In an era where digital manufacturing is revolutionizing industries, AI-driven solutions are playing a crucial role in bridging gaps and enhancing efficiency. In this exclusive interview, Neha Basudkar Ghate speaks with Kaushik Pal, Head of Systems Integration Services, Business Unit, Tata Elxsi, to explore how the company is addressing key challenges in digital manufacturing adoption. From leveraging AI for predictive maintenance and production optimization to integrating digital twins and XR solutions, Kaushik Pal provides insights into Tata Elxsi’s strategic approach to making digital transformation more accessible, cost-effective, and impactful across industries. He also highlights the Tata Group’s contributions to the Make in India initiative and how Tata Elxsi is driving innovation in manufacturing, aerospace, automotive, and beyond.
What are the biggest gaps in digital manufacturing adoption today, and how is Tata Elxsi addressing these with AI-driven solutions?
Manufacturing is gaining significant attention today, both at the government level, with increased policy focus, and at the industry level, where companies are actively driving adoption. Advanced manufacturing technologies are becoming more connected, intelligent, and data-driven.
One of the biggest gaps in digital manufacturing adoption is data availability. Currently, many companies are conducting pilots and trials in isolated pockets, but there is a strong need for an end-to-end approach that integrates these efforts into a comprehensive solution.
Another key challenge is legacy modernization. Many manufacturing facilities still rely on analog machines that are not digitally connected. These machines function well but lack the ability to generate and communicate data. The crucial task is to bridge this gap by extracting valuable data from these systems and integrating them into digital networks.
This is where AI-driven solutions play a transformative role. Technologies such as video analytics, advanced image analytics, and computer vision enable real-time monitoring and analysis of manufacturing operations. AI can identify patterns in machine performance, assess efficiency, and even detect anomalies in human or machine behavior on the production line. By leveraging these insights, manufacturers can improve operational efficiency, enhance predictive maintenance, and drive smarter decision-making across their processes.
How is AI transforming digital manufacturing, and what are its key use cases?
AI is playing a significant role in addressing key challenges in digital manufacturing, particularly in predictive maintenance, production optimization, and quality control.
One major use case is predictive maintenance. Instead of waiting for machines to break down, AI enables manufacturers to predict failures in advance, minimizing downtime and ensuring timely repairs. By analyzing historical breakdown data, electricity consumption, and even sound patterns, AI can detect early warning signs of machine failure and trigger maintenance actions before critical issues arise.
Another crucial application is production bottleneck identification and optimization. In complex manufacturing setups where products pass through multiple stations, AI helps identify inefficiencies. It can analyze real-time data to suggest restructuring or fine-tuning the production line, adjusting machine parameters to enhance throughput and reduce delays.
A third area where AI is making a significant impact is quality control, especially in industries like aerospace, avionics, and semiconductor manufacturing, where precision is critical. In such environments, manual inspection alone is insufficient to achieve 100% defect-free production. AI-powered computer vision and advanced analytics assist in detecting defects at a microscopic level, ensuring higher accuracy and consistency in manufacturing.
By leveraging AI, manufacturers can increase efficiency, reduce waste, and improve product quality, ultimately driving a smarter and more connected production ecosystem.
How is Tata Elxsi making digital manufacturing adoption more accessible and cost-effective?
Ans: One of the key factors in accelerating digital manufacturing adoption is reducing the cost and complexity of implementation. At Tata Elxsi, we have addressed this challenge by platformizing our solution to make it accessible to manufacturers of all sizes—whether small, medium, or large-scale enterprises.
With this approach, manufacturers can deploy a ready-to-use platform that enables them to connect their machines using sensors quickly. We also assist with sensorization, ensuring seamless data collection into a centralized data aggregation platform. This platform is equipped with built-in analytics engines and AI models to recognize patterns and generate valuable insights.
A major advantage of this solution is its high configurability and user-friendliness. Manufacturers can customize data collection and analytics without requiring specialized training, reducing both technical and psychological barriers to adoption.
Additionally, we focus on an agile, modular, and phased deployment strategy rather than a “big bang” approach. Many industries prefer POC-based (Proof of Concept) adoption, where they can test success rates, measure ROI, and gradually scale up. This ensures a smoother transition and a higher success rate.
