Battery Charger
Battery
Current
RTC ISM RF D-Sub Connector
Sensor
Energy Meter IC
Ethernet Transceiver
AFE PLC Smart Card Smart Card ISM RF
Modern Interface IC Connector LCD Display
PLC Modern
RJ-45 Connector
Application RS-485 D-Sub
RS-485 Transceiver
Processor Transceiver Connector
Power Line RTC
Supervisory
Interface Smart Card Connector
USB USB Smart Card Interface IC
Transceiver Receptacles Supervisory
Power Management USB Receptacles
USB Transceiver
AC/DC Ethernet RJ-45 VREG
Battery Transceiver Connector
Converter
ZigBee

Battery
VREG LCD Display
Charger

Figure 2: Block diagram of a typical smart meter (Source: Mouser Electronics)

charging stations in homes, which
will radically change the load profile
of the average residential customer.
Charging electric vehicles may also
stress the capacity of existing power
distribution systems. Under the right
circumstances, however, car batteries
may also be used as a local energy re-
source. Vehicle-to-home adapters can
be designed to discharge their energy
to power a home during a brownout.
Collaborative networks
The essence of collaborative network-
ing is that smart homes communicate
with each other to create a commu-
nity, as opposed to each smart home
communicating independently with
the public utility. Solar aggregators
and other suppliers of local power
manage the community’s energy
resources.
Potentially, any local entity with
internal energy production capa-
bilities, like a business or business
park, factory, university, or hospital,
could participate. Information will
be transmitted not only over the util-
ity’s power grid but also using social
media and, importantly, the Internet
of Things (IoT).
This scenario opens up a wide
range of design opportunities in
electronics, which include energy
monitoring at a more granular level
and, at the other end of the business
model, handling the financial and
business aspects of small-scale energy
exchange.
It’s important for energy consum-
ers and energy producers to measure
and understand the bi-directional
flow of both energy and informa-
tion. Financial transactions such as
taking advantage of credits and in-
centives for clean energy generation,
behaviour modification and carbon
emission reduction will rely heavily
on measurement and collaboration
among multiple stakeholders.
In a collaborative network, utili-
ties will not only be able to identify
customers with solar panels but also
which of those customers qualify as
having a ‘smart home’. For their part,
consumers will know more about in-
centives the utility might be offering
and how they can benefit by using
home automation software. At the
local level, energy services companies
will be better able to control genera-
tion in the aggregate so they can par-
ticipate proactively in energy markets
for grid stability services. Cost savings
derived from collaboration could be
passed on to consumers in the form
of more attractive financing for solar
panel installation.
Cooperative power
management
Highly accurate measurements of
bi-directional energy flow and volt-
age monitoring will be required for
energy-producing equipment such as
solar inverters and batteries/energy
storage systems because they will now
be directly involved in market transac-
tions. The sensors and processors in
these products must deliver high qual-
ity, but still be relatively inexpensive.
On the other hand, the role played
by equipment such as load control
switches, thermostats, pumps, water
heaters, and smart appliances will be
to help collaborators understand the
cyclic behaviour of their equipment and
provide estimates of energy consumption
over time, such as with HVAC systems.
These products can work successfully
with sensors that don’t require revenue-
grade measurement.
Although collaborative power
networks are just getting off the
ground, semiconductor companies
have already developed strategies,
ecosystems and product portfolios
that make designing for collaborative
networks easier. For the most part,
the chips designed for the traditional
version of the smart grid and smart
home will work just as well in col-
laborative networks.

35 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz

Power Management
Solar panels are the linchpin of
collaborative networks because they
provide the basic commodity: energy.
Photovoltaic conversion has come a
long way in the past decade but us-
ing it as the primary power source
for a community makes reliability
and predictability essential. Solar
energy efficiency depends on many
variables including the amount of
sunshine available for harvesting, the
temperature of the solar panels, and
their theoretical peak efficiency. For
design engineers, another problem
is that photovoltaic cells produce
voltages that vary erratically around
a half volt. This has many implica-
tions, such as when choosing a power
conversion topology. It is possible, for
example, for a poorly implemented
power conversion technology to
consume a high percentage of the
harvested photovoltaic power.
To accommodate the inconvenient
fact that the sun does not shine 24
hours a day, batteries are required for
delivering power when the panels are
not producing enough energy. Adding
batteries to the system makes DC-DC
conversion circuits a necessity. Bat-
tery management and monitoring
circuits are also required so that the
batteries can be charged efficiently.
In both collaborative and tradi-
tional power distribution networks,
solar systems interface with the
power grid, which requires phase syn-
chronisation and power factor correc-
tion. There are also several use cases
that require sophisticated control. For
example, fault projection must be
built in, to guard against events such
as brownouts and blackouts.
Micro inverters
Typically, solar panels installed in a
residential setting have a single power
inverter, which basically handles the
conversion of unregulated DC power
from all the solar panels in the sys-
tem, to high-quality AC power that
can be used by the consumer. The
most significant downside of a single-
inverter power conversion topology
is the reliability issue: if the inverter
malfunctions, the energy being gener-
ated by all the panels is lost until the
inverter is fixed or replaced. Single-
inverter topologies also are limited
in efficiency because each panel has
36 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz
different operating characteristics that
are ‘averaged out’ during conversion.
The problems of single-inverter
topologies can be addressed by using
a micro inverter for each individual
solar panel. In many applications,
using the micro-inverter topology can
significantly improve overall system
efficiency. Energy continues to be
converted even if one micro inverter
malfunctions. On the other hand, mi-
cro inverter topologies require a dedi-
cated MCU and other components for
each solar panel. Additional MCUs
can be added to improve monitoring
and for metrology.
Another important benefit is the
ability to adjust conversion param-
eters on each panel to accommodate
the amount of sunlight, shade,
rain, and other variables. In order
to handle this task, micro inverters
typically execute sophisticated algo-
rithms known as maximum power
point transition (MPPT) algorithms.
This computational requirement
can add another feature to the MCU
—a DSP core. At the panel level, a
30 per cent increase in efficiency is
easily attainable.
Collaborative networks obviously
require communication between pan-
els to keep loads in balance, and al-
low advance planning for how much
power will be available, and what
to do with it. Since each subsystem
will be part of the IoT, the first com-
munication requirement is the use of
Internet protocols.
To simplify interfacing with other
micro inverters, the MCU should
also integrate on-chip communica-
tions peripherals such as CAN, SPI,
and UARTs. Supporting power line
communications protocols is another
important option because it would
eliminate some of the wires dedicated
to communication. But this requires
a high-performance PWM capability
to be built into the MCU.
Semiconductor companies have
comprehensive product portfolios for
micro-inverter designs. Freescale rec-
ommends its MC56F84xxx digital
signal controllers and its Kinetis KV3x
microcontrollers. Texas Instruments of-
fers its C2000 solar micro inverter
development kit based on the com-
pany’s Piccolo TMS320F28035 micro-
controller. Microchip Technology offers
a reference design and development
tools for micro inverter development.
Smarter homes and
smarter grids
Collaborative power networks based
on sharing solar generation with a
traditional utility grid for support also
have many characteristics of the smart
grid. Internet-enabled appliances and
other products as small as light bulbs
feed their information into a home area
network (HAN) using ZigBee, Blue-
tooth, Wi-Fi or some other wireless
protocol. A gateway transports the
aggregated information though a smart
meter and into the solar aggregator,
which has now taken the place, at least
in part, of the public utility.
Advanced energy applications
leverage this data into actionable
events. Metering data is stored in a
variety of data formats so it can be
used by multiple communications
interfaces. For the consumer, down-
loadable apps are being developed
to extract value from local metering
data. Calculating baseline consump-
tion locally in a device provides con-
sumers and utilities with indications
of typical usage, and the chance to
reduce load during demand-response
events. Similarly, rate calculation
code can estimate the cost of battery
charging—including electric vehi-
cles—or for energy conservation. All
this helps consumers select the best
choice of tariff given their energy-
consumption behaviour.
In summary, collaborative power
networks that combine energy utilisa-
tion, generation and storage by end
consumers are a new spin on the
smart grid. Collaborative networks
require accurate measurement and
communications, however, which
means that intelligence and control
must be extended to multiple parties
in order to create mutual value.
The author is a former chief editor of
two major publications for electronics
engineers and is a successful freelance
writer specialising in communica-
tions, semiconductors, wireless and
EDA. He has logged more than 25
years writing, editing and managing
websites for technology companies. A
graduate electrical engineer, he lives
and works in San Francisco.
 Cloud Computing

Demand for cloud computing will

increase in India due to COVID-19
The India cloud market will witness greater adoption of the public
cloud, which will drive IT infra-related investments.

By Rishu Sharma

A
ccording to IDC’s ‘COVID-19
Impact on IT Spending Sur-
vey, May 2020’, as a result
of the spread of the pandemic, 64
per cent of Indian organisations are
expected to increase their cloud com-
puting spends.
The need to work remotely is
bolstering the demand for SaaS based
collaborative apps, to ensure both an
on- and offsite presence at all times
and zero-disruption to business. This
will also increase the need for re-
mote support services – both human
professional services and cloud soft-
ware – especially related to security/
identity. VPNs, collaboration suites,
end-point encryption, and cloud tools
will witness increased adoption.
Digitally-determined organisations
are likely to sustain their plans, be-
ing better positioned to address the
situation by leveraging technologies
like collaboration and the cloud, for
maintaining continuity. Industries
like media, education, and IT/ITeS
are likely to see increased use of the
cloud, primarily because of online en-
tertainment, virtual classrooms, and
the increased need for collaboration
as a result of remote working.
An accelerated adoption of the
cloud is expected as organisations
explore and test many new initiatives
natively on the cloud. As industries
move away from owning infrastruc-
ture, pay-per-use models are likely
to see greater demand. Public cloud
services will be among the few tech-
nologies that are positively impacted
by COVID-19.
IDC’s latest report, ‘COVID-19
Impact on India Cloud Services’, fo-
cuses on COVID-19’s potential impact
on the India cloud market and how
enterprises are planning to leverage
the cloud as they grapple with these
uncertain times. The study covers
the change in cloud budgets and the
demand for technologies that will en-
sure business continuity. The report
also covers some of the initiatives
from Indian vendors to support their
customers, in this hour of need.
“While the impact of COVID-19
will be clearer in the coming quarters,
the cloud has been a saviour during
the crisis. Cloud-based VDI and col-
laboration tools helped enterprises to
stay in touch with their employees,
clients and partners. Cloud based
solutions continued to run and enable
seamless business operations during
the crisis, and this has increased
the confidence of enterprises in
embracing the cloud,” says Sharath
Srinivasamurthy, research director,
enterprise solutions and ICT prac-
tices, IDC India.
The author is principal analyst,
cloud and AI, IDC India.

37 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz

Mixed Reality

How AR and VR can be

applied to marketing
Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies are making the
in-store experience truly fun and innovative. They improve interactivity, level of
engagement and offer great excitement.

By Dr Deepak Halan

Facebook’s Oculus VR system (Credit: https://swiftinformer.com)

C
an you imagine a bus stop
that entertains while you wait?
Pepsi created such an experi-
ence for commuters in 2014 at a bus
shelter in London. Augmented reality
(AR) technology was used to project
UFOs, giant robots, balloons and a ti-
ger inside the shelter. The technology
made it look as if those scenes were
actually happening on the street.
Technology is advancing at an
unprecedented rate. Increasingly, the
real, physical world we occupy seems
to be blending with the technological
world we have created. And there is
no better example of this amalgama-
tion of two worlds than the concept
of AR and virtual reality (VR).
But what is AR and VR? What
purpose do these serve? And above
all, how are AR and VR changing the
way goods and services are marketed?
Introduction to AR
AR was introduced in 1974 when
Myron Krueger, an American com-
puter artist, built Laboratory Vide-
oplace, combining projectors with
video cameras that emitted onscreen
silhouettes, to provide an interactive
environment for users.
In 1992, American inventor, Lous
Rosenberg, developed Virtual Fixtures
for the US Air Force. It had an overlay
of augmented sensory information to
improve performance of direct and
remotely-controlled tasks.
Seven years later, in 1999, Hi-
rokazu Kato developed ARToolKit,
an open source software library for
AR applications that overlay virtual
imagery on the real world.

38 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz


In 2009, Esquire magazine used
AR. On scanning the cover of the
magazine, Robert Downey Jr came
alive to introduce the issue—tilting
the magazine in various directions
made models in the magazine alter
their clothing, and on checking the
magazine after midnight, the reader
found content different from what it
was in the daytime.
Between 2011 and 2013, AR was
successfully used for marketing by
such companies as Disney, Coca-
Cola and National Geographic for
campaigns, and in public spaces like
shopping malls and Times Square in
New York. Later, car manufacturer
Volkswagen used AR for service man-
uals to provide step-by-step repair
assistance, enabling service techni-
cians to see the repair processes on
the vehicles.
In 2014, Google introduced Google
Glass, the first mass-produced, wear-
able AR device that made it easy to
get digital information simply by nod-
ding one’s head. A few months later,
Snapchat added the geo-filter feature,
which allowed adding geographic
locations to photos. Later, they intro-
duced Lenses, a feature that mapped
users’ faces to add motion graphics
to photos and videos.
In 2016, Nintendo used AR tech-
nology for the first time for a mobile
game, Pokémon GO, which caught
the public eye and became highly
popular. In Pokémon GO, animated
creatures are overlaid in real-world
locations, and the player needs to
go out and catch these creatures in
the wild by travelling around in the
real world.
In April 2017, Mark Zuckerberg,
chief executive officer, Facebook,
added an AR platform to provide
digital effects to still images, making
users’ interaction more interesting
and enjoyable. The next development
was merging computer graphics with
the physical environment and making
them interactive in response to users’
voice, gestures and touch.
Currently, AR is being used to
project graphics onto sports pitches
to identify markings and distance,
and promote products and brands. It
is increasingly becoming an indispen-
sable market tool for business houses
to effectively engage shoppers with
39 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz
Pepsi’s AR advertisement turns a bus stop wall in London into a fake window (Credit: www.theverge.com)
their product and brand story. The AR
industry is a steadily growing market
and slated to touch almost US$ 120
billion by 2020 with one billion people
estimated to be using it.
AR is an experience that involves
integration of digital information
with information from the user’s
real-world environment on real-time
basis. This experience is usually
displayed on a screen or monitor,
which could be as small as a tablet
or mobile, or as large as an advertis-
ing billboard. AR uses visuals, sound
and even haptics (touch/movement)
to create an immersive experience.
Simply put, AR is an embellished or
altered form of reality where content
lays over the user’s real-world views,
enhancing information about the
world around.
While shopping, extra informa-
tion about products can be obtained
by just scanning the product tag with
a smartphone. With AR, it becomes
possible to try out clothes and ac-
cessories in the comfort of your own
home, instead of physically going to
the marketplace.
What is VR
The concept of VR dates back to the
1930s, when Stanley G. Weinbaum,
a science fiction writer, in his book
Pygmalion’s Spectacles referred to a
game in which players wear goggles
to watch a holographic recording of
virtual stories, and experience touch
and smell.
Mixed Reality
The real development started
in 1968, when Ivan Sutherland,
an electrical engineer at Harvard
University, created a head-mounted
display (HMD) system for military
training applications, nicknamed
The Sword of Damocles. The mas-
sive headset, being very heavy,
was anchored to the ceiling and the
user was strapped into the system,
making the whole experience quite
uncomfortable.
In 1990s, VR headsets were used
in some arcade games for simulation.
The first home system, Virtual Boy
from Nintendo, appeared in 1995. It
had stereo sound, LCD screens and
head tracking. It did not become
a big hit as using the console was
uncomfortable and the software was
not easily available.
A revolution in VR technology
took place in 2014 when Facebook
acquired Oculus VR system. Oculus
introduced modern easy-to-use plug-
and-play compatible headsets with
a wide range of supported applica-
tions. Modern VR devices are avail-
able with 360° cameras and cheaper
headsets, and improvements are
continuously taking place to improve
3D graphics and make the devices
wireless and faster. VR training tools
are being widely used in military for
combat situations, flight exercises
and the like.
VR is an artificial, computer-
generated simulation or recreation of
a real-life environment or situation.
Mixed Reality
It makes users experience simulated
reality first-hand using vision and
hearing. It transforms users into a
360-degree environment where they
can move around at their own pace to
explore whatever is of interest.
A headset is necessary to expe-
rience VR. Mostly, VR is used in
gaming, entertainment, simulators,
education and marketing indus-
tries, and is an excellent tool for
practising medicine, surgery, flying,
driving and so on. The user wears
an HMD, makes simple head move-
ments and looks around to interact
with the virtual world.
Difference between
AR and VR
Both VR and AR present users an
enhanced or enriched experience.
VR is a distinct concept from AR,
as there is no element of real world
involved, whereas AR is the blend-
ing of computer-generated elements
with the real world. AR adds virtual
components such as digital images
and graphics to perceive a live view
with the help of a camera. It may or
may not interact with the elements
in the live view.
When using VR, what one sees
and experiences is different from
what is actually around the user,
since it is entirely simulated. AR is
less intrusive, costs less and is easier
to apply to everyday life, versus VR.
Use of AR and VR
as a marketing tool
Many brands have either adopted or
are thinking of adopting creative ways
to promote their products.
Digital technology for advertising
conventionally uses online video,
A customer scans a product using AR, inside a retail store (Credit: YouTube)
40 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz
Lowe created VR experience Holoroom where customers can virtually test different types of tools
(Credit: www.roadtovr.com)
pop-ups, pop-unders, displays,
banners, etc. Several users found
these annoying and intrusive. As a
result, blockers started appearing,
and this reduced the effectiveness
of the advertisements. It was felt
that new techniques were required
to provide novel experiences to the
target audience.
Use of VR and AR for marketing
changed the playing field dramati-
cally. Leading businesses are incor-
porating AR or VR, or both, as part
of their digital marketing strategy
to attract customers, promote their
products, increase sales, retain
customers and provide unique
experiences to shoppers. Their use
is growing across various indus-
tries, be it healthcare, medicine,
astronomy, education, defence or
consumer goods.
AR and VR technologies enable
integration of digital technology
with marketing strategies, trans-
forming the shopping experience
to a new level.
AR is relatively more effective
as it involves lower costs and helps
customers in making shopping deci-
sions while engaged with the content.
AR and VR also provide in-store
experience in the comfort of home
without having to physically visit the
marketplace. e-Commerce platforms
are increasingly using AR to enable
customers to experience the product
as if present in the real-life setting.
Use of AR and VR in retail stores, e-
commerce and advertising is the next
big thing ready to disrupt marketing
concepts.
Artificial reality marketing
(ARM) is a multi-media promotional
activity that encourages interac-
tion between the customer and the
brand, creating a greater level of
emotional engagement, increas-
ing customer loyalty, enhancing
publicity and building long-term
relationships. Businesses integrate
these technologies into marketing
strategies for providing richer and
more realistic feel of their products
(AR catwalks, AR showrooms), for
enabling shoppers to try-on prod-
ucts (AR mirrors) and for raising
awareness of their brand (creative
and interactive AR campaigns).
AR and VR technologies provide
shoppers an opportunity to explore
products and customise them to
their liking.

