CHENNAI: If all goes according to plan, a test centre for electromagnetic compatibility and communication (EMI/EMC) will become operational in the state within the next 18 months. The Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) has decided to partner with a private company to construct the centre on a 1.2-acre plot in Kanchipuram district at a cost of Rs 120 crore.
Elaborating more on the project, Industries Minister TRB Rajaa said the proposed EMI-EMC testing facility will be key to our efforts towards building an enabling ecosystem for the electronics and advanced manufacturing sectors. “Electronics components across the value chain, from those meant for consumer electronics to the ones used in advanced industries, like aerospace and defence, can be tested in this facility,” he said.
B Krishnamoorthy, special secretary and project director for TIDCO, said the layout of the test facility and the equipment required have already been finalised.
The estimated project cost is Rs 120 crore, and financial support to the tune of about Rs 75 crore has already been sought from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The remaining funds will be raised in the form of equities.
The facility would possess accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), and would be able to support various standards like MIL, International Electrotechnical Commission, and American National Standards Institute among others, he added.
TIDCO proposes to invest about Rs 13 crore as equity, and has floated an Expression of Interest (EoI) to find partners for the remaining investment.
This proposed facility assumes significance as testing centres were identified as one of the gaps in the ecosystem for the aerospace and defence sector development. Common test centres examine equipment for compliance of various standards at affordable cost.
TIDCO has initiated the process for establishing test centres for fields, including mechanical and materials, electro-optics, electronic warfare, communication, unmanned aerial systems and EMI/EMC.
While the first one is planned in Tiruchy, the subsequent centres will come up near Sriperumbudur, Krishnamoorthy said. These EMC regulations provide improved reliability and safety for anyone using electrical and electronic equipment.
These tests assure that the device does not interfere with the operation of the other equipment or fail to operate as is intended due to interference from other emissions, Krishnamoorthy added.