India's top manufacturing CIOs on mastering IIoT transformation

The future of manufacturing is already unfolding—on data-rich factory floors where machines communicate, predict, and even collaborate with human operators. But as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) rapidly scales, a critical question arises: how can manufacturers unlock its potential without becoming overwhelmed by its complexity?At the ETCIO Annual Conclave 2025, leading voices from India's manufacturing and technology ecosystem came together to unpack this very challenge. Moderated by ETCIO Editor Muqbil Ahmar, the discussion brought to light a nuanced view of India's industrial transformation—one that's ambitious, grounded, and acutely aware of the operational, cultural, and technological realities.
Reimagining the factory: From industry 4.0 to industry 5.0
Debashish Roy, CDTO at CEAT, painted a vivid picture of the transition from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0, spotlighting a future driven not just by automation but by human-centric design, sustainability, and the rise of collaborative robots (
cobots
).
'Cobots are not traditional robots. These are designed to work alongside humans, enhancing both productivity and safety,' Roy said.
Roy also introduced emerging concepts like foresight factories, which go beyond predictive maintenance to adapt in real-time to shifting demand signals, as well as experience hubs powered by AR/VR and the industrial metaverse—a space where training, inspection, and visualization converge for operational excellence.
Smart factories must deliver across three dimensions
Gaurav Kataria, VP – Digital & CDIO at ITC, broadened the definition of success.
Smart manufacturing
, he emphasized, must create impact across three layers: operational efficiency, revenue generation, and societal value. With digital tools delivering a 2.4% EBITDA boost at ITC's paper division, the results speak for themselves. But challenges remain—especially when it comes to democratizing technology for MSMEs, which form the backbone of India's manufacturing sector.
'We haven't yet figured out how to make Industry 4.0 affordable for MSMEs. But the intent and innovation are already there,' Kataria added, citing examples of small manufacturers adopting 3D printing and modular solutions to great effect.
The real barriers to smart manufacturing
The panelists didn't shy away from identifying what's holding smart factory dreams back. The list was familiar but still formidable: legacy machines that aren't sensor-ready, siloed and outdated processes, under-skilled workforces, and the often-fatal mistake of deploying tech before defining a problem.
'We need business translators—those who understand the language of both the factory floor and AI algorithms,' Kataria asserted.
Without this bridge, even the most advanced IIoT solution risks becoming just another dashboard collecting dust.
Agentic AI and machines that talk back
For Harsh Vardhan, CDO at Apollo Tyres, smart manufacturing success lies in linking bold innovation with clear business value. He shared Apollo's internal initiative, 'Machines Are Talking,' where engineers interact with equipment via agentic AI frameworks—a system built with explainability, cost controls, and security embedded by design.
'We tried causal AI with quantum-inspired ML for demand sensing,' Vardhan said. 'It sounded like science fiction, but the impact was real and measurable.'
This kind of experimentation, he stressed, must be grounded in ROI, scalability, and alignment with organizational priorities to avoid pilot fatigue.
Reliance Jio's lego model for scalable IIoT
Kavit Gupta from Reliance Jio presented a commercial model built to solve IIoT's toughest blockers: cost, integration complexity, and legacy constraints. Jio's Lego-as-a-Service framework enables plug-and-play adoption of solutions like smart surveillance, connected vehicles, and private 5G, all pre-tested in Jio's own Jamnagar plant and scaled across industries like aerospace and automotive.
'We've helped Airbus reduce inspection times by 80%. For Hitachi, we've cut plant downtime in half using edge analytics,' Gupta said.
The key, he noted, is shifting from capex-heavy deployments to as-a-service models that accelerate experimentation and lower risk for manufacturers.
When dashboards turn into dollars
Rounding off the panel, Santosh Kumar Satapathy, Group CIO at Indian Metals & Ferro Alloys, shared a powerful case study that proves smart manufacturing's ROI potential. By integrating SAP S/4HANA with ML models and dealer systems, and layering it with end-to-end visibility, the company achieved:
23% reduction in inventory15–17% improvement in cash flowFaster and smarter procurement-to-delivery cycles
'The real breakthrough wasn't just better analytics—it was aligning digital architecture with financial performance and operational cadence,' Satapathy explained.
The session made one thing clear: smart factories don't emerge from adopting the latest tech—they are built through strategic alignment, relentless process rethinking, and empowering people with the right tools. While enterprises like CEAT, ITC, and Reliance are scaling Industry 5.0 frameworks, the real opportunity lies in extending this momentum to the broader industrial landscape—including MSMEs. The convergence of agentic AI, foresight-driven production, and modular adoption models promises a new chapter in Indian manufacturing—one where innovation is both inclusive and outcome-driven.

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