AIFI Positions India As Forging Powerhouse At IFC 2025

Yash J Munot

The Association of Indian Forging Industry (AIFI) showcased India's industrial sector at the 24th International Forging Congress (IFC 2025) in Frankfurt, Germany.

Yash J Munot, AIFI President, delivered a keynote presentation on India's manufacturing capabilities, technological advancements and vision for global partnerships. He highlighted India's status as the world's second-largest producer of forgings and its position in the global supply chain.

In his address, ‘Forging India’s Future – Partnering with the World,’ he discussed India’s journey of modernisation, global integration and sustainable growth.

"India has transformed from being a land of opportunity to a land of action. The forging industry stands as a true reflection of this transformation, built on the pillars of scale, skill and sustainability and ready to co-author the future of global manufacturing. We have evolved from a labour-intensive past to a capital-intensive, technology-driven present, powered by significant investments in Industry 4.0, AI, automation and smart manufacturing practices. In an era shaped by geopolitical shifts, fluctuating material costs and the global call for sustainability, India’s forging industry offers reliability, quality and resilience. We are not here merely as suppliers, but as partners and collaborators, committed to forging a stronger, more innovative and sustainable industrial future for the world,” he said.

India’s forging industry produces 2.9 million metric tonnes annually, with an installed capacity of 4.8 million MT, representing investments worth USD 3.8 billion. The sector employs over 300,000 people. It supplies components to sectors including automotive, railways, aerospace, defence, construction equipment and engineering. Around 30 percent of total production is exported to Europe, North America and Asia.

The industry has adopted Industry 4.0 technologies such as automation, artificial intelligence, digital simulation and data analytics. The focus on energy-efficient furnaces and circular manufacturing reflects the sector’s commitment to environmental responsibility.

Munot highlighted the upcoming Forging Simulation Centre in Pune, designed to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) improve productivity and minimise environmental impact through digital technologies.

He also announced the 4th edition of Forgetech India, AIFI’s biennial exhibition and conference, scheduled for October 2026.

Greaves Cotton Engines Power European Micromobility With Ligier Partnership

Greaves - Ligier

Greaves Cotton, an engineering firm, has partnered with Europe’s Ligier Group, a manufacturer of light and heavy quadricycles. The collaboration will see Greaves’ Euro V+ certified 499cc REVO D+ diesel engines powering Ligier’s JS50 and Myli microcar models.

The engines, designed and manufactured at Greaves' facility in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, India, are integrated into Ligier vehicles sold across multiple European countries, including France, Italy, Spain and Germany. This partnership highlights India's increasing role as a supplier of regulatory-compliant automotive technologies globally.

The 499cc REVO D+ single-cylinder, 4-stroke diesel engine features electronic fuel injection and is designed for the light quadricycle, L6e category of vehicles.

The engine produces 6.0 kW of power at 3000 rpm and 26 Nm of torque at 1800–2200 rpm. The engine is claimed to deliver superior fuel efficiency, exceptional Noise, Vibration & Harshness (NVH) performance, and low friction. The engines met the stringent Euro V+ compliance norms through rigorous European-grade quality assurance, including cold-weather validation and lifecycle reliability assessments.

Parag Satpute, Managing Director and Group CEO, Greaves Cotton, said, “This partnership with Ligier is a proud milestone for Greaves Cotton, showcasing how a Made-in-India powertrain is driving European mobility solutions. It reflects our strong engineering capabilities, customer-centric approach, and commitment to delivering global quality standards from our Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar plant. As a trusted partner to OEMs worldwide, we continue to strengthen our comprehensive solutions driven approach that meet the demands of global OEMs for highest standards of performance, efficiency, and sustainability.”

Christian Dujardin, CEO, Ligier Group, said, “Our partnership with Greaves has been marked by outstanding collaboration and mutual trust. Together, we have succeeded in bringing to market the new 499cc REVO D+ engine - a modern, efficient, and reliable powertrain that perfectly meets today’s market expectations, regulatory standards, and customer demands. We are proud of the quality and fluidity of our exchanges throughout this project, which have allowed us to combine innovation and performance. Our teams continue to work hand in hand on future developments to stay one step ahead of the competition and uphold Ligier’s promise of always being at the forefront of innovation.”

Vedanta Aluminium Secures Patent For Lead-Free Alloy

Vedanta Aluminium

Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium, has achieved another milestone with the grant of its first product development patent for a lead- and tin-free bismuth-aluminium alloy. This innovation offers a sustainable, high-machinability solution designed to address the global phaseout of hazardous elements like lead and tin in industrial applications.

The alloy, developed by Vedanta Aluminium’s in-house R&D team, replaces lead and tin with bismuth. The company states that the alloy meets global environmental standards while delivering machinability and mechanical strength.

The alloy is engineered for components across the automotive, electronics and textile sectors where machining operations are central to production. Applications include automotive parts such as hydraulic manifolds and drive shafts and electronic components like mobile phone housings.

The innovation was driven by customer demand for sustainable alternatives to traditional machinable alloys (like AA6262 and AA6020) that contain restricted elements. These alloys are currently under regulatory scrutiny.