For example, while shopping
for a car, users can try out differ-
ent colours, check out features and
manoeuvre the car through a virtual
test drive. Realtors use VR to design
virtual tours to provide 360-degree
walkthrough of the property, try out
different paint colours on the walls
or simply add furniture to experience
how the property will actually look.
ARM combines traditional advertis-
ing with mobile devices to attract
customers’ attention by projecting 3D
images of products onto the screen of
their mobile devices, offering them a
unique and personal experience.
ARM campaigns need to be aligned
with the company’s objective, be
utility-oriented and offer a valuable
experience to customers. For example,
Burberry store in London provides an
interactive and exclusive experience to
its customers. A hundred screens with
500 speakers enable them to interact
with the store. Mirrors with cameras
get transformed into screens displaying
live video of the customer wearing the
product, giving a glimpse of how well
a product fits on the customer.
Lego uses ARM during the pre-
purchase phase of marketing. In the
store, a virtual model of the Lego toy
can be created, which gets projected
on the package when it is presented
to the camera of the Lego kiosk. Once
the Lego toy is built, the customer is
able to bring the creation to life using
Lego Storyteller app.
AR has been successfully used
with brochures and catalogues, too.
On mobile devices using AR app
product information and features
can be seen. Automaker Audi created
an AR brochure offering customers
interactive experience that allowed
them to explore the virtual cockpit
of 2016 Audi TT. Lowe created VR
experience Holoroom using HTC Vive
VR headset. Using it, customers could
virtually test different types of tools
and equipment and pick DIY skills.
AR and VR in retail
Using VR technology, retailers can
create simulated experiences to cap-
ture the curiosity of shoppers and
share their brand story with them.
The technology helps them stand out
from the competition, attract more
customers and boost sales.
41 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz
Intel Magic Mirror, a virtual fitting room (Credit: http://newsroom.intel.com)
John Lewis, a UK-based depart-
mental store, ran a VR campaign,
Monty’s Christmas, about a young
boy Sam and his best friend, Monty
the Penguin, to promote their holiday
campaign. The experience allowed
children as well as adults to explore
the story of Monty and Sam using a
Google Cardboard VR headset. The
campaign boosted sales and left a
lasting impression, making custom-
ers eager to visit again during the
next season.
Outdoor apparel company, Merrell
launched VR campaign TrailScape,
using an Oculus Rift headset, to
launch Capra hiking boots. It was a
4D, motion-tracked, multi-sensory
virtual experience that simulated ex-
treme landscapes like wobbly bridges
and landslides. Motion-capture tech-
nology put adventurers into scenarios
Snapshot from Lacoste LCST AR retail cam-
paign (Credit: www.enginecreative.co.uk)
Mixed Reality
they would not normally encounter
on a hike.
Easing the buying decision: Using
VR, retailers facilitate shoppers mak-
ing purchase decisions even where
they cannot physically interact with
the products. eBay Australia launched
the world’s first virtual department
store. With the help of Google Card-
board headset, called Shoptical,
shoppers could view 3D images of
products, and examine different fea-
tures, colours and materials, getting
the familiar physical shopping experi-
ence. It allowed users to browse, sort
and engage with items of interest by
just looking at them. It generated
invaluable data for eBay to analyse
what catches the shoppers’ attention
and how they browse in a VR space.
When product prices are high,
one hesitates in making a decision to
spend money. For example, booking
a costly holiday trip entails consider-
able research to decide tour plans and
make a financial commitment. What
if one gets to experience various travel
destinations without actually travel-
ling there?
Thomas Cook, a travel agency,
provided potential vacationers op-
portunity to explore a series of virtual
holidays through Samsung Gear VR.
They created Try Before You Fly,
360-degree VR films showcasing
available holidaying opportunities.
They even made travellers experi-
ence helicopter tours for such sites
as Egyptian pyramids. To complement
Mixed Reality
the in-store experience, Thomas Cook
created an app to view the content
from the comfort of home. The VR
experience created immense interest
and generated about US$ 15,600, a
forty per cent return on investment.
Building an intelligent testing
environment: Retailers combine
virtual environments and shopper
analytics to improve store layout,
marketing displays, product pack-
aging and customer journey. Smith
Brothers, USA, developed day- and
night-time cough drops. They suc-
cessfully used a virtual store to test
the developed product, validate
packaging and measure expected
performance of the product. The test
enabled Smith Brothers to improve
the product before finally launching
it in the market.
Virtual fitting rooms: Many
shoppers consider trying on clothing
inconvenient and time-consuming,
feel embarrassed asking for a trial
room or are simply lazy to take off
shoes and clothes. AR-based virtual
fitting rooms are a cost-effective solu-
tion to get such reluctant shoppers try
products, enhance shoppers’ conveni-
ence, improve shopping experience
and promote business.
Timberland set up a virtual fitting
room in Warsaw, Poland, for virtu-
ally trying-on the products without
going into a dressing room, using a
magic mirror in which, the shopper
and objects around were augmented
on a 2.03m (80-inch) screen. They
could take pictures using cellphones
for sharing on social media. Images
were displayed on shopping windows
Hybrid reality is the way for the future (Credit: https://whooptous.com)
42 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz
AR mirror developed by Italian beauty retailer Sephora (Credit: YouTube)
too, to drive more foot traffic. Virtual
fitting rooms are a game changer as
they have changed the way traditional
and digital marketing operates.
French clothing company Lacoste
launched 3D AR app to trigger inter-
active 3D models of the new range of
LCST trainer shoes. To virtually try
out the trainer shoes, shoppers placed
their foot on the in-store floor graphic
and scanned it with a smartphone.
The shoe image was superimposed
around their feet without having to
wait for a shop assistant or taking
off their shoes. They could examine
the features and swipe to view other
trainers in the range. They could also
share images via social media.
Italian beauty retailer Sephora
launched an AR mirror that enabled
shoppers to virtually put makeup on
images of their faces and like in real
life, mix and match different shades
of cosmetics by tapping a palette on
the screen.
Ikea created its Ikea Catalogue app
to develop AR images of products,
which appeared on mobile screen as
if they were in the customer’s home.
This enabled customers to virtually
try out various products for size,
shape, colour and positioning to see
how these would actually fit into
the room.
Volvo uses AR for its custom-
ers to view the inner components
and features of a Volvo model us-
ing Volvo X-ray app, turning their
iPads into portable x-ray scanners.
Customers can see underneath the
car’s exteriors, inner mechanics and
components, as well as explore the
car’s features through a 360-degree
viewing element.
Starbucks offers customers an
app for an immersive in-store AR
experience in Starbucks Reserve
Roastery in Shanghai. The experi-
ence includes an online market-
place, Tmall, where shoppers can
purchase merchandise or experi-
ence the specially-curated coffee.
Starbucks is also trying out VR
technology to transport viewers to
coffee farms in various countries to
make them feel confident about the
purchases they make.
19 Crimes, a wine label estab-
lished by Treasury Wine Estates,
launched AR app Living Wine Labels.
On hovering a smartphone camera in
front of the wine bottle, mug shots of
notorious 18th century British crimi-
nals (convicts who committed one
of the nineteen crimes punishable by
exile to Australia) come alive as 3D
characters who narrate their story to
amuse wine drinkers.

The marketing strategy was
simple, creative, entertaining and
enhanced the consumer experience.
As the experience was surprising and
unexpected, consumers were eager
to share it with family, friends and
social networks. Sales of 19 Crimes
increased, helping them become one
of the fastest-growing brands.
Making AR marketing
a success
The following aspects can guide one
towards using AR effectively for mar-
keting purposes.
Consider holistic customer expe-
rience: Do not pick AR technology
just because it is the latest and fash-
ionable. Before investing think about
the holistic customer experience and
the purpose AR would actually serve
to enhance it. AR should be used
when it is essential to showcase
content as part of the environment.
Focus on simple, straightforward
concept: The campaign should not be
overcomplicated; rather it should be
simple and straightforward, providing
a simple and interesting way to bring
the desired experience to shoppers.
The campaign should be memorable,
making shoppers wanting to share
it with others and help in taking a
purchase decision.
Make AR experiences Aha! mo-
ments: Shoppers should be provided
necessary instructions and technical
help to guide them. Those who are
less tech-savvy will need extra techni-
cal help. The AR experience should
trigger an Aha! moment and light up
their faces.
AR experience should be use-
ful, not just fun: The AR marketing
campaign should be useful, educating
43 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz
and convenient. Fun and usefulness
should be combined. For example,
Ben & Jerry’s AR ice-cream lids, while
making the brand image playful,
educated shoppers about usefulness
of the ingredients used.
Design the AR experience consid-
ering the environment: Take advan-
tage of the physical environment, be
aware of where and how users will be
interacting with the content—out on
the streets, at home or inside a shop-
ping mall; in a rush or at leisure—how
far will they be from the products
they scan, will they be using their
own mobile data or like to connect
to a hotspot, and what would be the
best moment to make them try the
experience.
Test effectiveness of the experi-
ence: It is important to test the AR
experience before launching, to check
its usability, whether it resonates
with shoppers and whether they will
understand the concept as intended.
Consider providing free trials and
demo apps to try out the concept.
Measure profitability: At the
end of the day, it is profitability that
wins the race. ROI counts the most.
Some of the ways that can be used to
measure the success and ROI are me-
dia coverage, increased brand value,
engagement time spent and number
of interactions, and clicks needed to
make a purchase.
The future
AR and VR technologies are making
the in-store experience truly fun and
innovative. They improve interactiv-
ity, level of engagement and offer
great excitement. The experience
cannot be equalled by online shop-
ping and will be of great assistance
Mixed Reality
to the brick-and-mortar retail stores
to considerably increase the numbers
of shoppers. This is more applicable
to India, where physical stores are
struggling against huge discounts be-
ing offered by online shopping sites.
The technologies can be ex-
plored in several ways by retailers
to improve their customer base
and enhance customer satisfaction.
These technologies are adaptable for
many uses as they integrate physi-
cal and digital worlds. Enormous
opportunity is available to combine
online and offline experiences into
an omni-channel marketing strategy
to improve sales.
While AR and VR technologies
have been around for quite some
time, businesses are only just learning
and experiencing their true potential.
There is plenty still to be explored to
make AR and VR technologies work
to promote businesses and brands.
The technologies provide great op-
portunities to explore and experiment
with out-of-the-box brand engage-
ment to increase sales and help
strengthen the bond with customers.
Adoption of these technologies
may have been slow, but they are
undoubtedly set to become highly
popular and useful. Mixed reality
(MR), also known as hybrid real-
ity or extended reality (XR), is an
intersection between VR and AR,
and joins the finest aspects of both
technologies.
The author is the associate professor
at School of Management Sciences,
Apeejay Stya University.
This article was first published in the
March 2020 issue of Electronics For You.
Manufacture

Can India’s EMS sector turn

adversity into an opportunity?
The Indian electronics industry is facing unique challenges. Local manufacturing is limited
and overly dependent on Chinese imports, and the pandemic has only made matters worse.
But this could be the moment for giving a huge push to the industry’s manufacturing
priorities, and wooing investors and companies.

By Nijhum Rudra

I
n 1977, when the California based
firm Solectron began operations to
service a large OEM in the solar
energy space, the global electronics
manufacturing services (EMS) in-
dustry was born. In those days, the
large scale manufacturing of elec-
tronics was done in-house by the big
OEMs themselves. The arrival of EMS
providers reduced the intricacies of
human resource issues for the OEMs
and also offered greater flexibility for
SMBs doing limited production. The
business model of EMS companies
was to specialise in large scale pro-
duction, enabling cost-cutting through
the economies of scale, raw materials
procurement and pooling together of
resources, apart from also offering
industrial design competence, and
valued added services such as war-
ranty and repairs.
This enabled OEM customers to electronic products. The basic aim of scale, as it is expensive to set up
avoid holding huge inventories. In of this policy is to promote greater one’s own facility or find niches for
the same way, the Indian electronics exports of electronics and drive larger small volumes in high end contract
industry also started witnessing growth investments by setting up port-based manufacturing plants.”
and demand in the late 70s and early electronics manufacturing clusters.
80s, which ultimately led to the devel- Upasana Joshi, associate research Growth of EMS in India
opment of the domestic EMS sector. manager, IDC, in an exclusive talk To boost the EMS and ESDM clusters
India is now one of the largest elec- with Electronics Bazaar, said, “There in India the Centre has launched a
tronics markets in the world, with as has been an explosion in local manu- range of initiatives and schemes.
yet untapped potential in rural areas, a facturing in the past few years with Many of them, such as MSIPS, proved
growing middle class, rising disposable a majority of the large brands either to be successful, but the torchbearer
incomes, a favourable duty structure, establishing their own factory setup among all the policies is the revised
the ongoing digitisation trend, etc. or opting for contract manufacturing National Policy on Electronics (NPE)
According to the research firm In- with giants like Foxconn, Flextronics, 2019, which has targeted a turnover
dia Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), etc. But this trend is limited to the of US$ 400 billion by 2025 from do-
the electronics industry in India is top few brands, who together make mestic manufacturing. This is to be
expected to reach US$ 400 billion by up for 80 per cent of the smartphone achieved by setting up clusters for
the end of 2020 as it is now one of the market, leaving the small vulnerable the entire value chain, and employ-
fastest growing sectors in the country. players behind. The latter struggle ing over 10 million people directly or
The government of India is trying to with low volumes and hence are un- indirectly, to achieve a growth rate of
push an export-oriented policy for able to benefit from the economies 32 per cent over this period.

