3. Introduction
This paper is aimed at addressing the value and need
for quality Technical Publications in the Indian Defense Offset Facilitation Agency
Aerospace and Defence Industry. (DOFA)
Technical publications include a wide variety of DOFA has been established under the Department of
materials such as user guides, online help, white Defence Production (DDP) as a single window agency to
papers, classroom training materials, reference facilitate implementation of the offset policy of the
guides, administration guides, standard operating Ministry of Defence.
procedures, installation manuals, Web-based training
materials, and product demos. DOFA will assist potential vendors in interfacing with the
Indian Defence Industry for identifying potential offset
The processes and procedures involved in transferring products/projects as well as provide requisite data and
and implementing the technology, operation, information for this purpose.
maintenance, overhauling, upgrading, engineering,
designing, testing, and quality assurance services of The agency will function under the supervision of a
the manufactured defence equipments and related designated Joint Secretary of the Dept of Defence
software needs to be documented. Production, and have representatives from the Service
HQrs, HQ IDS, DRDO, DPSUs and OFB as well as from
With the ever increasing defence imports, the Indian CII, FICCI and ASSOCHAM and other agencies as
Defence Industry is inviting and encouraging larger deemed necessary.
participation of private investors for technology
transfer, manufacturing ground handling equipments, For more information about DOFA visit
and repair and maintenance of aircrafts and other http://mod.nic.in/DOFA.htm
defence products.
The quality of Technical Publication in the Indian
Aerospace and Defence Industry needs to be in par “Knowledge is people, money, learning, flexibility
with the standards such as European Association of and competitive advantage. Knowledge is more
Aerospace Industries (AECMA), Simplified English relevant to sustained business than capital or labor.
(PSC-85-16598), and ATA iSpec 2200 (Air And yet knowledge remains the most neglected
Transportation America) and be comprehensible to the asset of a business. TWB helps you unlock and
end users in the global markets. share your technical knowledge with the world.”
In this paper we will also address and discuss about
the lack of vista in communication and usability
aspects, aimed at increasing the value of technical
publication in the Indian Aerospace and Defence
Industry.
“TWB believes that the technology cannot exist
without being communicated effectively.”
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4. Indian Defence Industry and
Offset Policy
Indian Aerospace and Defence Industry Defence Offset Obligations
The recent studies conclude that India is currently one of The policy to deregulate certain selected areas in the
the top importers of military and aerospace equipments industry is aimed at import substitution through higher
in the world. domestic production for meeting the expected
domestic defense requirements.
The projections made in a report on ‘Avenues for Private
Sector Participation in Defence' by the industry chamber DOFA has stated in the Defence Offset Obligations of
Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Offset Procedure that:
India (ASSOCHAM) points out that:
“Direct purchase of, or executing export orders
for, defence products and components
“Over the past few years, India has spent as much manufactured by, or services provided by, Indian
as $10.5 billion on military imports, making it defence industries, i.e., Defence Public Sector
amongst the largest arms importers in the Undertakings, the Ordnance Factory Board, and
developing world” any private defence industry manufacturing these
products or components under an industrial
license granted for such manufacture. For the
With the armed forces procuring multi-role fighter jets, purpose of defence offset, “services” will mean
helicopters, and long range maritime reconnaissance maintenance, overhaul, upgradation, life
aircrafts, it is estimated that India's defence imports will extension, engineering, design, testing, and
reach USD30 billion by 2012. defence related software or quality assurance
services.”
This makes India one of the most attractive defence
markets in the world, in terms of business potential and
growth opportunities for private sectors.
The current defence market for private sector in India,
which includes outsourcing from Defence Public Sector
Units and Ordnance Factories is estimated to be
USD700 million.
This spending will further increase as the Indian Defence
Industry is determined to increase the participation of
private investors.
Presently more than 5,000 Indian companies are
supplying around 25% of components and
subassemblies to state-owned companies.
The government has set a 70% target for procuring its
defence requirements from indigenous sources by 2010. “The global war against terrorism and security
For achieving this target the government is mainly considerations will continue to drive increases in
relying on private players.
military expenditure” Aerospace Report CII 2009.
Some of the key civil industry players supplying Defence
equipment and services include Tata Group, Mahindra &
Mahindra, Kirloskar Bros., Larsen & Toubro, Ashok
Leyland, Jindal, Max Aerospace & Aviation and Ramoss
India.
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5. Growth Opportunities
Growth Opportunities in the Indian Significance of Aerospace
Defense Industry Manufacturing and MRO
The key areas of growth identified within the industry According to the PricewaterhouseCoopers research in
are expected to arise from the up gradation of the the Aerospace Report CII 2009, most of the leading
production capacity, technology transfer, and companies are involved in the manufacture of
modernization of defense infrastructure. commercial and defence aircraft.
