Design at the Doorstep-Design Approaches for MSMEs

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A unique and ambitious design intervention scheme, the Design Clinic Scheme for MSMEs, aims to bring design to the doorstep of these industries. Spread across the country covering both the rural as well as urban areas, over 94% of the Indian industries comprise of MSMEs-the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. For India, a labor abundant country, MSMEs are the major source of employment generation and foreign exchange earnings. The diversity in terms of the size of the enterprises, the products manufactured and services offered, the levels of technologies used, the people involved, their impact and connect with the society, all make MSMEs as one of the most complex and challenging sector to work with. The manufacturing competitiveness of these MSMEs is facing a major challenge of change. They need to move up in the value chain, from OEM to ODM.

The Scheme has succeeded in creating and encouraging symbiotic relationship between the MSMEs and the design fraternity of the country. Within the span of five years of its implementation, the scheme reached out to over 25,000 MSME participants across the country.

As multi-layered accounts, the articles bring to the fore the typical characteristics and concerns of the Indian MSMEs and scope for design intervention in this crucial sector of the economy. While demonstrating the design intervention approach that is appropriate and contextual to this sector, it highlights the role of academia in developing such sector specific solutions and approaches. And it portrays the design journey to scale up this unique approach across the country.

An NID alumnus, Shashank Mehta is currently principal faculty at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad Campus and also heads the institute's Professional Education Programmes. He successfully spearheaded the Design Clinic Scheme for MSMEs at NID, a unique design intervention scheme for India's large MSME sector. The scheme was supported by the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, Government of India.

A qualified mechanical engineer and product designer, Mehta has worked with small and large scale industries and the craft and social sectors as a designer, design consultant, and consultant retainer. Through this, he acquired that much needed holistic understanding of integrating user aspirations with industry constraints and demands and this consequently led him to develop viable design solutions.

At NID, Mehta has led several curriculum development initiatives. He has worked extensively in the area of technology and design fusion, sustainability, and indigenous innovations. He conceptualised the first e-learning module on package design and also helped set up the country's first design business incubator at NID. In 2005, Shashank co-organised an international conference on design education in Asia and also co-edited its proceedings titled Design Education: Tradition and Modernity-Scholastic Papers from the International Conference, DETM 05 (2007). Mehta has published widely and has lectured on subjects as varied as: technology and design interface, design education, design in the Indian context, service design, and design for sustainability to name a few.

Mehta serves as the member of advisory committees and review committees for international conferences and also serves on the boards of industry associations and NGOS.

My association with the Design Clinic Scheme dates back to the period 2008-2010 when, as the Additional Secretary & Development Commissioner for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, I was leading an important government initiative to enhance the manufacturing competitiveness of Indian MSMEs. Based on the visionary recommendations made by the National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council headed by V. Krishnamurthy, a bouquet of 10 schemes was conceived by the Development Commissioner's office under a programme called the National Manufacturing Competitiveness Programme (NMCP). I had the good fortune of being at the right place at the right time for formulating and steering most of the schemes through their initial phases.

Of all the schemes under the NMCP, I have no hesitation in mentioning my particular fondness for the Design Clinic Scheme, I have always felt that the immense talent, enterprise, and resilience of the small and traditional enterprises of India can find their rightful place in global trade and commerce by the use of design to create niche markets that overcome the handicap of scale. I recall my numerous discussions with Pradyumna Vyas, the director of the Ahmedabad-based National Institute of Design (NID) and also with Shashank Mehta, both highly regarded faculty members from the institute about the remarkable opportunity for NID to play a central role in bringing together Indian MSMEs and design professionals of the country on a single platform through the Design Clinic Scheme for MSMES.

From the very beginning of this initiative, Shashank Mehta has continued to lead a dedicated team under the Design Clinic Scheme. This journey has taken him to every nook and corner of the country to spread design awareness, to document design needs, and to prepare the MSME clusters as incubators for new design ideas. His book titled Design at the Doorstep: Design Approaches for MSMEs gives valuable insight on the scheme implementation strategies and the perspectives of both design professionals and entrepreneurs. It provides information on design needs of selected clusters and the process of analyzing design problems of MSMEs. It also advocates how design solutions can quickly enhance the value and competitiveness of small enterprises.

I am indeed happy that this initiative, conceived a decade ago, has matured over the years, and the Design Clinic Scheme has emerged as one of the main platforms for coordinated activity between the government, NID, and the MSMEs. Over 219 workshops have been conducted in multiple clusters across the country, resulting in the documentation of the design status and needs of small enterprises.

The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), have been globally considered as an engine of economic growth. MSMEs play a pivotal role in the economic and social development of the country, often acting as a nursery of entrepreneurship. In India too, MSMEs play an essential role in the overall industrial economy of the country. Spread across the country, over 94% of the Indian industries comprise of MSMEs. For India, a labor abundant country, MSMEs are the major source of employment generation and foreign exchange earnings. The country will require creation of 220 million jobs by 2025. Reviving the country's manufacturing sector is a key initiative in this direction. The MSME sector is amongst the largest contributor in terms of employment generation in the manufacturing sector in the country. While generating employment opportunities at the local and regional level, MSMEs also help tackle the problems of regional disparities. In Indian context, the growth of the MSME sector is vital for our sustainable and equitable social and economic development.

Launched on February 17, 2010 with the initial target to reach out to 200 MSME clusters, the Design Clinic Scheme for MSMEs, a unique design intervention scheme for the country's vast MSME sector, reached out to over 25,000 MSME participants across the country, through organisation of over 350 Design Awareness Seminars, 200 Design Awareness Programmes, 236 Professional Design Projects and 98 Student Design Projects, in a short span of five years.

This book, mainly a compilation of articles I had written on my blog during the period of scheme implementation, is an attempt to share my experiences gained over these five years. As multi-layered accounts, the articles bring to the fore the typical characteristics and concerns of the Indian MSMEs and scope for design intervention in this crucial sector of the economy. While demonstrating the design intervention approach that is appropriate and contextual to this sector, it highlights the role of academia in developing such sector specific solutions and approaches. And it portrays the design journey to scale up (implement) this unique approach across the country.