DynamicProduct Design in Industry 4.0 Consumer Innovative Products

by Ms. Sharanya Nair, CTG Design Head,​ Bajaj Auto, Pune on February 19, 2025.

On February 19, 2025, 32 MBA Operations specialization students (Batch 2023-25) had an online session on Dynamic Product Design in Industry 4.0. The resource person was Ms. Sharanya Nair , who is a Creative leader with 10 plus years of experience in automotive Color, Material, Finish (CMF), and graphics design.  At TVS, she has contributed to key products like Raider, Ntorq, Jupiter, Creon and the HLX series. Currently heading the CMF team at Bajaj, driving impactful projects like the Freedom, the world’s first CNG bike, the Pulsar lineup, the Chetak lineup, and many more. She is known for leading teams, fostering collaboration, and delivering innovative designs through trend analysis, CMF strategy, and product branding.

The session concentrated on Smart Product Development- The use of data-driven insights from IoT-enabled products allows for continuous feedback loops. Industry 4.0 enables mass customization by allowing manufacturers to create products tailored to individual customer preferences. This is done through flexible manufacturing systems, which can adapt to different configurations quickly and efficiently. She reiterated how advanced communication platforms and virtual collaboration tools, along with additive manufacturing (3D Printing) allow designers, engineers, and customers to work together in real-time. This helps with developing products that are more aligned with customer expectations and needs. She explained how Simulation tools and digital twins (virtual representations of physical assets) allow for testing and optimizing product designs before they are physically produced. Flexible Manufacturing Systems enable quick adaptation to change in design or production schedules. Machines and robots can be easily reprogrammed to handle different tasks, allowing for a more responsive design and manufacturing process. Finally, she spoke about how the integration of data analytics and AI in the design phase helps identify patterns, predict failures, and optimize designs. AI-powered tools can automatically suggest design improvements based on performance data. The session was coordinated by Dr. Vignesh Karthik SA – Assistant Professor- Operations