Lab trials of the new alloy demonstrated performance metrics compared to conventional grades:

  • Strength and Durability: 8 percent higher tensile strength, 21 percent higher yield strength and 17 percent greater hardness.
  • Machinability: Smaller, easily breakable chip formation enhances cutting efficiency and reduces operational time.
  • Tool Life and Surface Finish: Up to 30 percent smoother surface finish and extended tool lifespan.

Rajiv Kumar, CEO, Vedanta Aluminium, said, “Innovation and sustainability are at the heart of Vedanta Aluminium’s R&D efforts, driving us to create solutions that advance our environmental goals while delivering world-class breakthrough products. This patent validates our efforts at pushing the boundaries of material science, while embedding sustainability into every stage of our value chain. The bismuth-aluminium alloy represents the future of responsible manufacturing.”

Image for representational purposes only.

Greaves Cotton Reports INR 6.32 Million Net Profit For Q2 FY2026

Greaves Cotton

Mumbai-headquartered engineering major Greaves Cotton has reported its financial results for Q2 FY2026 with revenue of INR 8.15 billion, up 16 percent YoY, as compared to INR 7.05 billion last year.

The profit after tax grew by 140 percent YoY to INR 6.32 million, as against a loss of INR 14.33 million, showing improved profitability across its businesses.

The company reported that its Engineering Business grew 31 percent YoY in Q2 FY2026 and 30 percent YoY in H1 FY2026.  The Automotive business grew by 48 percent YoY, driven by demand for Euro V+ compliant diesel engines from its European automotive OEM partnership.

Parag Satpute, MD and Group CEO, Greaves Cotton, said, “Greaves Cotton’s performance in Q2 FY2026 reflects the continued strength, agility and resilience of our business portfolio. Our core Engineering business has achieved strong growth. This has been driven by our customer-centric approach of developing products in close partnership with our customers, improved profitability, & is supported by efficiency enhancements that have strengthened our margins. We remain steadfast in our focus on disciplined execution, operational excellence and prudent capital allocation to drive sustainable value creation. Greaves continues to make a meaningful impact across Genset Solutions, Automotive and Industrial sectors through its diverse engineering portfolio, positioning us as a reliable partner in the application engineering space.”

Hyundai Motor Group Partners Nvidia To Deploy AI In Korean Factory

Nvidia - Hyundai

Hyundai Motor Group and Nvidia are deepening their collaboration to accelerate innovation in autonomous vehicles (AVs), smart factories and robotics with a new AI factory, powered by Nvidia Blackwell AI infrastructure. This partnership shifts focus from strategic software adoption to the co-development of core physical AI technologies.

The two companies plan to enable integrated AI model training, validation and deployment using 50,000 Nvidia Blackwell GPUs. In support of the Korean government’s initiative to build a national physical AI cluster, the collaboration involves an approximately USD 3 billion investment to advance the physical AI landscape in Korea. Key efforts include establishing Hyundai Motor Group’s Physical AI Application Center, the Nvidia AI Technology Center and physical AI data centres in the region.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed on 31st October between the Ministry of Science and ICT of the Republic of Korea, Hyundai Motor Group and Nvidia to formalise this collaboration.

Bae Kyung-hoon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT of the Republic of Korea, said, "For Korea to leap forward as a leading nation in AI, the advancement of physical AI is essential – a key initiative championed by the Ministry of Science and ICT. This inaugural step in public-private collaboration to foster physical AI is therefore incredibly significant. Korea has a strong foundation in manufacturing. By combining Korea's rich manufacturing data with Nvidia’s cutting-edge AI infrastructure, we expect to build a Win-Win model through collaboration with domestic companies, thereby accelerating innovative AI transformation (AX) in manufacturing across industries."

Euisun Chung, Executive Chair, Hyundai Motor Group, said, “As we enter a new era of AI-powered mobility and smart factory, deepening our collaboration with Nvidia marks a pivotal step forward. Together, we are not only building advanced technologies but also laying the foundation for a robust AI ecosystem in Korea – one that fosters innovation, nurtures talent and positions us at the forefront of global AI leadership.”

Jensen Huang, Founder and CEO, Nvidia, said, "AI will revolutionise every facet of every industry. In transportation alone – from vehicle design and manufacturing to robotics and autonomous driving — Nvidia’s AI and computing platforms are transforming how the world moves. Together with Hyundai Motor Group — Korea’s industrial powerhouse and one of the world’s top mobility solutions providers— we’re building intelligent cars and factories that will shape the future of the multitrillion-dollar mobility industry."

Hyundai Motor Group will use the Nvidia Blackwell-based AI factory to deploy infrastructure that powers innovation across in-vehicle AI, autonomous driving, factory automation and robotics. The group is leveraging three Nvidia AI compute platforms:

  • Nvidia DGX platform for large-scale AI model training.
  • Nvidia Omniverse and Nvidia Cosmos for creating digital twins of manufacturing environments and testing AV software.
  • Nvidia Drive AGX Thor as the AI compute for real-time intelligence in vehicles and robots.

The company will use the Omniverse Enterprise platform to develop factory digital twins to accelerate robot integration, optimise production and enable predictive maintenance. Inside vehicles, Nvidia DRIVE AGX Thor will provide compute power for advanced driver-assistance, next-generation safety features and in-vehicle AI experiences.