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Flex India is creating an agile, resilient manufacturing ecosystem: Nikhil Rao
Interviews- Sep 11,26
In this interaction with Rakesh Rao, Nikhil Rao, VP Operations, Flex India, discusses the company’s manufacturing evolution, Industry 4.0 adoption, sustainability initiatives and its roadmap to build a future-ready electronics manufacturing ecosystem in India.
Flex is strengthening its India operations as a strategic manufacturing hub by integrating advanced automation, digital technologies, resilient supply chains and sustainable manufacturing practices to support global and domestic customers. In this interaction with Rakesh Rao, Nikhil Rao, VP Operations, Flex India, discusses the company’s manufacturing evolution, Industry 4.0 adoption, sustainability initiatives and its roadmap to build a future-ready electronics manufacturing ecosystem in India.
Since establishing operations in India, how has Flex’s manufacturing footprint, capabilities and business operations evolved, and what strategic role does India play within Flex’s global manufacturing network?
Flex has been operating in India for over 20 years and has established the country as a strategic manufacturing and services hub within its global network. Today, we have more than one million square feet of manufacturing capacity in Sriperumbudur near Chennai, enabling us to provide integrated solutions spanning vendor-managed inventory, manufacturing and fulfilment services to our customers.
Our India operations have evolved well beyond manufacturing. In addition to production capabilities, we provide post-sale and aftermarket services, including repairs, field services, warehousing and distribution. We also operate Global Business Services centres in Chennai, Coimbatore and Pune, supporting Flex’s operations worldwide.
We continue to invest in advanced manufacturing capabilities, including automation, robotics, digitalisation and simulation, alongside workforce development and local supplier partnerships.
Supply chain resilience remains a key priority. Our presence in the Chennai manufacturing ecosystem provides access to a strong supplier base, established logistics infrastructure and proximity to ports. Local supplier partnerships enhance localisation and responsiveness, while our digital supply chain tools provide real-time visibility across materials, inventory and demand signals.
By combining regional expertise with data-driven insights, we work closely with customers and suppliers to anticipate disruptions, manage material availability and respond quickly to changing market requirements.
We serve both domestic and international markets from India, supporting customers with greater speed, flexibility and supply chain resilience while contributing to the broader Make in India initiative. India’s strong talent base, supplier ecosystem and manufacturing capabilities position it as an increasingly important part of Flex’s global network and a growing hub for electronics manufacturing and exports.
How has Flex’s Chennai manufacturing footprint evolved in terms of expansion, capacity, investments and technology adoption, and what makes it strategically important for customers across industries?
The Chennai Industrial Park (CIP), which houses our manufacturing operations, has evolved alongside India’s growing electronics manufacturing ecosystem. We initially supported customers in the mobile handset and telecom infrastructure sectors and have since expanded our capabilities to serve a wider range of industries, customers and products.
The Chennai manufacturing footprint brings together scale, manufacturing expertise, a strong supplier ecosystem, skilled talent and logistics connectivity. These advantages enable us to support customers across technology-intensive industries, including communications, automotive and industrial sectors.
Our focus is not only on expanding physical capacity but also on building flexible, technology-enabled manufacturing capabilities. We continue to invest in automation, robotics, digitalisation and simulation to help customers address increasingly complex requirements while maintaining quality, efficiency and reliability.
What automation, robotics, digital manufacturing and Industry 4.0 technologies is Flex leveraging in India to improve productivity, quality, flexibility and operational efficiency?
We view advanced manufacturing as a combination of technology, engineering expertise and data-driven operations. Across our manufacturing operations in India, we are increasingly leveraging automation, robotics, digitalisation, simulation and AI to improve productivity, quality, flexibility and consistency.
Our capabilities include automated and semi-automated assembly, robotics, collaborative robots, machine vision and inspection systems, poka-yoke mechanisms and automated material-handling solutions. These technologies help improve repeatability, reduce manual intervention where appropriate and strengthen quality and operational efficiency.
