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Future Factory Expo charts roadmap for smarter Indian factories
Articles- May 25,26
Roundtable discussion, hosted by Future Factory Expo (FFE) in Pune, explored how Indian factories can become smarter, efficient and globally competitive through automation, digitalisation and future-ready manufacturing
Future Factory Expo, along with Smart Manufacturing & Enterprises (SM&E), hosted a round table discussion in Pune on April 29, 2026, on the theme “Making Indian Factories Future-Ready”, bringing together industry stakeholders to discuss India’s manufacturing landscape, automation, technology adoption, smart manufacturing and the challenges involved in building globally competitive factories.
The discussion was held ahead of the upcoming Future Factory Expo 2026, which will be held on November 3-4 at Bombay Exhibition Centre along with the Future Factory Conference and Awards to recognise excellence in various manufacturing sectors.
Opening the discussion, Pratap Padode, Founder and Managing Director, ASAPP Info Global, said the relevance of the topic at this time could not be overstated. Referring to the journey of SM&E, formerly known as Industrial Product Finder (IPF), he said, “Industrial Product Finder, started in 1972, has been catering to the evolving needs of Indian manufacturing and engineering sector for the last 54 years.”
He said India is now attracting global attention because of its labour force, stability, growth and digital public infrastructure. However, he emphasised the need for an integrated conversation around automation, efficiency and smarter manufacturing. “The focus is: if we have a manufacturing operation, how do we make it the smartest? Smartest in terms of efficiency. It does not necessarily mean that we have to use some form of automation. In many cases, processes themselves can make things smart,” Padode said.
He added that future-ready manufacturing must focus on return on investment, efficient use of resources and reduced wastage. “You have to have return on investment, the best return on investment, the most efficient use of resources, and the least wastage,” he said.
Sharing his views on India’s manufacturing landscape, Vijayanand Choudhury, CEO, ShreeTech Data Ltd, said India’s key challenge is not lack of incentives, but mindset. He said Indian companies must believe in their own ability to create world-class products and aspire to make the best. “Today, if I see a German automation solution or a Japanese automation solution, 70 to 80 per cent of it could be made by an Indian. So why are we not believing in ourselves?” he said.
He added that manufacturers should build products and services around customers rather than incentives, as incentives may not always remain available. He also stressed that technology adoption, better visibility and stronger stakeholder participation would be important in improving efficiency and competitiveness.
Still a long way to go
Speaking on automation adoption, Sunil Mehta, Assistant Vice President, Head – Customer Service, Factory Automation & Industrial Division (FAID), Mitsusbishi Electric India Pvt Ltd, and President of the Automation Industry Association (AIA), said Indian industry, especially SMEs and MSMEs, still has a long way to go. While large automotive, pharmaceutical and textile companies have adopted automation, smaller manufacturers are yet to adopt it at the required pace.
“Companies with turnover of Rs 5 million or Rs 10 million are still not adopting automation in the way they should. So, when we talk about Industry 4.0 or smart manufacturing, it will take a long time,” Mehta said.
He added that automation solutions are available, scalable and affordable, but companies need clarity on the specific problems they want to solve, whether related to quality, productivity or energy management.
The event witnessed participation of industry experts such as ND Mhatre, Director General (Tech.), Indian Textile Accessories & Machinery Manufacturers Association (ITAMMA); Ganesh Barbhai, Managing Director, IndustryApps Pte Ltd; Dr Sanjay Arole, Auto Industry Consultant; Arvind Tilak, CEO, Ascent Intellimation Pvt Ltd; Sujata Tilak, Managing Director, Ascent Intellimation Pvt Ltd; Girish Aralikatti, Principal Consultant, Aum Universal; and Ratnesh Chaurasia, Regional Sales Manager, Zebra Technologies India Pvt Ltd, among others.
The round table discussed the importance of change management, skill development, worker participation, digitalisation, responsible manufacturing, global competitiveness, transparency in supply chains and the need to communicate automation as a tool for efficiency and growth rather than merely cost reduction. Participants noted that India’s future factories will need to become more agile, transparent, efficient and globally competitive, while also ensuring that shop-floor workers are made stakeholders in the journey towards digitalisation and smart manufacturing.
Bhavesh Thakkar, Partner (Tax and Regulatory), Ernst and Young LLP, enlightened the audience about various initiatives/schemes of the government for modernisation and smart factories.
The round table reinforced the need for forums such as Future Factory Expo to bring manufacturers, technology providers and industry stakeholders together to identify challenges, share practical solutions and encourage the manufacturing sector to build a new India.
Future Factory Expo
Smart Manufacturing & Enterprises
Making Indian Factories
Pratap Padode
Vijayanand Choudhury
Sunil Mehta
Indian manufacturing
smart manufacturing
factory automation
Industry 4.0
manufacturing efficiency
future factories
ShreeTech Data
Mitsusbishi Electric
Automation Industry Association
ND Mhatre
Ganesh Barbhai
IndustryApps
Sanjay Arole
Arvind Tilak
Ascent Intellimation
Sujata Tilak
Girish Aralikatti
Aum Universal
Ratnesh Chaurasia
Zebra Technologies
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