Parminder Singh- Country Head, Autodesk Design & Manufacturing, Media & entertainment

1. The manufacturing and design industries are undergoing a rapid transformation. What do you see as the key drivers of this evolution in India and the SAARC region?

Some of the key trends in the design and manufacturing industries are: 

1. AI and Digital Transformation: Autodesk is leveraging AI and machine learning in its software solutions to enhance design capabilities and automate repetitive tasks. This includes tools like Autodesk Fusion 360, which integrates CAD, CAM, and CAE into a single platform. 
2. Cloud as technology – Cloud technology is a key trend revolutionizing the design and manufacturing industries, enabling greater collaboration, scalability, and efficiency. By leveraging cloud-based solutions, companies can access powerful tools and resources without the need for significant upfront investments in hardware and infrastructure.  

Autodesk is at the forefront of this transformation, offering innovative cloud-based platforms like Autodesk Fusion. Fusion integrates CAD, CAM, and CAE in a single platform, allowing for seamless collaboration and real-time data sharing among team members, regardless of their location. This not only accelerates the design process but also enhances the quality of the final product. These cloud-powered tools exemplify how we are helping design and manufacturing professionals to innovate, increase efficiency, and create more sustainable products. 

3. Smart Manufacturing: Autodesk supports the adoption of smart manufacturing practices by providing advanced manufacturing software solutions that integrate with IIoT and other Industry 4.0 technologies. 
4. Additive Manufacturing: Autodesk offers solutions like Autodesk Netfabb, which supports additive manufacturing processes, enabling efficient and innovative product development. 
5. Workforce Development: Autodesk is firmly committed to helping solve the skills gap problem and prepare the next generation for the jobs of today and tomorrow. We deliver on this commitment by providing free access to our full portfolio of professional-grade software to accredited institutions. Infact, in November this year, we entered into a MoU with IIT Bombay. The collaboration will combine Autodesk’s industry expertise with IIT Bombay’s leadership in education, research, and innovation. The objective is to train and provide skills to top talent, support India’s growth, and shape the country’s technical and scientific landscape. 
6. Supply Chain and Product Lifecycle Management: Autodesk’s software solutions, such as Autodesk Fusion Lifecycle, help streamline supply chain management and product lifecycle processes, enhancing overall efficiency. 
7. Tool path generation on cloud – Autodesk is pioneering tool path generation on the cloud, revolutionizing the way manufacturers approach CNC machining and other automated processes. By utilizing cloud-based solutions like Autodesk Fusion, users can generate, simulate, and optimize tool paths in a highly efficient and collaborative environment.  

This cloud-centric approach allows for real-time data processing and sharing, enabling teams to work together seamlessly from different locations. The advanced capabilities of Fusion as platform and Data models leverage Autodesk’s powerful cloud computing infrastructure to perform complex calculations quickly, reducing the time required for tool path creation and iteration. This not only enhances productivity but also ensures higher precision and quality in the manufacturing process.  

2. What are your thoughts on the evolving role of advanced technologies like AI and generative design in shaping the future of manufacturing and design industries?

When it comes to AI, we’re seeing users leverage AI to iterate on concepts faster, and determine best exterior designs based on performance needs. AI can help come up with the best solutions for manufacturability, parts consolidation, and material usage in vehicles based on performance, cost and sustainability targets. We’re already seeing AI-driven design tools gain mass acceptance as they can help conceptualize these possibilities and streamline the design process by automating repetitive tasks. Also, AI can enhance decision-making across the factory.  

Speaking of AI from the lens of design, I feel, in the short term, AI will enable companies and governments to make better decisions earlier in the process. In the long-term, we believe that AI can augment creative exploration and problem-solving, automate tedious and repetitive work and analyse project data to offer predictive insights –making it easier for users to innovate without needing extensive technical skills. For example, designers can now evaluate multiple options earlier on in the design process with Autodesk’s design and make platform rather than prototyping all, manufacturers can now generate tool path from drawings, designers can automatically constraint sketches using AI. 

3. Sustainability has become a critical focus across industries. How can technology play a more significant role in enabling sustainable practices in manufacturing and design?

We believe that technology will always be one of society’s most powerful catalysts for progress. Autodesk’s mission—to help everyone, everywhere, design and make anything—drives us to develop powerful solutions that help our customers tackle the world’s biggest challenges. Today’s advances in digital transformation, cloud-connected technology, and generative AI will yield monumental changes in how we design and make our world. As a trusted partner to our customers and ecosystem, we ensure that the innovators and creators building our future have the best tools to do so. Empowering people to design, collaborate, build, and fabricate in ways that improve productivity–while also reducing waste, saving money, and staying competitive–is the goal behind our sustainable design technology. Our software harnesses the power of automation to achieve business and sustainability goals. 

