May 2021 was arguably the toughest month ever in my memory. More and more people around were getting affected from Covid-19. Hospitalizations were at a record high. The country was facing a shortage of oxygen supply and crucial medicines for patients who needed them desperately.
India’s crisis drew the attention of the world, and many countries came forward to help with the supply of lifesaving drugs and equipment including oxygen concentrators, and plants. It was heartening to see that the world fighting the pandemic as a global crisis, not taking it as an issue faced by any specific country.
Our own prestigious academic institutions stepped up as well. IIT Kanpur launched initiative Mission Bharat O2 as part of which the Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC) of IIT Kanpur will set up 10 oxygen plants this month to address the oxygen crisis in India and to strengthen the Indian healthcare infrastructure.
The vaccination drive has picked up all across the country, with the number of vaccinations done every day touching record numbers for the Covid-19 inoculation campaign. It is great to note that corporate organizations including many in the manufacturing sector have come forward and pledged free vaccine to employees and their family members. At the time of writing this, many such initiatives have been successfully completed in different factories and offices.
Our current issue focuses on digitalization in the machine tools industry. The last one year has accelerated the adoption of digitalization by multiples. ICT companies have done very well as most organizations either want to upgrade their digital capabilities or want to start adopting digital technology which will help them to grow keeping the future of the industry into mind.
As the second wave subsides, we pray that everyone stays healthy and safe. We urge you to get vaccinated, if you haven’t already, and follow all the safety protocols.
Stay Safe. Stay Healthy.
Notes From the field – Dinesh Mishra Senior VP strategy
E copy of our magazine – https://www.machineinsider.com/dmi-may-june-2021/