Another critical challenge we address is integrating disparate systems. Most manufacturers operate in silos with ERP, MES, PLM, HR, logistics, and supplier systems functioning independently. Extracting meaningful insights from these scattered sources is often complex and costly. Our Tether Factory platform acts as a unified layer, seamlessly communicating with different enterprise systems and consolidating essential data into a centralized dashboard.
By providing clear visibility from the shop floor to the top management, this solution enhances decision-making, productivity, and ROI, making digital transformation more effective and scalable for manufacturers.
Digital twins are becoming central to smart manufacturing. What industries do you see benefiting the most from AI-powered digital twins, and how do you tailor solutions for sector-specific challenges?
Ans: Digital twins are still evolving, as they combine visualization, simulation, and AI-driven intelligence to optimize operations across industries. Their impact is particularly significant in process industries and machinery-intensive sectors where configurability and predictive maintenance are critical.
One of the strongest use cases we have observed is in the process industry. For instance, consider a large tea manufacturer or a specialty materials producer. The quality of raw materials—such as tea leaves—varies based on weather patterns, temperature, and seasonal conditions. Digital twins help in continuously adjusting machine configurations to maintain consistent quality and output, ensuring optimal performance despite fluctuating input conditions.
Another major application of digital twins is in predicting defects and failures in complex machinery. This is particularly valuable for high-cost, hard-to-repair assets such as offshore windmills or oil rigs, where breakdowns can be extremely expensive and disruptive. Digital twins simulate machine performance, detect potential failures in advance, and enable proactive maintenance, thereby minimizing downtime and extending equipment lifespan.
Beyond these applications, digital twins are also transforming product design. For instance, manufacturers working with high-cost materials like graphite components cannot afford to produce thousands of units just for testing. Digital twins allow them to simulate product behavior in a virtual environment, analyze defects, and make necessary corrections before physical prototyping, reducing material waste and development costs.
Additionally, digital twins are being applied at a process level, particularly in factory planning. A process digital twin allows manufacturers to simulate entire production lines before setting them up physically. By optimizing station layouts, machine throughput, and workflow efficiency, businesses can achieve maximum operational efficiency from day one.
While digital twins are already delivering measurable benefits in multiple industries, full-scale mass deployment is still evolving. The adoption curve is growing, but industries are gradually integrating digital twins into end-to-end operational strategies to maximize efficiency and scalability. As technology matures, we expect to see even broader implementation across sectors.
With high costs and privacy concerns slowing XR adoption, what strategic interventions can accelerate its implementation? How is Tata Elxsi leveraging AI and immersive visualization to enhance design refinement and industrial problem-solving? As the Metaverse reshapes digital twins and manufacturing ecosystems, which industries are leading this shift, and how is Tata Elxsi preparing for it?
Accelerating XR Adoption: Strategic Interventions and Tata Elxsi’s Role
1. Factors Driving XR Advancements
While XR (Extended Reality) has existed for over a decade, recent advancements have accelerated its adoption:
● Semiconductor Technology: More compact and efficient devices have reduced complexity and improved usability.
● High Bandwidth Availability: Affordable, high-speed internet enables real-time XR applications, crucial for manufacturing and design collaboration.
● Increased Awareness: As industries explore XR’s capabilities, adoption rates are rising, driven by continuous learning and innovation.
Additionally, improvements in software, hardware, and computing power allow XR to handle complex designs and manufacturing processes more effectively.
2. Tata Elxsi’s XR Applications
Tata Elxsi is a leading XR solution provider for manufacturing and automotive industries, leveraging AI and immersive visualization for:
Product Design & Collaboration:
Enables real-time, collaborative design reviews across global teams.
Reduces prototyping costs by allowing virtual product iterations.
Supports seamless integration with CAD and CAM design files for instant feedback.
Training & Safety Simulations:
Provides real-life training experiences in hazardous environments.
Uses haptic feedback to simulate real-world risks (e.g., high-altitude work, confined spaces, fire safety).
Improves retention of safety protocols and standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Remote Maintenance & Repair:
Supports real-time troubleshooting without on-site technical experts.
