Driving Resilience and Digital Transformation in Maintenance

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Highlights from the 6th Edition of the Pro MFG Plant Maintenance & Asset Management Summit at Bharuch

August 22, 2025 : At the industrial city of Bharuch, Pro MFG Media hosted the 6th edition of the Pro MFG Plant Maintenance & Asset Management Summit, bringing together senior leaders from India’s leading manufacturing industries to discuss the twin pillars of resilient maintenance strategies and digital innovation.

Over 120 professionals from chemicals, petrochemicals, metals, and other sectors engaged in a day of insights, dialogue, and networking at the one-day summit. The event’s packed agenda featured presentations, panel discussions, interactive quizzes, and open forums, reflecting the evolving priorities of the Indian manufacturing community.

The summit opened with an address from the master of ceremony, Sanjay Bhan of Pro MFG Media, underscoring the critical role of maintenance and asset management in India’s broader industrial transformation journey. The summit was supported by esteemed partners, with Mobil as the Presenting Partner, Siemens as the Industry Partner, and institute partners IIT Indore DRISHTI CPS Foundation and the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Development Centre, IIT Madras.

An insightful presentation by Sandep S. of ExxonMobil highlighted the role of advanced lubrication technologies in extending equipment life, reducing downtime, and contributing towards operational sustainability, a fitting precursor to the day’s panel discussions.

The first panel, “Building Resilient Maintenance Strategies for Sustainable Operational Excellence”, featured perspectives from Himanshu Shukla of Aditya Birla Chemicals - Grasim, H.S. Dagur of SRF Ltd, Krishnaraju Kumaravel of Hindalco Industries, Paresh Panchal of Atul Ltd, and Sanjiv Prasad of Reliance Industries Ltd.

Moderated by Manish Kulkarni, Co-Founder & Director, Pro MFG Media, the discussion explored how manufacturers can safeguard reliability while pursuing sustainability goals.

Speakers emphasized that maintenance resilience is not merely about crisis response, but a proactive culture of risk assessment, predictive planning, and cross-functional collaboration. For industries the uptime and safety carry outsized weight, resilience is now shaped as much by workforce readiness and governance frameworks as by spare parts and equipment upgrades. Emphasis was placed on lifecycle management of assets, continuous workforce training, and embedding sustainability metrics into the very DNA of maintenance practices.

Ahead of the second panel, the Smart Maintenance Quiz allowed participants to test knowledge of smart manufacturing and advanced maintenance technologies, creating an energetic environment. The top three winners were: 1st - Pankaj Yadav, Daramic Battery Separators India, 2nd - Jigar Vanza, Pidilite Industries Limited, and 3rd - Kishan Patel, Galaxy Surfactants.

The second panel discussion on, “Digital Bridges: Charting the Course for Smart Maintenance”, shifted focus to cutting-edge technologies and their integration into industrial operations. Panelists included Arun C. Rajyaguru of Deepak Phenolics, Harshit Bhatt of AMNS India, Prasad John of Gulbrandsen Technologies, and Virendra Mishra of Rallis India.

Once again facilitated by Manish Kulkarni, this session explored how digital transformation is reshaping the way plants monitor, predict, and respond to performance anomalies. Panelists highlighted that predictive analytics and IoT tools critical enablers of cost competitiveness in global supply chains. Examples included successful adoption of sensor-based monitoring, AI-driven anomaly detection, and integration of CMMS with ERP systems.

Beyond structured discussions, the networking and Pro MFG Insights Café offered avenues for informal peer-to-peer learning. Participants across diverse manufacturing sectors shared and exchanged notes on solutions. It became evident that while industries may differ in production output, the maintenance playbook is converging: resilience, sustainability, and digital readiness are universal touchpoints.

The summit concluded with a Vote of Thanks, acknowledging the rich participation of industry leaders and the collaborative spirit of the industrial ecosystem.

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