T-Works, India’s largest prototyping facility which will be formally inaugurated on March 2, is expected to give a significant boost to product innovation in the state of Telangana, providing a space for makers, innovators, and hobbyists to explore and experiment without the fear of failure. The center has already deployed machinery worth around Rs. 11.5 crore and is set to receive a total investment of Rs. 110 crore over the next six months to a year.
Giving a preview of the facility, IT and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao said, “T-Works will accelerate India’s journey to become a leader in product innovation. We want T-Works to be self-sufficient like T-Hub. We will evolve pay-per-use mechanisms. However, the price will be low. The effort is to lower entry barriers in the hardware segment.”
With T-Works, Telangana hopes to foster a culture of innovation, bringing together a community of volunteers, engineers, artists, designers, service providers, and students to create new products and develop ideas. The center will work to lower barriers for prototype development and will provide all the necessary equipment, software, advice, expertise, market access, and funding needed to nurture an idea into an enterprise. It will also provide handholding and facilitate the transition from prototyping to manufacturing through collaboration.
T-Works will have facilities for woodworking, welding, sheet metal machining, printed circuit board fabrication, pottery, finish shop, 3D printing, and e-workstations. The center will also offer end-to-end product development services and will welcome a broad range of users, including students, hobbyists, tinkerers, children, makers, innovators, MSMEs, and corporations.
The soft launch of the facility happened eight months ago, and the formal launch is scheduled for March 2. The center has already attracted interest from major corporations, with many set to join T-Works as corporate partners. A corporate program, on the lines offered by T-Hub, is also in the offing.
Young Liu, chairman of Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn), which makes electronic products for major American, Canadian, Chinese, Finnish, and Japanese companies, will inaugurate the facility. Liu is also expected to interact with Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao.
T-Works to boost Product Design, Engineering, and Fabrication Eco-System in India
According to the IT and Industries Minister, T-Works will focus on product design, engineering, fabrication, sourcing, materials, and other aspects. The center will work to lower entry barriers in the hardware segment, providing an environment where innovators can explore and experiment without the fear of failure.
“We will evolve pay-per-use mechanisms. However, the price will be low. The effort is to lower entry barriers in the hardware segment. Satellite centers of T-Works will be set up in Nizamabad, Khammam, Karimnagar, Siddipet, and Warangal, where IT towers are being built or have already been built,” he said.
T-Works is part of the Telangana government’s efforts to foster a culture of innovation and to support startups and entrepreneurs in the region. The center is an effort to create and celebrate the culture of hobbyists, makers, and innovators, and to provide a space where they can turn their ideas into reality.
The center will offer a range of services to support innovation, including product development, design, engineering, fabrication, sourcing, materials, and other aspects. It will also offer training and support to help users become proficient in using the center’s facilities and equipment.
“We will support successful ideas by providing access to required equipment, software, advice, expertise, market access, funding, and handholding. We aim to create a community of volunteers, engineers, artists, and designers who can work together to bring innovative ideas to life. We also hope to encourage school children to think creatively and explore new solutions to existing problems through our design thinking initiatives. Our goal is to lower entry barriers for prototype development, nurture and celebrate the culture of hobbyists, makers, and innovators, and facilitate the transition from prototyping to manufacturing through collaboration.” IT Minister said.
According to Sujai Karampuri, the CEO of T-Works and Director of Electronics for Telangana, the facility’s uniqueness lies in its ability to help create a prototype quickly, which would otherwise take months. Users have the option to pay-per-use and can bring their designs to the facility, where they can work with the team on relevant machines to create a prototype. If the prototype doesn’t turn out as expected, they can quickly fine-tune the design and create a fresh product in just a few hours.