We are actively exploring broader applications of AI across manufacturing operations to enhance productivity, improve efficiency and enable faster, data-driven decision-making. At the same time, we are investing in AI literacy and workforce readiness through training programmes, workshops and hands-on learning initiatives.
We also leverage advanced digital tools and simulation technologies to identify process improvement opportunities, evaluate automation solutions and optimise manufacturing performance.
Our objective is not technology adoption for its own sake, but the creation of smarter, more agile manufacturing environments that can adapt to evolving customer needs while maintaining the quality, reliability and operational excellence expected from a global manufacturing partner.
As electronics manufacturing becomes increasingly complex, how does Flex manage high-mix, high-value production while ensuring supply chain resilience, localisation and global quality standards?
Managing complexity while maintaining consistency is central to advanced electronics manufacturing. In India, we combine Flex’s global manufacturing expertise with local engineering, supplier and supply chain capabilities to support both domestic and international customers.
Our manufacturing model is designed to provide flexibility across products, volumes and customer requirements. Strong process controls, digital manufacturing capabilities, engineering expertise and rigorous quality systems enable us to maintain consistent standards across production.
Supply chain resilience is equally important. Our presence in the Chennai manufacturing ecosystem provides access to a strong supplier base, established logistics infrastructure and proximity to ports. Local supplier partnerships enhance localisation and responsiveness, while digital supply chain tools provide real-time visibility across materials, inventory and demand signals.
By combining regional expertise with data-driven insights, we work closely with customers and suppliers to anticipate disruptions, manage material availability and respond quickly to changing market conditions.
Ultimately, our goal is to combine the advantages of local manufacturing agility with the processes, quality standards and global scale of Flex.
What sustainability initiatives is Flex pursuing across its manufacturing operations in India, including energy efficiency, renewable energy, waste reduction, water management and circularity?
Sustainability is embedded in Flex’s global manufacturing approach, with a focus on reducing environmental impact across our operations and value chain. Across our manufacturing sites, our initiatives focus on energy and emissions reduction, renewable energy adoption, water efficiency, waste reduction and circularity.
In India, we are focused on implementing practical improvements in manufacturing operations and resource efficiency while working with customers and suppliers to advance sustainable and circular value chains.
At the operational level, we continuously identify opportunities to optimise energy consumption, improve site infrastructure, increase renewable energy usage, reduce waste and enhance resource efficiency. We also focus on responsible waste segregation and management practices that support reuse, repurposing and extending material life.
Water stewardship is another important focus area. As part of our sustainability and CSR initiatives, Flex recently completed and handed over the Santhavellore Lake Water Management Project in Sriperumbudur near CIP. The initiative aims to strengthen local water resources, support flood management and contribute to the long-term well-being of the surrounding community.
Looking ahead, what are Flex India’s priorities for manufacturing operations? Are there plans for further investments, capacity expansion, new technologies or capability enhancements?
India is an important part of Flex’s global manufacturing strategy, and we see significant opportunities to deepen our capabilities as the country’s electronics and manufacturing ecosystem continues to evolve.
We will continue strengthening our advanced manufacturing, engineering and supply chain capabilities to help customers build and scale products in India. Investments will be guided by customer requirements and market opportunities.
Globally, we are investing in intelligent automation, including through our expanded collaboration with Teradyne Robotics to scale collaborative and autonomous mobile robots across Flex production environments.
In India, we are building capabilities and talent in areas such as robotics, machine vision, automated material handling and process simulation. Our focus is on creating a more agile and resilient manufacturing ecosystem, with future investments and capacity decisions aligned with customer needs and market demand.
Flex India
Nikhil Rao
Electronics Manufacturing
Advanced Manufacturing
Industry 4.0
Automation
Robotics
Digital Manufacturing
Supply Chain Resilience
Rakesh Rao
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