India ended 2021 with a bang. The Purchasing Managers’ Index continued its year-long above-50 streak, registering 55.5 for the month of December. Moving into 2022, opportunities abound. From EVs to microchips, from defense to off-road, from renewable energy to steel, India means business, and the investment dollars are staggering. For specific industry intel and other tidbits, read on.
The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) continued its expansion, registering 55.5 for the month of December.
According to the recent Economic Times survey involving 56 CEOs and business leaders from across India’s manufacturing, services, and infrastructure sectors, companies are in an investment and capex boom. About 93% of the respondents are planning on major investments due to emerging business opportunities, government incentives across several manufacturing sectors, and the availability of low-interest financing.
Apart from manufacturing sectors like EV, appliances, and medical devices, as highlighted in the last India edition, a few more sectors hold great potential for 2022 and beyond:
Defense Manufacturing. The government has set a $25 billion target for defense manufacturing growth by 2025. It is presently a $12 billion industry, so it should more than double in the next three years.
Electronic Hardware Manufacturing. The electronic systems design and manufacturing market has been growing at a CAGR of 16% since 2019 and is likely to reach $220 billion by the end of 2025. This is due to very strong demand, supportive government policies, and an increased focus on component indigenization.
Renewable Energy. Presently, there is a total of 105 GW of installed capacity in this segment. The target is to enhance the capacity to 450 GW by 2030 – with 280 GW of which generated through solar power.
Off-Road Equipment. With the government’s focus on extensive road building and other infrastructure-related investments, this sector is projected to grow from $5 billion to $11 billion by 2025.
Auto-Component Industry. The industry witnessed a 5% reduction in sales from 2020 to 2021 due to the supply chain-induced slowdown of auto production, as well as its adaption toward the EV explosion. Nevertheless, the industry is projected to grow three times from its present $45 billion by the end of 2026.
Electronic Chip Manufacturing. In December, the government approved a $10 billion incentive plan to establish chip and display manufacturing in the country. Presently, there are around 20 manufacturing companies planning to invest and use these incentives.
Other local developments:
Arcelor Mittal Nippon Steel India Ltd. is investing $13 billion to build a steel plant in Odisha state with a capacity of 24 million tons a year.
Tata Motors announced it will invest $1 billion over the next four years to grow their commercial vehicle business.
EV scooter startup Simple Energy is investing around $330 million, with government support, in a new facility in Tamil Nadu to produce 1 million electric two-wheelers per year. They have plans in 2023 for a larger second plant to produce 12 million units per year in Dharmapuri.
Hyundai India will invest around $600 million in EV development and is planning to launch six new EV models by 2028.
Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries has acquired UK startup battery technology firm Faradion for $135 million. Reliance plans to invest an additional $35 million to accelerate the commercialization of its products, including batteries for EVs.
Mahindra Electric, which presently has India’s largest portfolio of electric vehicles, announced that it plans to make investments to double its manufacturing capacity of EVs.
India’s fastest-growing electric scooter company, EeVe, is investing $150 million to roll out new products from their Odisha-based manufacturing plant.
Final note: The IMTEX machine tool show, initially scheduled to be held Jan. 20-26, has been postponed in compliance with government-prescribed restrictions preventing the holding of any mass gathering events to curb further spread of the Omicron COVID variant. The new dates are likely to be announced by the end of January.
