The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), in partnership with the Indian Construction Equipment Manufacturers’ Association (ICEMA), on the sidelines of EXCON, 2025 organised a session on Export Competitiveness of CE industry during the 2nd Manufacturing Council Meeting Vimal Anand congratulated the CE industry as a highly promising export-driven sector that has showcased strong momentum in global markets. He emphasised the government’s commitment to expanding India’s international trade engagements and highlighted that India is currently negotiating trade agreements with several countries, including Chile, Peru, Canada, MERCOSUR, Mexico, Maldives and others.

Urging the industry to leverage these new trade opportunities and agreements, Vimal Anand said, “The government is committed to concluding these trade agreements within a span of one year. We strongly encourage the industry to make full use of these frameworks and significantly enhance their exports to these emerging and highpotential markets.” He further emphasised that along with export diversification, broadening the import market is also critical.

Deepak Shetty, Chairman, CII Council on Manufacturing Excellence, President, ICEMA & MD & CEO, JCB India Ltd, underscored India’s growing global footprint in CE manufacturing. “Indian construction equipment is today exported to more than 135 countries, reflecting the strength and quality of our manufacturing. The Government has extended tremendous support to the industry through trade facilitation and policy reforms. It is now for us—as an industry—to expand our reach, tap new markets, and position India firmly as a global hub for construction equipment” he remarked.

“EXCON has showcased the remarkable innovation capability of Indian CE manufacturers—from advanced digital machines to sustainable and energy-efficient equipment. These innovations demonstrate that India is not just manufacturing for the world but shaping the future of construction technologies. This strengthens our export competitiveness and reinforces India’s position as a trusted global supplier” added Ramesh Palagiri, President Designate, ICEMA, Managing Director & CEO, Wirtgen India Pvt Ltd.

Ajit Pai, Partner, Ernst & Young, mentioned “India’s Construction Equipment industry is the fastest growing among major economies. With exports rising at more than double the domestic market’s pace and competitiveness steadily improving across inputs, quality, and scale, India is rapidly positioning itself as a global CE hub.”

Neeraj Huddar, Resident Fellow NITI Aayog, Lead Architect NITI Frontier Tech Hub stated that realising India's target of a $5.1 trillion manufacturing GDP will depend on the strategic deployment of advanced manufacturing technologies, backed by targeted policy support in high-impact sectors, to effectively turn this ambitious vision into reality. Prof Rishikesha Krishnan, Strategy, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore emphasised the critical need to strengthen India’s innovation capabilities to drive sustained economic growth. He highlighted the importance of developing systematic innovation processes within organisations, fostering a robust national innovation ecosystem, setting clear and aspirational strategies, and promoting focused collaboration among all stakeholders.

Pratik Kumar, CEO, Wipro Infrastructure Engineering & Executive Director, Wipro (enterprises) Limited highlighted that additive manufacturing, as a key advanced technology, advances sustainability objectives by significantly reducing material waste and strengthening supply chain resilience through on-demand, localised production.India is strongly positioned to capitalise on this technological revolution, benefiting from supportive government policies, a highly skilled workforce, ongoing global supply chain diversification trends, robust domestic market growth, and a clear national focus on sustainability.

The session brought together key stakeholders from across the manufacturing and CE ecosystem, reaffirming the strong collaboration between industry and government toward building India into a leading global hub for manufacturing and exports