As India accelerates industrial automation and energy transformation, global automation major INVT is sharpening its focus on sectors driving efficiency, sustainability, and intelligent manufacturing. In an interaction with the media, Mr. Zhang, India Sales Director at INVT, said the company sees strong growth opportunities across cement, water treatment, textiles, solar energy, and industrial energy storage, while positioning its newly launched GD290 High Performance VFD series as a solution tailored for India’s demanding industrial conditions. He also emphasized the need for measurable energy savings, stronger local service networks, and integrated automation ecosystems as India moves toward a more energy-resilient manufacturing future.
1. What specific industries in India does INVT see as the biggest growth drivers for industrial automation and energy transformation?
On the automation side: cement, water and wastewater, textiles, packaging, printing, and machine tools. These are sectors where we have proven application depth and existing customer references — not aspirational targets.
Cement is worth highlighting specifically. India is the world’s second-largest cement producer, under real pressure to reduce specific energy consumption. Drive-based optimization of kilns, fans, and pumps is an area where we have both the technology and the track record.
On the energy side: solar, commercial and industrial energy storage, and data-center power infrastructure. India has demonstrated it can add renewable capacity at scale. The next challenge is grid stability, peak management, and energy reliability — and that is where storage and intelligent power systems are becoming essential.
2. How are Indian customer requirements influencing the design and development of INVT’s new products?
Robustness. Products must perform reliably in ambient temperatures above 45°C, high dust environments, and variable power conditions. The GD28 IP66 is a direct response to that — a drive designed for harsh industrial environments without additional enclosure cost.
Total cost of ownership. Indian customers are sophisticated buyers. They want energy savings quantified, maintenance requirements documented, and service response committed. The conversation has moved well beyond unit price.
Connectivity readiness. Even mid-sized factories are now asking whether a drive supports standard industrial protocols, remote diagnostics, and SCADA integration. That expectation is moving faster than many anticipated.
3. What differentiates the newly launched GD290 Series High Performance VFD from competing solutions currently available in India?
Energy and efficiency. The GD290’s Dynamic Load ECO algorithm delivers 5–10% energy consumption reduction in real operating conditions — not lab conditions. For Indian industrial customers in HVAC, textiles, chemicals, and municipal engineering, that translates directly into rupee savings on electricity bills every month.
Installation practicality. The book-shaped design saves 30% installation space, with up to 110kW built-in braking unit — eliminating the need for separate braking components. For panel builders and system integrators working within tight cabinet footprints, that is a genuine engineering advantage, not a marketing claim.
Durability built for India. Enhanced three-proof coating combined with wide voltage design extends service life by 30%. In environments with high humidity, dust, and voltage fluctuation — which describes most Indian industrial sites outside Tier 1 cities — this directly reduces maintenance cost and unplanned downtime.
And underpinning all three: the GD290 supports IO/24V power card and communication expansion with grid voltage and frequency selection — meaning it adapts flexibly to India’s variable grid conditions and integrates cleanly into existing plant architectures.
Power range runs from 0.75kW to 1200kW. It covers the full spectrum of Indian industrial applications — from small HVAC units to heavy process loads.
4. How does INVT plan to strengthen collaboration with Indian channel partners, system integrators, and OEMs?
We are shifting from transactional distribution to capability-based collaboration — organized around three channel types.
For large distributors — make big channels bigger. We do not need many partners; we need the right long-term partners. Joint business planning, structured support, and mutual growth investment. Our success is tied to their success.
For industry-specific channels — we have established product and cost advantages in sectors like air compressors, cranes, packaging, and woodworking. We will identify, develop, and support specialized partners in these verticals — so together we become the preferred brand that generic suppliers cannot match.
For solution-oriented partners and system integrators — the market has moved from product selling to solution delivery. We are actively building partnerships with integrators who can design, integrate, and commission complete systems. INVT product excellence combined with partner system integration capability is how we win complex projects.
For OEMs specifically, that means early-stage technical engagement, application customization, and full lifecycle support — becoming a platform partner, not a component supplier.
5. What are the biggest challenges facing industrial automation adoption in India today, and how can they be addressed?
Investment justification. Many manufacturers, particularly MSMEs — which are a core target under India’s PLI scheme across 14 sectors — still see automation as capital expenditure competing with other priorities.The answer is specific, quantified business cases — energy savings in rupees per year, reduced downtime in production hours — not technology arguments.
Legacy integration complexity. Most Indian factories are not greenfield. They are layered environments with mixed equipment across multiple generations. This is precisely why our roadmap includes products like the IPE300 seamless retrofit drive and multi-protocol connectivity. Solutions that integrate incrementally and retrofit cleanly win here.
Service confidence outside Tier 1 cities. A customer in Ludhiana, Coimbatore, or Rajkot needs to know that local support is available when something goes wrong. Our 11 service centers, strong local team of sales, technical support and service engineers who understand the local market and speak local languages — this is not just commercial strategy, it is market credibility.
6. INVT take on the PM – Narendra Modi’s recent comments regarding energy conservation and the challenges INVT may face because of this and what are the aspects of the industry that will be the future and the work they are doing in it.
Honestly, this aligns perfectly with what we’re already doing.
India’s peak power demand is at 241 GW and climbing. Factory owners in textiles, chemicals, and HVAC are already feeling this on their electricity bills every month. The Prime Minister is giving political voice to an economic reality our customers live with daily.
Energy efficiency is at the core of our product philosophy. Our drives and automation solutions are well known for delivering measurable energy savings in real operating conditions — not just lab numbers.
But three honest challenges:
Proving it. Indian buyers, especially in public sector projects, want auditable data, not product brochures. We need stronger reference cases on the ground.
Reaching MSMEs. The manufacturers who benefit most often have the least capital to invest. Policy intent and purchasing power don’t always match.
Fighting low-quality competition. Efficiency mandates attract suppliers making claims without delivering results. Holding the line on quality is exactly what our SAFE values stand for.
Three clear shifts — and we’re building for all three.
From products to solutions. Customers don’t want separate components anymore. They want a working system. We’re building an integrated automation ecosystem — drives, servos, controllers, HMIs, all working together seamlessly.
From grid-dependent to energy-resilient. India’s renewable capacity is scaling fast. But generation alone isn’t enough — you need storage, power quality, and intelligent energy management. That’s exactly where our network energy portfolio plays.
From centralized to distributed intelligence. The Indian factory of 2028 will demand levels of precision, connectivity, and safety compliance that today’s installed base simply can’t meet. We’re developing for that factory today — not reacting to it later.
7. Comment on the Goan industry and where can Goa improve
Goa has genuine strengths — established pharma and food processing, strong port logistics, and relatively stable power infrastructure. These are real advantages.
That said, like many emerging industrial clusters, there is meaningful room to grow.
Automation adoption is still at an early stage. The local technical ecosystem — system integrators, application engineers — is thinner than in major hubs like Pune or Bengaluru.None of this is unique to Goa — these are common challenges across India’s Tier 2 industrial regions. The difference is that Goa has the foundation to move faster than most.Our role here is straightforward — bring local technical support, build partner capability on the ground, and grow with the market as it develops.