44 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz

 Manufacture

In the EMS domain, this policy

targets the local production of one bil- Demand – Supply Gap
lion mobile handsets by 2025, valued 400
at US$ 190 billion, including the export
of 600 million mobile handsets valued
at US$ 110 billion. There are around
270 mobile and component factories
in India at present, employing about
500,000 people directly or indirectly. 74%
Additionally, there is also a significant
demand for high-end consumer elec- 100 104
tronics. The consumer electronics and
appliances sector is predicted to grow 40
at a CAGR of 13.4 per cent to touch
US$ 20.6 billion by the end of 2020.
Dr Satya Gupta, chairman, IESA, 2016 2020P
says, “Overall, the EMS sector has
done very well in the last five years,
especially in mobile phone manu-
Domestic Manufacturing (Supply) in USD billion
facturing by global players. With
the recent incentives announced for
Domestic Demand in USD billion
this sector, it is expected that it will Source: IBEF, MeitY Reports, NTI Analysis
continue to grow at a CAGR of over
20 per cent. There are some concerns
about the scaling of domestic EMS Vertical 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19
companies. These are mostly me- (in ` billion) (in ` billion) (in ` billion) (in ` billion) (in ` billion)
dium- to small-sized companies that Consumer 558.06 557.65 647.49 735.24 770.00
are finding it difficult to grow.” electronics
What’s actually driving the growth Industrial 393.71 150.83 622.14 690.57 808.50
of the EMS sector in India is the massive electronics
demand for mobile phones, telecom
Computer 186.91 198.85 203.82 214.01 211.80
products as well as consumer and hardware
smart electronic devices. The growth is
Mobile phones 189.00 540.00 90,000 132,0.00 1700.00
also strong in lighting, power electron-
ics, automotive and strategic electronics Strategic 157.00 180.55 207.60 235.62 282.70
such as defence, aerospace and the electronics
railways. The OEMs in the defence Light emitting 21.72 50.92 71.34 96.30 130.00
and aerospace sector are now largely diodes (LED)
depending on EMS providers, so that Note: The above data has been provided by the various segments of the Indian electronics
the latter can address the risk manage- industry associations like CEAMA, ELCINA, MAIT and ICEA
ment, logistics and after-market service
needs. EMS providers, with their top- strategic partnerships with service cent on incremental sales of the elec-
notch technologies and reliable supply providers in order to control manu- tronic items that are produced in the
chain management, are the best placed facturing costs. The service providers country, and that are covered under
to meet these needs. According to the offer product design, development, the target segments. This incentive
government of India, the ESDM sector and manufacturing services to OEMs, is being given to eligible companies
is estimated to reach US$ 228 billion helping the latter save on development for a minimum period of five years.
by the end of 2020, growing at 16-23 costs. This allows the EMS players to According to the Electronic Industries
per cent annually. The government develop green manufacturing facilities Association of India (ELCINA), the
also predicts a 17 per cent growth in and energy-efficient products that sup- electronic components market in In-
the local manufacturing of electronic port global sustainability goals. dia increased from ` 683.42 billion in
products and at least a 24 per cent To attract more investments into 2015-16 to ` 1.32 trillion in 2018-19.
growth in electronic manufacturing the electronic components, semicon- Dr Gupta adds, “Although overall
services over the next five years. ductors and mobile segments, and manufacturing has grown very well
A couple of months back, an exclu- to fight the slump in manufactur- in India, but in most of the cases,
sive report by electronicsb2b.com stated ing caused by the COVID-19 pan- domestic value addition is in the
that the demand for green and energy- demic, the government has recently range of just 15-17 per cent or lower.
efficient devices and components offers launched a US$ 6.37 billion scheme. To move up the value chain, it is
new opportunities for growth. To cater Under this scheme, incentives will very important for India to prioritise
to this demand, OEMs are developing increase from 4 per cent to 6 per increasing domestic value addition to

45 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz

Manufacture
30-40 per cent. This is very crucial for
India’s march towards self-reliance.”
India’s EMS obstacles
Even though the falling prices of elec-
tronic goods and the success of govern-
ment initiatives and schemes have led
to immense growth in the hardware
and electronic products space, India’s
manufacturing base is still fragile and
is not able to respond to escalating
demand, thus leading to a trade deficit
with many countries. Around 50-60
per cent of electronic products and
70-80 per cent of components are still
being imported from China and other
countries. But, after the coronavirus
pandemic, many of the component
makers and global electronics firms are
now planning to set up their manufac-
turing bases in India soon.
Rising import duties have acted
as a catalyst to attract investments
into mobile phone manufacturing.
The country has come a long way,
graduating from the CBU (completely
built up) type of imports to SKD
(semi-knocked down) type of manu-
facturing, and now to CKD/SMT lines
being set up locally. However, the
fact remains that we still depend on
importing PCBs from outside India,
which accounts for 50 per cent of the
cost of manufacturing a device. We
are still a long way from locally manu-
facturing these products owing to the
many challenges mentioned earlier.
An IDC report states that in spite
of the several opportunities and
growth potential, there are many
tough challenges too in the Indian
EMS space, which need to be tackled
soon, if we are to ever make the coun-
try a global hub for electronics. Listed
below are some long-term solutions.
• Build a value-added manufactur-
ing process instead of only setting
up assembly lines. Currently,
with the SMT (surface mount
technology) type manufacturing,
brands are still sourcing the PCB
(unmounted) from China, which
makes up more than 50 per cent of
the cost of the device. This means
that even now products are being
assembled, with most essentials
getting sourced from China.
• Greater investments in sourcing
parts like lithium-ion batteries,
touch panels, screens, etc, are re-
46 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz
How COVID-19 has impacted India’s EMS sector
India has witnessed robust growth of the electronics industry, primarily
driven by huge domestic demand. But the COVID-19 pandemic has changed
the entire economic landscape of the electronics industry in India and
around the world. This is what the experts say.
The biggest challenge for the EMS providers is in how to
resume operations successfully. This is for two reasons. One
is whether we are able to have adequate social distancing
and other safety norms in place; and the second is how
do we populate the factories when the workforce, which
is primarily migrant, has moved to their hometowns. The
other big challenge is of the supply of consumables drying
up, as is the case with components and other parts. The
supply chain isn’t back in order completely. The costs of transportation have
gone up, and the rupee’s depreciation is also a worry. Effectively, the costs
are going up and there are challenges like finding labour and components to
fulfil orders. This will lead to further challenges as demand could weaken in
some months due to the broader negative economic outlook.
—Faisal Kawoosa, founder and chief analyst at techARC
The current COVID-19 situation has exposed the weaknesses
of the electronics supply chain in India. Most of the manu-
facturers of mobile phones depend on a supply chain that
is routed through China and with the changing geo-political
equations, things are certainly going to be challenging. India
should leverage its relationship with USA, Japan and the
European countries to mitigate this challenge. The pandemic
has certainly opened a window of opportunity to relook at
the overall electronics and semiconductor sector from a fresh perspective. The
demand in India will continue to grow after a short-term dip. With the chang-
ing landscape of the electronics and semiconductor industry worldwide, India
has to work on creating large domestic product companies and also align with
USA, Japan and European nations to create sustainable trade relationships.
—Dr Satya Gupta, chairman, IESA
Owing to our heavy dependence on imported components
from China, and restrictions on movement owing to the
lockdown in India, there have been supply chain disrup-
tions in the past few months. Further, since the factories
were shut through the last weeks of March and entire April,
along with the labour force migrating back to their home
towns, the non-availability of finished devices has become
more acute. With factories re-opening in May, though with
limited production capacities, the supply chain is expected to normalise by
the end of Q3 2020 (back with 90-95 per cent production capacities).
—Upasana Joshi, associate research manager, IDC
quired for long term sustainability. • An improvement in logistics is re-
Alongside government subsidies, quired to support both imports and
collaboration with the ecosystem exports, and this involves developing
partners to promote R&D is critical. ports, transportation networks, insur-
• There’s a scarcity of essential re- ance services, banking facilities, etc.
sources like water and electricity, • Skilled manpower is still scarce
which are a hindrance to manu- and must be trained.
facturing units, thus reducing the • Co-working hubs that promote
potential for EMS players to match production with shared resources
market demand. must be developed.
 Innovation

How the COVICIDE Cabinet

helps to prevent the spread of
coronavirus at home and at work
Genisup India Private limited, a Hosur based startup, has created a UV-C germicidal lamp-based
sterilisation cabinet that can safely disinfect personal items or belongings, addressing the need to
stay safe during the current COVID-19 crisis.

By Potshangbam July

T
he Covid-19 pandemic has
paralysed the daily lives of
people and the operations of
businesses in every nook and corner
of the world. As the virus continues
to spread unabated, there are huge
challenges in getting back to work.
Apart from direct human-to-human
transmission, an infected person can
contaminate the surfaces or everyday
objects like newspapers, packages,
groceries, etc, by sneezing, cough-
ing or touching them. And this virus
survives for a long time—from a few
hours to many days on surfaces like
doorknobs and countertops. Again,
how long the virus survives depends
on the material used on the surfaces.
According to a recent study pub-
lished in the New England Journal
of Medicine, SARS-CoV-2, the virus
that causes COVID-19, can live in the
air and on surfaces between several
hours and several days. The study
found that the virus remains potent
for up to 72 hours on plastics, 48
hours on stainless steel, 24 hours on
cardboard, and four hours on cop-
per. It is also detectable in the air for
three hours.
To address these pressing prob- How the company started facturing support for products and
lems, Genisup has stepped up its The company came into existence consultancy to the manufacturing
efforts and come out with an appli- in May 2018, with two directors industry.” Soon after, the company
ance called the COVICIDE Cabinet to on board—Vinay Seth and Roshan began R&D work on the products
ensure protection of one’s personal Verma. Sharing the experience, that it was importing from China.
space, by preventing the entry of the Seth says, “We started off with Genisup decided to combine its IT
deadly virus. The appliance is a multi- bootstrapped funds with two direc- and manufacturing operations to
purpose UV-C disinfection cabinet tors on board—Roshan Verma and make products developed in India,
that comprises a UV-C germicidal myself. At the time of inception, from scratch. Seth adds, “Currently,
lamp, a smart switch and a sensor the main operations of the company we are working on multiple dif-
that automatically shuts down the AC were to provide consultancy and ferent products, with a couple of
power source when the disinfection services to IT companies in the VLSI them already in the market, focused
cycle is completed. domain. We also provided manu- towards B2B clients.”

47 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz

Innovation

How the concept of the

What one should be aware of while purchasing a COVICIDE Cabinet was born
product that uses UV light to disinfect With the spiralling number of coro-
In these trying times, there are products in the market that give a navirus cases, the duo decided to
fake sense of security to the user. There are many UV-A lights being come up with a feasible and afford-
passed off as germicidal lamps. The term UV itself tends to give users able solution that will help in fight-
a sense of security and those who’re unaware about the difference ing COVID-19. UV is widely used for
between UV-A and UV-C fall prey to such marketing. According to sterilisation purposes in hospitals, but
Vinay Seth, director, Genisup India, there are certain questions that such products are not easily available
the user should ask before deciding on a UV based steriliser. to the common man. In the current
• What is the source of the UV light? The most commonly used is of situation, when a lot of emphasis is
253.7nm wavelength, which is germicidal. This is a very important being put on hygiene and cleanliness,
question as this determines whether the UV generated can be used there is no viable solution available
for disinfection purposes or not. Also, it should not be in the UVV to disinfect personal belongings. Seth
spectrum (or UV Vacuum), which generates ozone that is harmful. explains, “Things like the masks that
• What is the number of UV lamps and the area covered? Since the we wear outside the home, the grocer-
whole point in using UV light is to make use of its wavelength, one ies we procure, the cash we exchange,
must remember that wherever the shadows occur, the light does not the clothes we wear, the caps we put
reach and so, those areas remain untreated. As per available data, on, and other such things, tend to
one single SARS-COV-2 virus is 65nm-125nm diameter. So, in a 1mm² enter our personal space—both inside
surface area that’s untreated, there will be 8000-15000 active viruses our houses and at our offices – and
that can very well spread the disease. Even the mesh that is used to this tends to go unchecked. In a
place the items casts a shadow which can leave several millimetres scenario like this, we have to protect
untreated. Also, not all surfaces reflect 100 per cent UV germicidal ourselves from all possible directions,
irradiation. Thus, the right placement and quantity of UV light is a in every possible way. Our solution
must to ensure that all surface areas are covered in one disinfection acts as a check point to sterilise, and
cycle. We suggest in our user manual that users flip the item to be so, decontaminate the things that
disinfected and re-do the disinfection cycle to cover the bottom area we would otherwise use without a
of the particular item. second thought.”
• How much UV dosage is being delivered? This again is a very
important question that a user must ask. Though in smaller UV
How it works
COVICIDE Cabinet integrates the
sterilisers this is taken care of, but due to the shadow effect, all
established practice of killing patho-
the surfaces do not get enough dosage. To tackle this, a longer
gens using ultra violet light of 254nm
treatment time is given so that the required dose (in J/cm2) is
wavelength, into an easy and safe-to-
achieved.
use box. It deploys a UV-C germicidal
• What kind of safety mechanism is deployed? The biggest draw- lamp to disable the vital cellular func-
back of UV is that it is very harmful to humans (and animals). tions of pathogens. There is a lot of
Short term problems include skin burns, blisters and skin peel- literature available on the Internet
ing, if exposed. So it becomes extremely necessary to deploy explaining the role of UV in disabling
safety switches in order to switch off the UV source if the lid or viruses and bacteria. Elaborating on
door is opened. Many companies use mechanical switches, like how it works, Seth says, “Basically,
those we see in a refrigerator or a printer, which can easily be what happens is UV-C energy is ab-
bypassed by manually pressing it. (Who has not tried switching sorbed by nucleic acids inside the
off refrigerator lights while keeping the doors opened?) This has RNA and DNA, resulting in covalent
the potential to expose children, in particular, to harmful UV light. bonds, which at the right dose can
COVICIDE Cabinet uses strategically placed sensor based safety render the pathogen unable to repro-
cut-off switches, which cannot be bypassed. duce and infect. The most effective
• What is the material of construction? This question is important, germicidal wavelength occurs with a
especially with regard to the inner lining. Most common reflective peak of 253.7nm, the point at which
surfaces actually absorb more than they reflect. For example, stain- DNA absorbs UV energy the most.
less steel can, at best, reflect 30 per cent of UV light. This has been To make it safe for humans, we have
demonstrated by multiple experiments and such facts are easily deployed safety sensors which cut off
available upon a simple Google search. the AC power totally from the circuit,
• What is the actual usable capacity of a sterilisation box? Some manu- right when the doors are opened.
facturers do not explicitly mention the usable area and simply refer This safety measure does not let the
to the product’s overall volume. This must be kept in mind while COVICIDE Cabinet function when
purchasing your disinfection box as you may not be able to place the doors are opened. Since it is not
your belongings the way you had planned. a mechanical switch, it is not easy to
bypass this sensor.”

48 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz

 Innovation

Effectiveness in
combating COVID-19
COVICIDE Cabinet can be com- Anyone who
pared, more or less, with an
alcohol based hand sanitiser. stops learning
Just like it is important to wash is old, whether
one’s hands multiple times, it
is important to disinfect your at twenty
belongings to stay safe from the
virus. However, there are certain or eighty.
items like face masks, currency —Henry Ford
notes, edibles, etc, that cannot
be washed with soap or cleaned
with an alcohol-based hand
sanitiser. In such a scenario,
the steriliser works effectively
by deactivating the viruses and
bacteria present on surfaces.
Since no chemicals are used,
even edibles can be sterilised
without worries. Besides, CO-
VICIDE Cabinet is made up of
MDF board with an inner lining
of aluminium, which reflects up
to 85 per cent of UV light.

Challenges faced
When asked about the chal-
lenges the team faced while
developing the product, Seth
says, “Developing the product was not
much of a task as we have our own
design, programming and manufac-
turing teams. Once the concept was
finalised and the UV dose was calcu-
lated, we just had to integrate the UV
light source and the electronics into a
cabinet that would be easy to use and
simple to understand by the consum-
er. We kept in mind the basic needs
of a typical family whose members
would want to safeguard themselves
while running a household.”
The challenges, however, were
mainly because the manufacture of
the product was done during the lock-
down. Since the idea was conceived
after the lockdown had begun, there
was a problem with regard to supply
of raw material. Even though the UV
Market response to
the product
According to Seth, “The market re-
sponse has been great. We have deliv-
ered and have active orders for more
than 500 pieces. We are delighted by the
support and response we have received
Amaze
from our customers. We have orders
from businesses like salons, restaurants,
laundries and offices. We have delivered
Yourself!
Read Electronics For You
customised products to all of them. Cur-
rently, we are accepting orders on our
website. Soon our products will be avail- You’ll realise how much you
able on Amazon and Flipkart as well.” didn’t know, and didn’t
The product is currently available on know that you didn’t know!
the company’s website (https://covicide.
genisup.com) for ` 12,499.
Scan This Code
Going forward To Subscribe:
Genisup India is planning to focus http://subscribe.efy.in OR

light source was marked as an essen-
tial commodity, the other components
required were hard to source. Seth re-
veals, “We did get support from local
authorities for movement within the
state, and that helped us in fulfilling
the initial set of orders. Now things
are getting back on track and slowly
our production is getting more and
more normal.”
more on services and products that are
relevant to the current market. There
is a whole line-up of products focused
on this pandemic and also on overall
healthy living. Besides, the company is
actively looking for investors to scale
up its business and R&D on multiple
products in its line-up. It is also aim-
ing to set up bigger facilities for mass
production and to manage logistics.

49 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz

My Story

The other side...

Favourite music: Old songs
of Elvis and the Beatles, as
well as Bollywood legends
like Mohammed Rafi and Lata
Mangeshkar
Favourite book: All of John
Grisham’s titles. Now I am onto
Amish Tripathi
Favourite sports: Cricket, tennis
and squash
Favourite holiday destination:
Anywhere with the family.
Mahabaleshwar, Lonavala,
Khandala, Shimla and
Mussoorie are some of the
places that I had a good time
with my family.
Favourite quote: “All’s well that
ends well,” the title of one of
Shakespeare’s plays

I
was born in Delhi on January 4,
1952. Since my father was in the
Indian Navy, we would shuttle be-

“ I always gave
tween Delhi and Mumbai. This went
on till 1960, when he was promoted
to director of armaments supply at
Naval HQ, New Delhi, after which
we remained in the city. I did my

the credit of the

early schooling in Campion School,

successes to my
Mumbai and then in Frank Anthony
Public School, New Delhi. I was the
topper at my school when I wrote
the Indian School Certificate exam

team and took the

conducted along with the University
of Cambridge in December 1967. I
secured a First Class with distinction
in mathematics, physics and chem-
istry. After that I joined IIT Delhi in

rap for any failures”

1968 and passed out in 1973 with a
B. Tech in chemical engineering. I
have an elder sister.

