Richard Lamure, CEO, and Arnaud de Boisboissel, Business Unit Manager (Asia-Pacific) TopSolid.

Q. TopSolid SAS has recently announced the opening of a new strategic partnership, TopSolid India, how do you plan to tap the growing Indian market?
Richard Lamure: The trends and strong demands of the Indian industry such as Industry 4.0, automation, data management, and connectivity, not only request a global approach, but also professional and sharp teams to guide customers’ projects. The Indian market is developing rapidly. The country’s economy offers a lot of growth
opportunities, specifically, for precision tooling, defence, electronics (mobile handset market and telecom gear) and railways. These are sectors, which TopSolid has worked very closely with in Europe. But to work closely with highlevel technical support and training localisation  in India, we needed to have an India-specific strategy in place. As a result, TopSolid India was born. We formed TopSolid India with our reliable and trusted partner DCPL. TopSolid India plans to focus on important industrial cities. We will reach out to trade associations such as TAGMA, auto clusters and vocational schools to further the company’s cause.

Q. Tell us more about TopSolid and its products for design, manufacturing, mould making and metal forming industries?
Richard Lamure: TopSolid’s entire suite of products is developed and continually upgraded to support all domains of mechanical engineering industries—right from design to manufacturing. There are around 50,000 licences in use across the globe in sectors such as precision tooling, marine, aerospace, precision medical and automobile
sectors. In fact, TopSolid SAS’ footprint represents more than €100 M with 600 people worldwide daily committed to support customers.

Q. What do you think are the key drivers of the tooling industry? How does your company aim to support the manufacturing industry here?
Arnaud de Boisboissel: The Indian tooling industry is maturing rapidly not only in terms of quality but also scale of operations. The automobile, electrical switchgear, pipe and pipe fittings, FMCG, white goods and household
industries’ demands are increasing by the day. And, the toy sector is bringing up exciting opportunities. We expect to witness growth in the electronics sector, viz., the mobile handset manufacturing segment, and plan on setting up a manufacturing base in India. The growth potential is immense and we are committed to serve this increasing demand.

Q. What do you think are the current technology trends witnessed in the industry? Please take us through them?
Arnaud de Boisboissel: As Mr. Richard Lamure mentioned, Industry 4.0 is the growing trend. In fact, I should say that in India, it’s already a reality. The latest improvements and developments are proof of this. For years, we have been providing integrated solutions, which are data management oriented, in connection with industry standards. I believe that we are well positioned to lead the industry

Q. Could you tell us more about your iconic product, TopSolid’Mold. How can it help mould makers attain high efficiency and accuracy?
Arnaud de Boisboissel: TopSolid’Mold was developed keeping user requirements in mind and considering the valuable feedback from global tool makers in Japan, Europe, and America. Special care has been taken while developing TopSolid and its modules to ensure seamless flow of the entire digital chain—right from mould design to machining, electrode and wire cut. It has numerous user-friendly features to support standard libraries, standardisation, and customisation to match the customers’ demands. We are glad to address the ever-growing needs of advanced tool makers with multinational presence such as PANASONIC from Japan, SOCEM and ARAYMOND from Europe, DBM Reflex and BELGA MATRIZES in North & South America.

Q. What makes TopSolid products unique, given the fact that there are many CAM solution providers across the globe?
Arnaud de Boisboissel: TopSolid’Mold and its related tooling modules aim at offering integrated global solutions on one platform to address the dynamic needs of the tooling industry. CAM is just one part of the digital chain—starting from conceptualisation, designing of moulds to proveouts. TopSolid addresses 2D, 3D, and 5-axis on a single platform with best-in-class simulation (CNC machine, job, tool holders and clamping elements). Besides, it has access to libraries of cutting tool manufacturers.
It is important to note that the TopSolid team works closely with several reputed machine manufacturers to develop certified post processors. Operating-level personnel using TopSolid can work stress-free in tool rooms,
as they do not need to worry about repetitive tasks or machine collision. Instead, they can focus on productivity and efficiency while running operations.

Q. Clearly, going digital is the way forward for all industries. How is TopSolid gearing up to help companies achieve their digital goals?
Arnaud de Boisboissel: This is fully part of TopSolid’s strategy and Industry 4.0’s direction. TopSolid’s philosophy is to help companies work digitally and eliminate the redundant steps in design and manufacturing. The entire process can be made paperless, while minimising the need for human intervention. Its various modules
help in integrating various functions, thereby compressing the total throughput time.

Q. How can manufacturers optimize on technology to carry out operations amid the COVID-19 outbreak?
Arnaud de Boisboissel: Using technology and technology-driven solutions are the only alternatives in the current situation. Owing to the scarcity of skilled manpower to get the jobs done, it is become more important to look at technology to fill in the gaps. To meet customers’ standards, TopSolid has incorporated the best practices of the industry into its highly customizable products. These not only help in minimising repetitive tasks but also in automating the process to a great extent.
However, the transition to automation must be done in phases. Automating the process and minimising human intervention are needed in order to reduce waste and improve productivity. Being a truly integrated platform for design and manufacturing helps in reducing the unnecessary steps of duplication and preventing loss of information when using different software for design and manufacturing. All the relevant information and data can be retrieved and used to monitor quality and traceability.

Q. What are the key growth drivers in India? What are your plans for the Indian market?
Arnaud de Boisboissel: There are several growth drivers in India, but the most important ones are the country’s pro-development government, and availability of skilled and knowledgeable manpower. Currently, many countries have understood the importance of diversifying and they are considering setting up their manufacturing base in India. Some have already done so. I think that the availability of reasonably good infrastructure and quick scalability will help India attract global investments.
India is one of the largest growing industrial markets in the world. By establishing this strategic partnership with TopSolid India, we aim to provide full support to the industry with our range of customisable products. We want to help companies achieve optimised working levels and assist them by customising our products to help them meet their individual company standards.

This interview was first published in TAGMA Times newsletter 

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