Schneider Electric, a global leader in energy management and automation, hosted its Innovation Day event in Pune to highlight the transformative potential of software-defined open automation in India’s industrial landscape. With the theme ‘Rethinking Industrial Automation: Embracing Open, Flexible, and Sustainable Solutions for the Data-Driven Future’, the event demonstrated how open automation can serve as the foundation for building agile, resilient, and future-ready industrial systems.
As part of its nationwide Open Automation Movement, Schneider Electric brought together industry leaders, OEMs, technology partners, and key stakeholders to explore how open automation is challenging the limitations of legacy, hardware-bound systems. A dynamic panel discussion featured insights from industrial leaders on their digital transformation journeys, emphasizing how adopting interoperable and scalable automation architectures has helped overcome operational bottlenecks, simplify complex systems, and improve efficiency and sustainability.
Arvind Kakru, Vice President – Industrial Automation at Schneider Electric India, emphasized the shift toward open automation as not just a technological evolution, but a mindset change. He noted that through their EcoStruxure™ Automation Expert platform, Schneider is enabling businesses to design flexible, vendor-agnostic systems that promote collaboration and data-driven innovation. Rajat Abbi, Vice President – Marketing at Schneider Electric Greater India, further stressed that open automation is a game-changing opportunity for the entire industrial ecosystem, providing the foundation for enterprises to embrace flexibility, drive efficiencies, and accelerate digital transformation.
The panel discussions also highlighted the growing need for agility and interoperability in today’s industrial environment. Amit Deshpande, Senior General Manager at Aquatech Systems Asia, shared how adopting open automation has allowed his company to replace vendor-dependent legacy systems with more responsive, data-driven operations, resulting in reduced downtime, optimized resource use, and progress towards sustainability goals. The event underscored Schneider Electric’s commitment to fostering collaboration and advancing the digital transformation of India’s industrial sector.
Schneider Electric is dedicated to empowering individuals and organizations to make the most of their energy and resources, bridging progress and sustainability. The company offers integrated end-to-end lifecycle solutions for electrification, automation, and digitization, serving industries like smart industries, resilient infrastructure, data centers, and intelligent homes. With a global workforce of 150,000 employees and over a million partners, Schneider Electric is committed to creating a sustainable future for all, while ensuring digital transformation through innovative technologies and solutions.