My professional journey
Success does not come easy, but takes grit and After passing out of IIT, I worked
determination. After toiling hard for nearly for some time in United Carbon In-
dia Ltd, Thane. After that, I joined
44 years, Anil Bali, vice president, Deki Electronics Philips India at its Pune components
Ltd, has made significant contributions to plant in 1974. I worked in Philips till
1998 at various functions. I started
the industry he chose to work in. In a candid as the production-in-charge of the
conversation with Potshangbam July, he shares his ceramic capacitor unit. At that time,
we used to make tubular ceramic
thoughts on a range of subjects, as well as on his capacitors. After that, I was sent to
key accomplishments in life. Hong Kong to get trained on the disc
capacitor line. After three weeks’

50 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz


training, we installed a disc capaci-
tor line in Pune. A few years later,
I was shifted to the film capacitors
manufacturing unit to begin with,
and then given the responsibility
of the production of electrolytic
capacitors too. After some time,
maintenance and marketing were
also added as my responsibilities. I
left Philips in 1998 when I was sen-
ior manager marketing for wound
components. I joined Deki Electron-
ics Ltd, Noida as the GM in 1998
and am still working here, now as
the vice president.
A life changing
experience
There were many life changing ex-
periences but one instance stands
out. When I joined Philips India in
1974, I was taken to meet my boss.
After welcoming me, he told me
that since I had joined the ceramic
capacitor department, I was to be
totally responsible for its operations,
entirely on my own and was not
to expect any support from him! It
was like being thrown in the deep
end of a pool. Either I had to learn
to swim to the other end or drown.
This responsibility goaded me to
think and work like an entrepreneur
from that early age.
When I joined Deki Electronics
Ltd in 1998, it was a company with
a turnover of less than ` 50 million.
But I had decided that together with
my team we would make it India’s
largest film capacitor company, and
when we achieved a turnover of
` 1 billion in 2015-16, it was an
exhilarating feeling.
Secret mantra for success
I believe that to achieve success in any
endeavour, one has to lead from the
front by setting an example. You have
to take your team members along with
you. Once they have the confidence
in your abilities and your leadership,
success is assured. I always gave the
credit for the successes to my team
and took the rap for any failures. This
motivated ‘the team even more.
Qualities that define good
leadership
A good leader is one who walks the
talk, and for whom the team will
51 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz
go out of its way to reach the goal.
Whatever success I have achieved
in life is due to my team members,
who have really made the impos-
sible possible.
The leader I look up to for
inspiration
At various stages of my life, I
have had different idols who have
inspired me. My father was my
first idol when I was in school.
He instilled in me the love for
books. Since he used to read a
lot, he would take me along with
I believe that to achieve
success in any endeav-
our, one has to lead
from the front by setting
an example
him to the Defence Services Club
where we would first head for the
library. After picking up our books
we would proceed to the squash
courts, followed by a dip in the
swimming pool. All this helped me
to become an all-rounder in school
and college. When I was in the fifth
semester at IIT, I was made the
captain of the cricket team and also
became a member of the squash
team. We participated in many
inter-university and national level
championships. My father also
taught me that to succeed in life,
you have to work hard and never
compromise on your principles.
Lessons we learn from the
COVID-19 crisis
The COVID-19 crisis is really
unique. During this lockdown, we
have all learnt that there is life
beyond work. Most of us have not
given as much attention to our fam-
ilies as we should have. After this is
over, we will balance our work and
home lives better. We will have to
learn to work lean and more effi-
ciently with a good amount of work
being done from home. Besides,
My Story
customer requirements will change
and we expect the over-dependence
on Chinese capacitors and raw ma-
terials to reduce dramatically. This
will be good for Indian companies
like Deki.
Management style
Every person has his or her own
management style. I have always
believed that if you lead from the
front and your team has the confi-
dence in you, you will ultimately
achieve success. When I was a
junior engineer, my team of work-
ers would do much more than was
expected of them, when they saw
me working along with them. Now
when I am VP, I see my team of
AGMs and DGMs doing the same.
The secret mantra is to praise
them for the successes and take
the reproaches if things do not fall
into place.
My key contributions to
the industry
There are many things that I have
achieved in my long professional
career but a few stand out. At
Philips, we worked for a year or
so with Bajaj Auto to develop a
CDI capacitor for the two-wheel-
er industry. The capacitor that
we developed indigenously was
unique—small and robust enough
to withstand the continuous charge
and discharge cycle that it was
subjected to. Today, this capacitor
is an industry standard and has
totally wiped out the after-sales
service market due to its zero defect
performance.
Helping to make Deki Electronics
Ltd India’s largest manufacturer of
plastic film capacitors, with a capac-
ity of 1.2 billion pieces per annum,
is another milestone.
Future plans
I am at the fag end of my career.
I have worked non-stop for nearly
44 years. I plan to cut down on my
workload and spend more time with
my family, pursuing other interests
like reading, playing bridge and
tennis. I am confident that Deki
Electronics Ltd will continue to do
well without me, as my team is very
motivated and professional.
IoT Application

IoT is all
about data
and how
it’s used
effectively
to run the
business
Karen Ravindranath, director, WebNMS

“When there is sufficient information EB: IoT has gained huge traction
in hand, it can be put to work, just like over the past few years and is
going to be the game-changer in
money. Data from various operations can shaping the future of technology.
yield valuable insights that can drive new Tell us what you believe are the
business models and customer-driven various technologies that will
products. The insights accumulated over shape the future of IoT.
IoT, machine learning (ML) and
a particular period can help management artificial intelligence (AI) will be
and business owners make critical, the key technologies that influence
informed financial and investment the future of businesses. IT systems
decisions as well as expand operations.” helped businesses go digital and
That’s what Karen Ravindranath, changed the way processes were
handled in organisations—moving
director of WebNMS had to say on how work from paperwork to computers.
IoT is changing the fleet management As the next wave of technology is
space. In an interaction with Nijhum embracing the Internet of Things,
Rudra, she explains how IoT is turning it will help organisations become
more inclusive. By ‘inclusive’ we
infrastructure into hubs of innovation, as mean integrating assets, processes,
well as the role fleet telematics and IoT people and all the critical aspects
can play in supply chain efficiency. of the business on a unified digital

52 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz


platform that can help run
smooth business operations
based on real-time data and
insights. IoT can not only build
a digital fort for the business
but also be a reservoir of
valuable information, which
is required to run informed
operations and to venture into
new domains. It has helped to
reimagine the way business
is done. Future technology is
going to be proactive rather
than reactive, and IoT will be
a major factor enabling this
transformation.
EB: How is IoT turning
infrastructure into hubs of
innovation?
IoT is all about data and it
is used effectively to run
the business. When there is
sufficient information in hand,
it can be put to work just like
money. Data from various
operations can yield valuable
insights that can drive new
business models and customer-
driven products. The insights
accumulated over a particular
period can help management
and business owners make
critical informed financial and
investment decisions as well as
expand operations. IoT data can
be effectively used for running
businesses and government
institutions, while creating
new and innovative streams
of income.
Large city infrastructures
managed by the city corporation
like railway stations, parks,
hospitals, etc, can turn into
excellent data reservoirs with
IoT. The IoT can also help
to create valuable revenue
streams by converting regular
lighting poles to smart poles
that can display advertising,
act as temporary charging poles
or even run context driven
promotions for the businesses
nearby. IoT can also boost and
regulate traffic in congested
cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai
and Delhi through smart and
proactive parking systems.
53 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz
In the manufacturing sector,
traditionally, machines were
cost centres. However, with
the latest equipment being
IoT enabled, with connected
data and proactive monitoring,
manufacturing operations can
be optimised effectively. For
instance, the valuable data
generated and the key business
insights hence available, can be
monetised by offering new and
customised SLAs for customers.
EB: What is the role of fleet
telematics and IoT in supply
chain efficiency? How will
these technologies benefit
connected vehicles?
The adoption and use of IoT fleet
management applications for
the supply chain and logistics
industry is on the rise, especially
in developed countries such as
USA, where the market is set to
gain more traction in another
five years. The larger part of
the supply chain in India is
still unorganised with less use
of technology. However, as
companies are moving to more
transparent and tech driven
operations, the supply chain is
also an area where digitisation
has to be adopted to create
tangible increases in efficiency
and cost optimisation. Fleet
telematics can offer the basics
of tracking and tracing vehicles
on the move, but IoT can build
intelligence into the process.
IoT can integrate all processes,
from loading, to monitoring
parameters in transit and final
delivery.
The IoT tracks the estimated
time of arrival, unloading/
waiting at the destination,
driver behaviour, vehicle and
cargo safety, end-to-end process
automation and workforce
management. IoT, with ML
and AI, is helping companies
optimise space, routes and
operations. Adopting IoT has
huge advantages. It can help
track assets on the move and
ensure compliance to standards
such as AIS140, hours of service,
IoT Application
etc. This not only improves
safety but also enables the
company to have a clear
record for compliance needs.
The IoT data can also help
management teams analyse
vendor performance and make
informed annual contract
decisions based on insights
into factors such as quality,
efficiency, time taken, etc.
EB: Are you doing anything
to focus on Industrial IoT
solutions? What are the steps
that need to be taken to
strengthen it?
Companies now offer feature-
rich and developer-friendly
IoT platforms to build
Industrial IoT solutions for
manufacturing units as well as
help operations teams use IoT
applications to maintain the
factory premises, proactively.
The platform and solutions
cater to a wide array of
industries that include the
manufacturing sector, oil and
gas, as well as medium and
large scale organisations that
need centralised and proactive
monitoring and management.
WebNMS’ Industrial IoT
capabilities empower industries
to seamlessly integrate the
physical and digital aspects of
their business onto a unified
platform that can collect data,
monitor and manage assets,
perform remote automation
and provide data analytics
for day-to-day as well as
strategic operations. WebNMS’
partner ecosystem enables
it to seamlessly connect
with PLCs, CNC machines
and other equipment on the
shopfloor, thereby enabling the
retrofitting of IoT to existing
infrastructure. The platform
and solutions are aimed
at helping manufacturers
proactively monitor assets and
processes, perform predictive
maintenance, iron out process
bottlenecks and ensure quality
of production, all remotely and
seamlessly.
SMT Focus

The latest
pick-and-place
machines available
in India
Since purchasing pick-and-place machines entails massive investments, it is good to
know about the latest models available in the market and the features they offer.

A
pick-and-place machine is used for the second step in a paste, place and reflow assembly operation.
The ‘place’ function follows the ‘solder paste’ function (stencil printer). The ‘place’ operation selects
and delivers a component over the board and drops it into position. These machines are needed in
a wide range of industries such as consumer electronics, automotive, medical electronics, aerospace, and
many more.
Featured here are some of the latest machines available in the market.

Model: E by SIPLACE; Manufacturer: ASM SMT Solutions

ASM understands that cost and
flexibility are of paramount importance
to low-/mid-volume electronics
manufacturers.
E by SIPLACE possesses linear
drives, advanced conveyors, intelligent
feeders, modern placement heads, and
the reliable SIPLACE vision system.
Programming, operation and monitoring
use the same functional and reliable
premium software that runs on high-end
SIPLACE platforms.

Key features:
• Performance: 120 8-mm feeder
slots, speed of up to 45,300CPH,
accuracy down to 22µm, PCB size
of up to 1200mm x 460mm with
programmable placement force down
to 0.5N
• Huge component spectrum: From 01005 to 200mm • Software: The same premium software that
x 110mm, only with three placement heads runs ASM’s high-end solutions, as well as total
• Intelligent vision system: Accurate component connectivity and options for maximum investment
recognition through customised illumination protection
per component, PCB inspection and odd-shape
placement capabilities Contact: ASM SMT Solutions, www.asm-smt.com

54 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz

SMT Focus

Model: YSM10; Manufacturer: Yamaha

This is a one-head solution characteristic of most
Yamaha mounters, with the capability ranging from
03015mm all the way up to 55mm x 100mm, including
15mm tall components. The machine uses an on-the-
fly line scan camera with a side-view function that
keeps a check on the component orientation as well as
triggering an automatic nozzle-cleaning cycle through
an on-board nozzle-cleaning station.

Key features:
• The machine is compact in size, yet it has the real
estate required to lay a large number of component
reels as well as a variety of components.
• YSM10 is also ready to facilitate component level or
lot level traceability including ‘poka yoke’ (mistake-
proofing) for component setup verification.
• YSM10 offers class leading repeatability of +/-
25 micron @ 3 sigma, symbolic of most Yamaha
mounters.

Contact: Trans-Tec, www.trans-tec.com

Model: VM series modular placement machines; Manufacturer: Panasonic

This is a compact, high performance entry-level 8-nozzle head, 4-nozzle head and a versatile
model capable of wide variations and flexibly coping 14-nozzle head
with various production modes, ranging from high- • Flexible, wide range of production applications
speed production to high mix, low volume/prototype ranging from mobile phones to industrial equipment
production. The VM series has been designed to • Functionality innovations for placement quality,
evolve with fluctuating market needs while remaining model changeover and operation ratio
a cost-effective solution that helps manufacturers to
produce a range of products that meet high quality Contact: Panasonic India Pvt Ltd, www.panasonic.com/in
standards, within delivery deadlines. These (dhruva.gupta@in.panasonic.com)
machines can place components ranging in size
from 0402 microchips to long connectors with
the newly-developed X-Series
placement heads with a high
productivity of 42,000CPH.
In addition, numerous line
configurations and supply
variations can be combined
to process an array of EMS
production needs—from mobile
phones to industrial equipment,
and more.

Key features:
• Can simultaneously achieve
productivity and versatility with
a combination of different head VM101 VM102
configurations like a 16-nozzle head, Model No. NM-EJM3E Model No. NM-EJM4E

56 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz

 SMT Focus

Model: Yamaha YSM 40R; Manufacturer: Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd.

This ultra-high-speed modular placement system
achieves productivity of 200,000CPH, making it one
of the world’s fastest speeds on a compact platform,
according to company sources. The model provides
flexibility for different production configurations.

Key features:
• Multi-camera system with faster recognition speed,
along with accuracy
• Three types of head variations—RS head, MU head
and FL head
• Flexible nozzle station
• Dual lane system that handles large-sized PCBs
• Blow station that automatically self-cleans the nozzle
shaft
• Rotary head tip filter attached to the shaft tip
prevents dirt and grime from entering

Contact: www.global.yamaha-motor.com

Indian distributor: Leaptech Corporation

Model: NeoDen-8; Manufacturer: ChipMax Group

The model comes with eight synchronised nozzle machine

PNPs, which ensure repeatable placement accuracy of the
components. The machine runs on the stable and secure
Linux operating system. It features double mark cameras
to reach extreme end feeders for better calibration. The
high resolution and high-speed component camera system
improves the overall speed of the machine.
An Ethernet communications interface for internal
signals makes the machine’s performance more stable.
And the closed loop servo control system with feedback
ensures greater accuracy.

Key features:
• PCB size (max): 760mm x 300mm in single step
• Component size: 0201, 0402-1210
• Placement accuracy: 0.01mm
• Component height (max.): 18mm
• Placement speed (max.): 16,000CPH
• Air supply: >0.6MPa
• Power: 500W
• Voltage: 220V/110V
• Gross weight: 330kg
• Machine dimensions: 1288mm x 1062mm x 1291mm
(L x B x H)
• Packing dimensions: 1420mm x 1220mm x 1665mm (L x B x H)

Contact: www.chipmax.in

57 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz

SMT Focus

Model: Suffix (SM series); Manufacturer: Hanwha

The basic common feature among products in the SM

series is that they provide convenient in-line operation
through the integration of the main modules with the
inline platforms. In this series, Hanwha’s own inbuilt
on-the-fly image technology is used, allowing component
recognition without stopping, and while moving
after component pickup. The placement speed is also
maximised by minimising the moving time between the
pickup position and reducing the component recognition
time to zero.

Key features:
• The SM 481 comes with options for stage vision;
so it can be used in chip shooter applications
(without stage vision) as well as for multi-mounter
applications (with stage vision). • It is preferred by most small-/mid-sized organisations
• The machine has factory options to support conveyor as a standalone machine and by larger organisations
sizes up to 1500mm. The SM 482+ also supports as part of a combination of two or three machines,
large conveyors. based on their productivity requirements.
• Enhanced accuracy
• Improved vision system Contact: www.hanwha.com

Model: Europlacer iineo+; Manufacturer: EUROPLACER, UK

Europlacer’s iineo+ machine is the newest version
in its SMT placement platform. It uses the company’s
latest operating system software and user interface
to boost productivity. The flexible iineo+ is ideal
for contract manufacturers who need to work with
low- and medium-sized batches and hold a wide
stock of components for different customer jobs.
The iineo+ lets them keep up to 264 x 8mm reels
on the machine to reduce changeover times between
jobs. Enhancements new to the iineo+ include
integrated on-the-fly electrical component testing, a
new RC5.16 operating system that boosts on-machine
vision analysis and streamlines networked machine
communication, and an intuitive graphical touchscreen
operator interface.

Key features: • Integral calibrated electrical bridge component tester

• On-machine inventory capacity of 264 x 8mm
component reels
• Reel widths from 8mm to 104mm
• Component range from 01005 profiles to 50mm x
50mm dimensions
• Fixed camera option extends range to 70mm x
70mm dimensions
• Single or twin Tornado turret placement heads
• Eight or 12 nozzles per Tornado placement head
• Placement rates up to 30,000 components per hour
58 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz
• Europlacer intelligent feeder technology
• Multiple feeder options: stick, tray, bulk, solder
balls, labels and QFP matrix
• Glue dispensing option
• Track Pack traceability upgrade option
• Touchscreen graphical user interface
• RC5.16 operating system
• Maximum board size: 1610mm x 600mm
Contact: Bergen Associates Pvt Ltd,
www.bergengroupindia.com
 Green Energy

Green alternatives to
lithium-ion batteries
Technology research firm IDTechEx forecasts demand for Li-ion batteries will grow
almost tenfold between 2020 and 2030. Although lithium-ion technology is currently
dominating the market, with further research and collaboration we can expect greener
alternative materials that can be used for commercial applications in the future.

