Manufacturing Reimagined: Industry, Government and Banking Leaders Align to Accelerate Electronics SME Export Growth in Bengaluru
Senior policymakers, industry association heads, banking leaders and manufacturing entrepreneurs convened at Hotel Taj MG Road, Bengaluru on February 13, 2026, for the SME Leadership Conference titled “Manufacturing Reimagined: Build Better. Build Beyond.”
The forum focused squarely on a pressing national question: Can India’s electronics manufacturing SMEs scale into globally competitive suppliers within the next three years?
Organised by SME Communities & FIEO, the conference structured the dialogue around trade architecture, smart finance, ecosystem capability and risk governance.
Trade Competitiveness Must Be Structural, Not Tactical
Delivering the welcome address, Mr. K. Unnikrishnan, Joint Director General of the Federation of Indian Exporters Organisation (FIEO), set the strategic context.
“Electronics exports are no longer opportunistic shipments. They demand compliance maturity, certification discipline and long-term market positioning. SMEs that embed quality and governance frameworks will be the ones that scale.”
He emphasised that Indian electronics manufacturers must deepen value addition, move up the component chain and build credibility in regulated markets.
Government Signals: Policy Tools Exist, Awareness Must Rise
Chief Guest Smt Dona Ghosh, Joint DGFT, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, addressed the audience on India’s evolving foreign trade architecture. “India’s export ecosystem is increasingly digital, transparent and facilitative. The real opportunity lies in SMEs actively leveraging schemes, incentives and trade agreements that already exist.”
She highlighted digitised DGFT systems, faster authorisations, and export promotion measures as underutilised levers for electronics manufacturers seeking global integration.
Finance as a Growth Multiplier
Representing Presenting Partner IDFC FIRST Bank, Mr. Manish Upadhyay, Head – Products, Business Banking, focused on export-readiness from a treasury perspective.
“Many SMEs secure orders but struggle with forex volatility, receivable cycles and margin pressures. Structured working capital, hedging discipline and advisory banking partnerships can significantly improve export conversion.” He underscored that financial structuring and risk management are now strategic capabilities for electronics exporters.
Industry Leaders Call for Capability Depth
The Industry Leaders’ Fireside Chat brought together seasoned manufacturing voices:
Mr. Anil Kumar Muniswamy, Founder MD, SLN Technologies, stressed “Global buyers are looking for design capability and reliability, not just cost competitiveness. Component localisation will determine India’s electronics trajectory.”
Mr. Sanjeev Keskar, CEO, Arvind Consultancy, observed “Ecosystem collaboration between OEMs, associations, and policymakers is essential. SMEs must move from isolated growth to networked growth.”
Mr. Venkatesh Krishnamoorthy, Partner, Benaka Electronics added a cluster-level perspective mentioning “Industrial clusters like Peenya need infrastructure stability, supply chain integration and policy continuity to sustain export momentum.”
Beyond Firewalls: Risk Governance at the Core
A high-impact fireside session titled “Beyond Firewalls: OT Security, Fire Insurance & Building Resilient Manufacturing Enterprises” featured Mr. Parag Deodhar, Managing Director – Global IT Audit Lead, and Dr. Ravi Seshadri, Board Advisor & insurance industry veteran.
Mr. Deodhar cautioned “As factories become smarter and more connected, operational technology vulnerabilities become board-level risks. Cyber resilience must extend beyond IT into the shop floor.”
Dr. Seshadri added “Risk transfer mechanisms such as cyber and fire insurance must be aligned with governance frameworks. Insurance should be integrated into business continuity strategy, not treated as a compliance formality.”
Scaling to Global Supplier Status: What Will Actually Help?
The concluding panel addressed the central question: What will truly enable electronics SMEs to scale globally in the next three years?
Key discussion themes included access to patient capital, component manufacturing depth, export market intelligence, risk governance, and coordinated industry-government alignment.
Mr. Jairaj Srinivas, Director General, Confederation of Indian Manufacturers in ESDM & IT, emphasized that strengthening certifications, compliance depth, and digital traceability will be central to positioning Indian electronics SMEs as credible global supply chain partners over the next three years.
Mr. Unnikrishnan K, Joint Director General, Federation of Indian Exporters Organisation, called for sharper export-readiness frameworks, noting that targeted improvements in process maturity and market intelligence can significantly accelerate SMEs’ global market entry.
Mr Ajay Krishnan, Vice President – Karnataka Digital Economy Mission & Head – ESDM Vertical, highlighted the strategic importance of electronics clusters and industry associations in building scale, while urging systemic solutions to ease component and supply chain bottlenecks.
Mr. Sriram Kumar, CEO, Electronics City Industries Association (ELCIA), advocated investment in shared testing labs, design centres, and certification infrastructure, stating that collaborative manufacturing models can help SMEs win larger global contracts.
Ms Nandini B, VP ELCIA & Director – Tescom Private Ltd stressed the need for specialized SME-focused electronics zones and a policy push towards design-led and IP-driven manufacturing to enhance India’s long-term export competitiveness.
Mr. Sameer Chopra, Head – Retail Trade & FX, IDFC FIRST Bank underscored the importance of aligning credit, forex, and trade finance products with global supply chain realities, while encouraging SMEs to institutionalize stronger treasury and forex risk management practices.
Mr. Vaidyanathan A, Founder & CEO, Personal Air Quality System Pvt Ltd reinforced that global certifications are no longer optional and suggested greater institutional support mechanisms to help SMEs manage compliance costs and meet international standards.
A Platform Anchored in Risk-Aware Growth
Concluding the conference, Mr. Prashant Laxmeshwar, Founding Partner, Amanhã Idealabs, remarked “India’s electronics opportunity is real. But scale without resilience will not sustain. Manufacturing competitiveness must go hand-in-hand with financial discipline and risk awareness.”
With participation from regulators, trade bodies, banks and entrepreneurs, ‘Manufacturing Reimagined’ positioned itself as a high-trust forum driving India’s electronics SMEs toward globally competitive, risk-aware growth.