Enables remote guidance through MR (Mixed Reality) devices, allowing step-by-step repairs.
Widely adopted in aviation and complex manufacturing environments.
3. Industry Adoption and Future Trends
As the Metaverse reshapes digital twins and manufacturing ecosystems, leading industries integrating XR include:
Aviation & Defense: Used for pilot training, unmanned aircraft control, and drone-based applications.
Automotive: Enhancing collaborative design, prototyping, and factory simulations.
Manufacturing: Optimizing remote maintenance, worker training, and real-time monitoring.
Tata Elxsi has established over 40 VR Centers of Excellence (COEs) across India, working with global clients on large-scale XR deployments. As XR evolves, its role in urban air mobility, industrial automation, and defense applications is set to expand significantly.
How is Tata Group contributing to the Make in India initiative, and what role does Tata Elxsi play in advancing Indian manufacturing?
The Tata Group is deeply invested in the Make in India initiative across multiple sectors, including aerospace, mobile, semiconductor, and indigenous battery manufacturing. Each of these investments strengthens India’s self-reliance in critical industries.
Tata Elxsi, in particular, plays a crucial role in supporting various Tata Group companies in these initiatives. The company integrates AI-driven quality control in precision manufacturing, enhances battery management systems, and works on intelligent automation in aerospace manufacturing. For instance, Tata Elxsi has contributed to large airframe manufacturing by reducing manual processes and ensuring high-quality production.
Beyond the Tata ecosystem, Tata Elxsi is also engaged with Fortune 50 automotive companies, helping them with extended reality (XR) solutions for product design, IT operations, cloud management, and digital transformation. A major focus is on accelerating product development cycles for Indian OEMs, making them globally competitive.
For example, while traditional product development might take two years, Tata Elxsi is leveraging XR to significantly reduce time-to-market. A vehicle facelift that previously took months can now be conceptually reviewed in as little as three days, thanks to XR-driven rapid prototyping.
Additionally, Tata Elxsi has been involved in major defense and aerospace projects, including designing core recovery modules in collaboration with ISRO. These efforts not only contribute to the growth of individual companies but also enhance India’s overall manufacturing capabilities, making the country a formidable player in the global market.
Can you explain the Coalesce platform and how Tata Elxsi is leveraging it for 3D collaboration and visualization?
Ans: Tata Elxsi has developed Coalesce, a 3D collaboration and visualization platform designed to integrate real-time data from various sources, such as CAD drawings and other design inputs, into an extended reality (XR) environment. This platform enables seamless collaboration across teams, enhancing design and engineering processes.
A key investment in this space is COES for MR, Tata Elxsi’s proprietary solution for Mixed Reality (MR) applications. The company has also signed multiple partnership agreements with leading software and hardware OEMs to expand the platform’s capabilities.
By leveraging Coalesce and its extended investments in XR and MR, Tata Elxsi is driving innovation in real-time design visualization, making product development more efficient and interactive for various industries, including automotive, aerospace, and manufacturing.
How is Tata Elxsi driving innovation in automotive, aerospace, and R&D through AI and emerging technologies?
Tata Elxsi is deeply involved in the automotive industry, focusing on three major areas: connectivity, autonomy, and electrification. The company collaborates with some of the largest automotive OEMs to enhance next-generation mobility solutions.
In the aerospace sector, Tata Elxsi is exploring autonomous aerospace technologies and the development of command centers for managing and controlling autonomous systems.
A significant area of investment is the integration of AI and Generative AI (Gen AI) into the R&D lifecycle. The company is actively researching how Gen AI can accelerate product development and reduce time-to-market, complementing its existing XR-driven R&D advancements.
Additionally, design integration remains a key differentiator for Tata Elxsi. Known for its excellence in industrial design, the company continues to win global design awards. By combining cutting-edge R&D with design expertise, Tata Elxsi aims to create more innovative and competitive solutions.
While some investments align with industry trends, others are pioneering advancements in AI maturity, including Agent AI and next-generation automation technologies. Although these innovations will take time to fully develop, Tata Elxsi remains committed to shaping the future of intelligent, connected, and efficient technology ecosystems.