Dr. Ravi Bhatkal, Vice President of Strategy (India) at MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions, has been recognized for his pivotal role in setting up a production-grade surface mount technology (SMT) line at Kongu Engineering College in Tamil Nadu, a milestone aimed at bolstering hands-on electronics manufacturing education in the region.
Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan, Vice President of India, presented the award during the Kongu Vellalar Institute of Technology Trust Founders’ Day celebrations in Perundurai, Erode, on August 29, 2026.
The new SMT facility will serve as the core of the college’s upcoming Center for Advanced Electronics Manufacturing and Skills Development. The initiative builds directly on a successful blueprint MacDermid Alpha established at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) in Chennai.
Beyond training engineers and assembly technicians for the shop floor, the center will offer regional manufacturers and hardware startups open access to production-line facilities, while doubling as an interdisciplinary testbed for R&D and process innovation.
The launch aligns with a broader push to tighten industry-academia integration across India’s electronics ecosystem.
The center itself will sit inside the larger Arivukoodam Research Park, which was formally inaugurated during the Founders’ Day event. Slated to become fully operational in 2028, the park will host multidisciplinary Centers of Excellence, corporate satellite R&D hubs, and startup incubators to drive local hardware innovation.
Leadership Comment
“I am deeply humbled by this recognition. It reflects the importance of collaboration between industry and academia in developing the skills, technical capabilities, and ecosystem needed to support India’s growing electronics manufacturing sector,” said Dr. Bhatkal. “This production-grade SMT line will provide the foundation for a larger Center for Advanced Electronics Manufacturing and Skills Development within the planned Arivukoodam Research Park. It will give students, engineers, startups, and manufacturers access to practical experience that can help translate research and ideas into commercial technologies and products.”
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