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Shailendra Shukla, Managing Director, Vehicle Business and E-Mobility at Eaton IndiaIndia’s race to the forefront of the global automotive grid will not be won by robots alone. That is the clear message from Shailendra Shukla, Managing Director, Vehicle Business and E-Mobility at Eaton India, who warns that upskilling is the country’s single biggest operational challenge, and its most decisive opportunity.
“You may have the best systems and even a dark factory, but without the right people managing it, there will be challenges,” Shukla says. “That is why we put leadership in people at the centre of our growth strategy.”
The global auto sector is undergoing a major and rapid transition towards electrification, alternate fuels, and compressed product cycles. In this environment, Shukla believes India’s true advantage will come from a workforce that can reskill as quickly as technologies evolve. While companies are pouring money into automation, he warns that many are failing to match this with a structured investment in human capability. Those that treat skilling as a discretionary cost risk falling behind, not just at home but also within their own multinational ecosystems, where sister plants across the world are often direct competitors for mandates.Shukla’s concerns go beyond skilling. Rising raw material prices, escalating labour costs, and the urgent need for faster logistics are exerting immediate pressure on margins and competitiveness. The fundamentals of quality, cost, and delivery remain unchanged, but in today’s environment the tolerance for delays or inefficiencies has all but disappeared. Indian manufacturing quality is now widely accepted across global markets, yet sustaining this reputation will require constant improvement in delivery speed and cost control.
Balancing today’s revenue with tomorrow’s readiness
Eaton’s India operations still draw most of their revenue from internal combustion engine transmissions, with more than 95 per cent of production serving the commercial vehicle market. But alternate fuels and electrified drivetrains are already part of its product mix, from LNG and CNG systems to four-speed transmissions for electric powertrains, which are currently exported in large volumes.Shukla expects ICE to remain relevant in commercial vehicles for years to come, even as hybrids and electrics expand, making dual readiness a necessity. “For Eaton, that means sustaining today’s cash flows while steadily building capabilities for tomorrow’s technologies,” he says.
Hydrogen, biodiesel, and LNG are areas where Eaton has developed in-house expertise. The challenge, according to Shukla, is in making investments that support both current and next-generation platforms without compromising delivery schedules or cost competitiveness.
On the sustainability front, Eaton has been among the early adopters of green steel from Indian suppliers, now accounting for roughly 20 percent of its steel usage. The company is aiming for carbon neutrality by 2030, targeting a 50 percent reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions and a 15 percent cut in Scope 3. In its Indian facilities, propane in heat treatment has been replaced with natural gas, zero-waste-to-landfill certification has been achieved, and zero water discharge systems are in place.
Shukla sees sustainability as an integral part of the manufacturing process, not an afterthought driven by compliance, with Eaton’s automotive business drawing on the group’s experience in electrical and aerospace sectors.
Digitisation with a human core
Digitisation, for Eaton, plays a dual role in boosting operational efficiency and advancing environmental goals. Its Indian plants participate in the Digital Factory Accelerator programme, which measures the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies and tracks outcomes in productivity, quality, safety, and environmental impact. On the shop floor, additive manufacturing, augmented reality, simulation tools, big data analytics, and industrial robotics go beyond predictive maintenance to improve traceability, reduce scrap, and enhance worker safety.
For Shukla, the real return on these investments lies not only in output gains but in quality improvements, cost savings from reduced waste, and the confidence they inspire among global customers.
More than 90 per cent of Eaton’s components in India are sourced locally, with many suppliers also serving its global operations. From its Pune base, a supply chain team of over 600, soon to cross 1,000, manages both domestic and export sourcing, reflecting the Make in India ethos. Exports have risen since the pandemic to markets including Japan, Southeast Asia, Europe, the US, and Brazil, a trend Shukla expects to continue as long as delivery timelines and cost competitiveness are maintained.
Geopolitical shifts have so far had little negative impact, and he believes trade agreements, particularly with the US, could strengthen India’s position in global automotive supply networks.
Ultimately, Shukla’s message is that advanced systems and automation cannot replace the adaptability, problem-solving ability, and operational discipline that skilled people bring to manufacturing. Technology may set the pace, but it is people who will decide the winner.
- Published On Aug 8, 2025 at 01:11 PM IST
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