By: Deepak Shanbhag, CEO, PSIPL
Facility management is no longer a background function for India’s manufacturing sector. In today’s digital-first world, it has become the foundation on which intelligent manufacturing ecosystems are built. As factories are becoming more automated, connected, and data-driven, the focus is shifting beyond production efficiency alone towards creating environments that are resilient, safe, and future-ready. In this transformation, one thing has become glaringly obvious: a smart manufacturing unit cannot deliver real value if the ecosystem around it is not equally intelligent. This future-readiness is delivered with the help of Integrated Facility Management (IFM) teams.
This is why, I believe, that the success of smart manufacturing today depends as much on the strength of facility operations as it does on automation itself. Business continuity, operational resilience, workforce safety, energy efficiency, compliance readiness, and asset reliability are all dependent on facility management. In other words, there can be no value in smart manufacturing without uninterrupted electricity to power it, climate-controlled spaces to protect it, a safe and hygienic workplace to function in, and professionals to oversee asset maintenance. Each cogwheel moves seamlessly only with well-delivered IFM services. That is when the entire production flows without friction. Otherwise, even the most advanced technologies struggle to deliver their intended value. This is why facility management is the backbone of the manufacturing floor.
Today, leaders understand this deep interconnectedness between facility performance and manufacturing performance. A single infrastructure failure can derail the whole system and ultimately impact customer commitments. Modern integrated facility management brings together people, processes, technology, and infrastructure into one connected operating framework to solve such issues proactively. It allows organisations to move from fixing problems after they occur to anticipating them before they disrupt operations.
I have observed how this awareness has led to a clear shift from maintenance-led facility management to business-impact-led facility management. Facility management in manufacturing is being evaluated through broader business outcomes like machine availability, energy optimisation, compliance readiness, sustainability performance, and risk mitigation. Factories, especially with smart manufacturing, are looking for IFM partners who can bring predictive maintenance capabilities, real-time operational intelligence, and actionable insights that directly support business goals.
One strong example is of a manufacturing facility in Vapi that faced a critical cooling system failure, resulting in nearly seven hours of production downtime and shipment delays. Instead of continuing with a reactive approach, the plant quickly adopted predictive maintenance, real-time monitoring, and preventive servicing across critical infrastructure. Within a year, unplanned downtime reduced by 35%, machine availability improved by 22%, utility consumption dropped by 14%, and emergency maintenance costs came down significantly. More importantly, when monsoon-related power instability affected nearby facilities, this plant continued operations without disruption. To me, this is what future-ready facility management looks like: measurable business resilience at all times.
As India’s manufacturing ecosystem becomes more digital, interconnected, and sustainability-focused, the expectations from facility management will continue to evolve. Smart manufacturing will require more than intelligent machines. It will require intelligent operations supported by forward-thinking facility management partners who can integrate technology, data, and operational expertise into one delivery model.
The future of manufacturing, therefore, will not belong to those who simply automate faster; it will belong to those who also build operational environments that are efficient, responsive, and resilient enough to sustain that progress. In other words, as India shapes its next chapter of manufacturing growth, facility management will not just be supporting it from the sidelines, but will ensure long-term manufacturing competitiveness as a strategic architect of future-ready ecosystems.