The global economic order is undergoing a fundamental reset. Supply chains that were once optimised purely for cost are now being redesigned around resilience, trust, geopolitics, and diversification. The ‘China+1’ strategy, geopolitical fragmentation, rising input costs, and regulatory pressures are forcing multinational corporations to re-evaluate where and how they produce. India stands at a pivotal inflection point in this realignment. 

Recent data underscores both momentum and opportunity. India’s merchandise exports grew by 7.1% in 2024, outpacing global trade growth. Yet, India’s share in global merchandise exports remains at ~1.8%, highlighting substantial headroom. Manufacturing contributes ~17% of GDP, well below the stated ambition of 25%, while logistics costs which are at 7.9 % of GDP now remain a structural disadvantage compared to global peers at 8–9%. 

At the same time, India brings unique strengths to the table: a large domestic market, demographic advantage, improving ease of doing business, digital public infrastructure, a growing network of FTAs, and rising global trust as a stable, rules-based democracy. 

The question is no longer whether India can integrate deeper into global value chains, but how fast, at what scale, and with what policy coherence. 

Join us for an exclusive CEO roundtable discussion, hosted by ET Edge, a Times Group initiative, in collaboration with KPMG, as an exclusive pre-GBS Initiative. This conversation will empower leaders to address today’s challenges and embrace innovative strategies and advanced technologies.