By Ayushee Sharma

J
ust like any other battery, Li-
ion variants are made up of a
combination of cells. Each cell
consists of an anode and a cathode,
separated in an electrolyte solvent.
The cathode is made up of a lithium
compound (such as lithium cobalt)
and the anode is typically built from
graphite. The electrolyte is usually a
lithium salt (lithium hexafluorophos-
phate) in an organic solvent. During
discharge, lithium ions move from
the cathode through the electrolyte
to the anode, and vice versa when
charging. The batteries come in a
wide variety of sizes and shapes, and
need a protective circuit to limit the
peak voltage.
Currently, owing to the concerns
about climate change, we need to
develop a sustainable and low-carbon
value chain for batteries. The storage
of energy still heavily relies on heavy
metals in batteries. The problem with
Li-ion batteries is that besides being
expensive, the raw materials required
are available only in underdeveloped
nations, where the extraction is often
done in unsafe working conditions,
along with a huge amount of water
getting wasted in the process. Some-
times, toxic chemicals leak into the
water table.

59 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz

Green Energy
The production process has a
large carbon footprint and disposing
Li-ion batteries is a huge problem. It
is both a health and a safety hazard
if these batteries get damaged or
incorrectly charged, as that can lead
to explosions and fires. Besides, with
China being the dominant player in
Li-ion battery manufacturing and in
the supply chain too, the coronavirus
pandemic has led to a series of disrup-
tions for importers like India.
As batteries will be the basis for
future non-fossil-fuel based mobility,
there have to be defined sustainability
criteria for battery design along with
a focus on reuse and recycling to
boost a circular economy, especially
in developing and underdeveloped
countries. Batteries in electric vehicles
(EVs) have to be swapped out of the
cars even though they still have a large
amount of charging capacity remain-
ing. But the cost of recycling Li-ion
batteries is higher than manufacturing
them from scratch. Also, there needs
to be a safe way of disposing them.
If we aim to move towards a more
sustainable future, these issues need
to be fixed. There is a dire need for
effective coordination between public,
private and civil society organisations
in the formulation and eventual im-
plementation of green policies, prior
to widespread deployment of Li-ion
batteries. It is in this context that the
Global Battery Alliance was founded
in 2017—to enable public-private
partnerships across the world.
There is a lot of research going on
to find alternatives to Li-ion batteries.
Based on the choice of materials,
properties like energy density, volt-
age, charging time, life, and safety of
a battery can change completely. New
chemical compounds are considered
crucial for the construction of these
alternative batteries. For example,
sulphur is believed to have a great po-
tential in this field. Lithium-sulphur
batteries are economical, more envi-
ronmentally sustainable to produce,
safer to use, and even store more than
twice the energy than their counter-
parts. The issue with them is that
the electrodes tend to break down
during charging since, being a non-
metal, sulphur is a poor conductor of
electricity and heat. Apart from this,
these batteries degrade faster over
60 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz
Current Collector
Anode Energy
Storage Tank
Anode Particle
Pump
How Li-ion batteries work
time. But it has been observed that
the addition of molybdenum makes
the electrodes conductive and stable.
Not just electrodes, but sub-
stitutes for even electrolytes and
other materials are being worked
on. Scientists at ETH Zurich and
Empa in Switzerland have examined
titanium-nitride as a replacement for
lithium-based electrolytes due to its
high electrical conductivity. In an-
other instance, researchers at Purdue
University in the US have created a
technique to turn waste polyethylene
terephthalate, a recyclable polymer,
into battery components. This paves
the way for organic batteries.
Biomass-derived electrodes (both
carbonised and non-carbonised),
electrolytes and separators (the
membrane between the cathode and
anode) are a growing area of interest
for analysis. Biomass-based binders
can replace toxic halogenated com-
mercial binders for holding the active
material particles inside electrodes
and ensure sustainability.
Sodium-ion is another option that
has gained significant attention owing
to its efficiency in grid applications.
Researchers from Washington State
University and Pacific Northwest Na-
tional Laboratory, both US based, have
recently created a potentially viable
sodium-ion battery that is capable of
keeping more than 80 per cent of its
charge even after a 1000 charging cycles.
Numerous companies are adopt-
ing these technologies and the situa-
tion is gradually changing.
Dr Scott Brown, CEO, Nexeon, a
provider of silicon materials for bat-
Cathode Energy
Storage Tank
Cathode Particle
Porous
Separator
tery applications, says, “This is an
exciting time as we work with our glob-
al customers on the final qualification
of our innovative silicon battery mate-
rials. The excellent progress made with
silicon battery materials has enabled us
to accelerate scaling up ahead of our
original plan. We are eagerly awaiting
additional feedback from the evalua-
tion of the silicon materials produced.”
The company uses silicon for its Li-ion
battery anode technology instead of
graphite to deliver lighter batteries with
increased capacity. In another research
programme, the University of Eastern
Finland has developed a new hybrid
material made up of mesoporous
silicon microparticles and carbon na-
notubes to enhance the performance
of silicon in Li-ion batteries.
Last year, IBM developed a new
type of battery that uses raw materials
from seawater and is free of cobalt,
nickel and other heavy metals, avoid-
ing the hassles of mining and thereby
reducing the costs involved in the pro-
cess. IBM’s battery, which is at an early
stage of development, has a higher
power density besides low flammability
as compared to lithium-ion versions.
Tesla is working on a new type of
lithium-ion battery construction that
reduces or even eliminates the need for
cobalt without affecting the recharging
rates, and could have a huge impact on
the current prices of EVs.
Although lithium-ion technology
is currently dominating the market,
with further research and collabora-
tion we can expect greener alternative
materials that can be used for com-
mercial applications in the future.
 ePower Focus

Can smart grids solve the

power crisis in India?
Smart grids are advanced versions of conventional power grids. They have a two-way dialogue
system that transforms the way utilities communicate with their consumers. The technology
offers improved efficiency and a reliable power supply.

By Potshangbam July

I
ndia is the third largest producer and fourth largest
consumer of electricity in the world. The country has
been facing major issues linked to the loss or theft of
electricity during transmission and distribution. According
to the Ministry of Power, the total losses from all power
distribution companies in the financial year 2018-19 stood
at ` 270 billion. The Indian government plans to reduce the
aggregate transmission and distribution losses from 18.5
per cent to 15 per cent by 2021. Besides transmission and
distribution losses, the Indian power industry is plagued
with a number of other issues, such as power theft,
metering inefficiencies, under billing, etc. In this scenario,
India needs to shift to smart grid infrastructure, though the
move requires considerable investments. It is essential to
make drastic changes to the existing infrastructure through
next-generation automation to handle the inadequacies of
manual operations. This shift to a smart grid will make
the system more efficient, reliable and green. Besides,
the utilities will witness reduced capital and operational
costs, increased revenue and efficient energy management.
In India, not many people are aware as to how power
is delivered to their homes. For smart grids to succeed
in India, consumers should be educated about their
benefits—how both utilities as well as consumers gain,
while contributing to a low carbon economy. Consumers
should also be made aware about how effectively they
can monitor their energy consumption patterns, and use
energy more wisely.

61 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz

ePower Focus
How smart grids make electricity generation
more reliable and sustainable
A smart grid is built on advanced infrastructure that
supports a variety of new technologies and components,
adding up to significant improvements in power supply.
Such grids can sense the transmission lines, detect
and react to changes in the network, and respond with
self-healing capabilities that enhance the reliability and
efficiency of power delivery.
• Advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), i.e., a
network of smart meters, is an essential and widely
adopted element in smart grids. These meters are
capable of bilateral communication—providing data
from utilities to consumers and vice-versa. An AMI
improves billing and collection efficiencies, and
controls power theft and unauthorised usage.
• Intelligent appliances are capable of deciding when
to consume energy, based on a customer’s pre-set
preferences. This goes a long way towards reducing
peak loads, which impacts electricity generation costs.
For example, smart temperature sensors are used in
thermal stations to control the boiler temperature,
based on predefined temperature levels.
• Advanced distribution management systems allow
operators to not only control and monitor their
distribution network more reliably, but also trace
potential outages that can affect the system, before
a breakdown. They quickly isolate the system’s
problems, thereby limiting the potential damage.
• A supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA)
system is the core technology of a smart grid. The
system is used to improve as well as automate
operations and maintenance (O&M). Also, SCADA
helps grid operators to deal with security issues, such
as cyber-attacks, data theft, data privacy, etc.
• Integrating electricity generated by both renewable
and conventional sources is possible in a smart grid,
hence reducing carbon emissions and environmental
problems. High carbon emissions are a major concern
in conventional power plants.
• Smart substations monitor and control both critical
and non-critical operational data, such as power factor
performance and power status, as well as breaker,
transformer and battery status. Substations deliver safe
and reliable energy by splitting the path of electricity
flow into many directions.
• A super conducting cable system is used for long
distance power transmission. This technology, an
alternative to conventional power cables, is more
efficient and powerful. No magnetic field develops
outside of the cable and there are no emissions from
it too. The super conducting cable systems are capable
of automated monitoring, and detect faults on the
cable. They predict the possibility of failures based on
real-time data on the weather, and the outage history.
Benefits of smart grids
There are multiple benefits that a smart grid offers to
utility providers, customers and regulators. These grids
allow two-way interaction and data sharing between
62 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz
power generation companies, distribution centres and
consumers, even as they facilitate a smooth flow of
electricity without interruptions. They result in more
efficiency in power management by reducing power losses
during both transmission and distribution.
Smart grids make it possible to reduce transmission
congestion costs, as well as peak loads and energy
consumption. They engage end consumers and make them
aware of the constantly changing power demands. When
consumers have access to their electricity consumption
data, it helps them analyse their power usage patterns.
The process helps end consumers to make better informed
energy choices, avoid using heavy appliances during peak
hours, nor indulge in other unnecessary energy wasting
activities. Moreover, with real-time monitoring, utilities are
able to understand peoples’ needs and supply the power
as per the requirements of each consumer. As a result,
power providers are able to manage the load on the plant
efficiently, thus reducing operational costs.
Another advantage of smart grids is that they add
resilience to the electric power system, and can quickly
address any electric outage. Because of the two-way
management feature, these grids can electronically send
alerts about the location of a breakdown even before the
end consumers report it. The grids are fast to detect and
contain outages, and minimise the damage when they do
occur. They are also much quicker in restoring the power
networks to normalcy.
Since smart grids protect the environment with lower
carbon emissions, they promote a sustainable future.
The best part about smart grids is that they can integrate
an increasing amount of renewable energy generated
into the grid. Renewable energy sources, such as solar,
wind and hydro present various challenges when being
integrated into traditional electricity grids because they
are often intermittent and unpredictable in nature. For
example, solar energy generation is not feasible on a
cloudy day, and wind energy requires the wind to blow.
Smart grid technology enables the effective management
and distribution of renewable energy.
Last of all, smart grids are economical. With automated
metering and billing, the need for human intervention
is minimal, which eliminates labour costs and improves
revenue collection. Also, increased automation and
digitisation of the networks help in reducing operational
and maintenance costs for grid operators.
The downsides of smart grids
Despite offering potential benefits to utilities and
consumers, a smart grid has its own share of disadvantages
because of its complex and interconnected nature. It
poses a big privacy problem that can lead to security
related risks. Smart grids use various intelligent and smart
systems that are automated, and share the communication
data between the provider and consumer. With increased
connectivity in the grid, the networks become more prone
to malicious attacks from software hackers. This can
spiral into greater problems when non-secure systems are
integrated and existing non-secure systems are exposed
to an increasingly complex structure of the overall grid

system. Criminal actors can easily crack into the grid and
gain control of the whole system, getting easy access to the
sensitive information of both the utilities and consumers.
It is still a huge challenge to protect the grid from cyber
attackers, since proper standards and frameworks with
regard to connected devices have not been universally
adopted or mandated.
The volatility of a smart grid is another disadvantage
that needs to be addressed for the sake of stability. Most
of the volatility occurs because of a lack of integrated
developments. The grid has much intelligence at the
entry point and at the end user’s meter, but insufficient
intelligence in the middle, which makes it volatile. Besides,
with the increased integration of renewable energy
generation systems, the grid is experiencing a certain
level of volatility and imbalance. The power generated
from renewable sources is not predictable, which makes
scheduling and managing the grid difficult.
The smart grid market
Globally, the smart grid market is expected to grow from
an estimated value of US$ 26.9 billion in 2020 to US$ 28.8
billion by 2021 at a CAGR of 7.1 per cent over the year,
according to a report by Research and Markets. The growth
of the market is expected to be propelled by the increasing
investments in the modernisation of an aging grid
63 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz
ePower Focus
infrastructure. Digitisation of the grid by implementing
advanced communications technology will fuel the smart
grid market further. Smart cities, smart communities, and
electric vehicles are also driving this market.
With regard to the Indian power sector, there is a huge
requirement for significant investments in smart grid
infrastructure. The country is known to have one of the
highest transmission and distribution (T&D) loss rates in
the world. In some states, the T&D loss rates are reported
to exceed 50 per cent, and almost all states have loss rates
above 15 per cent. As a result, most of the utilities are
not able to recover their costs. Investment in smart grids
is a practical approach for utility providers to recuperate
from losses and bring about operational efficiencies. This
technology will be a step forward to resolve the energy and
financial strain that the country and utilities are facing.
To address the challenges, the Indian government has
taken various steps to support smart grid development.
To modernise the power sector, the ‘National Smart Grid
Mission’ was launched by the Indian Ministry of Power
in May 2015. There are various smart grid pilot projects
sanctioned by the Ministry of Power across India. Despite
the challenges faced in the execution of these projects,
the government’s commitment to a major overhaul
of the Indian power sector by investing in smart grid
infrastructure promises positive market growth.
 New
Products
Components

GaN power amplifier module
RFMW has announced design and sales support for
a GaN power amplifier module. The Qorvo QPM2239
is a packaged, high-power Ku-band amplifier module
covering 13GHz to 15.5GHz,
for communications and radar
applications in both commercial
and military markets. The
QPM2239 provides 80W of
saturated output power and
29dB of small-signal gain
while achieving more than 25
per cent power-added efficiency. It is packaged in a
10-lead 19.05mm x 19.05mm bolt-down package with
a copper base for superior thermal management. It
supports a variety of operating conditions and bias
voltages to complement system requirements. Capable
of performing in both CW and pulsed applications, this
device has DC blocking capacitors on both RF ports,
which are matched to 50 ohms.
Contact: RFMW, www.rfmw.com
Power management ICs
Silicon Labs has launched a new line of energy-friendly
power management ICs (PMICs) serving as dedicated
companion chips for EFR32 wireless
devices and EFM32 microcontrollers
(MCUs). The EFP01 PMIC family
provides a flexible, system-level power
management solution enhancing
the energy efficiency of battery-
powered applications including IoT
sensors, asset tags, smart meters, home and building
automation systems, security devices, as well as health
and wellness products. These feature-rich PMICs
enable developers to choose the optimal battery type
and chemistries for their applications while controlling
a product’s power supply over multiple output rails
and voltages. Developers often use PMICs to meet the
unique low-power requirements of their IoT designs.
Silicon Labs’ PMIC solution addresses the power
management needs of IoT developers by extending the
energy efficiency of its wireless and MCU products,
while simplifying product design with best-in-class
tools and support.
Contact: Silicon Labs, www.silabs.com
ASIC based oven controlled crystal oscillator (OCXO)
RFMW has announced design and sales support for
what it says is the world’s smallest ASIC based oven
controlled crystal oscillator (OCXO)
from Rakon. The Rakon U8176LF
10MHz OCXO meets the stringent
requirements of 5G Remote Radio Head
(RRH), small cell, optical network and
microwave transmission system applications.
Combined with Rakon’s patented Mercury+ ASIC
and advanced SC-cut strip crystal technology, this
device delivers excellent frequency stability (≤±20
ppb) in a miniature, 7mm x 5mm package. Supporting
frequencies from 10MHz to 50MHz, phase noise is as
low as -160dBc/Hz.
Contact: RFMW, www.rfmw.com
Molecular chips for detecting infectious diseases
Roswell Biotechnologies has partnered with Digital
Technologies Solutions to develop the commercially
available molecular electronics
biosensor chips. These chips
power Roswell Biotechnologies’
new platform for DNA sequencing
for supporting precision medicine,
molecular diagnostics, rapid
infectious disease testing and DNA storage. The
platform includes a spectrum of tests necessary for
the detection and containment of infectious diseases,

5G tests
Anritsu Corporation has announced that it has got approval for 5G New
Radio (NR) Standalone (SA) tests for Carrier Aggregation. The tests are based
on 3GPP TS 38.523 and were approved by the 3GPP RAN5 working group
in Frequency Range 1 (FR1). The company has subsequently also achieved
3GPP approval for Carrier Aggregation testing for NR Non-Standalone (NSA)
in Frequency Range 1. All these tests are available on Anritsu’s 5G NR Mobile
Device Test Platform ME7834NR.
Contact: Anritsu Corp, www.anritsu.com

