“India’s ‘local-for-local’ manufacturing model supports both domestic and export markets, while sector-specific R&D tailors advanced automation solutions to industries like electronics, automotive, and energy. International partnerships, particularly with countries like Japan, enhance this ecosystem by combining precision engineering and quality with India’s scale and agility”, says Dr. Sanjeev Srivastava, Head of Industrial Automation, Delta Electronics India.
How is the push for energy efficiency and sustainability shaping power and thermal management in Asia and globally?
The push for energy efficiency and sustainability is reshaping power and thermal management worldwide. Carbon-neutrality targets, renewable integration, and water scarcity are driving a move from traditional designs to system-level optimisation, where power, cooling, and digital controls work together to minimise losses and environmental impact.
High-density data centers now require liquid and hybrid cooling, while in manufacturing, sensors and AI-driven energy management help optimize every watt consumed.
Sustainability is increasingly embedded through integrated solutions across power, cooling, and facility management to help reduce both costs and carbon emissions. Energy efficiency has evolved beyond a technical feature to become a strategic and regulatory imperative that is shaping the future of infrastructure worldwide.
Which automation and ‘smart manufacturing’ advances matter most, and how are they changing efficiency and quality?
Smart manufacturing is being reshaped by integrated engineering platforms and real-time plant intelligence. By unifying design, programming, and simulation, integrated platforms cut errors and speed up deployment. Real-time intelligence, powered by sensors and AI, helps factories track energy use, detect bottlenecks, and optimise automatically, boosting efficiency and quality.
Digital twins and simulation tools also enable virtual testing and right-first-time execution, while advanced robotics and cobots bring flexibility for customized or small-batch production without compromising speed. These technologies collectively form an integrated smart manufacturing architecture that aligns with Industry 5.0 principles, where human creativity is augmented by intelligent automation.
As factories add renewables, storage and EV charging, what challenges and opportunities define a resilient power supply?
The biggest challenge is balancing variable renewable generation with the rising loads from EV charging and storage. Without intelligent coordination, facilities risk inefficiencies, instability, or downtime. This is where integrated energy management platforms play a critical role by optimising flows in real time, managing peaks, and ensuring system resilience.
This also presents a significant opportunity where factories can evolve into intelligent energy hubs, lowering costs, improving sustainability, and even feeding power back to the grid. Microgrids add an additional layer of resilience by enabling clusters or campuses to operate independently when required, supporting overall energy security and operational continuity. High-efficiency conversion systems, scalable energy storage solutions, and globally compatible AC and DC chargers are key components in enabling the shift toward resilient and sustainable energy ecosystems in industrial settings.
What’s the role of local R&D and manufacturing excellence in India’s self-reliance, and how can Japanese partnerships help?
Self-reliance in India’s electronics and manufacturing sector extends beyond local production to encompass end-to-end capabilities, including Research and Development (R&D) and global-quality manufacturing. Local R&D is crucial for adapting products to India’s unique conditions such as voltage fluctuations, varied climates, and cost considerations. Manufacturing excellence supports faster time-to-market and reduces dependence on international supply chains.
India’s ‘local-for-local’ manufacturing model supports both domestic and export markets, while sector-specific R&D tailors advanced automation solutions to industries like electronics, automotive, and energy.
International partnerships, particularly with countries like Japan, enhance this ecosystem by combining precision engineering and quality with India’s scale and agility. This synergy accelerates technology transfer, promotes innovation, and boosts competitiveness, contributing to India’s vision of becoming a self-reliant and globally integrated manufacturing hub.
Have green-energy and smart-infrastructure policies accelerated adoption of advanced power and automation? What more would help?
Policies have indeed played a vital role in accelerating the adoption of advanced power and automation technologies, especially in green energy and smart infrastructure sectors. Incentives promoting renewables, energy efficiency, and smart grid deployments have significantly boosted adoption across various industries. However, to sustain and further accelerate growth, policies must evolve to better support behind-the-meter energy storage, flexible tariff structures, and digital energy management frameworks akin to ISO 50001. Linking financial incentives directly to sustainability outcomes is a powerful catalyst for broader adoption.
