Archive · 27 Aug 2026
Why India Is Becoming Central to Global Industrial Competitiveness
India used to be seen mainly as a place where companies made products at lower cost.
The article says India is now also helping design and improve advanced industrial systems.
These systems combine machines, software, sensors, data, and artificial intelligence.
Companies want factories and infrastructure to be reliable, efficient, and less wasteful.
They also need supply chains that can keep working during geopolitical or economic disruptions.
India has many technology workers and is taking on more responsibility for engineering and innovation.
Investment in India is expected to grow across energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and advanced technology.
The article says India and Sweden can combine their strengths in software, scale, engineering, and manufacturing.
Together, these developments could make India an important place for shaping the future of global industry.
India is shifting from a manufacturing base toward a hub for industrial engineering, software, data, and AI.
Geopolitical fragmentation, energy security, automation, and decarbonization are making resilience as important as cost efficiency.
Industrial competitiveness increasingly depends on integrating physical equipment with digital intelligence and reducing operational friction.
The article argues that sustainability and productivity are closely linked through energy efficiency, predictive maintenance, and longer asset life.
India’s growing engineering capabilities and its strategic partnership with Sweden could help address complex global industrial challenges.
- Who
- India, global industrial companies, and the India-Sweden strategic partnership are central to the article; Rickard Gustafson writes from his position as president and CEO of SKF Group.
- What
- India is increasingly becoming a hub for industrial engineering, product ownership, innovation, software, data, and artificial intelligence, rather than serving only as a manufacturing base.
- When
- The article describes a current shift and cites investment projected to rise by FY30.
- Where
- India, with implications for global industry and India-Sweden commercial and investment ties.
- Why
- Geopolitical fragmentation, energy security, technological change, decarbonization, and the need for resilient and productive industrial systems are changing how companies compete.
- Author
- Rickard Gustafson, president and CEO of SKF Group
- India’s changing role
- The article says India is moving from manufacturing at scale toward engineering ownership, complex problem-solving, and innovation for global customers.
- Projected investment
- Capital investment in India is projected to rise 1.8 times by FY30 to approximately $2.2 trillion across energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and advanced technologies.
- Innovation ranking
- India is ranked 38th in the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Global Innovation Index.
- Industrial priorities
- Reliability, uptime, energy productivity, asset life, and operational efficiency are identified as important measures of customer value.
- India-Sweden partnership
- The strategic partnership focuses on economic security, supply-chain resilience, innovation, climate, and trade.
- Core technologies
- Modern industrial systems increasingly combine physical equipment with software, sensors, data, and artificial intelligence.