Autodesk offers a range of tools and solutions that help extend product lifecycles and minimize waste through sustainable and circular design practices. Here are some ways in which Autodesk supports these goals: 

• Generative Design: Autodesk’s generative design tools use AI and machine learning to generate multiple design alternatives based on specified constraints and goals. This allows designers to optimize for material efficiency, reduce weight, and minimize waste, leading to more sustainable products. 
• Lifecycle Assessment (LCA): Autodesk tools like Fusion and Revit include features for conducting lifecycle assessments. These assessments help designers understand the environmental impact of their materials and processes, enabling more informed decisions that reduce negative environmental impacts throughout the product lifecycle. 
• Material Optimization: Autodesk’s design software offers material optimization capabilities, allowing designers to select materials that are more sustainable and have lower environmental impacts. This includes the ability to simulate and analyse the performance of different materials, helping to reduce waste and improve recyclability. 
• Digital Prototyping and Simulation: Autodesk’s digital prototyping tools enable designers to create and test virtual models of their products. This reduces the need for physical prototypes, minimizing material waste and speeding up the design process. 
• Additive Manufacturing: Autodesk supports additive manufacturing (3D printing) through tools like Netfabb. Additive manufacturing produces less waste compared to traditional subtractive manufacturing methods, as it builds products layer by layer, using only the necessary amount of material. 
• Product Lifecycle Management (PLM): Autodesk’s PLM solutions provide comprehensive tools for managing the entire product lifecycle. This includes capabilities for tracking product usage, maintenance, and end-of-life processes, ensuring that products are used efficiently and sustainably throughout their lifecycle. 
• Design for Disassembly: Autodesk’s tools support design for disassembly principles, allowing products to be easily taken apart at the end of their life. This facilitates recycling and reuse of components, reducing waste and extending the lifecycle of materials. 
• Sustainability Analysis: Autodesk’s tools offer sustainability analysis features, environmental impact analysis in Fusion. These features help designers assess and improve the sustainability of their designs, leading to more efficient and environmentally friendly products. 

By leveraging these tools and solutions, Autodesk helps designers and manufacturers create products that are more sustainable, have longer lifecycles, and generate less waste. This supports the principles of circular design, where products are designed to be reused, refurbished, and recycled, contributing to a more sustainable future. 

4. With AI becoming more prevalent in design and manufacturing, what challenges do you foresee in its adoption, and how can they be mitigated?

As AI becomes more prevalent in design and manufacturing, several challenges may arise:

• Workforce Resistance and Skill Gaps: The current workforce may lack necessary AI skills that will prevent them being relevant to current and future skills demands in the manufacturing sector. 
• Data Quality and Integration: AI requires high-quality data; poor data can lead to errors. Also, integrating AI with existing systems may not be easy. 
• Cost and Resource Constraints – Adoption of AI requires significant upfront costs and requires sufficient time and expertise for AI centric projects. 
• Ethical and Regulatory Concerns: Its important to have the defined ethical and regulatory framework to protect data privacy, security and bias.  

Some of the ways to address these challenges are: 

Training and Change Management: upskilling and training the workforce is critical. 

Data Quality and Integration: Establish practices to ensure data quality and consistency. Use experienced IT professionals for smooth AI integration.

Ethical and Regulatory Compliance: Develop transparent, fair, and accountable AI guidelines. Staying informed and conducting regular audits for compliance would prove helpful.

In summary, addressing these challenges through strategic planning and proactive measures will enable successful AI integration in design and manufacturing, driving innovation and growth.

5. Beyond AI and generative design, what other technologies or methodologies do you think are reshaping the future of design and manufacturing?

1. AI and machine learning – We’ll continue to see AI transform industries, and ultimately help India address those capacity challenges and do more with less.  
2. AR and VR – These tools are profoundly changing how design and make professionals interact with their data and collaborate in a remote environment. AR and VR provide a connected, immersive workspace where AEC professionals can work together in real-time on their 3D models, streamlining the design review process, improving communication and understanding, and reducing errors and rework costs. This leads to higher quality design decisions and better stakeholder alignment. 

6. Precision and performance are at the heart of gear manufacturing. How can technologies like simulation, topology optimization, and advanced CAM tools help in achieving these goals?
7. Autodesk has a diverse portfolio spanning multiple industries. How do you see the integration of tools like BIM, simulation, and cloud-based platforms driving innovation across sectors?

At Autodesk, we offer a comprehensive suite of tools designed to support manufacturers in ensuring traceability within their operations. Here are some key features that help achieve this: 

• Product Lifecycle Management (PLM): Autodesk’s PLM solutions enable manufacturers to track and manage the entire lifecycle of a product, from inception through engineering design and manufacturing, to service and disposal. This ensures that every stage of the product development process is well-documented and traceable. 
• Digital Prototyping: Tools such as Autodesk Inventor allow manufacturers to create and test digital prototypes of their products. This reduces the need for physical prototypes and ensures that all design changes and iterations are recorded and traceable. 
• Data Management: Autodesk Vault provides powerful data management capabilities, enabling manufacturers to securely store and manage their engineering data. This includes version control, which ensures that all changes to design files are tracked and traceable. 
• Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES): Autodesk’s MES solutions help manufacturers track production processes in real-time. This includes monitoring the usage of materials, labour, and equipment, ensuring that all aspects of the manufacturing process are recorded and traceable. 
• Quality Management: Autodesk’s solutions support quality management processes by enabling manufacturers to document quality checks and inspections. This ensures that any defects or issues are recorded and can be traced back to their source. 
• Supply Chain Management: Autodesk’s tools help manufacturers manage their supply chains by providing visibility into the sourcing and movement of materials. This ensures that all materials used in production can be traced back to their origin. 

Overall, Autodesk’s suite of tools provides comprehensive support for traceability in manufacturing operations, allowing manufacturers to maintain detailed records of their processes and products, thereby enhancing accountability, compliance, and quality assurance. 

7. As Country Head for Design and Manufacturing, how are you observing the adoption of advanced design tools across Indian manufacturers, particularly in traditional sectors like the gear industry?
8. What advice would you offer to manufacturers and designers looking to stay relevant in an increasingly technology-driven environment?