AIFI Conference Highlights India’s China Plus One Opportunity for Forging Industry

The Association of Indian Forging Industry (AIFI) held its second annual conference in Pune on September 15, with industry stakeholders highlighting the opportunity for Indian forging companies as global manufacturers diversify supply chains under the China Plus One strategy.

Speaking at the conference, Thomas Dose, managing director, BMW Group Plant Chennai, said India has the engineering talent, domestic market and forging ecosystem needed to become a preferred destination for companies looking to diversify their supply chains.

“India should be the Plus One,” Dose said. He added that the opportunity extends beyond manufacturing and sourcing, with global customers increasingly seeking suppliers that can contribute to engineering and product development and take greater end-to-end responsibility.

The conference, themed ‘New Development Trends – Impact on Forging Industry’, focused on the changing global supply-chain environment and the challenges facing Indian forging companies. Discussions covered technology and automation, productivity, manpower availability, rising input costs, sustainability and the need for greater resilience.

Yash Munot, president, AIFI and CEO, Varsha Forgings, said global supply-chain realignments are creating opportunities for India, but forging companies need to strengthen their competitiveness to benefit from them. He highlighted productivity, technology adoption, workforce development, innovation and sustainability as key areas of focus.

A high-level panel discussion on ‘Managing Uncertainty / Challenges to Capitalize on Demand Surge’ examined the industry's preparedness for an expected increase in demand. The discussion, moderated by S. Ravishankar, vice president, AIFI and MD, Super Auto Forge, covered GST, manpower availability, automation, technology upgrades, investments, training, contingency planning, R&D, productivity, demand management and input costs.

The panel comprised Vidyashankar Krishnan, CMD, M.M. Forgings; Vikas Bajaj, MD, Bajaj Motors; and Sahil Jain, CEO, Hirschvogel Components India. The panellists called for proactive investment in technology, automation, skills and R&D, along with stronger contingency planning and productivity measures.

Yogesh Thakar, executive director, PwC, delivered a presentation titled ‘Indian Forging Industry – Next Global Edge’, focusing on opportunities for Indian forging companies to strengthen their position in global manufacturing value chains.

AIFI said the conference highlighted the need for Indian forging companies to move beyond traditional manufacturing and supplier roles and develop stronger engineering, R&D and technology capabilities. The association represents more than 200 forging industry members across India and said India is currently the world's second-largest producer of forgings after China.