64 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz

such as COVID-19, including sequencing, nucleic acid
detection antigen detection, and antibody detection.
Contact: Roswell Biotechnologies, www.roswellbiotech.com
Gaming SoC
MediaTek has launched the Dimensity 820 System-
on-Chip (SoC) which is optimised for premium user
experiences. The Dimensity 820 delivers 5G speeds, and
is feature-packed with MediaTek’s latest multimedia,
AI and imaging innovations. It packs high performance
ARM Mali G57 GPU graphics plus HyperEngine 2.0
enhancements so that users can immerse themselves in
the latest mobile games. Brands can embrace support
for 120Hz high frame-rate displays, while leading HDR
features with MediaTek MiraVision showcase vivid
visuals in videos and streams. 5G Carrier Aggregation
(CA) technology delivers higher average speeds and a
seamless handover between two 5G connection areas
for reliable connectivity, on the go. The Dimensity
820 also supports dual SIM, dual standby (DSDS) 5G
technology for access to the fastest speeds and Voice
over New Radio (VoNR) services on both SIMs.
Contact: MediaTek, www.mediatek.comb
Dual-channel synchronous step-down converters
Analog Devices Inc. (ADI) has introduced the
LT8650S, LT8652S and LT8653S dual-channel
4A/8.5A/2A synchronous step-down Silent
Switcher converters for automotive,
communications and solid-state drive
power supplies. The Silent Switcher 2
architecture, along with spread spectrum
frequency modulation, ensures robust
PCB layouts that achieve ultra-low EMI
performance. The LT8650S, LT8652S and
LT8653S are also differentiated by their stackable-
compatibility outputs for higher current applications.
Outputs can be paralleled to scale up or down the
output current based on the system’s needs, while
optimising thermal performance.
Contact: Analog Devices Inc., www.analog.com
Differential video receiver
RFMW has announced design and sales support
for a FTTH xPON differential video receiver. With
a frequency span of 47MHz to 1218MHz, Qorvo’s
QPL7434 serves applications in xPON ONUs and ONTs
in head-end CMTS equipment, set-top boxes and
gateways. The receiver can handle an optical input
range of +2dBm to -20dBm with a mid-band gain of
>25dB. With recommended external control circuitry,
the AGC range is up to 27dB. Operating from a 5V DC
supply, the current drawn is 210mA. The QPL7434 is
offered in a 4mm x 4mm QFN package.
Contact: RFMW, www.rfmw.com
DC-DC converters
TRACO Power’s new TSR 1E non-isolated/point-
of-load DC-DC converters consist of the two most
common input/output combinations. They are
65 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz
specifically designed to offer a low-cost solution while
maintaining a high-quality standard. The two cost-
Components
optimised models are the TSR 1-2433E
(6~36Vin/3.3 Vout @1A) and the
TSR 1-2405E (7~36Vin/5 Vout @ 1A).
The cost-optimised design maintains
high quality standards with a high
efficiency of up to 92 per cent, full load
operation up to 60°C, and an MTBF of 1 million hours
supported by a three-year warranty. The wide input
range makes these converters ideal for both 12V and
24V bus applications. They are specifically designed for
the common 5V DC and 3.3V DC output requirements,
for which cost is a critical concern, without sacrificing
performance.
Contact: Traco Power, www.tracopower.com
Test & Measurement
Digital storage oscilloscope
element14 has added the new entry-level TBS2000B
digital storage oscilloscope from Tektronix to its test
and measurement portfolio.
Electronics designers, test
engineers and educators
will benefit from its easy-
to-use controls, automated
measurements and large
22.86cm display. The
TBS2000B offers good performance and advanced
debugging at an affordable price. Customers can also
benefit from a special new product promotion of
up to 15 per cent off on its price, on limited stocks.
The new digital storage oscilloscope is built on the
reputation of the earlier TBS2000 model, providing
higher performance and greater ease of use at an
affordable price. There is a 22.86cm WVGA display
with a 5-million-point record length and 2GS/s
sample rate that enables users to capture and display
significantly more signal, speeding up debugging and
design validation.
Contact: element14, in.element14.com
Modules
Temperature sensor
Renesas Electronics Corporation has launched a new
precision temperature sensor, the TS5111, targeting
DDR5 memory modules
as well as a host of other
applications such as
solid-state disks (SSDs),
computing motherboards,
and communications equipment that require accurate,
real-time temperature monitoring. The new JEDEC-
compliant temperature sensor enables memory modules
and other temperature-sensitive systems to run at peak
efficiency and reliability with real-time, closed-loop
 New
Products
thermal management algorithms. The TS5111 plays
Miscellaneous
Modules

a critical role in providing accurate, high-precision

system temperatures with programmable warning flags
that enable systems to exercise thermal control loop
mechanisms such as memory refresh rates, fan speeds,
and bandwidth throttling.
Contact: Reneseas, www.renesas.com
Video surveillance solution
Matrix SATATYA SIGHT is a comprehensive video
surveillance application for mobile devices. It is

Magnetic RAM
The research team at IIT-Mandi has developed a
magnetic random access memory (MRAM), which
supposedly is faster, more energy-efficient and capable
of storing more information in a smaller volume,
compared to the existing data storing technologies.
The spin-transfer torque-based nano spintronic device,
in which data is represented as a spin of electrons,
uses the spinning electrons to transmit and process
information. Harnessing this spin of electrons from the
magnetic state leads to Spin-Transfer Torque-Magnetic
Random Access Memory (STT-MRAM).
Contact: IIT-Mandi, www.iitmandi.ac.in

Single board computer module
Sundance Multiprocessor Technology has launched
the VF370, an Intel-based 3U OpenVPX single board
computer (SBC) module designed for reduced size,
weight and power (SWaP) requirements. Available
in standard air-cooled and rugged conduction-cooled
designed for smartphones and tablets running on
popular operating systems such as Android and iOS. It
connects to multiple SATATYA recording devices such
as NVR and HVR, and offers views of all locations from
various cameras, on a single window. It can add up to
50 video recordings, and no public IP is required. Calls
are available from its mobile app, and customers can
access the most important cameras with a single touch.
Contact: matrix, www.matrixcomsec.com

High-reliability connectors
Harwin now offers both Datamate J-Tek and Gecko
high-reliability connectors with flexible printed
circuits (FPCs) attached for applications where there
is little space above the board surface. Highly suited
for aerospace, motorsport, satellite and defence
installations, these FPC assemblies provide engineers
with lower profile interconnect solutions. This means
that the PCBs within a system can be stacked much

versions, the VF370 uses the Intel Atom E3900 series

of embedded processors combined with Intel’s well-
established Cyclone FPGA technology to provide
a highly flexible architecture typically needed by
enhanced reliability industrial control, automotive,
mil/aero and UltraHD video and graphics processing
applications. The VF370 features a single, dual or quad
core Intel Atom processor operating at up to 2GHz
for running post-processing software. An onboard
SATA SSD provides fast booting and reliable high- closer together. Through right-angled connections,
performance storage for demanding applications while these components can be kept at the periphery of
onboard peripherals include 4GB of associated DDR the board, resulting in benefits related to thermal
memory. management and ease of mating. The Datamate J-Tek
Contact: Sundance Multiprocessor Technology, option consists of a 2mm-pitch connector plus a
www.sundance.com 1A-rated 1mm-pitch FPC, and is supplied in a single-

66 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz

ended design fitted with a male connector. The Gecko
options have a 1.25mm-pitch connector along with a
0.4A-rated 0.5mm-pitch FPC, available in single- or
double-ended configurations. Standard 10-contact
assemblies are supplied from stock, with other
assemblies available on request.
Contact: Harwin, www.harwin.com
Capnometer for assessing lung power
The N-Tidal, a device developed for Wideblue
client Cambridge Respiratory Innovations (CRI), is
a fully automated, small, battery-powered personal
capnometer which is used to measure the amount
of CO2 in exhaled breath during normal relaxed
breathing. This reading is used to assess the health
of a patient’s lungs and general condition. Amid a
shortage of ventilators, the capnometer could enable
clinicians to prioritise ventilator usage based on firm
data. The device may also be useful to track the
progress of patients as they recover after ventilator
usage. Also, blowing hard into a spirometer can
disperse coronavirus particles and create an aerosol of
the virus in the air. The N-Tidal device could be used
to assess patients’ lungs without generating dangerous
aerosols.
Contact: Wideblue, www.wide-blue.com
Anti-COVID-19 HVAC solution
Zenatix, one of the companies in the Hero Electronix
portfolio, has launched ZenShield, a comprehensive
COVID-19-ready building HVAC (heating, ventilation
and air conditioning) monitoring and control solution.
ZenShield helps in complying with the ISHRAE’s
(The Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating and
Air Conditioning Engineers) recommendations, and
enables commercial buildings and offices to protect
their occupants from the spread of COVID-19. With
ZenShield, buildings can automate their HVAC settings
67 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz
in real-time without manual intervention and ensure
Miscellaneous
ISHRAE stated safety standards, compliance and audit
trails. ZenShield automates the temperature control,
humidity control, exhaust operations and ensures
the circulation of fresh air in the building, while
monitoring the temperature and humidity in real-time.
Contact: Hero Electronix, www.heroelectronix.com
Modular evaluation platform
Double pulse testing is a standard procedure for
designers to learn about the switching behaviour
of power devices. To facilitate the testing of drive
options for the 1200V CoolSiC MOSFET in TO247
3-pin and 4-pin packages, Infineon Technologies AG
has introduced a modular evaluation platform. Its
centre comprises a motherboard with interchangeable
drive cards. The drive options include a Miller clamp
and a bipolar supply card; additional variants will
be launched in the near future. By shortening time-
to-market for a variety of applications, this portfolio
will help pave the way for silicon carbide to become
mainstream. The motherboard of the evaluation
platform is split into two sections—the primary supply
side and the secondary side. On the primary side, the
12V supply and the pulse-width modulation (PWM)
will be connected.
Contact: Infineon Technologies, www.infineon.com
 LED Industry

The impact of the coronavirus

on the LED industry
The widespread shift to working from home has opened up vast
opportunities to tap the home market for ergonomic LED lighting.
Similarly, the current need to continuously disinfect surfaces offers LED
anti-bacterial bulb makers a bigger market. This sector is, therefore, well
placed to adapt and thrive even during a pandemic.

By Vishal Kaul

T
he global economy is facing
an unprecedented crisis today,
with the continuous spread of
COVID-19 having turned the world
upside down in just the first few
months of 2020. Every single company
is finding new ways to do business
in the midst of this pandemic as it
impacts every strata of life – from
businesses and organisations, to
entire communities and individuals.
Day-to-day life within the lighting
industry is no different. While there
are innumerable setbacks in such a
situation, there will be some positive
impact through which various innova-
tions will be ‘brought to light’. As has
been observed in the past, times like
these have fuelled the greatest of in-
novations. Even though there will be a
paradigm shift in the way we live and
work, these innovations will change
our lives for the better, thus becoming
an integral part of our future.
• Working and staying at home for
long periods of time have become
the new normal. Human-centric
lighting is, therefore, the need of the
hour. While it has been a buzzword
in the lighting industry, it basically
highlights how lighting affects a per-
son’s health, productivity, well-being
and comfort in a lit environment.
In the near future, social distancing
will be a semi-permanent reality ad-
versely affecting work life. This will
lead to irreversible changes in work-
ing styles including increased work
from home, as a regular practice.
Thus, the role of LEDs has become
even more important in homes, not
only providing soft ambient lighting
at night for relaxation, but also sharp
and bright lighting during working
hours for better focus.

68 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz

• Hygiene practices have evolved to smarter homes and commercial es-

Anyone who
overnight to address the need to tablishments. This has facilitated the
stay healthy and keep our homes growth of smart cities across the na-
Once
stops learning
you stop
safe from virus infections. Even tion. This is a trend that can be seen
though all the necessary care is in every organisation, community and
is old, whether
being taken and sanitary rules are home. Now, driving down costs will

at twenty
being sworn by, consumers are still be a priority for every industry as well
on a constant lookout for additional as home. It will lead to even more learning,
or eighty.
methods to kill germs. Since last rapid adoption of energy-efficient
year, anti-bacterial LED bulbs have lighting and controls. you start
been one of the latest innovations —Henry Ford in the commercial
Therefore,
to create a safe home. These bulbs, B2B segment, there will be a shift
with advanced Envirosafe technol- towards energy efficiency in offices,
dying.
ogy, kill up to 85 per cent of germs, IT parks and the infrastructure sector
keeping everyone healthy. (including streetlights, airports, etc) —Albert Einstein
• Nowadays, people are mindful of through the adoption of LEDs and
touching any surface out of fear of increased usage of renewable energy
infection. This has created an im- like solar power.
petus for contactless and connected Besides the commercial B2B
technology whereby one can control segment, the B2C segment will also
lighting options without touching change. Individuals and families
the switches. There are a varied set will become more energy-conscious
of options available, which include and embrace sustainability in their
controls through a smartphone or homes. They will replace conven-
voice. These options can be explored tional bulbs with LED options as
for the home, while a single control these are not only energy-efficient
command centre can be established but also reduce electricity bills and
for a commercial establishment. The have a longer life. Moving beyond
Internet of Things (IoT) for lighting the industry segments, changes will
solutions have evolved accordingly, be seen on a national level as well,
going far beyond their original func- keeping in mind the ‘Make in India’
tions. The current situation will re- initiative which will be one of the
quire IoT control in the commercial key focuses of the government as

Amaze
sector – ensuring everyone’s health we can expect increased domestic
and safety, improving employee component manufacturing in the
productivity, and driving operational long run. Amaze
efficiency through remote controls

ence/contact. In homes too, IoT and

voice enabled controls for lighting Read
Yourself!
Innovation is, hence, the key to
without mandatory physical pres- enabling organisations to remain rel-
evant enabling consumers to enjoy a
betterElectronics ForThese
quality of life. Youvaried sets
Yourself!
Read Electronics For You
along with other appliances/gadgets of innovations, that will be adopted to
will gain momentum. You’ll realise
match how much
changing youcan range
lifestyles, You’ll realise how much you
• While the world took a hit when didn’t fromknow, and didn’t
human-centric lighting to smart didn’t know, and didn’t
China was in lockdown, the Indian know controls as well as anti-bacterial
that you didn’t know! light know that you didn’t know!
consumer durable industry was also sources.
highly affected given that 45 per cent In today’s day and age, crises and
of the components required in the calamities will unfortunately Scan This Code keep Scan This Code
To Subscribe:
Indian electronics industry are im- recurring. However, viewed opti- To Subscribe:
ported from China. It is imperative http://subscribe.efy.in http://subscribe.efy.in
OR OR
mistically, they can be used to drive
for us, as an industry, to be more innovation, efficiency and a better
self-reliant with regard to our electri- way of living and working. Industries
cal and electronic components. With and organisations that lead the way
the ‘Make in India’ initiative, we do in this will see themselves coming
have the potential to provide world- out of the current crisis faster and in
class infrastructure and facilities. better shape.

The future outlook The author is the vice president –

Technology that combines smart fea- lighting, Crompton Greaves Consumer
tures with energy efficiency is leading Electricals Limited.

69 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz

 LED
Bazaar Lighting Ahead

How LED lights can

spur sales in the retail sector
An increasing number of retailers are favouring LED lighting to increase their sales performance.
Besides being energy efficient, LEDs add aesthetic and visual appeal to the spaces they illuminate.

