The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Southern Region organized the Digital Factory Summit at Hotel Park, Hyderabad, bringing together industry leaders, technology experts, and manufacturing professionals to discuss the future of smart manufacturing. The summit was held under the theme “Transforming Manufacturing through Connected Data and Intelligent Automation.”
The event attracted over 250 senior management professionals from diverse industries across India and abroad. The summit provided a platform for sharing insights on how technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), digital twins, and advanced analytics are reshaping manufacturing operations and enabling more efficient, data-driven factories.
The inaugural session featured leading industry voices including Krishna Bodanapu, Executive Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Cyient Ltd; Mathew Thomas, CEO and Managing Director of Siemens Digital Industries Software Limited; Vijaykumar Nair, Vice President and Country Head of Volvo Group India; Shivkumar, CEO of Maple Software Pvt Ltd; and Joginder Tanikella, CEO of T-Works, Government of Telangana. The speakers highlighted the growing need for manufacturers to adopt Industry 4.0 technologies to enhance competitiveness and operational efficiency.
Throughout the summit, several plenary sessions explored the practical implementation of digital technologies in manufacturing environments. The discussions focused on how organizations can move from isolated factory data to enterprise-wide intelligence by integrating systems such as MES, SCADA, and ERP platforms.
Key focus areas discussed during the summit included:
• Scaling factory data across plants to enable enterprise-wide visibility and better decision-making.
• Building a strong industrial data backbone using technologies such as OPC-UA, IIoT gateways, and reliable factory data pipelines.
• AI-powered manufacturing applications, including predictive quality monitoring, computer vision systems for automated inspection, and self-optimizing production processes.
• Digital twins and AI-driven energy management systems to reduce energy consumption and support sustainability goals.
Industry experts also emphasized the importance of secure cloud-to-shopfloor connectivity, robust data governance frameworks, and industrial AI deployment strategies to ensure reliable and scalable digital transformation.
The summit was supported by Cyient Ltd, Volvo Group India, Algo 8AI, Maple Software Pvt Ltd, and OpsTech as proud sponsors. Their participation reinforced the growing collaboration between manufacturing companies and technology providers in driving digital innovation.
By bringing together industry stakeholders, the Digital Factory Summit highlighted how connected data ecosystems and intelligent automation are shaping the next generation of manufacturing, enabling companies to achieve higher productivity, operational resilience, and sustainable growth.
