Smart Electronics Manufacturing Powered by Advanced AIDC

During an insightful discussion with Thiruamuthan, Assistant Editor at Industry Outlook, Chakravarthy Balaji, VP & Chief Business Officer - Products and Solution Group, TVS Electronics, discusses how AIDC adoption is transforming India’s electronics manufacturing, enabling real-time WIP tracking, automated inventory, digital traceability, secure IoT networks, energy efficiency, and predictive operations. Innovations like RFID, handheld devices, and autonomous logistics drive efficiency, sustainability, and fully connected, self-optimizing smart factories. Balaji, a business strategist with over 18 years of experience, leads growth and product innovation at TVS Electronics. His expertise spans finance, operational excellence, and market expansion, with skills in business transformation, cost management, and developing Made-in-India technology solutions. 

With Foxconn and Wistron expanding smart electronics production in India using AIDC, how is this shaping real-time factory efficiency and inventory visibility?  

The modern electronics industry is witnessing a strong migration of companies from China to India, driven by the need for large-scale operations. These manufacturers are specifically seeking real-time work-in-progress tracking, where AIDC solutions play a critical role. Automated stock replenishment and end-to-end movement of goods are also becoming essential, with AIDC systems enabling seamless flow across facilities.  

Digital traceability is another major requirement, as companies aim to track products from SMT PCB assembly all the way to the customer. Cycle-time visibility and productivity tracking at each stage help electronics manufacturers to improve efficiency and output quality. Through its AIDC portfolio—industrial-grade scanners, handheld devices, RFID solutions, and RFID readers - the company supports high inventory accuracy, faster line changeovers, and predictable large-scale production for India’s evolving electronics manufacturing sector.  

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Following the surge of RFID-enabled assembly lines in India, which AIDC technologies deliver the most impact in reducing defects and production downtime? 

Industrial printers and scanners, especially scanners, ensure correct component and process validation at each stage of the manufacturing lines, which helps manufacturers significantly. The rugged handheld devices digitize SOPs, operator checks, approvals, and standardization processes, accelerating operator onboarding. Handheld devices provide significant benefits in these SOP-based procedures. RFID solutions deliver real-time visibility into inventory and quicker line-level replenishment by automating WIP tracking and transportation of materials. This leads to increased production volumes, decreased slowdowns or changeover times, and improved first-time-right quality. 

As Indian mid-tier electronics firms pilot barcode and QR-driven automation, what integration hurdles remain between legacy systems and modern AIDC platforms? 

Today, many old systems and legacy platforms require middleware for integration. As digital transformation becomes essential for electronics manufacturing, TVS Electronics addresses this through API-ready devices, lightweight middleware, data standardization, and operator training, ensuring smooth AIDC modernization without disrupting production. For example, batch-based ERP systems differ from real-time AIDC data, as older platforms do not support live scan events. TVS Electronics provides products and scanners that enable stage-wise scanning. Limited API connectivity in legacy platforms creates the need for middleware to align IT, IoT, and security requirements, secure device onboarding, and network readiness, all supported through AIDC solutions. Another example is operator adoption, where teams shift from manual logs to guided digital workflows enabled by these AIDC products.  

With cyberattacks on industrial IoT rising, how are smart electronics manufacturers in India securing AIDC networks without compromising operational agility? 

As factories increase their reliance on connected devices, securing data and operations has become a core priority for manufacturers. In industrial IoT products, modern electronics manufacturers are claiming AIDC networks through a zero trust, edge-first approach. The key actions include encrypted data flows and secure firmware to prevent tampering in rugged AIDC devices. Role-based access and user-level controls help to avoid unauthorized changes. Similarly, edge processing aids to ensure operators can continue running workflows even if the cloud link is affected or disrupted, through maintaining continuity on the shop floor.

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Given India’s green manufacturing incentives, how can AIDC adoption optimize energy usage, reduce e-waste, and enhance ESG compliance?  

In focus on energy optimization, e-waste reduction, and ESG compliance, AIDC solutions transform factories into data-driven, resource-efficient operations. They reduce energy use, cut waste, and improve ESG scores without slowing production. Wherever data is critical in the manufacturing cycle, each point is captured through AIDC products. Thus, it makes it possible to track outcomes in clear detail across the production lines, which helps in locating and eliminating inefficiencies. These developments help modern electronics manufacturers with ample operational efficiency and sustainability goals through the surveillance of each-and-every step of the manufacturing process thoroughly and also guarantee improved resource management and smoother operations.  

With AI-driven AIDC gaining traction globally, which emerging innovations could reshape India’s smart electronics factories toward fully autonomous, predictive, and connected production?  

AI-powered AIDC is directing smart factories in India towards autonomous processes, automation, and predictive operations. Vision AI, scanning, and defect-detection cameras represent significant breakthroughs, which enable 100 percent line inspections through automation, while replacing manual checks. Self-learning RFID sensor networks prevent shortages in materials, enhance ongoing flow, and anticipate bottlenecks.  

Smart workflows, voice-guided instructions, and operator-level predictive maintenance alerts are all handled by AI-powered industrial mobility. Autonomous material movement, using AGVs or AMRs paired with intelligent scanning and RFID hands-free logistics, improves process flow and track-and-trace capabilities.  

These innovations help manufacturers detect issues at every stage and move from reactive operations to self-healing, fully connected, and self-optimizing ecosystems aligned with India’s Industry 4.0 and semiconductor mission. TVS has entered this space with handheld devices, industrial barcode printers and scanners, WIP and RFID solutions, offering integrated end-to-end solutions combining hardware and API integration for manufacturing and logistics companies.