Manu’Futuring, Part 1 : Innovating Manufacturing for Manufacturing Innovations

Why this approach is critical to bolster India’s industrial sectors — and the role that hardware innovations across machines, materials, devices and components play in enabling and accelerating this transformation across various Futurescopes — the 8 different domains where humanity collectively dreams, desires, deserves, and demands innovations.

Photo by Infralist.com on Unsplash

Over the past century, innovations collectively dreamed, desired, deserved, and demanded by humanity were made possible by advancements in manufacturing and the advent of technology that were realised in the form of HARDWARE — from machines to materials to components to devices, cutting across aerospace, defence, telecom, automotive, infrastructure, healthcare, transportation, logistics and energy among other core industrial and manufacturing sectors. Humanity over the past century solved several HARD problems with HARDWARE.

In the next decade alone, humanity is at the cusp of an explosion of innovations, which bring back to sharp focus the Rise of Hardware — converging Manufacturing & Technology to power the second renaissance of “Innovating Manufacturing for Manufacturing Innovations”.

Innovating Manufacturing for Manufacturing Innovations

India’s manufacturing sector has experienced remarkable growth in the past decade, largely driven by technological advancements from industrial giants. However, this progress has been limited to a few key players — most industrial companies face challenges in adopting innovative hardware technologies into their manufacturing processes — notwithstanding the futuristic technological advances made in industrial technologies with the advent of AI, IoT, and other Industry 4.0 tech.

Hardware in this context refers to the translation of science and technology into solutions that humans use or utilise to effect the many changes we desire to realise. These innovations are primarily tangible and physical — not software that is conceptualised, programmed, installed, and used; but hardware to be manufactured, distributed and used. They address challenges, solve problems, overcome barriers, and improve conditions by leveraging science (in the form of knowledge, principles, and discoveries) and by harnessing technology (science translated into usable forms called inventions).

Hardware Innovations

HARDWARE INNOVATIONS translate breakthrough science and technology into solutions that humans utilise to effect the many changes we desire to realise. These innovations are primarily tangible and physical — not just software that is conceptualised, programmed and installed; but hardware to be manufactured, distributed and used. They are built to address real-world challenges, solve problems, overcome barriers, and improve conditions by leveraging science (in the form of knowledge, principles, and discoveries) and by harnessing technology (science translated into usable forms called inventions) in their usable and tangible form as MACHINES, MATERIALS, COMPONENTS & DEVICES.

• Machines are programmable, electromechanical or cyber-physical systems that are operated in the industrial value-chains, offering resource conversion, materials processing and handling — often replacing manual labour or handling complex tasks to manufacture end-products. They are generally composite equipment — complex assemblies of core components and auxiliary devices that convert, transmit, and apply energy or forces to operate, function, or produce. Examples include Composite 3D printers in Production Hardware, medical imaging systems in Health Hardware, industrial burners for generating thermal energy from biofuels, and electric vehicles in Mobility Hardware.
• Materials are the elemental building blocks as ingredient resources of all hardware innovations. These basic and elementary resources not only add critical structural and functional capabilities to machines, devices, and components but also enable these to be designed for recyclability and renewable resource utilisation, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in hardware design. Innovations in materials involve developing new substances or improving existing ones to enhance their performance, durability, sustainability, or functionality. Material innovations are crucial for enabling advancements such as lightweight yet strong composites for Aerospace Hardware, biodegradable plastics for Sustainability Hardware, and biofuels for Energy Hardware.

• Devices are compact and portable hardware appliances designed for widespread use, translating scientific breakthroughs into user-friendly end-use products to make human life or work easier, safer, faster, and better. As standalone specific-function units they are engineered by integrating various components and materials, and are crafted to interact directly with humans or other systems. Examples include wearable health monitors in Health Hardware, handheld or desktop quality inspection systems in Production Hardware, and autonomous drones in Defence Hardware.
• Components are functional building blocks as embedded subsystems that are essential within machines and devices. As core modules they enable core functionalities around efficiency, performance, modularity, and miniaturisation of hardware systems, designed for seamless integration into existing machines, facilitating standardisation in upgrades, repairs, and the creation of entirely new functionalities. All specific-function hardware components such as sensors, circuits, motors, gears, microchips are critical subsystems for embedding advanced technology into machines and devices with minimal or zero redesign. For instance, high-efficiency photovoltaic cells in Energy Hardware, advanced sensors for hyperspectral imaging in Defence Hardware, ultrasound sensors for high temperature industrial applications and high-efficiency motors in Industrial Hardware — all are component hardware innovations.

While hardware innovations in the form of machines, materials, components & devices translate breakthrough science and technology into solutions that address real-world challenges by leveraging science and by harnessing technology — these hardware innovations tackle specific challenges and unlock new possibilities across various Hardware Technology domains under various Futurescopes — the 8 different domains where humanity collectively dreams, desires, deserves, and demands innovations.

