The Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation has established the COSIEMA-TANCAM (Tamil Nadu Centre of Excellence for Advanced Manufacturing) centre on the Coimbatore SIDCO Industrial Estate Manufacturers Welfare Association (COSIEMA) premises. This facility aims to support micro, small, and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs) in Coimbatore district with advanced design and simulation capabilities.
Set up at a cost of 1 crore, 50% of the funding for the centre was contributed by COSIEMA. The facility is equipped with advanced design software from the French company Dassault Systemes. The company signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tamil Nadu govt, and its software is widely used by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and Tier 1 manufacturing companies for design, simulation, and training.
“This software enables the design of machinery parts and is beneficial for various industries, including automotive, electric vehicles (EVs), and aerospace in the city,” said COSIEMA president R Natarajan.
“Coimbatore is the only city in Tamil Nadu, apart from Chennai, to have this common facility centre. Industries no longer need to travel to Chennai for design works,” he said.
COSIEMA past president Nallathambi explained the features: “The software helps manufacturers evaluate whether a part fits into machinery, identifies potential difficulties, and demonstrates the assembly process with a 3D view. These advanced software solutions are typically unaffordable for individual MSMEs to purchase and install.”
The govt has provided four design experts to operate the centre. “They handle design requirements for industries and charge on an hourly basis. The revenue is shared equally between COSIEMA and the state govt. Additionally, if someone from an industry is already skilled in using the software, they can access the facility by paying only the usage fee,” he said.
The centre also offers manufacturing design training to college students at affordable rates, he added.
