Rewiring the factory floor: How Al, IoT, and data are redefining manufacturing

In a recently concluded summit on Smart Manufacturing & Secure Plant 2025 by Manufacturing Today, industry leaders came together in Mumbai on June 20, 2025, to chart the future of intelligent, sustainable, and secure manufacturing.

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As industries worldwide strive to become smarter, faster, and more sustainable, automation has emerged as the driving force behind industrial transformation. That was the clear message at the recently concluded 'Innovation Day: Shaping Automation', presented by Schneider Electric and powered by Manufacturing Today.

As the global manufacturing landscape undergoes a profound transformation, smart manufacturing has emerged as a strategic imperative. Fuelled by advances in AI, the IoT, cloud computing, and data analytics, today's factories are evolving into intelligent, interconnected ecosystems. These “smart factories” enable real-time visibility, predictive capabilities, and operational efficiency at a scale previously unimaginable.

“In today’s factories, decisions are no longer confined to the boardroom – they are made in real time on the plant floor,” said Rahul Sequeira, Managing Director, ITP Media India, as he kicked off the 8th annual edition of Smart Manufacturing and Secure Plants 2025.

With the theme "Securing the Future Plants: AI and Data Analytics for Resilient and Smart Manufacturing", the summit brought together industry trailblazers who are redefining India's industrial future.

In his keynote address, Shailesh Sharma, Director - Operations, SKF India and Southeast Asia, emphasised the evolving role of humans in manufacturing alongside automation. "It is not about machine versus human - it is about machine with human," he stated. As collaborative robots take over repetitive and hazardous tasks, human workers are empowered to focus on higher-value functions.