**India**: Schneider Electric unveils the Open Automation Movement, promoting vendor-agnostic, software-defined technologies to enhance operational agility, sustainability, and digital transformation across key Indian industrial sectors, aiming to break vendor lock-in and support SMEs in modernising their automation frameworks.
On 5 May 2025, Schneider Electric, a prominent global entity in energy management and automation, unveiled the Open Automation Movement in India, an initiative aimed at transforming industrial automation through open, software-defined technologies. This movement seeks to provide industries with flexible, vendor-agnostic automation solutions that transcend traditional, restrictive systems. The announcement signifies a strategic shift towards enhancing operational efficiency and sustainability, essential for India’s industrial aspirations.
The Open Automation Movement proposes to unify various stakeholders including industry bodies, engineers, developers, and other significant figures to promote the benefits of open automation. This collaborative approach aims to catalyse the adoption of adaptable technologies amongst businesses seeking to enhance operational agility and accelerate digital transformation while prioritising sustainable practices.
Deepak Sharma, Zone President and Managing Director of Schneider Electric India, articulated the vision behind this initiative, stating, “The key to unlocking India’s Viksit Bharat potential lies in the bold shift towards intelligent, sustainable, and future-proof industrialization.” Sharma highlighted that the movement is not merely a technological advancement, but a call for industries to move away from outdated systems that hinder growth and efficiency. By focusing on interoperability and data extraction capabilities, Schneider Electric believes it can provide the essential connectivity for advanced analytics, regardless of whether the data is processed at the edge or in the cloud.
The context for this initiative is India’s need to modernise its industrial framework, which is crucial for achieving its global economic objectives. Traditional single-vendor systems have created maintenance challenges and stifled flexibility and data transparency, elements that are increasingly vital in modern markets. Schneider Electric’s Open Automation Movement aims to foster an ecosystem conducive to innovation and operational resilience by involving key stakeholders committed to democratizing access to automation tools.
Essential to this initiative is the EcoStruxure™ Automation Expert (EAE) platform, which decouples hardware from software, simplifying system design and integration processes. Arvind Kakru, Vice President for Industrial Automation at Schneider Electric India, described this transition as a “fundamental revolution in industrial operations,” asserting that it would dismantle vendor dependencies while bridging the critical gap between IT and Operational Technology (OT), thereby optimising lifecycle management.
Further expanding on the Open Automation Movement, Rajat Abbi, Vice President of Marketing at Schneider Electric India, noted the company’s dedication to liberalising industrial automation. He emphasised the importance of demonstrating to potential users the significant benefits of transitioning to open, software-defined systems.
Schneider Electric is engaging across various key sectors, including Water and Wastewater, Consumer Packaged Goods, Food and Beverage, and Life Sciences, reflecting a commitment to support diverse industrial needs. The movement is also expected to be particularly beneficial for small and medium enterprises, which often face barriers to advanced technologies due to financial constraints associated with traditional vendor lock-ins.
The Open Automation Movement represents a significant step towards creating an inclusive and dynamic industrial landscape in India, aligning with the broader goals of efficiency and sustainability set by Schneider Electric.
Source: Noah Wire Services
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