Beyond policy, skill development is crucial. A workforce proficient in advanced automation, energy storage, and digital management technologies is essential to translate regulatory intent into tangible impact. Hence, the future of green infrastructure depends not only on enabling regulations but also on technological innovation and a skilled workforce.
What compliance or regulatory hurdles do manufacturers face, and how can industry and government address them?
Manufacturers face several key compliance and regulatory challenges, including the lack of harmonized standards for energy storage and Electric Vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, evolving cybersecurity requirements for operational technology, and lengthy approval processes for new projects. These hurdles can delay adoption and increase costs.
Addressing these challenges requires faster approval timelines, uniform regulatory codes, and baseline cybersecurity frameworks that evolve alongside advancing technologies. Industry can contribute by engaging proactively with regulators to anticipate future requirements rather than reacting post-factum.
Long-term success depends on continuous collaboration between government and industry to ensure regulations keep pace with innovation while minimising complexity for manufacturers, allowing them to focus on outcomes rather than navigating regulatory burdens.
With India and Japan both investing in advanced manufacturing and green tech, where are the most promising collaboration areas in power management and automation?
India and Japan possess complementary strengths that make their collaboration in power management and automation highly promising. Immediate opportunities lie in high-efficiency power conversion and thermal management for critical sectors such as data centers, telecommunications, and electronics. In automation and robotics, Japanese precision engineering complements India’s strong capabilities in system integration. Joint efforts in EV charging infrastructure and energy storage ecosystems are crucial, focusing on scale, reliability, and standardisation.
Emerging collaborative areas include digital twins and simulation technologies, where Japan’s expertise in process precision aligns with India’s software development strengths to advance predictive and zero-defect manufacturing. Additionally, joint R&D in next-generation battery chemistries and power devices could position both countries as global leaders in clean energy technologies. Together, India and Japan can set benchmarks for sustainable, high-performance manufacturing globally.
What can India learn from Japanese quality and precision—and what can Japan learn from India’s scale?
India and Japan each bring valuable strengths that, when combined, create significant synergies in manufacturing. Japan’s hallmark is its precision engineering, rigorous quality control, and culture of continuous improvement, which ensure reliability and long-term performance. India, on the other hand, excels in large-scale manufacturing capabilities, cost-effective engineering, and adaptability to diverse market conditions.
India can enhance its manufacturing sector by adopting Japan’s disciplined quality systems and lean methodologies, which focus on minimising defects and maximising process efficiency. Conversely, Japan can gain from India’s agility, rapid scaling potential, and ability to innovate within cost constraints, enabling faster deployment and market responsiveness.
This exchange of strengths enables the creation of globally competitive products that are both cost-effective and of the highest quality. Such a blend creates a sustainable collaboration framework, positioning both countries as leaders in the digital economy and advanced manufacturing landscapes.
How can business leaders from both countries jointly drive sustainable growth, R&D and resilient supply chains in power and automation?
Business leaders from India and Japan can jointly drive sustainable growth, R&D, and resilient supply chains in power and automation by focusing on three key pillars. First, developing joint roadmaps that align business performance with sustainability objectives will ensure a unified direction. Second, fostering bi-directional R&D exchanges that combine India’s strengths in software development and scale with Japan’s expertise in materials and process innovation will accelerate technology advancement. Third, building resilient supply chains by integrating India’s robust manufacturing base with Japan’s rigorous quality systems will enhance local availability of critical technologies such as energy storage, advanced power supplies, and EV charging infrastructure.
Equally important is co-investment in supplier ecosystems and SMEs. By nurturing strong local value chains, both countries can strengthen competitiveness and reduce dependence on global disruptions. Continued collaboration between industry and government will be essential to maintain innovation-led growth and supply chain resilience.
This approach reflects ongoing India-Japan initiatives promoting cooperation in semiconductors, clean energy, and digital technology, supported by institutional dialogues and private sector partnerships.
COMMENTS