POSITIONING INDIA AS GLOBAL HUB

An interview with Kartik Gala, CEO, Woodfield Systems

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As global energy supply chains undergo a fundamental transformation amid geopolitical uncertainties, countries are increasingly prioritising energy security, infrastructure resilience, and supply chain diversification.

Against this backdrop, India is emerging as a credible manufacturing destination for specialised industrial equipment that was once almost exclusively produced in Europe. One such example is Woodfield Systems, a century-old British engineering company that was acquired in 2024 and is now leveraging India’s manufacturing ecosystem to produce highly specialised marine loading arms used for transferring LNG, LPG, crude oil, petroleum products, ammonia and other energy commodities between ships and shore facilities.

In this exclusive conversation, Kartik Gala, CEO, Woodfield Systems, discussed the localisation of critical energy infrastructure manufacturing in India, the opportunities arising from global geopolitical shifts, the challenges of moving oversized industrial cargo across international markets, and how India can position itself as a global hub for niche engineering products.

Woodfield Systems has a long legacy in the global oil and gas industry. How has the company’s journey evolved, and what significance does the localisation of LNG loading arm manufacturing in India hold?

Woodfield Systems is a British engineering company established in 1923 and has spent over a century developing specialised equipment for the oil and gas industry. In 2024, we acquired Woodfield Systems UK along with its subsidiaries, giving us complete access to its intellectual property, engineering expertise and technology.