When Foxconn Chairman Young Liu formally launches T-Works on Thursday, he will make available a well-equipped maker’s lab where an entrepreneur or a start-up can go there with a design and come out with a prototype. From the sophisticated PCBs to traditional silver filigree or ceramic handicraft -- the facility can churn out anything that a start-up or an innovator think of.

“They can pay per use. They can come here with a design, sit with our team working on relevant machines, and churn out a prototype. If it doesn’t come out the way they want, they can quickly finetune the design and get a fresh product in a few hours,” Sujai Karampuri, CEO, T-Works, and Director of Electronics (Telangana), told businessline.

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Giving a sneak peek into the prototyping laboratory at the IT hub of Raidurg, which is dotted with top IT companies, he said the facility has churned out 1,000 components, prototypes, or products so far.

Skyroot that sent a satellite into space and a girl student who made biopots out of groundnut shells are some of the early users of T-Works facility.

Telangana IT and Industries Minister K T Rama Rao has said that it’s a one-of-the-kind facility in the country. He said the Government has allocated ₹125 crore for the project, which is being taken up on a five-acre plot, abutting T-Hub, the start-up ecosystem enabler.

“With 5.70 lakh sq ft T-Hub next door and an upcoming 1.6 million sq ft IMAGE Towers to promote animation, gaming, multimedia, and entertainment start-ups, the area will emerge as the world’s biggest Innovation Campus by the end of 2023,” he said.

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Phase-I of the project has equipment and machinery worth ₹11.50 crore. “We are going to increase the equipment and machinery by 10 times in the next 6-12 months,” Anand Rajagopalan, Director (Operations) of T-Works, said.

T-Works is a place where somebody can convert an idea into a working prototype: Sujai Karampuri, CEO, T-Works
Sujai Karampuri, CEO, T-Works, and Director of Electronics (Telangana), talks to businessline about the idea behind T-Works, how it works, and how users can approach it.

The industry has agreed to contribute machinery and equipment worth ₹35-40 crore as part of their corporate social responsibility activity, allowing T-Works to give access to the facilities at ‘affordable’ prices.

Design thinking

The Minister said the Government would organise fam trips to students to inculcate design thinking. “If they see how things work, they will be inspired,” he said.

Who can access

Access to the facility is not limited to start-ups and entrepreneurs only. “It caters to a wide range of users. Students, hobbyists, tinkerers, children, makers, innovators, MSMEs, why even corporations,” Anand Rajagopalan, Director (Operations) of T-Works, said.

What to expect

Users can book slots to rent the equipment. They, however, need to expose themselves to safety and machine operation training in order to be eligible to rent and operate the equipment. Besides offering fabricating services, T-Works provides end-to-end product development services.

How to approach

Users can knock on T-Works doors through its website, email, and references from partner incubators, academia, and industry. 

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