In the aerospace manufacturing segments, the
aerospace value chain is characterized by long project
“The Indian Armed Forces' ongoing cycles involving R&D, engineering design,
modernization program is set to make India the manufacturing, assembly, and spare parts and
Asia Pacific region's second highest defence services.
spender over the next five years and the
seventh largest globally by 2016, based on a The MRO sector is divided into four major segments,
market study by Frost & Sullivan. airframe and modification, engine maintenance, line
maintenance and component maintenance.
The total opportunities for procurement are
forecast to exceed US$100 billion by 2022, Maintenance is a major cost component and
including the maintenance, repair and overhaul significantly affects the overall life cycle cost.
(MRO) market, while the offset potential during
the forecast period is expected to reach US$10
billion by 2013.” - $100 billion investment The manufacturing and maintenance processes and
opportunities in Indian defence industries: procedures should be published and maintained for
Frost & Sullivan study, 30 May 2008. easier transitions and future developments.
The most attractive drivers in the growth of private
investors are ground handling equipment, proprietary
technology, manufacturing techniques, and
Maintenance, repair and operations/overhaul (MRO). Enhancing Processes with Clear and
Concise Publications
These drivers need to be accompanied with the
provisioning of publication solutions for operations,
The rising need for the public-private-collaboration and
repair and maintenance of the offset production.
participation of private investors in the defence
industry, the manufacturing and MRO units will be
wide spread across different companies in various
geographic locations.
“AgustaWestland, TATA to Jointly Produce
AW119 Helicopters in India”
The growing companies require a team of highly
committed technical authors with highly competent
skills to enable them communicate the complicated
technologies and processes with simple, clear and
concise publications.
The key responsibility areas of the technical
documentation companies include offering a wider
range of services for:
Creating, editing, reviewing, and maintaining
content
Preparing training material, online Help, graphics
and illustrations
Managing knowledge management and content
management solutions, single sourcing, and data
As stated in the Aerospace Report CII 2009 migration
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6. Value of Technical Publications
Technical Communication for Communication for Different Levels of
Transferring Product Knowledge Technical and Product Knowledge
The purpose of technical communication is to transfer In technical publications, audience is the focal point.
product knowledge to end users in a comprehensible Hence, the style, language, and content must vary
manner. The strategies of communication and levels of depending on the type of audience being addressed. It
information vary depending on the type of product and is because every user has a specific role in the
audience. implementation and usage of the technology.
Therefore, it is important that documents be created
keeping in mind the role of the person who will use the
Providing end users with information about a product’s
document.
operation and maintenance is critical to the market
performance of the product. Hence, the need for quality
documentation is imperative. For example, when you document a software
application designed for highly technical users, it is
sufficient to provide the users with quick reference
In today’s business scenario, technical publications are
information to use the application.
often developed as an afterthought. This usually results
in inaccurate and incomprehensible documentation,
which, in turn, renders the users incapable of using the For users who start without technical or product
products. knowledge, it is important to provide detailed product
information along with instructions on how to use the
product.
Accurate, readily understandable, and quality documents
determine how a product sells in the market and result in
increased customer satisfaction. Attractive Publications as Useful
Marketing Tools
Faulty Assumptions that Result in
Problems in Documentation Besides transferring knowledge, technical publications
are also used for marketing a product. Before a
product is released in the market, information about
The faulty assumptions listed below result in the product needs to be effectively communicated to
incomprehensible documents: the customers.
Developers know their products better than anyone Well-designed, accurately presented, and attractive
else – due to time constraints and limited resources, marketing collaterals increase the market prospects of
many companies assign their documentation tasks to a product and reduce support costs.
the programmers. This more often results in the
creation of technology-centered information, while
end users require task-oriented information.
Documentation of complex applications requires a
longer learning curve for the writer - learning the
product will not be a major obstacle for writers with
the right technical background.
