INNOVATION THROUGH NECESSITY

At the Festival of Manufacturing, top industry leaders decode how Indian innovation, engineering excellence, and global ambition are shaping a new era of manufacturing for the world.

- By Team ET Now Machinist

India's manufacturing sector has come a long way—from being a low-cost production hub to becoming a centre of engineering excellence. But the game is shifting. The global focus is now shifting beyond what is built to how it is designed.

A panel discussion was organised at the Festival of Manufacturing in Mumbai on the topic- 'Build In India, Design For The World' where eminent panellists like TK Ramesh, Managing Director, Ace Designers Limited, Shailendra Shukla, MD Vehicle Group, Eaton Industrial Systems Pvt. Ltd., Pramoud Rao, Founder, Zicom Electronics and Anant Singhania, CEO, J K Enterprises participated. The panel was moderated by the Editor of ET Now B2B, Amit Shanbaug.

Starting the conversation, T K Ramesh, stated that India has indeed made significant progress in manufacturing, but when it comes to design-led innovation, we still have a long way to go.

"It's not just about technology or R&D—it's about necessity. Necessity is truly the mother of invention. One of the best examples is ISRO. Faced with global technology bans and limited resources, they achieved extraordinary feats through vision, leadership, and sheer determination," says T.K. Ramesh.

Drawing from his personal conversations with space research leaders, Ramesh believes that innovation thrives when there's hunger, purpose, and a real problem to solve.