This article is authored by S Sunil Kumar, Country President, Henkel Adhesives Technologies India.India’s industrial acceleration has moved beyond the logic of scale. Capital, policy, and manufacturing ambition are now aligning with purpose. As the next phase takes shape, the country’s industrial future will be defined not merely by incentives or capacity expansion, but by a quieter, decisive force: performance of materials.As Indian manufacturers globalise, the rules of competition are tightening. Export exposure is rising, margins are compressing, and regulatory thresholds on safety, sustainability and compliance are moving sharply upward. Traditional levers such as labour advantage, capacity expansion and sourcing efficiency are beginning to plateau. What increasingly differentiates winners is not where products are made, but how predictably, safely and efficiently they perform in real-world conditions.Across mobility, electronics, and packaging, competitive advantage is increasingly engineered at the materials level. Advanced materials do more than enhance features; they determine whether products are profitable, reliable, and economically viable over their lifecycle. By cutting weight, minimizing thermal loss, and lowering power consumption, they drive energy efficiency. By resisting heat, vibration, and wear, they extend product life. As standards tighten, they strengthen safety and regulatory compliance. By enabling simpler assembly, automation-ready processes, and higher manufacturing yields, they also compress timelines and accelerate speed to market.
Mobility & EVs : Lighter, Safer, More Efficient by Design
India’s electric vehicle market is expanding rapidly. Volumes are increasing across two-wheelers, passenger vehicles and commercial fleets, while manufacturers face intense pressure on cost, localisation and time to market.In this environment, the success of electric mobility hinges on more than batteries and drivetrains alone. Advanced materials, particularly adhesives including structural bonding solutions, pre-treatment technologies, sealants and functional coatings, are redefining vehicle design and manufacturing. These solutions are enabling EV manufacturers to reduce vehicle weight while preserving structural integrity. Each kilogram saved improves energy efficiency and driving range, while also enabling faster assembly and higher line speeds, advantages that become critical as EV platforms scale.As India’s auto sector moves up the global value chain, material innovation is becoming foundational to how vehicle safety is designed and certified. Structural integrity, crash energy management, vibration control and cabin stability now influence ratings and brand trust. For OEMs, the right material choices play a pivotal role in ensuring safety, reliability, and brand strength, especially in a market where consumer trust is still taking shape.Cleaner chemistries further reinforce this shift. Low-emission pretreatments, pumpable NVH solutions, and recyclable structural inserts are helping OEMs meet rising sustainability expectations while reducing waste and simplifying production. As India’s mobility transition accelerates, chemistry is emerging as a quiet enabler, allowing OEMs and EV players to scale faster, build safer vehicles, and progress sustainably toward the future of transportation.Union Budget 2026 introduces measures such as duty exemptions on lithium-ion cell manufacturing equipment and critical EV minerals that quietly reinforce a materials-led transition. These steps help lower battery costs, stabilise supply chains, and enable EV manufacturers to scale safer and more affordable platforms domestically.
Electronics & Manufacturing : Precision as a Strategic Asset
India’s ambition to become a global electronics and semiconductor manufacturing hub is increasingly defined by one requirement: precision at scale. With India Semiconductor Mission 2.0 and a ₹40,000-crore push for electronic components, the Union Budget 2026 sends a clear signal. India is no longer content to assemble the digital economy; it intends to own its physical layer, spanning materials, equipment, and full-stack intellectual property.This strategic push has already delivered early milestones, including the inauguration of one of India’s first end-to-end outsourced semiconductor assembly and testing pilot line facilities, which signals tangible progress in developing advanced packaging capabilities under these initiatives.These initiatives and incentives provide critical momentum, but the next phase of semiconductor competitiveness will be shaped inside the factory. As devices become smaller, faster, and more power-dense, precision tightens and consistency becomes paramount. Performance increasingly depends on how reliably materials operate under extreme heat, vibration, high processing speeds, and advanced miniaturisation. At this stage, chemistry evolves from a cost consideration into a strategic capability, enabling quality, resilience, and scalable manufacturing.High-performance materials shape outcomes at every stage of semiconductor manufacturing. They improve yield by reducing variability and defects, enhance durability by managing thermal and mechanical stress, and boost efficiency by supporting automation-ready production cycles. Even a small drop in yield can undermine the economics of an entire production line. Global leaders demonstrate this principle through a focus on machine-level consistency in performance of materials, treating every source of variability as a critical factor for operational excellence rather than a simple cost concern.The future competitiveness of India will rely as much on chemistry as on capacity. Successfully deploying globally proven chemistries, adapting them to local conditions, and scaling them reliably will be key to transforming “Make in India” into “Manufacture for the world.”
Packaging: Chemistry as an Engine of Scalable , Sustainable Growth
Packaging sits at the intersection of industrial efficiency, export readiness and sustainability mandates. As manufacturing and exports grow, packaging must achieve higher performance using fewer resources while maintaining production speed, minimizing defects, and ensuring full compliance.Advances in adhesives, coatings, and barrier materials are transforming packaging performance. Lighter structures with stronger bonds extend shelf life while withstanding high-speed processing. Cleaner chemistries cut energy use and emissions and support recyclable mono-material and paper-based formats without compromising line speed or seal integrity.The economic benefits are clear. Lightweighting reduces logistics costs, while improved barrier performance minimizes spoilage across long supply chains. Energy-efficient processes protect margins at scale. Today, global FMCG buyers are prioritizing sustainability, increasingly favoring suppliers with recyclable and compliant packaging. Advanced barrier coatings and solvent-free adhesives are turning circularity into a source of competitive advantage rather than a regulatory requirement.
Materials Science as India’s Long-Term Growth Advantage
India’s future industrial growth will be determined by how effectively science is translated into repeatable and reliable performance on factory floors. The real advantage comes not from invention alone but from the ability to adapt global chemistries to local conditions while embedding reliability, safety, and sustainability across thousands of production lines.The next chapter of India’s industrial story will be written not in laboratories alone, but on factory floors, across shifts, plants, climates, and supply chains. As global value chains demand higher standards, India’s standing will be determined not by sheer output, but by how consistently, sustainably, and safely it delivers.In this landscape, materials science is no longer a supporting input. It is the engine of execution, enabling India to build industrial growth that is stronger, more resilient, and competitive on a global scale.Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the original author and do not represent any of The Times Group or its employees.