Indian MSMEs need to accelerate the adoption of quality processes across design, manufacturing and delivery to improve productivity, innovation and global competitiveness, industry leaders said on the second day of the IFQM Symposium 2026 in New Delhi.
The two-day event brought together around 50 CEOs, 200 CXOs and more than 400 participants from government, industry, academia, global quality institutions and MSMEs. IFQM announced plans to launch a leadership programme for MSMEs, followed by a similar programme for large industries, focusing on best practices, waste reduction, quality improvement and continuous learning.
Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, delivering the keynote on making India a global aviation hub, stressed the need to strengthen aviation manufacturing, MRO, supply chains, material quality, clusters and skilling. He said the government is working towards the target of 350 airports by 2047 and urged global OEMs, including Boeing and Airbus, to engage Indian MSMEs on product and quality requirements.
IFQM Chairman Venu Srinivasan said quality must become a personal leadership commitment, while CEO and Director Soumitra Bhattacharya said the organisation aims to expand its MSME engagement from 200-plus to 500-plus and eventually 1,000-plus enterprises. Tata Steel CEO and MD T.V. Narendran called for stronger industry-academia collaboration, while TVS Motor CEO K.N. Radhakrishnan stressed transforming MSMEs into process-driven organisations.
In Guwahati, the quality-led MSME push could create opportunities for Assam-based enterprises in manufacturing, services, logistics and supply chains to improve productivity, adopt technology and access wider national and export markets. AI-based solutions, skilling and stronger institutional partnerships could further strengthen the region’s emerging enterprise ecosystem.
The symposium also examined AI adoption, Kaizen, quality governance and global partnerships, including collaboration between IFQM and Japan’s JUSE. Leaders stressed that Viksit Bharat will require quality to become a culture embedded across Indian enterprises and supply chains.