By Potshangbam July

T
he retail industry is in a con-
stant state of flux. Retailers
should not only be quick to
adapt to the shopping habits of
customers but also to the changing
lighting trends. The right type of light-
ing is crucial to create an appealing
environment at a store, one that can
stir the interest of prospective buyers.
The main goal of a retailer is to make
a sale. Smart lighting in a store can
highlight the products or brands on
sale, so that they draw the attention
of the customers. Lighting is much
more than an aesthetic element and
when deployed strategically, can
work wonders for the sales made by
a store.
Compared to options like incan-
descent and fluorescent lighting,
LEDs are increasingly becoming the
preferred option when it comes to re-
tail lighting. According to experts, the
retail industry can benefit a lot from
the use of LED lighting solutions.
LEDs enhance the look and feel of
the products and improve the store’s
brand image. Besides these positive
aspects, LEDs are energy-efficient and
have a lifetime of up to 100,000 hours,
which saves retailers a lot of money.
Why LEDs are the best choice
Visibility of the merchandise is
important in retail businesses. One
significant feature that differenti-

70 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz

 LED
Bazaar Lighting Ahead
ates LED lights from other lighting
solutions is their capability as a
directional light source. LEDs are
capable of releasing the light in
a designated, focused direction.
This makes it possible to focus on
either the newest releases or the
best-selling products, encouraging
customers to make a purchase.
The colour rendering index (CRI)
of LED lights is relatively high, which
has a profound effect on the appear-
ance of products, displaying them
without distorting the colours. The
colour tone of a product viewed under
the sun is benchmarked as the ideal
standard for any product, and LEDs
exhibit a CRI that is closer to sunlight
than most other light sources. It should
be noted that the closer the CRI of the
light is to 100, the better it renders the
colours of the product.
New LED luminaires that are de-
signed for retail applications come
with the dimming feature. This al-
lows LED lights to dim down to 1
per cent. LEDs that come with the
warm dimming feature can change
colour from cool to warm as the
intensity is reduced. When paired
with the proper dimming systems,
the dimming level of newer LED
lamps can go up 10 per cent as a
standard feature. Dimming saves
a considerable amount of power,
and also saves users the chore of
switching the lights on or off based
on high or low traffic hours.
In most commercial areas, lighting
alone accounts for 40 to 50 per cent
of the total energy consumed. LED
lighting offers financial advantages,
as it consumes 80 per cent less energy.
In addition, LEDs considerably lower
72 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz
the maintenance costs since they do
not require to be changed frequently.
LED bulbs can potentially last for
more than 14 years.
LEDs offer a range of correlated
colour temperatures (CCTs) which
are best suited for the retail space.
This gives users the option to select
the colour that will display the prod-
uct best, and create the ambience
that matches the brand’s image.
LEDs are also preferred for their
versatility. They are available in a
variety of colours, sizes, wattages
and designs. And they release less
heat, which reduces air condition-
ing costs.
Technological developments
in LED retail lighting
This industry has entered a growth
phase because of the technological ad-
vances that have made LEDs a viable
option for many commercial applica-
tions that were not feasible technically
or financially just a few years back.
More retail stores are now investing
in upgrading legacy lighting fixtures
to commercial LEDs. Business owners
are now integrating intelligent lighting
systems and controls that save energy
and result in workspace efficiency.
Also, LED lights are inherently friendly
to digital controls. These intelligent
controls make it possible to divide
the store into zones, and lights get
automatically turned off or dimmed
whenever they are not needed. With
the integration of occupancy sensors,
the lights can be turned off automati-
cally when no movement is sensed.
Photo sensors automatically reduce
the use of lights if there is enough
daylight in the store.
LEDs enable effective scene con-
trol, which is important for retail
stores. When LEDs and dimmers are
paired, store owners have various
lighting output options. Retailers
can have complete control over the
look and feel of the interior of the
store. Besides substantially reducing
energy costs, LEDs can enhance the
design and aesthetic effects of the
retail space.
Another major advantage with
intelligent controls is the possibility
of time-based scheduling of lighting.
The timing can be programmed as
per the specific needs of the owner.
Automatic time clocks help to turn
off the lights when the store is
vacant or at its usual closing time.
Besides, the life span of LEDs is not
affected when cycled off and on, un-
like in the case of traditional lights
like fluorescent lamps.
All these advances in LED digital
systems effectively highlight key
products, encourage exploration in-
side the store, guide customers, etc.
These new lighting technologies are
helping retailers to drive up revenues.
Consider the basics before
purchasing LED retail lighting
There’s more to effective LED retail
lighting than just being appealing
to the eye. There are certain factors
to be considered before making a
purchase.
• Colour temperature is vital when
creating the desired look and feel
of a store. A cool colour tem-
perature, which is in the range of
5000k to 6000k, is recommended
if the retailer wants a spacious,
clean and crisp look and feel.
 LED
Bazaar Lighting Ahead
Warm colour temperature in the
range of 3000k to 4000k can create
a sense of coziness and familiar-
ity. LEDs are available in a wide
range of colour temperatures,
such as warm white: 2700K-3500K
(dusk time yellow light), neutral
white: 4000K-4500K (bright sun-
light that is a little yellow), and
cool white: 5000K-6500K (pure
white, cool daylight).
• The CRI determines the accuracy
of the colour portrayed by the
light. A high CRI rating is gener-
ally considered the best lighting. It
is ideal to use a CRI that is closer
to 100, as it portrays products in
Sumit Padmakar Joshi, vice chair-
man and managing director, Signify
Innovations India Limited (formerly
known as Philips Lighting India),
shares his insights on the changing
trends in retail lighting and LEDs,
which have made the latter a fa-
vourable lighting solution for the
retail sector.
Why are LEDs considered to be the
pragmatic choice for lighting in retail
stores?
LEDs are considered one of the best
lighting solutions for retail as they
offer many benefits. In a digital
world, people still crave physical
experiences – even the millennials,
who have lived most of their lives
online. LED lighting offers modu-
larity in luminaire construction as
74 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz
a store in the most authentic light
possible.
• The lumens of the bulbs must
be checked to understand their
brightness. When the number of
lumens is higher, the light appears
brighter. One should note that the
brightness of the light is no more
measured by wattage. In the past,
the strength or brightness of lights
like incandescent, halogen and
fluorescent bulbs was checked
by their wattage rating. The unit
of measurement of brightness for
LED light bulbs is lumens.
• One should pay attention to the
bulbs’ efficacy too. Efficacy is
well as ease of control over colour
and intensity of lighting—which
means that retailers have the high-
est degree of flexibility in design-
ing a unique look for their stores.
Adaptable LED lighting also creates
a personal and intimate environ-
ment for an authentic shopping
experience.
Many retailers are working
hard to become part of the ‘Green
Movement’ and are trying to in-
volve all their stakeholders in this
environment-friendly agenda as
well. A new trend seems to have
emerged, whereby there is a rec-
ognition of the fact that value can
be created out of waste and this is
known as the ‘circular economy’.
While governments and regulators
are imposing ever-more stringent
regulations, consumers are also
demanding transparency and mak-
ing conscious decisions to help the
environment. With intelligent LED
lighting systems and controls, it
is possible to divide a store into
zones and only use the lights that
are needed in any particular area at
a specific time. If no people are in
the vicinity, the environment can
be dimmed. These systems also al-
low retailers to track energy usage
across a store and adjust bright-
ness depending on the amount of
daylight available.
What are the latest and emerging
trends in LED retail lighting?
In less than a decade, we have wit-
nessed a huge revolution in LED
the amount of visible light that is
produced with a certain amount
of power (watts). The efficacy
of the product can be gauged by
dividing its lumens by the watts
it consumes.
• Compared to other legacy lights,
LEDs release less heat. However,
it is necessary to eliminate the
excessive heat produced from the
LED devices because the semicon-
ductors in them can handle only
a certain amount of heat. A heat-
sink is required for this purpose,
ensuring an optimum operating
temperature. This increases the
life span of LED products.
retail lighting. The structures that
existed initially have disappeared,
innovative platforms have been
developed, and new players have
emerged. Today, any time, any
place, always online and 24/7 are
essential concepts in understand-
ing consumer behaviour.
Many factors have influenced
the rise of popular ‘hyper local’
stores. Environmental awareness
has increased and shoppers want
access to truly seasonal fruits and
vegetables, as well as specialties
from their local region. When you
add into the mix the strong desire
for the neighbourhood spirit and
the preservation of traditional
craft skills, you have a recipe for a
whole new trend, which is giving
power to small and independent
retailers, as well as pop-up and
event-based traders. Through
lighting, retailers are able to pro-
duce an authentic and culturally
relevant ambience. They also use
light and colour to create different
scenes and environments, inte-
grating with natural light to add a
real sense of comfort and familiar-
ity. In addition, light also plays an
important role in enhancing the
appearance and freshness of pro-
duce such as seasonal vegetables.
With the huge growth in online
shopping, real-world retail outlets
need to offer something different
and special if they want to stay in
the market. Visiting a store needs
to be more of an experience. And
if there’s an opportunity to share
that experience with other like-
minded people, so much the bet-
ter. ‘Convergence or omni-channel
retail’ is about bringing together
a range of related activities and
representations of the brand, so
that a trip to a shop is more than
just a transaction.
Responsive and flexible light-
ing plays a major part in creating
different atmospheres in stores
and producing spaces that become
multi-functional. By playing around
with colours and light effects, re-
tailers can attract customers into
the shopping environment and
encourage them to linger while they
browse the shelves. It’s all part of
the creation of the brand theatre.
Constant real-time data is now
part of our everyday lives and the
retail environment is no excep-
tion. Intelligent tracking systems
allow us to understand consumers
better and predict their shopping
behaviour. And when you com-
bine this with tools that provide
information on staff productivity,
you have a great opportunity to
increase sales. The Internet of
Things connects mobile devices
with passive beacons in the shop,
allowing owners and managers
to guide consumers and send
targeted messages and promo-
tions. Individualised prices have
also become a possibility through
the analysis of shoppers’ previ-
ous purchases and the gaining of
insights on what they may choose
to buy in the future.
Data is now intrinsically bound
up with lighting. Real-time infor-
mation can be sent directly to the
customer via indoor positioning
systems and the LED light network.
Useful for communicating product
details, discounts and maps, this
data is also helpful for retail staff
when managing stock and tracking
the impact of the changes made
across the store.
What should buyers keep in mind
before making a big investment in
LED retail lighting?
To begin with, retailers need to
educate themselves or consult
reliable resources to correctly un-
derstand some of the basic light-
ing properties like efficacy, colour
rendering index (CRI), correlated
75 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz
colour temperature (CCT), useful
life and glare ratings. These pa-
rameters help to correctly identify
the kind of light fixtures ideal for
the desired lighting effect and ap-
plication the retailer has planned.
While LED lighting empowers
retailers to optimise the store
layout as per the needs of their
customers and also to create the-
atrical scenes to attract potential
buyers to the store, it also encum-
bers them with the responsibility
to do proper due diligence when
selecting the right LED lighting
solution from a whole gamut of
offerings in the market.
The LED lighting market is
today full of vendors who are sim-
ply assembling the components of
an LED luminaire, without doing
any research or validation about
the compatibility of these compo-
nents. LED lighting is designed to
offer high quality, consistent and
easily controllable lighting effects
at a low operating cost due to
its low energy consumption. But
this desired output can only be
achieved if the LED product has
been designed with proper thermal
and optical engineering.
Thermal engineering ensures
proper heat dissipation from
the source LEDs, and thus gives
the product a longer useful life.
Optical engineering, on the other
hand, ensures the correct selec-
tion and application of the LEDs
for a particular luminaire. It also
ensures that these LEDs are used
with the correct reflectors, lenses
or dedicated optics to deliver
the desired lighting effect. The
other most critical aspect of an
LED product is selecting the best
quality driver to control the op-
erations of the LED fixture, and
keep it immune from the vagar-
ies of the input supply power.
Therefore, it is always advisable
to select an LED lighting vendor
that manufactures all these criti-
cal components of a fixture, like
the heat-sink (and housing),
lenses, optics and the drivers,
in-house. It is preferable that
the vendor has the research and
testing capabilities to validate
compliance of these LED fixtures
to the most stringent local and
global standards.
 LED
Bazaar Sourcing Mantra

OLED and LED display

technologies: A comparison
Organic LEDs or OLEDs are the next-generation display technology, and offer multiple
benefits over the widely available LEDs. They do have a few drawbacks though.
By Deepshikha Shukla

AMOLED vs LED

M
ost televisions on the market today are LED TVs.
They are also called LED-backlit LCDs, as the
LEDs are only used as the backlight for these TVs.
Organic LED (OLED) is the next-generation display technol-
ogy, offering improved performance and design. OLED TVs
are slowly gaining market share, hindered currently by the
high production costs due to the low production volumes.
OLED displays vs LED displays
The OLED display has an LED that is made of organic mate-
rial. There are two types of OLED displays—active-matrix
light-emitting diodes (AMOLEDs) and passive light-emitting
diodes (POLEDs). Some of the inherent benefits of OLED
screens are that they can be extremely thin, bendable,
foldable, and even rollable. But the biggest benefit when
compared to LED TVs is that each pixel receives its lumi-
nance and power, whereas LEDs’ persistent pixels require
an external source of light in order to be seen.
In terms of picture quality, OLED TVs beat LED TVs,
even though LED technology has seen many improve-
ments. OLED displays are also lighter and thinner, use
less energy, and offer the best viewing angle so far. OLED
TVs produce considerably less blue light, so they are a
healthier option compared to LED TVs.
OLED screens consume less power and offer a variety
of screen sizes – much more than LED displays. The for-
mer’s ability to produce deeper blacks allows for higher
contrast and richer colours, and thus a more realistic and
dazzling image, making OLED screens the winner.
OLED displays have a higher response time, refresh rate
(can switch on and off much faster than LEDs) and input
lag. The response time refers to how long it takes for each
pixel to change states (colour and brightness). With a faster
response time, we get less motion blur and fewer artifacts.
LED displays are cheaper and less susceptible to screen
burn-in compared to OLED screens. An LED TV’s back-

76 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz

 A TV with conventional
LED technology requires a
backlight unit (known as a
BLU) to generate light that
passes through the coloured
pixels.
An OLED TV possesses organic
sub-pixels that generate their
own light. Because of this, they
do not require a backlight unit-
making OLED TVs thinner than
conventional LED TVs.

OLED vs LED

lights can be made brighter by using large and powerful
LEDs. Yet, OLED displays are brighter than LED variants
because of the organic material used in the former. But
OLED displays face challenges due to variations in colour
balancing and are non-resistant to water.
AMOLED displays vs LED displays
There are many advantages that AMOLED displays offer,
when compared to regular LED-LCD screens due to which
they are gaining popularity. Some of them are as follows.
• Energy efficiency: AMOLED displays are more energy-
efficient than LED and other types of displays. As they
emit light without generating too much heat, the energy
loss due to heat transfer is less. This means the screen
can achieve high levels of power efficiency, leading to
better battery life. Being energy efficient, eco-friendli-
ness is another advantage of AMOLEDs.
• AMOLED displays are thinner, lighter and more flexible
than any other displays that use LED and LCD technol-
ogy. This thinness also produces brighter luminescence
compared to LEDs, and enables a variety of display sizes.
• Greater contrast ratios: This is the ratio of the luminance
of white colour to the black colour of a display unit.
• Produce brighter colours: The blacks are darker than in
the case of LEDs and LCDs because parts of the screen
can be switched off altogether; and since no backlight
is used in the LEDs, we get deep blacks.
• Consume less power: AMOLED screens consume less
power than OLED and LED displays. This makes them
more appropriate for use in portable consumer electronic
devices, for which battery life is of critical importance.
• Wider viewing angles: AMOLEDS do not limit side views and
offer much better viewing angles as compared to LCD options.
• AMOLEDs have a faster response time and refresh rate
as compared to PMOLEDs. So they provide a more vivid
picture quality, and render faster motion response as
compared to other display technologies such as LCDs.
Despite their growing popularity, there are some per-
ceived disadvantages of AMOLED screens.
• Shorter life span: Organic material degrades faster
than LEDs and LCDs. So AMOLED displays have a
shorter life span than that of LED or LCD displays.
• Higher cost: It’s still more expensive to manufacture large
AMOLED displays than regular LED-LCD ones. This is tied
to higher manufacturing costs, as compared to other display
technologies. The individual parts of the same display can
also be costlier, and assembling them remains much more
expensive than the expense involved in LCD manufacturing.
• AMOLED displays are vulnerable to screen burn-in
whereby the pixel quality deteriorates very badly af-
ter a while because of the degradation of the organic
molecules. To combat this, many AMOLED display
makers are introducing auto-dim parts of the screen
for long-duration brightness areas. An LED display’s
single backlight means that colour balance remains
more consistent across the display.
• Less durable: One of the disadvantages of the AMOLED
screen compared to the LCD options is that it is difficult to
view in direct sunlight due to reduced maximum bright-
ness and lack of backlighting. There have been several
workarounds to this problem, including reducing the size
of gaps between the layers of a screen to reduce reflectivity.
• Organic compounds are also highly susceptible to
water damage, unlike light diodes or inorganic crystal-
line. The result is the immediate loss of some colours,
which manifests itself by burn-in or dead pixels. This
susceptibility makes sealing processes an important
consideration in fabrication and manufacturing.
Being the latest technology available, AMOLEDs are
being actively explored by many device makers due to
their incredible performance. Manufacturers are learn-
ing more about consumer preferences for AMOLEDs and
developing new ways to extend their life span.
AMOLEDs are widely used in all industries as they
can be easily embedded into a display of any size. They
find use in mobiles, laptops, TVs, smartwatches, tablets,
portable music players, game consoles, music production
hardware, and digital cameras.

77 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz

 LED
News
LED
Bazaar

LED streetlights still non-functional in many areas of Ludhiana

In the city of Ludhiana, many of the LED streetlights are still non-functional after repeated complaints by the
citizens and hence, the mayor of the city,
Balkar Singh Sandhu, has now decided to
stop payment to the company responsible
for the maintenance. The company on the
other hand has urged the municipality to
release ` 30 million for the maintenance of
the streetlights. In an exclusive interaction
with The Tribune, Sandhu said, “I had
earlier found streetlights in various areas
non-functional. The company has demanded
release of their payment. I will conduct an
inspection of the streetlights in the city and
then we will take further decisions.” Earlier,
the civic authorities strictly urged the firm to
repair the lights by May 15, which is yet to
be done. Now, they are planning to take strict
action against the firm. Representational image

Tenders floated to install
LED fixtures for the Indian
Coast Guard Stations
in Gujarat
In Gujarat, a tender has been issued
by the Military Engineering Services
(MES) for the installation of LED
fittings, LED lights, and other LED
fixtures at the numerous Indian
Coast Guard Stations (ICGS) in
the state. The project is expected
to cost ` 4.45 million and must be
completed within six months. The
last date for the submission of bids
was June 8, 2020. Interested bidders
are expected to pay an earnest
money deposit (EMD) of ` 89,000.
The scope of work includes providing
solar streetlights at the Coast Guard
district headquarters at Porbandar,
and solar LED lights, LED fittings,
modular switches, and fixtures at
ICGS Vadinar. In order to be eligible
to take part in the competitive
bidding process, applicants not
enlisted with the MES must have
prior experience in undertaking
two similar projects worth at least
` 25 million or at least one project
worth over ` 4 million, while their
annual turnover must be ` 5 million
in the previous two fiscal years.

