Indian MSMEs must accelerate the adoption of quality processes across design, manufacturing and delivery to strengthen their global competitiveness, industry leaders said at the second day of the IFQM Symposium 2026 in New Delhi.
The two-day symposium brought together around 50 CEOs, 200 CXOs and more than 400 participants from industry, government, academia, global quality institutions and MSMEs to discuss quality, innovation, technology and productivity. IFQM announced plans to launch a leadership programme for MSMEs, followed by a similar initiative for large industries, aimed at sharing best practices, reducing waste and promoting innovation.
Civil Aviation Minister KinjarapuRammohan Naidu, delivering the keynote on transforming India into a global aviation hub, said India must strengthen aviation manufacturing, MRO capabilities, supply chains, material quality and skilling. He said the government is targeting 350 airports by 2047 and urged global OEMs such as Boeing and Airbus to work with Indian MSMEs on quality specifications and global standards.
IFQM Chairman Venu Srinivasan said quality must become a leadership commitment and a daily organisational discipline, while CEO and Director Soumitra Bhattacharya said IFQM aims to expand its MSME engagement from over 200 currently to 500-plus and eventually 1,000-plus.
In Guwahati, the quality push could benefit MSMEs in manufacturing, services, logistics and emerging supply-chain sectors by improving process standards, productivity and export readiness. Greater industry-academia collaboration and access to practical AI solutions could also help Assam-based enterprises compete beyond regional markets.
The symposium also highlighted AI adoption, Kaizen, global partnerships and the need to build quality from the boardroom to the shop floor. Leaders stressed that India’s Viksit Bharat ambition requires quality to evolve from an organisational metric into a wider culture of excellence and continuous improvement.