AIFI Conference Highlights India’s ‘China Plus One’ Opportunity and Need for a Smarter, More Resilient Forging Industry
Pune, September 15, 2026: The Association of Indian Forging Industry (AIFI), the apex body of India’s forging sector, successfully hosted its 2nd Annual Conference on the theme “New Development Trends – Impact on Forging Industry”, bringing together industry leaders and stakeholders to discuss the evolving business environment and the opportunities and challenges facing the Indian forging industry.
The conference highlighted the changing global supply-chain landscape and the emerging “China Plus One” opportunity for India.
Pune, September 15, 2026: The Association of Indian Forging Industry (AIFI), the apex body of India’s forging sector, successfully hosted its 2nd Annual Conference on the theme “New Development Trends – Impact on Forging Industry”, bringing together industry leaders and stakeholders to discuss the evolving business environment and the opportunities and challenges facing the Indian forging industry.
The conference highlighted the changing global supply-chain landscape and the emerging “China Plus One” opportunity for India.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Yash Munot, President, AIFI and CEO, Varsha Forgings Pvt. Ltd., said that global supply-chain realignments are creating significant opportunities for India, while geopolitical uncertainty, rising input costs, technology disruption and changing customer requirements require the industry to enhance productivity, technology adoption, innovation, skills and sustainability.
The Chief Guest, Mr. Thomas Dose, Managing Director, BMW Group Plant Chennai, highlighted India’s growing relevance under the China Plus One strategy. He said India has engineering talent, a large domestic market and a capable forging ecosystem, while global customers are increasingly seeking Indian suppliers that can contribute to engineering and development and take greater end-to-end responsibility.
The conference also featured a welcome address by Mr. Sunil Javalekar, Chairman, Western Region, AIFI and CEO, S. B. Forgetech Pvt. Ltd., and a presentation by Mr. Yogesh Thakar, Executive Director, PwC, on “Indian Forging Industry – Next Global Edge.”
A high-level panel discussion on “Managing Uncertainty / Challenges to Capitalize on Demand Surge” was moderated by Mr. S. Ravishankar, Vice President, AIFI and MD, Super Auto Forge Pvt. Ltd. The panel included Mr. Vidyashankar Krishnan, CMD, M.M. Forgings Ltd.; Mr. Vikas Bajaj, MD, Bajaj Motors Ltd.; and Mr. Sahil Jain, CEO, Hirschvogel Components India Private Limited.
The panel deliberated on GST, manpower availability, automation, technology upgrades, investment, training, contingency planning, R&D, productivity, demand management and rising input costs. The speakers emphasised proactive investment in technology, automation, skills and R&D to help the industry manage uncertainty and respond to emerging demand.
The conference concluded with a renewed focus on strengthening the competitiveness of Indian forging companies and enabling them to move higher up the global value chain. The programme was attended by members of the AIFI Managing Committee, industry leaders and delegates from across the forging fraternity. The memento presentation and vote of thanks were delivered by Mr. S. Ravishankar.
About AIFI: Established in 1965, the Association of Indian Forging Industry (AIFI) is the umbrella organisation representing India’s forging industry, with more than 200 members across the country. The sector supplies forged and machined components to the automotive, power, railway and general engineering industries and plays an important role in India’s manufacturing ecosystem and employment generation. India is currently the world’s second-largest producer of forgings after China.