MNRE floats tender for the

installation of 19,000 solar-
cum-LED streetlights in
Punjab
A tender for 19,000 solar LED
streetlights was recently floated by the
Representational image Punjab Energy Development Agency

78 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz

(PEDA) under the supervision of
the Ministry of New and Renewable
Energy (MNRE). This comes
under the ministry’s off-grid and
decentralised solar photovoltaic
(PV) programme. Interested bidders
were requested to make an advance
deposit of ` 3 million. The last date
for the submission of bids was
May 28, 2020.
The various stages of the project
include supply, installation and
commissioning of solar streetlights
coupled with five years of repair
and maintenance. There are certain
criteria for bidders to be eligible,
such as experience in installing a
minimum of 2,850 LED streetlights
or 34.2kW of solar power projects
in the past three years. Apart from
that, construction contractors, or
those in procurement and streetlight
engineering who have undertaken
a venture of at least ` 71 million in
the past three years, are also eligible
to bid. Moreover, the yearly income
of bidders must be at least ` 71
million over the past three financial
years. They must also show profits
in the last fiscal and have a net
worth of at least 100 per cent of the
paid-up share capital.
Vijayawada panchayat
wants to install 400,000
more LED streetlights
In Vijaywada, the state government
is now planning to install 400,000
LED streetlights in the 2,303
panchayats not covered in its
earlier street lighting programme.
Girija Shankar, commissioner
of panchayat raj (PR) and rural
development (RD), has requested
the state to pass the necessary
orders to install LED lights across
the panchayats that were excluded
earlier. According to a report in
the TOI, the state government has
now installed 2.33 million LED
streetlights, with help from EESL.
Now, the PR and RD department
has undertaken the task of installing
another 400,000 LED streetlights
following representations from the
public. In a telephonic conversation
with the concerned official,
Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy,
the panchayat raj minister stated
79 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz
Representational image
that the government is committed
to enhancing the quality of every
life in the state’s villages and
the installation of the lights will
commence soon. The minister said
proper street lighting is essential for
the safety and security of people.
KERC retains tariff
structure for new solar
LED projects too
In August 2019, the Karnataka
Electricity Regulatory Commission
(KERC) had set a general tariff
structure for all grid-connected
solar projects of less than 5MW
capacity at ` 3.08 per kWh. The
tariff for solar projects of 1kW
to 2,000kW without any capital
subsidy was fixed at ` 3.07 per
kWh, and for projects with capital
subsidy was fixed at ` 2.32 per
kWh. The period for which the
current tariff structure of solar
LED projects is valid has now
been extended by KERC. The
extension is for a period of one
year, that is, from April 1, 2020
to March 31, 2021. The purpose
of the extension is to boost the
development of solar LED projects
and various other solar ventures
as well. The new order states that
the tariff will be viable for all new
and upcoming solar projects in the
state, if commercial operation of
these projects begins on or after
April 1, 2020.
LED lights still to be
installed on 7,000
streetlight poles in Nagpur
According to various reports, the
Nagpur municipal corporation is yet
to install LED lights on about 7,000
streetlight poles that were erected
across the city a couple of months
back. ET Realty.com mentioned that
Vijay Zalke, the chairman of the
standing committee, has ordered the
civic body to issue a termination
notice to the chief accounts and
financial officer (CAFO) who failed
to make a financial provision for
` 120 million to cover the cost of
this project. In a press conference,
Zalke said, “We will seek the
CAFO’s reply. When approval by
the standing committee was given
on January 27, and subsequently
also by the municipal commissioner
Abhijit Bangar, why did the
department not sanction money
for the purpose.” Many corporators
have previously raised the issue of
non-installation despite the poles
being erected, which could be
extremely hazardous for citizens
during the monsoon season.
The civic body clarified that the
installation of the LED streetlights
would resume soon.
 New Products
LED
Bazaar

LED luminaires
Signify has launched NatureConnect, its new lighting range
that’s based on the concept of human-centric lighting.
NatureConnect is built on proven biophilic design principles.
The lighting is designed to benefit the body and mind, and
in turn, lead to increased productivity, engagement and
workplace satisfaction.
NatureConnect combines various LED luminaires, called
Daylight, Skylight and Lightscape, with intuitive controls to
create lighting scenes tailored to people’s needs, based on
proven and valued natural experiences. Daylight mimics the
cycle of the sun to make people more energetic during the
day and sleep well at night. Skylight creates the perception
of space beyond the walls to provide a view to the sky. Finally, Lightscape provides natural colours to
stimulate positive emotions as well as support people to actively work together.

Contact: www.signify.com

UVC LED in ambient conditions of up to 100°C without any

Lumitronix has launched Nichia’s latest UVC LED problems.
called NCSU334A. The product emits a wavelength
of 280nm in the Contact: www.b2b.lumitronix.com
ultraviolet range
and especially in the LED displays
UV-C band, enabling Display solutions provider Planar has introduced its
immediate sterilisation, new LED display series called ‘The Planar FX’, which
as well as the disinfection of air, liquids and surfaces. features a fine pixel pitch and brightness to support a
According to Nichia, the NCSU334A, which wide range of application environments.
measures only 6.8mm x 6.8mm, delivers one of the The series offers various outdoor models available
best performances in the solid-state lighting (SSL) in 1.5mm, 1.9mm, 2.6mm, 2.9mm and 3.9mm pixel
segment with 55mW (at a current of 350mA). The pitches, in addition to indoor models with 1.5mm,
LEDs are expected to have a significantly longer 1.9mm and 2.6mm pixel pitches. The outdoor products
life than conventional UV lamps. In addition, the support up to 4000 nits brightness and the indoor
NCSU334A uses a newly developed, hermetically models 3500 nits.
sealed housing that makes the LED less susceptible to
the external environment, thus enabling it to be used
in various harsh environments.
Lumitronix offers this disinfecting LED in various
versions—as a component for later assembly,
preassembled on an aluminium board measuring
30mm x 30mm and in a hermetic spot housing with
a quartz glass reflector, which enables a particularly
narrow beam angle of 13.5° and offers permanent UV
stability thanks to its high transmittance. The housing
is made of stainless steel and is therefore antibacterial
and permanently insensitive to UV radiation. It can
also be easily cleaned. Due to the complete tightness “As customer demand and confidence in LED
of the spotlight, the extreme temperature stability of video walls has grown, our customers have naturally
the materials used and the fact that the construction envisioned use cases requiring close viewing in bright,
does not require any additional cooling, it can be used sun-lit public environments,” said Steve Seminario,

80 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz


vice president of product development at Planar. “We
are excited to now offer a product line uniquely suited to
those applications, both indoors and outdoors,” he added.
Planar’s fine pitch LED display products are
supported by technology from Yenrich, the subsidiary
of Taiwan-based chip maker Epistar. Planar’s parent
company Leyard has also teamed up with Epistar to
further extend developments in mini LED and micro
LED display technology.
Contact: www.planar.com
Infrared LED
Osram has launched ‘Oslon Piccolo’, a compact infrared
LED (IRED) that enables gesture controls in cars. The
product is based on infrared light, and packs a lot of
power in a small package, making it user friendly.
For autonomous driving, cars are now equipped
with more and more functions that make the
interactions between occupants and vehicles more
intuitive. An autonomous vehicle will
have a fundamentally different interior
design than current models. Instead of
the classic dashboard, drivers can now
use voice assistants for navigation and
control simple functions via gesture control
with other user interfaces.
“The advantages of the Oslon Piccolo really pay
off when used in conjunction with indoor displays,”
explained Walter Rothmund, marketing manager for
sensing at Osram Opto Semiconductors. He added,
“Thanks to its extremely compact dimensions of 1.6mm
x 1.6mm and a package height of only 0.81mm, the
IRED can be installed easily in a small space.”
With a DC power of 1.15W at 1A and very fast
switching times of 10ns, the component is suitable
as both a constant light source for a camera-based
application and for 3D image acquisition with
modulated or fast pulsed light. The automotive-
qualified component is available in two different
wavelengths: 850nm and 940nm.
Contact: www.osram.com
High output linear LED driver IC
ROHM has announced the development of an
ultra-compact high output linear LED driver IC
(BD18336NUF-M) that provides stable lighting even
in the event of battery voltage
drops on a single chip, making
it ideal for a broad range of
socket-type LED lamps used
in vehicle systems, from DRLs
(daytime running lamps) and
position lighting to rear lamps.
In the automotive market, vehicle lamps are
increasingly adopting LEDs due to their longer life and
high-density mounting. Socket-type LED lamps that can
be replaced as easily as LED bulbs have been attracting
81 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz
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attention by offering superior maintainability. However,
it is difficult to decrease socket size, without reducing
design flexibility.
In response, ROHM has developed a new LED driver
IC that enables mounting in ultra-compact socket-type
LED lamp circuits while ensuring stable lighting even
during a drop in battery voltage.
The BD18336NUF-M adopts a current bypass function
that prevents the LED from turning off and maintains
a brightness of at least 30 per cent at all times by
switching the LED current path, even when the battery
voltage decreases from 13V to 9V. In addition, a high
output of 600mA is achieved in an ultra-compact 3mm
square package, and the mounting area is reduced by
approximately 30 per cent compared to conventional
solutions (including the external circuit), making
mounting possible on the 10mm2 substrates required for
small socket-type LED lamps.
Contact: www.rohm.com
LED driver evaluation board
Looking to accelerate the development of LED streetlamps
and other medium- to high-power lighting applications,
STMicroelectronics has launched the EVL150W-HVSL
LED-driver evaluation board and reference design
integrating features that ensure high performance.
As a 150W, 1A mains-input driver, the EVL150W-
HVSL achieves full-load efficiency above 91 per cent
to maximise utility-cost
savings for streetlamp
operators. Electromagnetic
interference (EMI) is
within relevant EN55022
limits, and input-current
total harmonic distortion
(THD) is less than 10 per cent at 230V AC (at 30 per cent
to 100 per cent of full load). The board meets European
EN61000-3-2 Class-C and Japanese JEITA-MITI Class-C
norms for lighting equipment.
The EVL150W-HVSL has a universal 90V-264V
AC input and meets IEC 60950-1 and 62368-1 safety
standards. The board supports analogue, resistive, and
PWM (pulse width modulation) dimming modes, with
flicker-free PWM dimming down to 1 per cent at any
frequency.
In addition, the board contains ST’s STCMB1
integrated power-factor correction (PFC) controller and
high-voltage resonant half-bridge controller working with
the LCC topology, which can deliver constant current
independent of the output voltage and is therefore well
suited for LED drivers.
Luminaires powered by the EVL150W-HVSL benefit
from comprehensive protection including output-
overload, output short-circuit, and open-loop protection,
each with the auto-restart capability to satisfy street
lighting application requirements.
Contact: www.st.com
 advertisers’ index
Client name Page No. Client name Page No. Client name Page No.
Bid Ocean Consultancy (www.bidocean.biz)............................... 82 HK Wentworth (India) Pvt Ltd (www.electrolube.in)..................... 15 NMTronics India Pvt. Ltd. (www.nmtronics.com)......................... 86

Cirkit Electro Components Pvt. Ltd.............................................. 71
Digi-Key Electronics (www.digikey.in)............................................ 5
Dolphin Electronics ..................................................................... 83
EFY Group of Publications: Subscription Scheme........................ 7
Heet Electro Devices................................................................... 73
I.T. Solutions India Pvt Ltd............................................................. 9
India Technology Week .............................................................. 13
LWI Electronics Inc. (www.livewireinfo.com)............................... 23
Mouser Electronics India PVT Ltd................................ Front Cover
National Controlling & Equipments.............................................. 83
Panasonic India Pvt. Ltd. (https://industrial.panasonic.com/ww).... Gatefold
Premier Industries....................................................................... 82
Rebutor Electronics Pvt Ltd......................................................... 11
Sakthi Accumulators Private Ltd.................................................. 82
SEKI Controls Co. Ltd. (www.sekicon.com)................................ 11
Uniq Power Solutions (www.uniqbatteries.com).......................... 83

Leading suppliers’ Index

Products Page No.
Batteries & Power Supplies
Rebutor Electronics Pvt Ltd........................... 11
Sakthi Accumulators Private Ltd.................... 82
Uniq Power Solutions.................................... 83
Components (Including Active & Passive)
Digi-Key Electronics........................................ 5
Dolphin Electronics........................................ 83
Products Page No.
Heet Electro Devices..................................... 73
Cirkit Electro Components Pvt. Ltd................ 71
LWI Electronics Inc. ...................................... 23
Mouser Electronics India PVT Ltd...... Front Cover
SEKI Controls Co. Ltd. ................................. 11
Consumer Electronics & Appliances
Panasonic India Pvt. Ltd. .....................Gatefold
Products Page No.
Industrial & Manufacturing Equipment
NMTronics India Pvt. Ltd............................... 86
Premier Industries......................................... 82
Materials (Including Chemicals &
Consumables)
HK Wentworth (India) Pvt Ltd........................ 15
Premier Industries......................................... 82
Products Page No.
Reseller and Distributors
Digi-Key Electronics........................................ 5
LWI Electronics Inc. ...................................... 23
Mouser Electronics India PVT Ltd...... Front Cover
Test & Measurement Equipment (Including
Indicators & Monitors)
SEKI Controls Co. Ltd................................... 11

Organisations Covered in This issue

Companies
Analog Devices.............................................. 32
Analog Devices Inc. ...................................... 65
Anritsu Corporation ....................................... 64
Apple............................................................. 14
ASM SMT Solutions...................................... 54
AT&S............................................................. 32
Ayana Renewable Power Private Limited..... 10
Bergen Associates Pvt Ltd............................. 58
Bharat Electronics Limited............................. 33
Central Electronics Limited ........................... 12
ChipMax Group............................................. 57
Crompton Greaves Consumer
Electricals Limited....................................... 69
Deki Electronics................................. 21, 30, 50
Divide By Zero Technologies ........................ 33
Electrolube..................................................... 32
element14...................................................... 65
Ericsson......................................................... 18
Ethereal Machines......................................... 33
eurOPLaCer, uK....................................... 58
Faradion........................................................ 12
Genisup India Private limited,........................ 47
Hanwha......................................................... 58
Harwin........................................................... 66
HCL............................................................... 30
India Robotics Solutions................................ 33
Intel................................................................ 18
IPLTech.......................................................... 12
KLA Corp....................................................... 12
Lava............................................................... 14
Leaptech Corporation.................................... 57
LG.................................................................. 18
Lumitronix...................................................... 80
LYNX: Lawrence & Mayo............................... 24
Matrix............................................................. 66
Maxim Integrated........................................... 33
MediaTek................................................. 20, 65
Nokia............................................................. 18
Osram............................................................ 81
Panasonic...................................................... 56
Planar............................................................ 80
Rashmi Rare Earth Limited........................... 33
Renesas Electronics...................................... 65
RFMW..................................................... 64, 65
ROHM............................................................ 81
Roswell Biotechnologies ............................... 64
Signify Innovations India Limited............. 74, 80
Silicon Labs .................................................. 64
SONY............................................................ 18
STMicroelectronics........................................ 81
Sundance Multiprocessor Technology .......... 66
Sunrun Corp.................................................. 34
TRACO Power............................................... 65
Trans-Tec....................................................... 56
VisIC............................................................. 14
VVDN Technologies....................................... 30
WebNMS....................................................... 52
Wideblue........................................................ 67
Yamaha......................................................... 56
Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd................................... 57
ZF ................................................................. 14
People
A.M. Devendranath.................................. 29, 30
Ajai Chowdhry......................................... 29, 30
Amit Madan .................................................. 18
Amit Thokal.................................................... 24
Amrit Manwani......................................... 29, 30
Anil Bali.......................................................... 50
Anku Jain....................................................... 20
Bhupender Saharan................................ 29, 30
Chris Allexandre............................................ 33
Deepak Halan................................................ 38
Dr Sreeram Srinivasan............................ 29, 30
Faisal kawoosa.............................................. 46
Glenford V. D’Souza...................................... 24
Hari Om Rai................................................... 14
Karen Ravindranath, ..................................... 52
Mitesh Modi................................................... 20
Narendra Mohapatra............................... 29, 30
Navkendar Singh........................................... 18
P.P. Chaudhury.............................................. 27
Padmanabha Shaktivelu................................ 32
Prashant Pillai ............................................... 33
Praveer Sinha................................................ 10
Rajoo Goel..................................................... 27
Ramesh Chopra............................................ 14
Rick Wallace.................................................. 12
Rishu Sharma................................................ 37
S.K. Chaudhary............................................. 10
Sagar Naugriya.............................................. 33
Sandeep Aurora............................................. 20
Satya Gupta................................................... 46
Scott Brown................................................... 60
Sumit Padmakar Joshi................................... 74
Sunil Banwari................................................. 33
Tamara Baksht............................................... 14
Tunç Doluca.................................................. 33
Upasana Joshi............................................... 46

Hero Electronix.............................................. 67 Syrma Technology ........................................ 30 Jack Shandle................................................. 34 Vinod Sharma.......................................... 29, 30

IdeaForge...................................................... 24 Tata Power............................................... 10, 20 James Quinn................................................. 12 Vishal kaul..................................................... 68

84 • Electronics Bazaar • July 2020 • https://ebmag.biz