Schneider Electric has begun automated production of wiring devices at its newly built manufacturing facility in Ahmadnagar, India on 22 January 2026. The start-up of the automatic lines follows the inauguration of the plant earlier this month and comes as Denis Marant completes his India assignment.
The Ahmadnagar facility was built from the ground up over a few months and is equipped with automatic production lines designed to support high-volume manufacturing with consistent quality. The company has positioned the plant to better serve Indian customers, where cost sensitivity is high and purchasing decisions are closely tied to value delivered. The wiring devices market in India is expanding rapidly and requires industrial setups that balance scale, efficiency, and quality.
According to Marant, the project was part of a broader platforming programme that led to the decision to construct a new factory and deploy automated manufacturing rather than rely on incremental upgrades to existing sites. He said this approach was intended to strengthen quality consistency while improving cost competitiveness in an ultra-competitive market environment.
The commissioning of the automatic lines followed a multi-year development effort involving business, supply chain, and sales teams. Business teams were involved in defining the platforming strategy and product design, including engagement with electricians to align products with end-customer expectations. Supply chain teams focused on optimising the industrial configuration with an emphasis on efficiency and quality, while sales teams supported market deployment of wiring devices ranges including Lara, Zeta, and Unica.
The project also highlighted the technical and engineering complexity associated with scaling wiring devices manufacturing. Marant referred to challenges linked to inductive load behaviour in switching applications, where voltage spikes generated during circuit interruption can affect component durability and safety. He also pointed to the use of in-die riveting, a high-speed process that integrates component joining within the stamping operation to improve manufacturing efficiency, and the application of Risk Priority Number assessments as part of Failure Mode and Effects Analysis to manage safety and quality risks in high-volume household electrical components.
Beyond the industrial execution, Marant described the initiative as a collective effort built on collaboration, perseverance, and mutual trust across teams. He said the start-up of the automatic lines represented the operationalisation of a strategy translated into a clear roadmap.
Separately, Marant announced the completion of his four-and-a-half-year assignment in India. In a departure message issued today, he thanked Schneider Electric’s senior leadership for their trust and acknowledged teams across the Pacific, Middle East, Africa, South America, and India that contributed to building and scaling the Home and Distribution International Hub.
Reflecting on the development of the International Hub, Marant highlighted the importance of a clearly defined strategy supported by a shared roadmap, a people-centred operating model with managers closely connected to field teams, a structured skills development approach, and performance measurement to support continuous improvement. He said innovation must ultimately translate into products that address customer needs, with technology serving as a means rather than an end.
Schneider Electric operates across electrical distribution, automation, and energy management, with manufacturing and engineering activities supporting residential, commercial, and industrial markets in India and other regions.
Schneider Electric has committed investments of around INR 32 billion in India as part of its long-term manufacturing and market expansion strategy. The investment has been directed toward expanding production capacity, upgrading industrial infrastructure, and strengthening engineering and research capabilities across multiple locations, reflecting the company’s intent to deepen localisation and improve supply chain resilience.
India has also been positioned as a strategic manufacturing and engineering base within Schneider Electric’s global operating model. The company’s approach focuses on platform-based product development, automation-led manufacturing, and cost-efficient industrialisation to address high-volume and price-sensitive markets. India-based operations support both domestic demand and selected international markets, aligning local manufacturing scale with global quality and compliance requirements.
