ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India) – a joint venture between ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel, two of the world’s leading steelmakers – and Festo India, the world’s leading manufacturer and supplier of automation technology and technical education, announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the Festo Corporate Center in Stuttgart, Germany.
The partnership will focus on development of New Age Makers Institute of Technology (NAMTECH), an ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India education initiative aimed at delivering an integrated model of high-quality engineering and technical education, with special emphasis on manufacturing and sustainability. NAMTECH will start operating an interim campus in the Research Park at IIT Gandhinagar, Gujarat, from August 2023, according to the statement.
NAMTECH and Festo India will work in tandem on the design and delivery of technical labs at the campus in Gandhinagar. They will also design and deliver short- and long-term academic programs, starting with a Professional Master’s Program in Smart Manufacturing, Professional Technologist Program in Industrial Automation and Trainings, matching international standards. These will enable students to participate in prestigious global competitions like the WorldSkills Competitions, showcasing their abilities on a worldwide stage.
The partnership will also work to launch programs in the areas of academic and capability development to ensure the delivery of student services, such as providing industry experts as faculty members, organising industry visits, and creating internship and employment opportunities for students in India and abroad. Festo and NAMTECH will actively promote and highlight the significance of Industrial Automation to various industries and stakeholders.
STEPHANIE WERNER-DIETZ, GROUP HEAD OF HUMAN RESOURCES AT ARCELORMITTAL GLOBAL, said, “We are embracing the future by investing in the next generation with NAMTECH, leveraging the latest technology, innovative partnerships and advanced learning methods that will enable students to pave their own future. Institutes like NAMTECH are vital in helping us build a future-ready workforce capable of taking on any global challenge no matter how tall. We are proud to be on this journey alongside them.”
DR. OLIVER NIESE, MEMBER OF THE MANAGEMENT BOARD OF FESTO DIDACTIC SE AND VICE PRESIDENT DIGITAL AT FESTO SE & CO. KG said “Finding the right answers to lifelong learning or to the latest developments in mechatronics, digital transformation and artificial intelligence are the challenges of the future. This concerns not only educational institutions, industrial training centers or research institutes, but also students and skilled professionals. With more than 400 reference projects globally, Festo is the world’s leading provider of technical education. Our customers benefit from tailor-made education solutions, including the design, planning and equipping of complete workshops and labs. Therefore, we are proud to support holistically Arcelor Mittal’s and Nippon Steel India’s smart campus at Ahmedabad, Gujarat.”
Commenting on the partnership, DILIP OOMMEN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ARCELORMITTAL NIPPON STEEL INDIA (AM/NS INDIA), said, “This partnership reflects our ambition for NAMTECH to hit the ground running in its ability to offer the best technical learning resources for students seeking skills and expertise that will equip them for careers in Industry 4.0. We are certain that Festo’s expertise in the design and delivery of NAMTECH programs will enable students to benefit from a rich and relevant curriculum in industrial technology and automation.”
RASHMIKANT JOSHI, MANAGING DIRECTOR, FESTO INDIA, said, “Using Festo’s experience over decades in education and skilling sector globally, this partnership with NAMTECH will allow to set up a state-of-the-art facility for trainers, students, and industry employees in India. The curriculum will be industry relevant, catering to the current and future requirement of industries, from basic automation to semi-automation to full automation. We are confident, this institute will contribute immensely to the growth and competitiveness of Indian manufacturing industries going forward.”
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