Neha Basudkar Ghate
The Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association (IMTMA) successfully concluded the 8th edition of its Symposium on Automation & Robotics on 4th and 5th June 2025, at the Auto Cluster Exhibition Centre, Pune. The symposium was held under the theme ‘Trends & Insights for Tomorrow: Shaping the Future,’ the two-day event served as a interactive and knowledgeable forum for industry professionals to exchange insights, explore strategic collaborations, and witness live demonstrations of cutting-edge technologies driving the future of Indian manufacturing.
With over 1,500 visitors, including OEMs, MSMEs, technology providers, academia, and policy stakeholders, the symposium witnessed active participation in technical sessions, live demonstrations, and exhibition that bridged innovation with implementable shop floor realities.
Inauguration and Opening Remarks
The Symposium was inaugurated by Chief Guest, Mr. Ashwin Shastri, Chief Transformation Officer, TATA Autocomp, along with Keynote Speakers including Mr. Yuki Kita, Chief Executive Officer, FANUC India; and Dr. Asim Tewari, Professor (HAG), IIT Bombay. Along with them Mr. Jibak Dasgupta, Director General & CEO, IMTMA; Guru Prasath, Executive Director of Trade Fairs, Indian, IMTMA; Rajesh Mandlik, MD, Setco Spindles India Pvt Ltd & Director Strategic Business Development, Setco Asia, also inaugurated the event.
“This Symposium serves as a vital knowledge platform for exchanging ideas and tracking the latest trends shaping our industry,” said Jibak Dasgupta, Director General & CEO, IMTMA, during his opening remarks. “While countries like Germany and Japan have labour productivity levels nearing 90 percent, India still hovers around 70 percent. To bridge this gap, we must adopt advanced technologies and invest in upskilling our workforce. Events like these play a crucial role in accelerating the adoption of Industry 4.0 and digitalization across manufacturing sectors.”
Knowledge Sessions: Day 1 – June 4, 2025
The first day featured a series of technical sessions including presentations and panel discussion that explored both foundational and futuristic aspects of industrial automation.
The day began with a keynote presentation on “Digital Twin and Simulation-Driven Manufacturing” by Dr. Asim Tewari, which provided deep insights into how digital replication is reshaping design-to-deployment processes in modern manufacturing. This was followed by Mr. Ashim Sharma, Senior Partner & Group Head Business Performance Improvement Consulting (Auto, Engg. & Logistics) at Nomura Research Institute, who presented on “Automation in Manufacturing – Current State & Future Outlook”, offering a strategic lens on India’s evolving automation journey.
Mr. Chua Yeong Tu (Mike), Vice President of Application Engineering from Akribis Systems introduced innovations in Direct Drive Technologies, focusing on how these systems enhance units-per-hour (UPH) and manufacturing precision. The spotlight then moved to Mr. M. Venkatesan, AVP and Head of Automation Business of Titan Engineering & Automation Limited, who showcased modular and scalable automation solutions tailored for the auto electronics industry.
In a session on adaptive automation, Mr. Tapan Upadhyay, Heading Application Engineering of FESTO India discussed flexible robotic solutions and end-of-arm tooling for dynamic manufacturing lines. Mr. Mukesh Kumar of Redington shared how additive manufacturing technologies are finding increasing applications in smart automation environments.
The day concluded with a high-impact panel discussion on “Convergence of AI, ML, and IoT in Modern Manufacturing.” Moderated by Mr. Nishant Kashyap of ET Manufacturing – The Economic Times, the panel included industry leaders such as Mr. Uday Narang, Chairman and Founder of Omega Seiki Mobility; Ms. Kavita Kaushik, Director and Head of Quality and Six Sigma at Cummins India; Mr. A. Ramasubramanian, Chief Technology Officer, Blue Energy Motors; Dr. Ravindra Utgikar, Vice President & SBU Head, Wilo Group; and Mr. Tapan Upadhyay, Heading Application Engineering at FESTO India. The panel discussed how intelligent technologies are redefining productivity, predictive maintenance, and decision-making.
Technical Deep-Dive: Day 2 – June 5, 2025
Day two continued with thought-provoking technical discussions and a second panel featuring diverse industry leaders.
Mr. Vishal Patil from Mitsubishi Electric opened the day with a session on “Precision and Performance: Robotics in Next-Gen Manufacturing”, exploring high-speed robotics integration in smart factories.
This was followed by a talk on “Collaborative Robotics (Cobots) in Smart Factories” by Mr. Ajay Sable, Regional Manager of FANUC India, who explained how cobots are enhancing safety, flexibility, and human-machine synergy in production environments. The third presentation was made by Mr. Nitin Sinha, Business Development Manager – Asia & Middle East of Leuze Electronic focused on sensor technologies and safety systems, showcasing their importance in maintaining operational safety in automated settings. Following the technical presentation, Mr. Cosimo Damiano Cereda, Sales Director from Marposs India delivered a presentation on “Quality Assurance in Automation and Machine Tools,” emphasizing metrology and inline inspection as key enablers of process control.
The event concluded with the second panel discussion titled “The Future of Automation & Robotics: Where Does India Stand?”, moderated by Mr. Advait Kurlekar from Upohan Management Consultants. The panel featured key figures such as Dr. Sandhya Pande, Senior Director and Site Leader at Philips India; Mr. Santhosh Kulkarni, Vice President at Bajaj Auto Ltd; Mr. Rajeev A. Solanki, Head – Central Process Engineering, Legrand; Mr. Sarvadnya Kulkarni, Chief Executive Officer at General Instruments Consortium; Mr. Mahendra Patil, National Head- Robots and System Engineering at FANUC India; and Mr. Yash Sultania, Director, Akribis Systems. The panel discussed the role of policy, infrastructure, R&D, and talent development in scaling India’s position in the global automation and robotics ecosystem.
Exhibitions & Industry Showcase
Parallel to the conference, a vibrant exhibition space featured cutting-edge automation and robotics technologies, including robotic arms, smart sensors, AI-enabled inspection systems, and low-cost automation units. Special focus was given to MSME-friendly solutions that are easy to deploy, modular, and economically viable.
Conclusion
The 8th Symposium on Automation & Robotics 2025 successfully positioned itself as a thought leadership hub and implementation guide for the future of Indian manufacturing. From enabling technologies and cost-effective automation to strategic insights and collaborative knowledge-sharing, the event captured the urgency and excitement surrounding smart manufacturing. It underscored IMTMA’s unwavering commitment to empowering manufacturers—particularly MSMEs—to transition confidently into the age of Industry 4.0.
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