By Ruchi Shrimali and Madiha Jawed

If you are thinking of engineering as a career, think out of the box. Tech professionals who can think beyond the usual ways to develop low cost engineering products will be hot property. Yes, that's how India's much talked about innovation, Nano, came into being.

Tata made the world stand up and notice its ‘Nano', the first car ever for just one lakh rupees or $2000, which targeted the middle and lower-middle class families in India. Since then, frugal engineering has fired the imagination of scientists, researchers, engineers, and corporate R&D departments in India and abroad. Low-cost medical instruments and medicines, $35 Akash tablet, and low-cost refrigerators have been some of the most talked-about products in 2011. Read more

India, where youth often struggles with low resources, has led the pack of engineers who think of innovation without losing their focus on cost of production of the final product. Besides, in keeping with the ideals of frugal engineering, these products offer good value for money.

The Tata Way!

Frugal Engineering calls for organizational innovation. Cross-functional teams at Tata worked together to find ways to keep the costs low. They did not look for low-cost options for systems that already existed but thought ‘out of the box', and picked up ideas from everywhere, including auto-rickshaws.

Suppliers were involved in the product development process to evolve a cost structure and set cost targets. Entire systems were optimized to come up with an efficient working design for the automobile.

Commitment from the top and brainstorming at all stages made Nano possible. Tata has set the path for frugal engineering to cater to those who are at the bottom of the pyramid.

Antidote for the Dragon

China has become the factory of the world and has made its niche as the low-cost manufacturer. With frugal engineering in its kitty, India has managed to rise up in the global supply chain by offering low-cost innovative products with much better quality standards.

Along with IT outsourcing, India is also making a mark in research and product development. The country also has a strategic advantage over China which has highly regulated markets.

Whether is the health and pharma sector, auto sector or the education sector, low-cost technology can bring greater efficacy in the services they offer, increase return on their R&D department and mean more customer satisfaction for them, which will definitely lead to increase in their profits. Read more

In a nation of more than a billion people, frugal engineering mindset can help evolve cost discipline and offer re-usable and unique solutions. It's time for all you engineering aspirants to think and broaden your horizon.