Experience Centres Are Becoming the New Front Door for Industrial Innovation in India

As companies in the digital world are looking to capture customers closer to the emerging technologies like digital twins, AI, IoT, smart buildings, and industrial automation, India is seeing a surge in the establishment of industrial experience centres. The latest addition is from Hitachi that has announced the launch of its latest BuilMirai Experience Center in India, and the industry is moving towards collaborative innovation and solution co-creation.

New experience centres are interactive centres, as opposed to traditional product showrooms, where customers can discover new applications, test digital solutions and understand how technology will solve operational challenges before they invest. They are increasingly a showcase for proving integrated ecosystems and not just a product.

The launch by Hitachi comes on the heels of a number of other launches in the industrial technology industry. Entrepreneurs like Siemens, ABB, Schneider Electric, Rockwell Automation, Mitsubishi Electric, FANUC, Festo, and others have established their presence in India with customer experience centres, innovation hubs, digital engineering facilities, robotics labs and Industry 4.0 demonstration centres.

Industry context

The fast industrialization in India is increasing the demand for hands-on technology adoption. Manufacturers, infrastructure builders and commercial building operators are quickening the pace of digitalisation – and before large-scale deployment they want to witness the technology in real-world settings.

Experience centres have thus emerged as a 

collaborative environment where the customer, the technology vendor, the system integrator and the engineering team all work together to develop solutions, test out digital workflows and explore new technologies, like AI-driven automation, predictive maintenance, connected buildings, energy management systems, and more.

The increase in such facilities also underscores the significance of India in the global industrial technology ecosystem. The nation is no longer a sales market, but a place to innovate, engage customers, collaborate with engineers and validate technology.

Experience centres are likely to be increasingly expected to drive the adoption of technology as industrial digitalization continues to heat up. They are increasingly closing the gap between concept and implementation, supporting organizations to help move them from understanding new technologies to deployment with greater confidence in manufacturing, infrastructure, and smart building projects.