✍️ Manufacturing Dreams Need More Than Slogans

For all the headlines about becoming the "next China" or being the “world’s factory,” India's manufacturing journey is still stuck in the slow lane. And this isn’t for lack of ambition — it’s because of a systemic failure to build an ecosystem that supports competitiveness from the ground up. We’ve spent years focusing on promotional campaigns — like Make in India — without addressing the root structural issues. If we don’t fix the underlying pillars of competitiveness — factor access, trade openness, regulatory friction, and supply chain efficiency — we risk falling further behind peers like Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia. 📉 A shrinking share of GDP, low productivity, and a maze of tariffs and policies won’t take us to global leadership. 🔁 The question isn’t whether we can manufacture. It’s whether we can compete. 📌 TL;DR — Why India’s Manufacturing Is Still Underperforming 🇮🇳 India’s manufacturing share in global exports is just 1.9% — the same as Vietnam, despite being 20x larger in population. 📉 Manufacturing’s share in GDP fell from 16% (2015) to 13% (2023). 🧱 Major issues lie across six pillars: factor conditions, demand, supply chains, firm rivalry, regulation, and trade policy. 💡 Solutions? Cut tariffs, sign meaningful trade deals, reform land/labour laws, and enable competitive clusters organically.

– as a major engineering and export-focused manufacturer. – to contrast the high-end ambition vs. real structural issues. – a conglomerate that depends on capital goods and infra — sectors held back by inefficiencies. – as dominant players affecting input costs. / Bharat Forge – who suffer due to higher domestic input costs. 🧭 Want to be the next factory of the world? Then we must stop being protectionist, start being globally competitive, and rebuild the foundation of our manufacturing ecosystem.