Post Event Report of Symposium on Automation & Robotics 2026

13 -14 August 2026 | BIEC, Bengaluru

Theme: Automation, Intelligence and The Human Edge – Building India’s Next-Generation Factory

Executive Summary and Inaugural Vision

The ninth edition of the Symposium on Automation & Robotics, organized by the Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association (IMTMA), concluded successfully at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC).

Spanning two days, the conference and concurrent exhibition brought together over 250 delegates, 750 trade visitors, and more than 30 pioneering solution providers to explore the future of intelligent manufacturing.

The inaugural ceremony was graced by Dr. Ravi Guttal, CTO, Aequs Limited, Mr. V. Sriram Kumar, CEO, ELCIA, and Mr. Sundariya S, Chairman, IMTMA Regional Council South. Mr. Jibak Dasgupta, Director General & CEO – IMTMA was also present at the inauguration.

Setting a forward-looking tone, Dr. Ravi Guttal emphasized that long-term industrial competitiveness hinges on evolving core MES data into autonomous AI agents, urging manufacturers to invest in robust MES architectures to ensure AI is truly fit-for-purpose. Reinforcing the strategic imperative,

Mr. Sriram Kumar in his address called on the Indian machine tool industry to transition from merely building capacity to establishing domestic IP, local design, and rigorous R&D powered by smart robotics.

Day 1: Engineering Fundamentals, Global Shifts & Organizational Readiness

Day 1 focused on the foundational disciplines required to transition from manual operations to self-correcting, intelligent production:

• Foundational Enablers: Mr. Ramesh Ramachandar (Festo) underscored that safety architecture, energy-efficient pneumatics, and open connectivity must be engineered upfront rather than retrofitted.
• Global Supply Chain Realities: In two fireside chats moderated by Mr. Nishant Kashyap, Mr. B.P. Shiv (TAFE) and Mr. Vidyadhar J (Sansera Engineering), participants discussed how precision automation builds the process consistency required for Indian discrete manufacturers to capitalize on the "China+1" shift.
• Intelligent Machining & Capacity: Mr. Upendra Vanarase (TRIO Motion) highlighted the necessity of building intelligence on rigid mechanical baselines; Mr. Ashwin Udayashankar (SCHUNK Intec) discussed smart automation: enabling flexible and future-ready manufacturing; and Mr. Tatsuya Matsuda (Mitsubishi Electric) addressed maximizing spindle utilization through robotic loading.
• Building an Automation-Ready Organization: Moderated by Mr. Chandrashekar Bharathi (AceMicromatic MIT), this leadership panel brought together Mr. D. Uma Maheshwar (GE Aerospace Engineering Center), Dr. Vishwas Puttige (Amace Solutions), Mr. Thej Kumar (Toyoda Gosei South India), and Dr. Naveen Arulselvan (ATI Robotics). The panelists tackled the critical human dimension of automation, examining why technically sound projects often stall without proper change management, workforce upskilling, and organizational governance aligned with new shop-floor technologies.

Day 2: Scalability, Brownfield Integration & Financial Justification

Day 2 pivoted toward practical execution, scalability, and economic viability:

• Robotics Roadmap: Opening the day, the Keynote by Mr. Ajay Gopalaswamy (DiFACTO Robotics) presented a blueprint for elevating India from a systems integrator to a global robotics product powerhouse.
• Flexible & Brownfield Execution: Mr. Anuj Bihani (Alstrut India) demonstrated how modular cell designs absorb shifting product variants, while Mr. Sandeep Shetty (Toyota Kirloskar Auto Parts) presented a case study on retrofitting legacy machines with robotics, safety recertification, and signal extraction.
• Enterprise Scaling & Adoption: Mr. George Rajan (Honeywell Aerospace) outlined governance frameworks to scale pilot cells plant-wide, Mr. M.R. Seetharam (Synthesis Winding / ELCIA) analysed national adoption trends, and Mr. Srinivas P. Kamisetty (Kabelschlepp) detailed the uptime value of critical motion infrastructure.
• Automation ROI & Financial Confidence: Moderated by Mr. V. Jagannath (EVP & COO, M2NXT), the closing panel featured Mr. Upendra Vanarase (TRIO Motion Technology), Mr. Mahendra Patil (FANUC India), Mr. Ranjan Singh Chadha (Festo), Mr. Mushtaq Jamal (Bevel Gears India), and Mr. Ashwin Udayashankar (SCHUNK Intec India). The panelists dismantled traditional skill-displacement metrics, providing frameworks to assess total cost of ownership (TCO), identify hidden operational costs, and establish realistic payback timelines that secure boardroom and finance approvals for automation investments.

Concurrent Exhibition & Strategic Takeaway

The running exhibition provided attendees hands-on access to live demonstrations from over 30 leading robotics and automation providers.

𝟗𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐮𝐦 𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬, 2026  Click here

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