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7. TWB Offers Publication Solutions with
Various Technical Publications
About TWB Types of Technical Publications
TWB is in the forefront of delivering publication solutions Technical Publications include a wide variety of
to customers, with a deep understanding of domains and material that defer in various segments such as
technologies. aerospace, ground handling equipment, proprietary
technology and manufacturing techniques, and
TWB provides pioneering documentation across Maintenance, repair and operations/overhaul (MRO).
industries that include IT, ITES and Outsourcing, Navy,
Aerospace, Defense, Ship Building, and Manufacturing Technical Publications include:
Industries. We help enterprises communicate the
technical knowledge they posses with their ecosystems. Engine Manual (EM)
Standard Practices Manual
We understand the aerospace industry and the
adherence of aerospace to rigid standards and Flight Manuals
specifications. Our expertise in Technical Documentation Setup Manual
and experience with high-profile clients enable us to Installation Manual and Instructions
meet the necessary high standards, effectively and
quickly. Operator Manuals and Procedures
Structural Repair Manual (SRM)
Cleaning, Inspection and Repair (CIR) Manual
Parts & Provisioning Documentation
Publication Solutions
Service Manual
Component Maintenance Manual (CMM)
A wide range of publication solutions/services offered by
Illustrated Parts Catalogue (IPC, IPL)
TWB include:
Overhaul and Repair Instructions
IETM/IETP Development Training Manuals
S1000 Conversion and Integration Every publication requires different levels of expertise
XML/SGML and domain knowledge for different segments.
Technical Writing Authoring
Document and Design Enhancements
Editing and Drafting
Information Architecture Documentation Standards
Structured and Unstructured Documentation
Parts Catalogs/Provisioning The documents should comply with the standards like:
Data Provisioning
European Association of Aerospace Industries
Graphics, Technical Illustration (AECMA S1000D)
Training Programs Simplified English (PSC-85-16598)
The solutions provided are customized to suit the Air Transportation America (ATA iSpec 2200)
business needs.
ATA100
For more information about the services provide visit
www.twb.in and www.twb-mac.com.
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8. Conclusion
Rising Defense Expenditure in India: the Government of India has been investing heavily in its defence
industry to increase the imports and in-house production of defence products.
India’s Offset Policy to Encourage Domestic Production: the Indian Defence Industry is encouraging private
companies to invest and increase domestic production of defence products through DOFA and Offset Policy.
The establishment of agencies and policies to encourage domestic production of defence products is Increasing
Public-Private collaborations.
Rising Private Investments in the Indian Defense Industry: some of the key private investors including Tata
Group, Mahindra & Mahindra, Larsen & Toubro, and Ramoss India are supplying defence equipments and
services in the ground handling equipment, missile launching vehicles, and maintenance, repair and overhauling
segments.
This is increasing the competition between the companies of various sizes and capabilities in the private
sectors. Thus the less branded companies need to be more competent than the other highly branded
companies, and this can be achieved by providing attractive publications as useful marketing tools.
Value of Technical Publications: Technical Publications are very essential for transferring product knowledge
to the end users. Provisioning of proper material to use the technology and products enables the user to accept
and efficiently use the product. Faulty assumptions about documentation lead to inaccurate and hard-to-
understand material. This also decreases the changes of marketing the products in the global markets.
Developing Technical Publications is all about writing for the audience, i.e., developing Technical
Publications for users with different domain and product knowledge. Writing objectively is more important
that writing subjectively. This also involves getting the right people for creating the publications with the
correct structure, diagrammatic presentations, color schemes and coding, consistent templates and content,
and for editing and reviewing the documents.
There is a greater need to increase the value of Technical Publications in the Indian Aerospace and
Defence Industry, for the products and publications to be in par with the international standards and be able
to sell the products in the global markets in the future.
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9. TWB Services
TWB is India’s leader in technical communication outsourcing and education. TWB offers a complete suite of services that allows
our customers to effectively publish their technical knowledge with their people and processes. TWB’s customers range from
Global 500 – including Cisco, Accenture, McAfee, LG, Samsung, Citrix, SAP, Siemens, AOL, Intel; Indian technology majors –
including Infosys, Wipro; Global defense majors - Pratt & Whitney, Honeywell, DRDO, HAL; and exciting technology startups.
TWB's expertise in technical communication ranges from IT Products and Outsourcing, ITES, Banking, Financial, Aerospace,
Defense, Ship Building to Hi-tech Manufacturing, and Discrete and Process Manufacturing.