Hardware Technologies

These HARDWARE TECHNOLOGIES form the spectrum of fundamental scientific discovery/inventions translated into potentially disruptive technologies for industrial-grade applications across multiple sectors/use-cases. These technologies pioneer the development of cutting edge hardware built to tackle specific challenges and unlock new possibilities across various domains — from DEFENCE Hardware to PRODUCTION Hardware and INDUSTRIAL Hardware, ENERGY Hardware, SUSTAINABILITY Hardware, CLIMATE Hardware, HEALTH Hardware, MOBILITY Hardware and ASSISTIVE Hardware.

• Mobility Hardware Innovations propel India’s next-gen automotive and aerospace OEMs via breakthroughs in autonomy, efficiency, and clean fuels — revolutionising not just individual vehicles but the entire transportation value-chain, all with a focus on sustainable and efficient mobility solutions.
• Production Hardware Innovations leverage next-generation materials and hardware to make manufacturing energy-neutral, resource-efficient, zero-waste, emission-free with a focus on worker safety, inclusivity, water conservation, and recyclable design.
• Defence Hardware Innovations translate technologies in drones, robotics, geospatial analytics, cybersecurity, intelligent networks, sensors, etc. into products and platforms that boost self-reliance in defence and deterrence capabilities at global best standards.
• Assistive Hardware Innovations unlock human potential by empowering innovation, production, and distribution of assistive technologies to empower those deprived, differently-abled, disadvantaged, and displaced to live with dignity, increased productivity, and greater capability.
• Industrial Hardware Innovations and industrial systems drive process innovation in digitalization, data-driven insights, automation, and intelligent systems, ultimately translating to enhanced efficiency, quality, predictability, flexibility, safety, and sustainability across manufacturing value chains.
• Energy & Sustainability Hardware Innovations drive industrial companies towards net zero and sustainability excellence, enabling energy efficiency, resource circularity, water neutrality, and emission compliance.
• Health Hardware Innovations democratise healthcare — combining genomics, targeted treatments, and powerful analytics by leveraging advanced wearables, telemedicine, and AI-powered edge computing to break down barriers and deliver high-quality, accessible, personalised & preventive healthcare.
• Climate Hardware Innovations drive climate resilience through next-generation tech to mitigate climate risks, safeguard infrastructure, agriculture, communities, and livelihoods.

But manufacturing as it exists today is not good enough to manufacture these innovations — it is broken, inadequate, and is the biggest obstacle in the path towards transformation.

Manu’Futuring

Forge’s Manu’Futuring mantra encapsulates the means to manufacturing this future. This comprehensive strategy aimed at Innovating Manufacturing for Manufacturing Innovations, is key to unlocking India’s massive potential for economic growth and industrial transformation in a sustainable, inclusive, resilient and equitable manner — driven by innovation and entrepreneurship, at the intersection of manufacturing and technology. Materialising these hardware innovations calls for the unification of ‘Technology in Hardware Manufacturing’ and ‘Manufacturing of Hardware Technologies’ — driving transformation through the next generation of machines, materials, components and devices. This strategy harnesses the innovation capacity within Hardware Tech Startups, academia (students & faculties), and research (scientists & technologists) to redefine manufacturing & value-chains through bold ideas and breakthrough hardware solutions — making industry innovate, faster and better. This enables industrial companies to unlock value from operational, sustainability & business excellence, ultimately driving national-scale industrial transformation by leveraging entrepreneurial innovation.

India’s hardware tech startups are at the forefront of this revolution. Tackling specific challenges across diverse sectors, Hardware Technologies FROM, FOR, OF & IN India will drive the Manu’Futuring vision and empower India’s industrial landscape — propelling it towards global competitiveness.

This approach of “Innovating Manufacturing for Manufacturing Innovations” materialises at 2 levels of transformation — Innovation OF Manufacturing deals with the transformation of manufacturing itself, outlining macro strategies for industrial companies to adopt — while Innovation IN Manufacturing deals with more granular transformations to realise these strategies, that are implemented at a factory and product level. [Discussed in the next blog of this series — Manu’Futuring, Part 2 : Technology in Hardware Manufacturing & Manufacturing of Hardware Technologies.]

Over the past 9 years, Forge has been on a mission to unlock India’s massive potential for economic growth and industrial transformation in a sustainable, inclusive, resilient and equitable manner — driven by the twin engines of innovation and entrepreneurship, at the intersection of manufacturing and technology. We’ve grown into a unique, vertically integrated enterprise operating in 8 centres across Tamil Nadu spanning an aggregate of 1,80,000+ sqft — operated and managed by a competent team of knowledge professionals to offer talent transformation, technology labs, product innovation, startup incubation, venture acceleration, and seed investments to our currently active portfolio of 200+ startups. These interventions, coupled with Forge’s everlasting drive and commitment to HELPING STARTUPS WIN, have enabled them to generate INR 500+ Cr in Indian & international markets by commercialising 200+ products, raise INR 1000+ Cr in external investments, and generate employment with 3000+ jobs across the country. All towards materialising Forge’s singular vision and mantra to orbit-shift India’s industrial transformation and realise its potential as a global superpower — MANUFACTURING IS the Future for Manufacturing THE FUTURE — i.e., Manu’Futuring.