Event Details: March 12, 2026 | 3:30 PM | New Exhibition Hall, CTC, Chennai
South India’s manufacturing sector is at a turning point. Energy costs are climbing, global buyers are demanding verified low-carbon supply chains, and regulators are tightening emissions standards at a pace that leaves little room for delay. For plant heads and boardroom executives alike, the pressure to act is no longer future facing. It is immediate.
This is exactly why the CEO Round Table at Automation Expo South 2026 carries so much weight this year.
Held on March 12th at 3:30 PM in the New Exhibition Hall at CTC, Chennai, the round table is built around one central question: how can South India’s industrial leaders use automation to build factories that are not just more efficient, but genuinely sustainable? The theme, Sustainability through Automation — Building South India’s Intelligent Industrial Future, reflects an ambition that goes well beyond productivity gains. It is about preparing an entire region for the demands of a net-zero global economy.
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What Makes This Event Different
Most industry gatherings offer panels and presentations. This round table is designed to deliver something far more useful: an executable roadmap.
Participants will leave with a 2026 to 2028 action plan that ties automation investments directly to board-level metrics such as Overall Equipment Effectiveness, energy intensity per unit of output, carbon dioxide equivalent per tonne produced, scrap reduction rates, and operational uptime. These are not aspirational targets. They are measurable indicators that leadership teams can track, report on, and be held accountable for.
The deliverables also include board-ready executive dashboards, cyber-resilient OT and IT governance frameworks, reference architectures, and a CEO Communiqué with agreed milestones. The entire framework is designed to be vendor neutral, which means it can be replicated across multiple sites without creating dependencies on any single technology provider.
For executives who need to present a credible sustainability strategy to global buyers or ESG auditors, this structured output is not a nice to have. It is foundational.
Why South India Is the Right Place for This Conversation
Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Kerala together form one of Asia’s most dynamic industrial corridors. Automotive manufacturing, textiles, semiconductors, food processing, and pharmaceutical production all have deep roots across these states. The region also benefits from dense networks of original equipment manufacturers and system integrators who can move quickly from pilot projects to full-scale deployment.
What sets this region apart in 2026 is not just industrial scale. It is readiness. Local talent in edge computing, artificial intelligence, and remote operations has grown substantially. Brownfield plants across South India are being retrofitted with smart sensors, manufacturing execution systems, and real-time analytics without disrupting multi-shift production schedules. That combination of experience and infrastructure is rare, and it positions South India to lead India’s push toward a one-trillion-dollar digital manufacturing economy.
Automation Expo South 2026, now in its third edition under the theme Smart, Sustainable and Scalable, has become the meeting point for this ecosystem. It has evolved from a trade exhibition into a knowledge-sharing platform where innovation is demonstrated, tested, and put into practice.
The Agenda in Practice
The round table will give serious attention to the practical challenges that manufacturers face on the ground. These include managing energy constraints while maintaining output targets, meeting emissions requirements without disrupting operations, and building the data infrastructure needed to prove sustainability performance to international buyers.
Automation solutions including intelligent sensors, advanced controls, manufacturing execution systems, advanced planning and scheduling tools, and real-time analytics platforms are now delivering measurable returns with clear digital verification. The discussion will also address OT and IT convergence, an area where many manufacturers are still navigating complex decisions around safety, cybersecurity, and phased implementation. The round table will offer guidance on how to approach these upgrades without falling into vendor lock-in.
Real-time energy optimisation, water consumption monitoring, and logistics automation will also be examined through the lens of regional policy incentives and export competitiveness.
Who Should Be in the Room
The round table is designed for senior decision-makers who are directly responsible for capital allocation and strategic direction. This includes Chief Executive Officers, Group Chief Operating Officers, Chief Technology Officers, Plant Heads, Sustainability Officers, ESG Leaders, and executives overseeing OT and IT investments.
For leaders managing automation budgets of 75 Lakhs and above, a dedicated VIP Zone offers curated one-to-one engagements with premium solution providers. These are not generic networking moments. They are purposeful conversations structured around specific investment requirements and operational challenges.
Alongside the CEO Round Table, the expo also hosts the Back to Basics 2.0 workshop series, which engages more than 3,000 students in hands-on technical learning. This speaks to the expo’s broader commitment to building the talent pipeline that will sustain South India’s industrial growth over the next decade.
The Bigger Picture
India’s net-zero commitments and the growing carbon disclosure requirements from global trade partners mean that sustainability is no longer a separate agenda from industrial competitiveness. They are the same agenda.
The CEO Round Table at Automation Expo South 2026 brings the right people into the same room at the right moment in history. The conversations that happen on March 12th will shape investment decisions, technology roadmaps, and industrial strategies across the region for years to come.
Early registration is strongly encouraged given the exclusive nature of the event and the speed at which spots are being filled.
Secure your place and be part of the leadership dialogue that will define South India’s intelligent industrial future at https://south.automationindiaexpo.com/