TWB’s services include:
Technical Marketing Technical Product Documentation Quality
Solutions Documentation Management
Datasheets
Administrator’s Guide
Datasheets Copy Editing and Proof Reading
API Document
Cheat sheets Managing Writing
Configuration Guide
Solution Briefs/Solution Brochures Editing Services
Functional Specifications Document
Presentations – Products/Corporate Layout and Design
Profile Installation Manual
Creating SLAs
Brochures and marketing collateral Interface Document
Web content Interactive Electronic Technical Manual
(IETM)
Business Documentation
Audio and video scripts
Maintenance Manual Business Proposals
Press releases
Online Help Legal Disclaimers
Direct mail
Operation Manual Policy Manuals
Newsletter design copy
Product Demo Style Guide Design
Sales catalogues
Product Specifications Document Template Design
Sales sheets
Product Overview Document
Quick Reference Guide
Business Communication Content Management
Release Notes
Short Reports Requirement Analysis Document
Single Sourcing
Proposals SDK Document
File Version Control
Case Studies Troubleshooting Manual
Document Naming Conventions
Lab Reports User Manual
Consistent Document Formatting
Memos Open Source Documentation
Data Transformation
Progress/Interim Reports Programmers Guides
Writing for Electronic Media Functional Specifications Document
Use Cases Web site Development
Illustrations Online Help /Context Sensitive Help
Web 2.0 development
Troubleshooting Guides
Graphic Designing Web content
Info graphics Web applications
Qualitative Analytics for
2D & 3D animation
Decision Support Translation and Localization
Line drawings and illustrations
Services
Economic Business Research
Process Documentation Industry Analysis Software Translation Services
Workflows Market Opportunity Analysis Document Translation Services
Standard Operating Procedures Competitive Business Analysis Localization (L10N) Testing
ISO Documentation Company & Prospect Profiling Internationalization (I18N) Testing
CMM Documentation Reporting Solutions
Assessment of Unmet Market Needs Records Management
Deployment and Support Status and Potential of Technologies
Document Management Solutions
Benchmarking of Strategies Vs
Competition Record Management Storage and
Installation and Configuration Guides
Retrieval
Operations Manual Forecasting
Sales Force Effectiveness
Market Assessments
Competitive Intelligence
Opinion Leadership
Emerging Markets - evaluation and
research
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10. TWB Software Tools Expertise
Our technical proficiency in software and authoring tools includes:
Unstructured Content XML Structured Editors Multimedia /Authoring
Development
Epic Adobe Flash®
Microsoft Word® FrameMaker+SGML Adobe Dreamweaver®
Adobe FrameMaker® X-Metal® Microsoft FrontPage®
Adobe InDesign® Adobe Captivate®
QuarkXPress® Macromedia Captivate
Adobe PageMaker® Graphics/Animations
Multimedia /Authoring /
Illustrations Adobe Flash® Supporting tools
Adobe Photoshop®
Adobe Flash CS4 Professional Adobe Fireworks® Adobe Flash®
Adobe Illustrator CS3 Adobe Flex®
CorelDRAW Online Help Adobe AIR®
Microsoft-Expression Graphic Adobe Dreamweaver®
Designer Adobe Acrobat®
Xara Xtreme (Windows & Linux) JavaHelp
Microsoft Silverlight®
CuteDraw Adobe RoboHelp 7.0
Adobe Authorware®
Publisher3D(for animation) HelpScribble
Adobe Director®
Sketsa SVG Editor (for vector WebWorks Publisher
Adobe Captivate®
graphics) PowerCHM
Trivantis Lectora®
Techsmith Camtasia Doc-To-Help
ASP.NET
Arbortext IsoDraw (technical WinCHM
JSP
illustrations for 2D and 3D) HelpSmith 2.1.1(Windows)
JAVA
Fast-Help
MadCap Flare Standards
Graphics/Animation Help-Server
NVU Help
SCORM 1.2 / 2004
Adobe Flash® AICC
XML
Adobe Photoshop® W3C
Adobe Illustrator® Section 508
Adobe Fireworks® XMetal® QTI XML
Microsoft Silverlight® Microsoft Word 2003®,
Microsoft Word 2007®
Databases Development and Publishing
tools
CMS/ LMS
Microsoft Access XSLT/XSL
Microsoft SQL Server EDD
Sharepoint®
Moodle
Flowcharting Joomla,
WordPress
Microsoft Visio Media Wiki
iGrafx CMS Builder
EDraw Author-it (formerly AuthorIT)
RFFlow Alfresco
Flowbreeze
Smart Draw
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11. Industries Served
TWB services a wide range of technology and knowledge-driven industries, helping them meet their markets better. These include:
Banking, Insurance and Financial Services ITES/ KPO/ BPO
Consulting and Business Services Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
Defense, Aerospace and Hi-Tech Manufacturing Process Manufacturing and Allied Industries
Education and Learning Steel, Ship Building, Construction and Aviation
IT, ITES Telecom and Digital Communications
TWB has been the preferred technical documentation outsourcing company for:
The TWB Building US Office:
No: 4062, 19th Main Road, TWB
HAL 2nd Stage, 11701 Norwegian Wood Drive
Bangalore – 560008 Austin, TX 78758
India.
Landmark: Behind Carlton Towers
Telephone: Telephone:
+91.80.40741400 / +91.80.41256367 +1.512.586.8357
Corporate Enquiries: corp@twb.in
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