 Engineering Design Centre in IITM
Ashok Leyland and Bosch, the largest auto components suppliers in the world, have joined hands with IIT Madras to set up the Ashok Leyland and Bosch Centre of Excellence in Engineering Design at the IITM campus. A memorandum of understanding in this regard was signed in Chennai on October 23, 2006, by R Seshasayee, managing director, Ashok Leyland, and Dr Albert Hieronimus, managing director, Motor Industries Company Limited, flagship of the Bosch Group in India, and Prof M S Ananth, director,
IITM.
The new Department of Engineering Design will offer a dual degree programme in engineering design - B Tech in Engineering Design and M Tech with specialisation in Automotive Engineering. Seshasayee said this was a first-of-its-kind in the country. The department will also offer MS and Ph.D from January 2007.
Seshasayee said Ashok Leyland and Bosch would contribute Rs 4 crore each for the programme. There is a dire need for design engineers with sound knowledge of MEMS, controls and analytical and numerical techniques, added Prof Ananth. A feature of the programme will be adequate training in industry.
The programme would help produce skilled manpower in India, pointed out Dr Albert
Hieronimus.
The 55,000 sq ft centre of excellence would be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities for teaching and research, Prof Ananth said.
While there is no formal understanding on placements, Seshasayee and Dr Albert Hieronimus said trainees need not join their companies. There was no compulsion but they hoped the companies would be able to absorb many of them as it was a win-win situation.
R Rangaraj
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